Br Blue MK1 Suburban coaches

[westernviscount]

Hi folks,

Could anyone provide any info about the suburban mk1 in br blue? What areas would they be seen in and what year were they finally withdrawn? 

 

Many thanks

Dave

[Steamport Southport]

The BR Blue ones were mainly in London working out of Kings Cross and Moorgate until 1977. They had been replaced in most other places in the late 1960s by DMUs and EMUs.

 

Some details here.

 

https://www.mandgn.org/page.php?pid=20

 

 

There have been previous threads about them, I'll have a look and link to them later. If someone else doesn't beforehand.

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/87646-1950s60s-suburban-carriage-formations/

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/145888-kings-cross-outer-suburban-mk-1-coach-formations/

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/143935-kings-cross-suburban-coaches-maroon-1976/

 

 

https://www.steve-banks.org/prototype-and-traffic/231-lner-er-suburban-traffic-king-s-cross-inner-surburban

 

 

 

Jason

Edited October 3, 2019 by Steamport Southport

[The Johnster]

Apart from the KX/Moorgate workings, these coaches along with any surviving Big 4 designed non-gangwayed stock were replaced by dmus everywhere by the early 60s, with a few sets retained for excursion work.  Even these had gone by the middle of the decade.  AFAIK only the KX/Moorgate stock had the blue post 1966 livery. 

 

My last ride in one in BR service was in ‘65, a Cardiff Queen Street-Barry Island Whitsun Holiday excursion behind Radyr’s 4175, non stop from Cardiff General.  

[Steamport Southport]

There was definitely a pair of BR blue ones running about in Wales in the 1970s.

 

The first two at Llangollen were bought direct from BR in that condition. 

 

Since then they've acquired about half a dozen of the things. The restored ones are comfortable as anything. Well worth a trip on them.

 

 

 

Jason

[Baby Deltic]

They worked out of Broad Street onto the GN via Canonbury spur too. 

[roythebus]

Yes but not very often at the end of their lives. I only ever worked 1 into Broad Street during my short time at KX as a secondman.

 

They did however go as far out as Cambridge. but from memory there were only 56 coaches allocated to the GN so that meant 9 6 car trains and a couple of spare coaches.

Edited October 6, 2019 by roythebus

[EddieK]

A former colleague used to work with the station fitters at KX. He told me once about a trick used by 'comedians" who used the silver paper that wrapped chewing gum to blow the lighting fuse for the coach by taking a bulb out of the holder, putting the silver paper in the bulb holder then putting the bulb back in. The resultant short circuit of course blew the fuse, and by the nature of the compartment stock they could perform this trick unobserved. The fault finding technique involved taking the fuse out and putting a nail, screwdriver or similar across the connections. Where the light bulb exploded was where the silver paper had been. Simple.

[montyburns56]

Some nice detail here not only for the MK1 Suburban coach, but also the tablet catcher fitted Class 31.

 

Farringdon 1975