EddieK

59760 betrays its origins as a TCL as the far end saloon (5 bays) still has the headrest sides from being First Class. As an aside, the new-to Allerton Class 115 vehicles had similar side sections on the second class headrests.

Thanks for confirming this. When I started this discussion, I was half expecting a link to the last time it was discussed!

The very useful class47.co.uk website details the boiler type that each loco was built with. Thanks to all that have contributed to this discussion, I now have more of an idea as to which model bodyshells should apply to which full sized loco.

As I recall, the use of a bubble car vehicle in place of a power car in a suburban triple was common practice both at Reading and Tyseley.

1988 Western Region Compared with the quantity of Class 116 vehicles in use on the region at the start of 1987, the fleet was significantly reduced as at January 1988 and it remained relatively stable for the year. A survey on 6th June found the following sets: - (L = London area, C = Cardiff area) L307 53083 53820 2x Brakes, had been in Parcels use but returned to passenger use mid 1988. C360 53080 53122 C362 53086 53128 C365 53089 53131 C375 53855 59561 53908 Metro Cammell Trailer C377 53858 59539 53911 Metro Cammell Trailer C390 51128 51141 C391 51132 51145 C392 51134 51147 C393 51135 51148 C394 51139 51152 C395 51140 51153 C985 53624 59039 51509 Class 108 / 116 / 101 hybrid, 59039 supposedly allocated to Landore The Class 116 power twins shown above had no toilets, and in theory were for use on the Valley Lines network where Class 150/2 Sprinters provided most of the service, but I have seen evidence of Cardiff - Hereford and even Cardiff - Shrewsbury workings; leg crossing time, methinks… Another snapshot of the fleet at 18th August found C375 and C377 reduced to power twins, and the sole Class 116 centre trailer in a Landore set with Class 108 power cars: S947 53942 59039 51567 By the end of 1988, the only casualty was 59039, withdrawn from Landore 3/11/88. Eastern Region During 1987, Heaton had gathered together a collection of other depots’ cast off DMU vehicles, including two Class 116 triple sets ex Cardiff to assist in providing a service while the Class 143 Pacer fleet had a reliability. er, blip…. By 1988, it looks as if Class 143 reliability had improved. On 10th March the following Class 116 vehicles moved from Heaton to Chester: - 53847 53856 53900 53909 59364 A snapshot of the Heaton allocation in July found supposedly 24 sets designated “Power Twin / Triple” with a selection of mostly Metro Cammell power cars, and a collection of five centre trailers of classes 101, 116, 118, 119. The Class 116 vehicle remaining was 59040. By December 1988, the fleet of Class 101 Power Twin sets was reduced to eight while 59040 was listed as “spare”, presumably it made occasional forays by augmenting one of these sets. (59040 was obviously a useful vehicle at Heaton as it remained on the allocation there until mid 1990). London Midland Region Bletchley This depot started the year with a solitary Class 116 trailer, 59367, which had been running in a four car set during 1987. By January 1988, the set had been reduced to three cars: 53628 - 59367 - 51570 This vehicle migrated to Tyseley in May 1988 and eventually took up residence within one of the T400 series hybrid four car sets. Chester This depot began the year with eight Class 116 vehicles, and five more vehicles arrived from Heaton in March. By the end of the year, all of these vehicles would be withdrawn. As at February, the units were formed: - 53824 53906 Non Gangwayed set 53904 59054 53910 Class 101 Trailer Brake Van 53081 59120 53123 Class 101 Trailer 53051 53072 Parcels unit, 2x Motor Brakes See above for the five vehicles that moved from Heaton to Chester in March, giving a fleet size of thirteen though this did not last for long and by June there were three power twin units : - CH297 53081 53904 CH298 53847 53910 CH299 53856 53909 Reference to the railcar website has found these sets typically used on the Chester - Hooton shuttles, where their lack of toilets would not be too much of a problem. By October, only CH297 remained, but this was withdrawn at the end of the month. A few Class 116 vehicles would appear in Chester’s allocation for a couple of months in Autumn 1989, but I am getting ahead of myself…. Newton Heath The year began with twenty eight Class 116 vehicles allocated. The fleet was bolstered by three ex Cardiff trailer cars being reinstated along with five vehicles transferring across from Tyseley. To counter this, however, the Class 116 fleet was cut back during the year to leave only seven vehicles at the end of December. A snap shot in February found these Class 116 units: - Non-Gangwayed 53078 53109 53059 53117 53870 53923 Gangwayed 53087 59037 53129 53091 59041 53133 53839 59433 53857 Class 119 Trailer Buffet; 2x Brakes 53842 59527 53895 Class 101 Trailer (Confusingly, the two power cars were seen by me, operating from Tyseley in January 1988….) 53843 53896 53848 53901 53862 59528 53872 Class 101 Trailer 53866 59114 53887 Class 101 Trailer 53867 59372 53920 Plain Blue livery 53869 59035 53922 As the year progressed, some Class 116 vehicles were withdrawn (see Withdrawals list, below). A small number of vehicles were transferred here from Tyseley, but a couple of these were withdrawn almost immediately. By mid July, the Class 116 fleet at the depot comprised two hybrid triples, three power twins and a new concept, gangwayed Class 116 Motor Brakes running with Metro Cammell Driving Trailers…. Hybrid Triple N358 53867 59114 53920 Plain Blue motor coaches, Blue/Grey Class 101 trailer N361 53839 59433 53922 Class 119 Trailer Buffet Power Twin N650 53059 53117 N651 53078 53109 N652 53870 53923 Hybrid - Cl 101 Driving Trailer N619 53087 54398 N620 53091 54381 N621 53843 54219 N622 53848 54071 N623 53857 54375 N624 53869 54408 By the end of October, the two plain blue Class 116 motor coaches were in Berry’s scrap yard and of the July list, only N619 - 623 sets remained, with a few odd coaches spare. A final stock take in December found only seven Class 116 vehicles at the depot: - Hybrid - Cl 101 Driving Trailer N621 53843 54219 N622 53848 54071 N623 53857 54375 Power Twin N683 53866 53887 N684 53869 53922 Getting slightly ahead of myself, Newton Heath would end its relationship with Class 116 three months later, with four vehicles withdrawn but three moving to Cardiff! An oddity in the history of Class 116s at Newton Heath was the transfer of 53887 to Buxton in May, with it returning in October. I have no information as to what it did when it was based there. Tyseley In 1987, you may recall how the previously (relatively) stable Class 116 fleet gained vehicles (mostly from ScotRail), lost vehicles either to the scrap man or to other depots, and became mixed-up as part of the creation of the T400 series hybrid four car sets, with a number of temporary formations thrown in as part of the process. By February 1988, the shape of the fleet for the next few years was becoming clear. The old faithful “500” series sets (non-gangwayed) that remained were soon to be withdrawn, the “600” series (introduced 1983) gangwayed sets still in existence were to be partly absorbed into the “400” series hybrid four car sets, and three car suburban sets were adopting a new “300” set number series. Confused? Here’s a snapshot dated 5th February. Class 116 vehicles underlined. T200 Power Twin T207 53842 53895 (These vehicles also shown as allocated to Newton Heath…..) T300 Suburban Triple (Gangwayed + Lav) T306 51369 59521 53873 Class 117 set, 53873 temporarily in place of 51411 T319 51129 59756 51149 T320 51138 59720 53890 T321 53854 59723 53907 T322 53071 59760 53880 T323 53818 59724 53093 T324 53053 59672 53101 T325 53060 59757 51142 T326 53822 59668 53881 T331 51133 59595 53090 Two brake vans T332 53865 59598 53073 Two brake vans T333 53082 59617 51131 Two brake vans T334 53054 59596 51136 Two brake vans T335 53844 59674 53827 Two brake vans T336 53849 59721 51130 Two brake vans T337 53853 59751 53838 Two brake vans T338 53050 59722 53058 Two brake vans T339 53850 59597 53863 Two brake vans T340 53826 59719 53837 Two brake vans T341 53061 59753 53079 Two brake vans T359 53866 59114 53887 Class 101 trailer T500 Suburban Triple (Non Gangwayed) T505 53065 59638 53121 T511 53832 59649 53913 T512 53063 59642 53119 T513 53077 59650 53120 T522 53833 59714 53100 T526 53070 59626 53095 T600 Suburban Triple (Gangwayed + Lav) T611 53055 59611 53116 T620 53056 59612 53878 T400 Suburban Quad (Gangwayed + Lav) T401 51662 59743 59610 53886 T402 51851 59658 59614 51146 T403 51852 59641 59616 53106 T404 51853 59604 59445 53919 T405 51854 59726 59615 51143 T406 51856 59606 59344 53132 T407 51858 59594 59442 53916 T408 51859 59448 59592 53114 T409 51860 59600 59375 53894 T410 51862 59602 59713 53124 T412 51867 59446 59591 53102 T413 51868 59632 59593 53902 T414 51869 59661 59613 51144 T415 51870 59589 59353 53921 T416 51876 59609 59648 53891 T417 51877 59603 59444 53893 T419 51884 59629 59590 51151 T420 51892 59032 59607 53092 T422 51898 59608 59335 53897 T800 Suburban Quad (Non-Gangwayed + Lav) T802 51865 59748 59636 53914 Stored awaiting material: 53825 (Subsequently withdrawn without re-entering traffic) Stored Unserviceable at Crewe: 59330 As an illustration of how things were changing at Tyseley, a month later the above list had the following changes: - Sets disbanded: T611, T620, T802 New set: T342 53055 59673 53056 Two brake vans This new set included the two Motor Brakes previously in T611 and T620 New set: T418 51880 59643 59611 53116 (Last two vehicles ex T611) New set: T421 51897 59741 59612 53878 (Last two vehicles ex T620) 53873 had been taken out of T306 set, where it had stood in for the “proper” Motor Second vehicle, and gone on to stand in for 53893 in T417. 53893 was awaiting material. By early April, there was only one of the long-serving T500 sets still in traffic, T511 (see above), also the final Suburban Quad had been formed: - T411 51865 59625 59597 53873 Note that 53873 was in its “proper” set and 53893 was back in T417. Also, to release 59597 for T411, set T339 was reformed with 59670 as centre car. The Tyseley fleet of Class 116s had, by around mid 1988 reached a fairly steady state, with the last of the non-gangwayed Class 116 triples leaving the depot allocation in May; the power cars went to Newton Heath where they only lasted a short while before withdrawal, and the Class 115 trailer went for scrap. The remaining triple sets were all gangwayed, with T319 - T326 being “correctly” formed and T331 - T342 being formed with two brake vans. The hybrid Suburban Quad sets all had Class 116 Motor Seconds at the opposite end to the Class 115 Motor Brakes, and there were odd Class 116 trailers to be found. One Class 116 trailer of note was 59367, which had been the lone Class 116 vehicle at Bletchley; upon arrival at Tyseley it displaced 59375 out of T409 set and on its way to the scrapyard. When new, the Tyseley Class 116 fleet had been mainly used on local services, as befitting their non-gangwayed, high density seating layout. By 1988, the remaining vehicles not only operated local services in the West Midlands but also longer distance timetabled weekend services to destinations including Skegness, Scarborough and Yarmouth. They also formed Football specials and excursions, which seems a little at odds with their “suburban” design. The overall reduction in Class 116 units at Tyseley had been caused by an influx of Class 117 and 118 units from the “Provincial” (i.e. not London) area of the Western Region, including the celebrity Western Region Chocolate and Cream set B430, which became T305, but that is another story. Class 116 Withdrawals 53051 CH 12/6/88 53052 TS 17/1/88 53059 NH 6/11/88 53063 TS 31/3/88 53065 TS 12/3/88 53070 TS 31/3/88 53072 CH 12/6/88 53077 TS 16/5/88 53078 NH 6/11/88 53081 CH 30/10/88 53087 NH 6/11/88 53091 NH 6/11/88 53095 TS 31/3/88 53100 TS 7/2/88 53108 NH 17/1/88 53109 NH 6/11/88 53112 TS 3/1/88 53117 NH 6/11/88 53119 TS 31/3/88 53120 TS 13/5/88 53121 TS 12/3/88 53123 CH 12/6/88 53129 NH 19/6/88 53133 NH 2/6/88 53819 NH 17/1/88 53824 CH 12/6/88 53825 TS 19/6/88 53832 NH 17/7/88 See Transfers 53833 TS 7/2/88 53839 NH 18/9/88 53842 NH 17/7/88 53847 CH 6/11/88 See Transfers 53856 CH 2/10/88 See Transfers 53862 NH 30/10/88 53867 NH 30/10/88 Plain Blue livery 53870 NH 6/11/88 53871 TS 17/1/88 53872 NH 19/6/88 53895 NH 30/10/88 See Transfers 53896 NH 2/6/88 53900 CH 12/6/88 See Transfers 53901 NH 2/6/88 53904 CH 30/10/88 53906 CH 12/6/88 53909 CH 2/10/88 See Transfers 53910 CH 6/11/88 53913 NH 2/6/88 See Transfers 53914 TS 27/3/88 53920 NH 30/10/88 Plain Blue livery 53923 NH 6/11/88 59035 Reinstated NH 17/1/88 59035 NH 2/6/88 59037 Reinstated NH 17/1/88 59037 NH 2/6/88 59039 LE 3/11/88 59041 Reinstated NH 17/1/88 59041 NH 2/6/88 59345 TS 17/1/88 59364 CH 21/3/88 See Transfers 59372 NH 2/6/88 Plain Blue livery 59374 TS 17/1/88 59375 TS 19/6/88 Class 116 Transfers 53083 OO Parcels to Passenger use 7/88 53820 OO Parcels to Passenger use 7/88 53832 TS - NH 11/5/88 See Withdrawals 53847 HT - CH 10/3/88 See Withdrawals 53856 HT - CH 10/3/88 See Withdrawals 53866 TS - NH 2/10/88 53887 TS - NH 11/5/88 53887 NH - BX 17/5/88 53887 BX - NH 2/10/88 53895 TS - NH 10/7/88 See Withdrawals 53900 HT - CH 10/3/88 See Withdrawals 53909 HT - CH 10/3/88 See Withdrawals 53913 TS - NH 11/5/88 See Withdrawals 59364 HT - CH 10/3/88 See Withdrawals 59367 BY - TS 10/5/88

Having referred to the very useful class47.co.uk site, I see that the page for each loco records the boiler type fitted from new. I am interested in how the different boiler types relate to the roof arrangement at No. 2 end of the loco. I apologise if this has already been discussed to death elsewhere - if so, please point me in the right direction...

Did the unit tour any part of the Western Region?

In 1974, the prototype refurbished DMU, a Metro Cammell triple set emerged from Doncaster Works and embarked on a tour of the network to demonstrate what could be done to refurbish the DMU fleet. Where / when did it visit on its tour?

With the sad news of the passing of Chris F, along with the general appreciation of this thread as a historical record of Class 116 DMUs, I am putting myself forward to continue Chris’ work and document the last few years of Class 116 in service on BR. I offer no guarantee that my work will be up to the standard of what has gone before. I suspect that much of Chris’ source information originated in Railway Observer, and I admit that I have not been a subscriber to said publication. Much of my information has been obtained from online sources such as the railcar website and Flickr. In addition, I can draw on my own experiences of touring the BR network observing DMUs. So, here goes….. 1987 By the start of the year, the BR DMU fleet had already been augmented by new build second generation fleets including 150/1, 142 and 143 and these were about to be joined by 150/2 and 144. Later in the year, the Class 155 and 156 Super Sprinters were set to appear. As a consequence, the ranks of first generation DMU vehicles were to be severely depleted during the year, including Class 116. Many of the Class 116 fleet had been built with “heritage insulation material” in their body shells, though a number had been stripped of this, and it comes as no surprise that such vehicles were high on the priority list for withdrawal. Class 116 vehicles were displaced both by the introduction of new units and by the cascading of other first generation DMU classes following the arrival of new units elsewhere. On the other hand, some Class 116s were sent to unfamiliar areas to cover for failings in the new DMU fleets. WESTERN REGION Cardiff Canton At the beginning of 1986, the Canton 116 fleet comprised 68 vehicles, and not much had changed at the start of 1987, with 66 vehicles (22 triple sets) still being in use. At the end of January 1987, the Canton fleet included three Class 118 triple sets, displaced from the West Country by the new(ish) Class 142s, along with three triple sets formed with Class 108 motor coaches and Class 101 centre trailers; these were notable as 108s were not a type previously associated with Western Region depots. At this time, it was very much “more of the same” for the serviceable Class 116 units. A look at the fleet list at the end of June 1987 found a similar situation, with the Class 116 fleet still having 19 triple sets in use. (As an aside, the Class 108 triple sets at Canton now comprised 5 units, with a mix of Class 101, 108 and 110 centre trailers). C300 53080 59030 53122 C302 53086 59036 53128 C303 53087 59037 53129 C305 53089 59039 53131 C306 53091 59041 53133 C307 53083 59472 53820 Class 118 Trailer C312 53843 59355 53896 C313 53847 59040 53900 C314 53848 59033 53901 C315 53855 59363 53908 C316 53856 59364 53909 C317 53858 59034 53911 C320 53869 59035 53922 C330 51128 59442 51141 C331 51132 59446 51145 C332 51134 59444 51147 C333 51135 59445 51148 C334 51139 59448 51152 C335 51140 59032 51153 53820 in set C307 was notable in gaining a white roof dome and red buffer beams in addition to the Valley Train red dragon and red chevron on the cab end. The Class 116 fleet remained as above in August 1987, the Canton fleet list had gained a few more random displaced low density vehicles of Classes 101/108/110 but more notable were the first three new Sprinters of Class 150/2. For completeness, a Class 155 Super Sprinter was also based there, though intended for longer distance services. It was to be the 150/2 units that would have the most profound effect on the Class 116 fleet, as these were intended to take over the Valley Line routes, home of most of the 116-worked services. It had been stated in May that units C330 -335 were to be retained for inner suburban services alongside the 150s. In September, additional 150/2 stock migrated to Cardiff to release Class 116 power cars to form power twin sets at Chester and Newton Heath, to cover for ailing Pacers. A look at the Canton allocation in November 1987 found 20 of the new Class 150/2s present, along with an increased fleet of Class 101/108/110 mixed low density triples. The November 1987 Canton 116 fleet comprised: - C315 53855 59561 53908 Class 101 trailer C317 53858 59539 53911 Class 101 trailer C330 51128 51141 C331 51132 51145 C332 51134 51147 C333 51135 51148 C334 51139 51152 C335 51140 51153 The six power twin units were intended to be able to keep up with Sprinter timings on local services. Although the above suggests a significant withdrawal of Canton’s Class 116s, see below to read about the significant migrations to Manchester and Newcastle. Old Oak Common In the Autumn, this depot gained its first allocation of Class 116 vehicles, with the transfer of 53083 and 53820 from Cardiff Canton. This pair of Motor Brakes had previously run as C307 set with a Class 118 trailer car, 59472 which was withdrawn from Canton around the same time as the power cars. As noted above, 53820 was distinctive with a white cab roof dome and red buffer beams. The pair were used as a parcels unit for the remainder of 1987, with some of the Valley Train branding elements removed; the red dragons and chevrons were removed from the cab ends, with the NSE flash added beneath the centre windscreen, while on the bodysides the “Tren y Cwm” / “Valley Train” lettering and associated white dragons were removed and further NSE flashes were added where the dragons had previously been. ScotRail Ayr and Eastfield At the beginning of the year, Scotland was still home to twenty Class 116 vehicles, with a three car unit at Eastfield and the remaining seventeen vehicles at Ayr. Within a few months, they were all destined to move to the Birmingham area. In a wider context, the ScotRail DMU fleet was regaining some sense of order following the temporary grounding of all bar a few Class 107 vehicles in 1986; the shiny new EMUs on the Glasgow to Ayr line reduced the need for diesel units, there were new second generation DMUs on the horizon, and the immediate need for first generation units was to be met with Classes 101 and 107 (along with small fleets of Class 120 and 104 to supplement them). Eastfield: - 116 388 53823 59354 53876 Ayr: - 116 385 53090 59344 53132 (See also 116 392 below where 59344 and 53132 also appear) 116 387 53822 59345 53881 116 392 53839 59344 53132 (See also 116 385 above) 116 397 53845 59375 53898 116 394 53846 59330 53873 Odd vehicles: 53882 (Stored), 53892 (Stored), 59329, 59374. Eastern Region Heaton The North East had enjoyed a brief dabble with Class 116s between 1966 and 1968 when a few units were based at South Gosforth. The class would reappear in the area in September 1987 when the former C313 (53847 59040 53900) and C316 (53856 59364 53909) made the move north, displaced by the new Sprinter units at Cardiff. This was around the time that the new Class 143 Pacer units were not being entirely reliable. The Class 116s did not have any toilet facilities, so to remedy this they were reformed with Class 119 Motor Second (Lavatory) vehicles, the two Class 119 unitss having transferred from Cardiff at the same time: - “C590” 53847 59040 51087 (also seen running as a power twin, minus 59040). 53856 59364 51102 A further set formed 51058 59418 (both Class 119) 53900 was seen at Carlisle in the middle of the month. London Midland Region Chester At the start of 1987, Chester had two Class 116 MBS vehicles that had moved there from Tyseley almost a year earlier. Both vehicles were in hybrid units:- 53051 51786 (Class 120 former Motor Brake First) 53072 51785 (Class 120 former Motor Brake First) Both units were dedicated to the carriage of parcels and as such, all passenger seating had been removed. The two Class 120 vehicles, incidentally, had been modified in the 1960s to have enlarged luggage areas at the expense of the second class seating area. Externally, these vehicles carried Red Star Parcels branding amidships. In July, 53075 53835 transferred here from Tyseley, but were subsequently withdrawn in December. At Tyseley, they had been running together as a power twin, and continued to do so for their brief stint at Chester. In October/November 1987, a further six Class 116 motor coaches made the move to Chester: - 53081 53123 53824 53904 53906 53910 Of these, Motor Seconds 53904 and 53910 are notable in that they had been running at Tyseley as a three car unit with Class 101 Trailer Brake Van 59054, which transferred to Chester at the same time. Newton Heath At the start of the year, this depot had no Class 116 vehicles allocated, but by the end of the year there were around thirty vehicles, originating from Cardiff Canton and Tyseley, arriving in several small batches in the period June - November: - (C303) 53087 59037 53129 (59037 withdrawn shortly after arrival) (C306) 53091 59041 53133 (C312) 53843 59355 53896 (C314) 53848 59033 53901 (59033 withdrawn shortly after arrival) (C320) 53869 59035 53922 53059 53117 53078 53109 53819 53108 53839 59433 53857 (Class 119 Trailer Buffet Car)(Two Brake vehicles) 53842 53895 53862 59528 53872 (Class 101 Trailer car) 53867 59372 53920 (Plain Blue livery) 53870 53923 59374 This was a period of Class 142 unreliability, and the new arrivals were pressed into service more or less upon arrival. The ex Canton units ran with Canton set numbers, red dragons and red chevrons on the cab ends and “Valley Train” / “Tren y Cwm” branding on the sides. In due course the cab ends became unadorned plain yellow and the side branding were painted out, apart from the small sized BR arrows. The Class 116 units settled in alongside the indigenous fleet comprised mainly of Classes 104 and 108 on local services in the area. Bletchley There was a solitary Class 116 trailer allocated here, 59367. During 1987, the depot had a four car unit formed: - 53628 - 59206 - 59367 - 51570 Class 108 power cars, Class 104 and 116 trailers This unit was often found on the Midland Main Line, with photographic records of it running between Bedford and Kettering. Tyseley Apologies for some personal memories relating to the Class 116s of the West Midlands; Tyseley was the first recipient of Class 116s, and they settled in to give many years of service, initially on the former GWR lines, then with a much enlarged fleet providing the core fleet on the Cross City Line from 1978. I first encountered the fleet in the early 1980s, at which time things were much as they had always been, with the set numbers in the TS500 series and the original centre trailers still in use, albeit with a few centre car interlopers of classes 115 and 127. The fact that Birmingham University had its own railway station featuring a steady stream of Class 116s (amongst others) may have influenced my choice of further education provider in Autumn 1983… That Autumn, the Tyseley Class 116 fleet was seeing significant changes with Class 116 trailer cars being substituted with Class 127 trailers displaced by St Pancras line electrification. (As a resident of St Albans, these trailer cars were old friends). There was also some set renumbering in progress with TS600 sets being gangway sets with Class 101 trailers (many displaced from the Eastern Region) and TS620 sets being entirely Class 116, but with gangways fitted; (previously these gangwayed 116s had been lost in the TS500 set number series, indistinguishable from the non-gangwayed sets). By the time I was about to take my final exams in May 1986, not much had changed, with thirty three non-gangwayed Class 116 sets in the TS500 series, with a mixture of centre cars, Class 115 TS and TCL (downgraded), and Class 127 TS and TSL, though one set had an ex Eastern Class 116 trailer. The gangwayed TS600 sets mostly had gangway-fitted Class 127 TSLs but with a few Class 101 trailers in the mix as well. In addition, there were four Class 116 triples that had migrated from the Eastern Region, including the plain blue set 53867 59372 53920. In summary, although the period 1983 - 1986 had seen much rearrangement of centre trailers, the Tyseley class 116 fleet was still in essence a fleet of three car units with Motor Brake Second at one end and Motor Second at the other, with many of the power car pairs unchanged for many years. 1987 would see that situation well and truly in disarray. So what caused this upheaval? Part of the reason was the displacement of Allerton’s Class 115 fleet from the Liverpool - Manchester service; originally they had run as four car units, but in September 1981 the non-toilet TS (Trailer Second) vehicles were transferred to Tyseley to allow six of the Class 116 trailers to be withdrawn. In late 1986 / early 1987, the Motor Brake Seconds and downgraded Trailer Composite (Lavatory) vehicles were displaced by second generation units. Another reason was the displacement of Class 115 vehicles from the Marylebone line. Up until1986/7 the Marylebone line Class 115 fleet had run in the original formation (though with frequent vehicle changes) namely Motor Brake Second - Trailer Second - Trailer Composite (Lavatory) - Motor Brake Second. Around this time, some Class 115 “short” units were created, by fitting gangways to a number of Motor Brakes and coupling these to Class 108 Driving Trailer Composite (Lavatory) vehicles surplus in the North West. As a consequence, a number of Marylebone’s Motor Brakes and trailer cars were surplus to requirements. Tyseley Depot had a part to play in the creation of the Class 115 “short” sets by fitting gangways to the Class 115 Motor Brakes. Also, the displaced Class 108 trailers required the reinstatement of First Class accommodation; with British Rail HQ having been at Marylebone, a number of Senior Managers resided along that route, and they needed their comfortable seats! The North West area DMUs had lost First Class accommodation in Spring 1981, and it was Tyseley’s job to put it back. What was the effect of all of this on Tyseley’s Class 116 fleet? The ultimate aim was to create a fleet of 22 four car units based at Tyseley, formed:- Class 115 Motor Brake Second - Class 127 Trailer Second (Lavatory) - Suburban Trailer Second - Class 116 Motor Second The “Suburban Trailer Second” could be either Class 116, 115 or 127. The mixing of Class 115 and 116 motor coaches in these units was, to some extent, not the best idea. The 115s had Leyland Albion engines boasting 230 horsepower each while the 116s had 150 horsepower Leylands. A “text book” Class 115 unit was a four car suburban unit with nominally 920 horsepower, while these hybrid sets had 760 horsepower. Although the Marylebone 115s had to negotiate the Chiltern Hills, the Tyseley four car sets did have to climb hills as well. Also, anecdotal evidence at the time mentioned the different characteristics of engine revs between the two classes; apparently it was as if they were trying to fight each other when it was time to change gear. Alongside the fleet of four car units, there was still a requirement for other units at Tyseley, and it was this depot that was destined to gather together a varied fleet of first generation DMUs over the coming few years, from its own resident 116s along with other classes of unit displaced from elsewhere. As you will have worked out, assigning 22 Class 116 Motor Seconds to the four car units left 22 or so Motor Brake Seconds without their partners, which in turn led to some unusual formations by the middle of the year. In amongst all of this, Tyseley gained some additional Class 116 units as a consequence of the clear-out of the type from ScotRail, the best of which went on to serve the depot for a while, while the worst went for scrap. Of the long term Tyseley Class 116 fleet, some surplus vehicles migrated to Chester and Newton Heath, no doubt to bolster the fleets up there as a consequence of Class 142 unreliability. Other long-term Tyseley 116s went for scrap, typically non-gangwayed vehicles which contained heritage insulation materials. I hope that all of these many factors have not left you confused… From May 1987, all services on the Cross City line were intended to be operated by the "new" four car units. On the subject of confusion, I paid an afternoon/evening visit to Birmingham New Street during the Summer of 1987, and I could hardly get my head around what I saw, what with all of the unfamiliar formations. I went for a ride towards Lichfield on a “temporary” four car set formation with a Marylebone allocated Class 115 Motor Brake at the front, two trailers and then a Class 116 motor coach at the rear. All was going well until a minor under frame fire on the Class 115; although soon extinguished, the engines on that vehicle were isolated as a precaution. Predictably, the Class 116 car on the rear was unable to push the other vehicles up the hill towards Sutton Coldfield, and the following Class 116 wouldn’t have had much more of a chance. Fortunately, I was able to hitch a lift on a DMU heading the other way and returned to New Street. As the evening progressed, New Street proceeded to fill up with more and more northbound Cross City Line DMUs unable to get any further. I digress…. Predictably, the Tyseley formations were very fluid that year, so I will illustrate the situation of their Class 116 fleet with a snapshot dated 22nd June 1987. On account of the many hybrid formations, Class 116 vehicles are underlined. 4 Car Suburban Gangwayed / Toilet T402 51851 59658 59614 51146 T406 51856 59606 59344 53132 T410 51862 59602 59713 53124 T415 51870 59589 59353 53921 T416 51876 59609 59598 53073 T422 51898 59608 59335 53897 4 Car Suburban Non Gangwayed / Toilet T801 51884 59753 59714 53112 T802 51859 59748 59636 53914 T803 51860 59745 59725 53097 T804 51662 59627 59597 53100 T805 51865 59673 59716 53127 T806 51880 59744 59670 53110 T807 51897 59666 59668 53871 4 Car Suburban Non Gangwayed / No Toilet T821 51867 59653 59621 53884 T822 51853 59330 59622 53923 T823 51892 59643 59625 53885 T824 51869 59634 59647 53915 3 Car Suburban Non Gangwayed / No Toilet T503 53076 59631 53118 T505 53065 59638 53094 T510 53058 59674 53875 T511 53832 59649 53913 T512 53063 59717 53119 T513 53077 59650 53120 T517 53824 59640 53906 T518 53050 59642 53121 T520 53826 59329 53905 T522 53078 59735 53109 T526 53070 59626 53095 T528 53062 59715 53103 T533 53823 59354 53876 T534 53822 59345 53881 T535 53846 59719 53873 3 Car Suburban Gangwayed / Toilet T602 53082 59610 53886 T603 51136 59590 51151 T607 53862 59600 53872 T608 51131 59596 51144 T611 53055 59611 53116 T612 53866 59593 53902 T613 53863 59594 53916 T615 53850 59591 53102 T616 53054 59607 53887 T620 53056 59612 53878 T621 53837 59604 53919 T623 53838 59603 53893 T624 51130 59615 51143 T625 53849 59616 53106 T627 53061 59613 53092 T629 53079 59592 53114 3 Car Suburban Gangwayed / No Toilet T691 53853 59375 53894 3 Car Gangwayed / Toilet T319 51129 59101 51149 T321 53854 59528 53907 T322 53071 59114 53880 T323 53818 59115 53093 T324 53865 59533 53101 T325 53060 59757 51142 T331 51133 59595 53090 2x Brake T335 53844 59756 53827 2x Brake T353 53081 59120 53123 3 Car Gangwayed / No Toilet T354 53890 59054 53910 Class 101 Trailer Brake Van T355 53867 59372 53920 Plain Blue livery! T356 53839 59433 53857 2x Brake T357 53842 59527 53895 2 Car Suburban T251 53833 54281 T252 53052 54284 2 Car Suburban T290 53075 53835 2x Brake T291 53059 53828 2x Brake T292 53067 53861 2x Brake Spare Class 116 51138 53053 53074 53098 53108 53117 53819 53825 53845 53870 53883 53891 53898 53903 53904 59362 59364 59374 The condition of the Tyseley DMU fleet and its (lack of) reliability attracted criticism in the Summer. Notable workings involving 116s in the West Midlands included a 12.20 Birmingham to Yarmouth service formed of 54284-53052-53833-54281 (two sets formed 116MBS + 121DTS, with no gangways and no toilets) on 6th September and sets T356 and T332 working a Charity Bicycle Special from Bridgnorth to New Street on 13th September. October saw Class 116 trailers 59032,59441,59444,59445,59446,59448 hauled from Cardiff to Tyseley to "help keep the Tyseley fleet going" on 3rd of the month, while three weeks later hybrid quad set T402 worked a Bridgnorth to Weymouth excursion. Class 116 Withdrawals 53057 TS 14/4/87 53062 TS 15/11/87 53064 TS 12/4/87 53067 CH 25/10/87 See Transfers 53068 TS 3/87 53069 TS 31/5/87 53074 NH 2/8/87 See Transfers 53075 CH 6/112/87 See Transfers 53076 TS 15/11/87 53088 CF 19/4/87 53094 TS 16/8/87 53097 TS 15/11/87 53098 TS 20/7/87 53099 TS 31/5/87 53103 TS 15/11/87 53104 TS 22/3/87 53105 TS 22/3/87 53110 TS 15/11/87 53111 TS 31/5/87 53118 TS 15/11/87 53127 TS 15/11/87 53130 CF 19/4/87 53821 TS 22/3/87 53823 TS 6/12/87 See Transfers. 53828 TS 16/8/87 53831 TS 12/4/87 53834 TS(U) 16/8/87 Already cut up by this date. 53835 CH 6/12/87 53840 TS 22/3/87 53846 TS 6/12/87 See Transfers 53852 TS 31/5/87 53860 TS 3/87 53861 TS 16/8/87 53864 CF 5/7/87 53868 CF 8/3/87 53875 CH 25/10/87 See Transfers 53876 TS 6/12/87 See Transfers 53882 TS 22/3/87 See Transfers 53883 TS 14/6/87 53884 TS 17/1/87 53885 TS 6/12/87 53892 TS 22/3/87 53898 TS 14/6/87 See Transfers 53903 TS 14/6/87 53905 TS 6/12/87 53912 TS 31/5/87 53915 TS 16/8/87 53917 CF 5/7/87 53918 CF 8/3/87 59030 CF 10/87 59033 NH 25/10/87 See Transfers 59034 CF 12/87 59035 NH 25/10/87 See Transfers. Reinstated 1988. 59036 CF 10/87 59037 NH 25/10/87 See Transfers. Reinstated 1988. 59041 NH 25/10/87 See Transfers. Reinstated 1988. 59326 TS(U) 22/3/87 59329 TS 6/12/87 See Transfers 59342 TS(U) 22/3/87 59354 TS 6/12/87 See Transfers 59355 NH 25/10/87 See Transfers 59356 CF(S) 24/2/87 59357 CF 2/8/87 59362 TS 14/6/87 See Transfers 59363 CF 10/87 59369 CF 5/7/87 59371 CF 3/87 59438 CF(S) 1/12/87 59439 CF(S) 1/12/87 59440 TS(U) 22/3/87 59441 TS(U) 22/3/87 59443 CF(S) 5/87 Class 116 Transfers 53059 TS - NH 26/7/87 53067 TS - CH 7/87 See Withdrawals 53074 TS - NH 28/6/87 See Withdrawals 53075 TS - CH 26/7/87 See Withdrawals 53078 TS - NH 20/9/87 53081 TS - CH 18/10/87 53083 CF - OO 4/10/87 Parcels usage 53087 CF - NH 6/9/87 53090 AY - TS 25/2/87 53091 CF - NH 6/9/87 53108 TS - NH 28-6-87 53109 TS - CH - NH 9/87 53117 TS - NH 28/6/87 53123 TS - CH 18/10/87 53129 CF - NH 6/9/87 53132 AY - TS 20/2/87 53133 CF - NH 6/9/87 53819 TS - NH 28/6/87 53820 CF - OO 4/10/87 Parcels usage 53822 AY - TS 20/2/87 53823 ED - TS 26/3/87 See Withdrawals 53824 TS - CH 20/11/87 53825 AY(S) - TS 24/2/87 53835 TS - CH 26/7/87 53839 AY - TS 20/2/87 } 53839 TS - NH 11/10/87} 53842 TS - NH 14/11/87 53843 CF - NH 6/9/87 53845 AY - TS 25/2/87 53846 AY - TS 20/2/87 See Withdrawals 53847 CF - HT 6/9/87 53848 CF - NH 6/9/87 53856 CF - HT 6/9/87 53857 TS - NH 11/10/87 53862 TS - NH 2/11/87 53867 TS - NH 11/10/87 Plain Blue livery 53869 CF - NH 6/9/87 53870 TS - NH 20/9/87 53872 TS - NH 2/11/87 53873 AY - TS 20/2/87 53875 TS - CH 20/9/87 See Withdrawals 53876 ED - TS 26/3/87 See Withdrawals 53881 AY - TS 20/2/87 53882 AY(S) - TS 24/2/87 See Withdrawals 53892 AY(S) - TS 24/2/87 See Withdrawals 53896 CF - NH 6/9/87 53898 AY - TS 25/2/87 See Withdrawals 53900 CF - HT 6/9/87 53901 CF - NH 6/9/87 53904 TS - CH 18/10/87 53906 TS - CH 20/11/87 53909 CF - HT 6/9/87 53910 TS - CH 18/10/87 53920 TS - NH 11/10/87 Plain Blue livery 53922 CF - NH 6/9/87 53923 TS - NH 20/9/87 59032 CF - TS 10/87 59033 CF - NH 6/9/87 See Withdrawals 59035 CF - NH 6/9/87 See Withdrawals 59037 CF - NH 6/9/87 See Withdrawals 59039 CF - LE 12/12/87 59040 CF - HT 6/9/87 59041 CF - NH 6/9/87 59329 AY - TS 24/2/87 See Withdrawals 59330 AY - TS 20/2/87 59344 AY - TS 20/2/87 59345 AY - TS 20/2/87 59354 ED - TS 26/3/87 59355 CF - NH 6/9/87 See Withdrawals 59362 CF - TS 19/4/87 See Withdrawals 59364 CF - HT 6/9/87 59372 TS - NH 11/10/87 Plain Blue livery 59374 AY - TS 19/4/87 } 59374 TS - NH 20/11/87} 59375 AY - TS 25/2/87 59442 CF(S) - TS 4/10/87 59444 CF - TS 4/10/87 59445 CF - TS 4/10/87 59446 CF - TS 4/10/87 59448 CF - TS 4/10/87 The saga of 1988 is to follow…

Our last holiday in that part of Wales was around a year ago, and we stayed in Ty'r Graig Castle Hotel, overlooking the line just north of Barmouth. From our room we could clearly see the NR storage yard adjacent to the promenade roadway. We did not take the opportunity to cross the bridge on that holiday as we were moving on to our next overnight location in Ruabon, but on a previous stay in Barmouth, I did achieve my objective of walking across the bridge as far as Barmouth Junction (as-was). My sense of timing was perfect, as the train back to Barmouth was just rolling in as I reached the platform. The rail fare was money well spent, as on that walk across the bridge, my left arm had felt numb and my left leg was slightly lacking in power, so I was grateful of the ride back. It was not until a couple of days later that I discovered that I had suffered a stroke that morning. Ooops.

In my experience of cabbing DMUs, the marker lamps were individually switched. I cannot recall the lamp codes for different headcodes but presumably the early 116s with the 4 lamp cabs (for instance) were expected to show Class 1, Class 2 and Class 5 trains? When the later builds came out with only a marker lamp above each buffer and a 2 or 4 digit headcode, it looks like the practice was revised and both marker lamps were used and this practice spread to units with 4 lamp cab fronts. Apologies for a slight tangent, but the 51573 batch of Class 120 units had a 4 digit headcode and only one marker lamp, when built.... I suspect that the retention of oil tail lamps was a union requirement, as has been said already. With the Guard being responsible for displaying the tail lamp, he/she was not allowed into the cab and so the oil lamps remained. Our local branch line to St Albans had units appear with red bulbs in the marker lamps in (from memory) 1979/80 ish. Initially, this was part of a series of local experiments and eventually the use of red bulbs in marker lamps on first gen DMUs became adopted nationally - seemingly no problems with battery life.

Not related to a train running onto an unwired road, but an incident from the early days of Class 319 Thameslink operation was caused by a relay not latching into the correct position, such that general vibrations caused it so shake into the "wrong" position. The train in question suffered a minor blip that caused the driver to press the "Reset" button. Unfortunately the relay in question had been shaken from the DC position to the AC position. On AC mode, "Reset" is also "Pan Up", which was a shame as the train was passing through Thornton Heath at the time.....

Sorry to hear of Chris' passing. I concur with the above sentiment.

Further thoughts! The Class 117 had the low-backed seating, whereas the Class 115 had the seating with a much higher backrest. Class 117 interior https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/2665 Class 115 interior https://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-115/description

The Bachmann 117 could form a good starting point, but with the different bodyside arrangements, why not get Worsley Works Class 115 etched bodysides, and utilise them as overlays? The power car underframes would need amendment to represent the Class 115 Albion engined vehicles.

The Class 117 had the First Class in the "4 bay" end, but this was subdivided into a single bay then three bays to allow a small No Smoking section. On the 115, the 4 bay end is one saloon, with no intermediate partition.

Note the application of the orange warning stripe across the cab end, which was never a feature when any vehicle was painted in the white livery. As a sweeping statement, the orange warning stripe first appeared in Autumn 1979 and was applied to Metro Cammell vehicles only, I believe initially to vehicles based in the Newcastle area. I suspect this was due to the presence of overhead lines for the Tyne and Wear Metro in Gosforth Depot, a location where cab end cleaning would take place. The theory being that the cleaners only cleaned up to the orange stripe. Interestingly, where Class 101s ran beneath overhead lines in the Royston and Hitchin areas, the orange warning stripes were not deemed necessary, as presumably there was no cab end cleaning done in locations with OHLE. I suspect that the orange warning stripes were deemed to be a good idea for all Metro Cammell cab ends, as on a visit to Doncaster Works in Summer 1980, it seemed that all Met Camm vehicles had them. The vehicle in the image above would have been refurbished prior to mid 1979 (after which the white livery was abandoned in favour of blue/grey), and would not have had the orange warning stripe applied. The next overhaul would have been a "C4" bogie overhaul, which did not normally involve a body repaint, but I suspect that it was deemed important enough to have the orange stripe applied - unless the Gosforth or Heaton depot painters were busy with the orange paint.

Whatever the detail differences, let's see a photo of the finished loco.

Have we arrived at Slaithwaite yet? The "speak and spell" station announcements used in modern times cannot cope with stations in Wales. One evening I was awaiting a train that was on its way to Cardiff via the Central Wales Line, and it was due to call at Lanner-Lye (Llanelli). A train on the Conwy Valley line was going to call at Pont-Why?-Pant (Pont-Y-Pant). Ten years ago, give or take, West Coast Railways used to run steam train rides on the Cambrian Coast line. When I rang their booking office in Carnforth (presumably) the booking agent confirmed my ticket from Mac-KIN-leth. Twelve years ago, we almost bought a house in Froncysyllte, which actually looked down on the famous aqueduct. Good job we didn't, as ordering things over the phone could have become tedious. In the end, we bought a house near Ruabon Station , Ruabon is a lot easier to spell... A 1990s BR training video about communication featured a Class 153 on the Central Wales Line, and the non-Welsh driver was unable to pronounce Llanwrtyd while on the phone to the signalman. He said "Llan-diddy-doddy" until the training video showed him spelling the station name with the phonetic alphabet. Thirty years ago, my wife (as she is now) was attempting to buy a train ticket to visit me, wanting to get to How Wood station, on the St Albans branch from Watford. The ticket clerk kept trying to sell her a ticket to Harold Wood in Great Eastern land.... Not railway related, but a local radio presenter I once heard was promoting a special offer at a local Curry House, the Viceroy. Presenter called it "Visser-roy". A stand-in presenter on Radio 2 once called a place with a dockyard near the Forth Bridge as Ro-zith. Finally, a question: do you suppose that Curry Houses all over the country obtain their rice from that place near South Shields?.......Pelaw Oh, look, my taxi has arrived.

Only just found this thread. When I started work at Wembley Carriage Depot in August 1989, as I recall, all the Mark 3 sets based there retained Mark 1 BGs, although the Oxley based sets may have been using DVTs. (The Oxley sets were Mark 2f stock with Mark 3 buffet cars).. I am presuming that the Milton Keynes to Penzance was a Summer service? Also, my memory tells me that the Penzance working did not originate until Summer 1990 - please correct me if I am wrong..... The punch line is that it is unlikely that DVTs reached Penzance in the 1980s.

When we were on our way to Castleconnell on Friday 18th November, the 16.55 off Limerick was shown as a bus, so we caught the route 323 bus from the bus station instead, as it fitted better with our timings.. At least when we returned to Dublin a few days later, the 06.50 from Castleconnell to Ballybrophy was indeed a train.

Thanks for the information. Not fully committed to making the jump to Irish railway modelling yet, all depends on selling the present house and where we end up living (and the size of the model railway room....) During the course of our recent Irish holiday, I never saw a Tokyu 2600 alongside a 2800, so unable to compare body configuration, underframe equipment etc. The postman has just delivered my order of a Quail Map for Ireland, so I feel the need to put the kettle on, make a brew and look at some track diagrams.... I may be some time 8)

I actually found this announcement by accident a few nights ago, and at the time I was in a hotel near Dublin Airport. We were just about to come home from an Irish holiday that involved a number of rides on 22000 class units. As a consequence, my thoughts for a model layout project are moving away from British Rail and instead considering Irish Rail. Just got to figure out a way to model the 2800 class units.....

In the original release of the white 110, there was a sheet of stickers for alternative vehicle numbers, as I recall, and I think that they were correct for all 9 vehicles in that livery.

Only three full sets of Class 110 received the white livery. By the time the 110s were due for refurbishment, BR was about to change to blue/grey livery for such vehicles. Bradford Hammerton Street Depot would often swap vehicles around, hence the mixture of liveries.