Class 116 diesel multiple units

[The Johnster]

I was on the bridge at East Usk Jc that October moring, and the best photo I took was an against the light one of a 37 running off the branch in the mist, framed by the bracket signal that was cleared for it to run on to the down relief.

 

The Bridgend-Cwmmer Afan shuttle was billed as Bridgend-Treherbert because that is how it fitted in to the public timetable; following the partial collapse of the Glynrhondda Tunnel the service was maintained with a replacement bus service over the Bwlch mountain, except for when that road was blocked by snow which was not infrequent in winter in those pre- globally warmed days!  The bus left Treherbert and Cwmmer Afan at the booked train times, and ran via Treorchy.  As far as the public timetable was concerned, the service was from from Bridgend to Treherbert and vice versa, a temporary replacement bus that lasted several years!

[Swindon 123]

To complicate the issue, some Cross Country dmus received plain rail blue liveries early on (1966) with sye and white roof end domes.  These were Swindons, 120s, I cannot recall any Gloucester sets being so treated.  A very few sets would have been involved and blue/grey appeared as soon as full yellow ends came into use.  

 

IIRC, blue/grey for dmus was initially restricted to the WR Cross Countries, 119 and 120, the Swindon Inter Cities, 123, and the Trans Pennines; I would not care to make an objective statement about the Scottish Inter Cities as I do not know enough about them.  The livery was for main line stock, and the suburban multi-door types and low density branch types were not classed as such, though of course many of them did main line work!  Everything else, Metrocamms, Birminghams, Cravens, etc were plain blue; it suited them IMHO.

At least on 3 car Class 119 set received all over blue livery. See link below to Rail Photoprints.

https://railphotoprints.uk/p722090381/h2f873b5f#h2f873b5f

 

I have one photo oshowing the use of a bubble car as a strengthener on the Crewe-Cardiffs, taken at Hereford  on 31st December 1973.

W55029 at Hereford by Paul James, on Flickr

 

Paul J.

[EddieK]

At least on 3 car Class 119 set received all over blue livery. See link below to Rail Photoprints.

https://railphotoprints.uk/p722090381/h2f873b5f#h2f873b5f

 

I have one photo oshowing the use of a bubble car as a strengthener on the Crewe-Cardiffs, taken at Hereford  on 31st December 1973.

W55029 at Hereford by Paul James, on Flickr

 

Paul J.

Paul,

 

Good find on the Blue 119!

[br2975]

Same Gloucester RCW set that I saw, the last summer of the Minehead Branch when we stayed at Butlitz, travelling by train from Cardiff.

.

The summer my heart was broken by a girl from Lancashire.

.

Sighs loudly, exit stage left.

[chrisf]

1972

 

I owe loyal readers an apology for the delay to this instalment.  As the astute will have noted, I am back from holiday and have been for nearly two weeks but other things have taken more time than I expected!

 

The major event of 1972 was the emergence of the unified set numbering system on the Western Region, on which Brian has more than touched already.  Single power cars received 1xx set numbers, as did the Class 103s at Reading, and control trailers 2xx.  The 116 set numbers were 3xx, 117s and 118s 4xx, three-car Cross-Country sets 5xx, Cross-Country power twins 6xx and Swindon Inter-City sets 7xx.  Later arrivals of Class 101 would receive 8xx numbers.  It was a simple number to denote the allocation of each set by a prefix to the set number (B, C, L, P), which was now painted on the front end beneath the driving cab windows.

 

Here, then, is the unified list of 116 set numbers, together with previous numbers where applicable:

 

C300 51135 59445 51148 [CAT300]

C301 51136 59446 51149 [CAT301]

C302 50855 59363 50908 [CAT302]

C303 50080 59030 50122 [CAT303]

C304 51140 59032 51153 [CAT304]

C305 50857 59368 50910 [CAT305]

C306 50081 59031 50123 [CAT306]

C307 51134 59444 51147 [CAT307]

C308 50086 59036 50128 [CTN404]  

C309 50869 59035 50922 [CTN406]

C310 50091 59041 50133 [CTN407]

C311 51132 59034 51145 [CTN408]

C312 51139 59033 51152 [CTN409]

C313 50863 59371 50916 [CAT313]

C314 50088 59362 50130 [CAT314]

C315 50845 59353 50898 [CAT315] $

C316 50867 59375 50920 [CAT316] $

C317 50087 59037 50129 [CTN411]

C318 50089 59039 50131 [CTN412]

C319 50839 59347 50892 [CAT319] $

C320 50848 59356 50901 [CAT320]

C321 50834 59038 50887 [CTN413]

P322 50090 59352 50132

C323 50843 59355 50896 [CAT323]

C327 50866 59374 50919 [CAT327]

C328 50842 59350 50895 [CAT328]

B329 50844 59335 50897 [CAT329] $

C331 50851 59359 50904 [CAT331]

B337 50836 59344 50889 [CAT337] $

C338 50856 59364 50909 [CAT338]

L340 50819

L341 50862

L342 50872

L343 50915

C344 50082 59340 50124 [CAT344]

C346 50858 59366 50911 [CAT346]

C347 50084 59373 50126 [CAT347]

C351 50864 59369 50917 [CAT351]

C353 51138 59448 51151 [CAT353]

P354 50847 59040 50900  [LA310]

P355 50854 59356 50907  [LA311]

P356 50865 59372 50921  [LA312]

P357 51128 59357 51141  [LA308]

P358 50868 59365 50918  [LA309]

B390 51137 51150             [bL300]. Withdrawn September 1972 after a period in store.

           

50083 remained in a Reading 117 set L460.  P354 was moved from Laira to Canton in April.,

 

Once everything was neat and tidy it was inevitable that there would be changes.   In June five sets, noted $ above, were made surplus in South Wales by more rediagramming and transferred to Hamilton.

 

That is all I can find for 1972.  Whether it was worth the wait I leave to you to decide.

 

Chris

[EddieK]

Thanks for the latest update - hope that you had a good holiday.

[chrisf]

The next instalment covers 1973 and 1974, reflecting just how little was reported.

 

In May 1973 GUVs 86172 and 86574, once of RailAir fame, was noted working between London district parcels dmus, sadly not specified.  50083 was noted in use for parcels traffic but apparently retaining its seats.

 

In June 1973 P357/8 were reported on loan to Bristol, returning to Laira in Maay 110745/74

 

In June 1973 also new set formations were reported at Hamilton:

 

150      50818  59326  50871

151      50820  59328  50873

152      50821  59329  50874

153      50822  59330  50875

154      50823  59331  50876

155      50825  59333  50878

156      50826  59345  50879

157      50829  59337  50882

158      50836  59344  50889

159      50839  59347  50992

160      50844  59335  50897

161      50845  59353  50898

162      50852  59360  50905

163      50867  59375  50920

           

For reasons as yet not explained two Tyseley sets were transferred to Marylebone in July: 50835+59334+50888 and 50861+59002+50912.  The first of these was returned to Tyseley a year later.

           

In February1974 C309 was reformed 50869+59528+50922 temporarily.  Note that 59528 is one of the 101 trailers allocated to Reading.

 

In October 1974 two Tyseley sets were sent on loan from Tyseley to Reading – 50072+59009+50105 and 51129+59439+51142.  Robert C’s Flickr site has a photo of at least one of these passing Old Oak.

 

I wonder what happened in 1975?

 

Chris

[chrisf]

I apologise grovellingly for the delay in bringing you the next instalment of the life and times of Class 116.  This part covers two years.

 

1975

 

January:  51128+59357+51141 moved from Laira to Cardiff [P357 – C357]

 

February: P358 was temporarily reformed with Class 101 trailer 59538 vice 59365 and moved to Bristol [P358 – B358].  The two sets on loan from Tyseley were given L set numbers

L370 50072+59009+50105

L371 51129+59439+51142

 

Sets P322 and P356 exchanged trailers.  P322 acquired 59372 from P356, P356 acquired 59352 from P322

 

March: 50058, 50108, 50112, 51130, 59006, 59440:  Tyseley – Cricklewood on loan

 

May: L370/1 returned to Tyseley

 

July: 50085 [TS] withdrawn following collision at Lichfield

 

November: Set L460 was disbanded, leaving 50083 as a spare motor

 

1976

 

The enlargement of Tyseley’s fleet began in March with the transfer of three sets from Laira to Tyseley:

P322 50090+59372+50132 [TS543]

P355 50854+59346+50907 [TS544]

P356 50865+59352+50921 [TS545]

 

In April they were followed by two sets from Cardiff:

C305 50857+59368+50910

C353 51138+59448+51151

 

It was now opportune to renumber the remaining 116 sets nominally in vehicle numerical order as part of a programme to tidy up the whole WR allocation:

 

C300<C303 50080 59030 50122

C301<C347 50084 59373 50126

C302<C308 50086 59036 50128 

C303<C317 50087 59037 50129

C304<C314 50088 59362 50130

C305<C318 50089 59039 50131

C306<C310 50091 59041 50133

C310<C321 50834 59038 50887

C311<C328 50842 59350 50895

C312<C323 50843 59355 50896

P313<P354 50847 59040 50900

C314<C320 50848 59356 50901

C315<C302 50855 59363 50908

C316<C338 50856 59364 50909

C317<C346 50858 59366 50911

C318<C351 50864 59369 50917

C319<C357 51128 59357 51141

C320<C309 50869 59035 50922

P330<P358 50868 59365 50918

C331<C311 51132 59034 51145

C332<C307 51134 59444 51147

C333<C300 51135 59445 51148

C334<C301 51136 59446 51149

C335<C304 51140 59032 51153

L340 50819

L341 50862

L342 50872

L343 50915

 

L440: new set - 50083+59543+51399

 

This left the following spare for transfer to the LMR – not all to Tyseley as it turned out:

50081+59486+50123, 50082+59500+50124, 50851+59504+50904, 50857+59368+50910, 50863+59490+50916, 50866+59374+50919, 51136+59492+51149, 51139+59448+51151

 

Five Class 117 sets were sent from Reading to Canton in April and May.  As these were being renumbered as well it has proved difficult to identify precisely which sets were involved.  The numbers they had at Reading were 400, 403, 411, 453 and 456.  In the early days of fitting them with gangways those which received them were numbered in a separate series from those that did not.  Eventually, of course, all received gangways and all bar those transferred to Cardiff were renumbered into one series.  The vehicles transferred were:

51334+59486+51376

51338+59490+51380

51339+59492+51382

51348+59500+51390

51352+59504+51394

and it has to be assumed that they received set numbers C450 – C454 in that order.  The 117 trailers were replaced by 116 trailers 59031, 59371, 59446, 59340 and 59359 and the units ran as hybrids for several years.

In May 1976 two sets were sent to Newton Heath:

50081+59486+50123

50866+59374+50919

 

59486 was the first 117 trailer to be allocated away from the WR.

 

From 4^th October 1976 WMPTE abolished 1^st class from 4/10, leading to downgrading of trailer composites.  50861+59002+50912 acquired set number TS502

 

50058, 50108, 50112, 51130, 59006 and 59440 returned to Tyseley from Cricklewood.

 

I will try not to keep you waiting quite so long for 1977 onwards!

 

Chris

[br2975]

Thanks Chris, good to have you back in harness !

.

My notes confirm what Chris has posted, shewing that the Cl.117 sets transferred to Cardiff Canton were reformed with Cl.116 trailers, as shown below.

.

C450 refers to the set number allocated on transfer/reformation at Canton.

.

The number in parentheses is the former set number, prior to moving to Canton. 

 

C450 (400) 51334+59031+51376

C451 (403) 51338+59371+51380

C452 (453) 51339+59446+51382

C453 (456) 51348+59340+51390

C454 (411) 51352+59359+51394

.

Hope this helps.

.

Brian R

Edited October 16, 2018 by br2975

[chrisf]

Many thanks, Brian.  I had a feeling that you would know!

 

Chris

[EddieK]

Chris - Thanks for the latest updates.

 

In the Bradford Barton book "DMUs Countrywide" of 1976, there is an image of P357 taken in June 1975, and it has a Metro Cammell centre car. Any thoughts?

[chrisf]

Eddie

 

I have that book too.  My first thought is that P357 was transferred away from Laira in January 75 so are we talking paper transfers here?   Let me have a rummage - not tomorrow though as I'm out all day - and see what I can find.   For most of their time on the WR the three 101 trailers were based at Reading so that's another oddity.

 

Chris

[br2975]

Chris - Thanks for the latest updates.

 

In the Bradford Barton book "DMUs Countrywide" of 1976, there is an image of P357 taken in June 1975, and it has a Metro Cammell centre car. Any thoughts?

 

My somewhat 'garbled' notes suggest P357 had become C319 by 1976 and was then formed 50868+59365+50918

.

One of the Met-Camm trailers was, in 1976 formed as follows, in L440 50083+59543+51399

.

Whereas another was formed between two Cl.118 power cars in B469 51311+59538+51326, which had formerly been Set 480

.

Unfortunately, I have no record of the formation of P357 at the relevant time.

.

Brian R

.

.

PS

I have one of the solebar 'set plates' for P357 in my collection !

Edited October 16, 2018 by br2975

[EddieK]

My somewhat 'garbled' notes suggest P357 had become C319 by 1976 and was then formed 50868+59365+50918

.

One of the Met-Camm trailers was, in 1976 formed as follows, in L440 50083+59543+51399

.

Whereas another was formed between two Cl.118 power cars in B469 51311+59538+51326, which had formerly been Set 480

.

Unfortunately, I have no record of the formation of P357 at the relevant time.

.

Brian R

.

.

PS

I have one of the solebar 'set plates' for P357 in my collection !

Jumping a long way ahead: 59365 rang a bell in my memory and my notes show it running from Cricklewood in April 1983! It was with power cars 50055 and 50116 that my notes show as previously Tyseley 523 set. Out of interest, at that time the power cars were blue but 59365 was Blue/Grey.

I also noted that 59365 was gangwayed internally (i.e. doorways through the partitions) but that it had no end gangways. Am I correct in my assumption that it had been gangwayed but then lost the inter-vehicle gangways at some point??

[br2975]

.................................................... Am I correct in my assumption that it had been gangwayed but then lost the inter-vehicle gangways at some point??

 

Eddie

 

Ask me one on sport !

.

Brian R

[chrisf]

My somewhat 'garbled' notes suggest P357 had become C319 by 1976 and was then formed 50868+59365+50918

 

 

Thst's odd, because this was P358 that became P330 on renumbering and is known to have run at least temporarily with a 101 trailer.  This is going to be fun to unravel!  Not today though ...

 

Chris

[br2975]

My notes indicate I had previously seen P357, formed 50868+59365+50918 at Cardiff Central on 29/06/1973.

.

A couple of years earlier, I'd recorded 50918 in the following set, 50865+59372+50918 at Newton Abbott on 22/08/1971, by 03/01/1978 the first two cars had 'morphed' into Tyseley based 50865+59372+50921 which I noted at New Street.

.

Brian R

[chrisf]

Thanks, Brian.  A look at the list of sets after renumbering shows some departures from the sequence and I wonder if someone in the RCTS has inadvertently transposed sets 357 and 358, and therefore if I have inadvertently perpetuated the error.

 

I'm out for the rest of the day but I'm determined to get this right.

 

Chris

[caradoc]

A bit late for the timeline of this topic, but last night, browsing through old Railway Magazines, I found in the December 1969 issue a short feature on, and a picture of, the Air Freight Parcels train, formed of cars W51133 and W51150 sandwiching two GUVs. The RCTS 1974 Coaching Stock book shows W86174 and W86572 wired to work as DMU trailers so presumably these were those in the picture. Apologies if this duplicates information previously provided.

[Rivercider]

Thanks Chris, good to have you back in harness !

.

My notes confirm what Chris has posted, shewing that the Cl.117 sets transferred to Cardiff Canton were reformed with Cl.116 trailers, as shown below.

.

C450 refers to the set number allocated on transfer/reformation at Canton.

.

The number in parentheses is the former set number, prior to moving to Canton. 

 

C450 (400) 51334+59031+51376

C451 (403) 51338+59371+51380

C452 (453) 51339+59446+51382

C453 (456) 51348+59340+51390

C454 (411) 51352+59359+51394

.

Hope this helps.

.

Brian R

I have not made much input to this informative and entertaining thread so far, I was too young to remember any specific details from the 1960s,

though some of my childhood trips to the seaside at Exmouth, Dawlish Warren, or Paignton were almost certainly made in rattling Laira allocated class 116 sets.

 

By the late 1970s I started taking a few instamatic photos, and later managed to capture on film several of the C45X series 117/116/117 sets.

Some photos were added to the Bachmann 117 thread, but here is C454 in 1980.

Set C454 is formed as per the official list 51352, 59359, 51394 when seen at Rhymney, 22/5/80.

 

cheers

[EddieK]

Eddie

 

Ask me one on sport !

.

Brian R

Brian,

 

OK - how do you spell "QPR" ?

 

I'll get my coat....

[chrisf]

Chris - Thanks for the latest updates.

 

In the Bradford Barton book "DMUs Countrywide" of 1976, there is an image of P357 taken in June 1975, and it has a Metro Cammell centre car. Any thoughts?

 

From the Railway Observer, January 1976:

 

"Laira set P357 now has W59538 with 50868 and 50918"

 

This answers your question and presents a problem for me.  It seems that the identities of P357 and P358 were misreported in 1972 and I had not spotted it.  Well done Brian for sowing the seeds of doubt!   50865 and 50868 got swapped over in the West Country and I had thought that they never returned to their "proper" sets, but you can never tell when Tyseley gets involved!

 

When I get a minute I will check to see what if any other corrections are needed.

 

Chris

[br2975]

A bit late for the timeline of this topic, but last night, browsing through old Railway Magazines, I found in the December 1969 issue a short feature on, and a picture of, the Air Freight Parcels train, formed of cars W51133 and W51150 sandwiching two GUVs. The RCTS 1974 Coaching Stock book shows W86174 and W86572 wired to work as DMU trailers so presumably these were those in the picture.

 

W51137 + W51150 together with their centre car were transferred from the Scottish Region to the Western Region early in 1969 ?

.

The conversion (seats removed from the DMU cars and GUVs wired for Blue Square control etc) was aparently carried out at Newton Abbott works.

.

The Railair Express Parcels service started on October 6th 1969, and ran as follows

Bristol TM dep:- 20:55

Hayes arr........:- 23:12

Hayes dep......:- 01:55

Bristol TM arr:- 04:05

.

Parcels services from Swansea, Gloucester and the West Country were to feed into and out of the service, at Temple Meads. 

.

On 13th. December, 1970 W51150 was out of service and the set was formed W55033+W86572+W86174+W51137

.

Shortly after, the 'experiment' ended.

.

The GUVs ended up working in the London Division with their hotch potch of parcels units.

.

Brian R

[chrisf]

Before we start on 1977 I have now checked and it is indeed the case that some corrections are needed to the list of 116 formations posted in the 1976 instalment.  My apologies for having gone boss-eyed:

# 357, not 358, was 50868+59365+50918 and became C319

# 358, not 357, was 51128+59357+51141 and became P330

# 312 was 51139+59033+51152 and became C334   

 

Now, not before time, 1977

 

Eight sets, listed in the last instalment as spare for transfer to the LMR, were not embraced by the renumbering scheme of 1976.  At least some were given ‘T’ prefixes to their old numbers, which according to the Railway Observer stood tor ‘toilet’.  Some doubt must be cast on this by the inclusion of T313, listed as 51139+59033+51152.  Not only is this set recorded as having been renumbered C334 but it has no toilet.  You might think that ‘T’ stands for Tyseley: I could not possibly comment.  Whatever the truth, the following sets were transferred from Canton to Tyseley in May 1977:

 

50082+59504+50124

50851+59504+50904 [T331]

51136+59528+51149 [T301]

50863+59490+50916 remained on the WR but apparently did not acquire a set number.  Later 59538 replaced 59490 and the set acquired the number T313, remaining at Cardiff.

 

Not previously reported was the withdrawal in February 1976 of 50874 from Hamilton.

 

In February 1977 the hybrid set L440 acquired 59500 vice 59543.

 

Some sets were exchanged between Stratford and Hamilton.  So far the reason has not come to light.

April 77: 50842+59354+50899 SF - HN, 50845+59353+50898 HN – SF

June 77: 50844+59335 +50897, 50867+59375+50920 HN – SF

50846+59349+50881, 50853+59367+50894 SF – HN

 

Here may lie the seeds of a future mystery for one of these sets was photographed in South Wales in 1982!

 

In September 1977 50866+59374+50919 was finally prised out of Canton and sent to Tyseley.  Less probable was the decision to reinstate the seats in 50862 and 50872, hitherto at Reading and used for parcels traffic, and send them to Tyseley along with trailers 59376 and 59014.  On 16^th October 1977 the other seatless 116 power cars, 50819 and 50915, were noted stored at Gloucester before being transferred to Tyseley.

 

A curious transfer in December 1977 was that of 50081+59486+50123 from Newton Heath to Cricklewood.  What in 1978 will surprise us?

 

Chris

 

[Pteremy]

What in 1978 will surprise us? Go on, tell us!

 

BTW have you given any further thought as to where the research you have done will reside - I think you posed that question near the beginning of this thread? It definitely deserves something, sweeping up other folks contributions. A publication 'special' of some sort or other. Otherwise it may just get lost in the fog of online material.