Great Western Railway 150130 departs Bristol Temple Meads working 2C81, 15:00 Cardiff – Taunton, 24th February 2016.
Unit History
150130 is one of the first production batch (fifty, two car sets) of “second generation” diesel multiple units built as replacements for the original diesel multiple units introduced in the late 1950’s. I still consider these to be modern vehicles but are in fact over thirty years old as they were built at Derby in 1985. This batch was initially allocated to Derby Etches Park and I remember them taking over the East Midlands local duties from the Swindon Cross Country class 120 units which I had grown up with since their arrival at Derby in 1969. When the class 150 units took over at Derby I lived in Long Eaton and worked in Birmingham and therefore travelled on them every working day. Although they were a big improvement especially in speed and reliability terms, with there large doors and heating reliant on the cooling system of the engine they were nowhere as “snug” as the class 120’s in winter. I first came across 150130 in Birmingham New Street on the 6th March 1986. Following the introduction of the class 156 units on East Midlands duties in 1988 the class 150/1 units migrated to Birmingham suburban duties. It remained on these duties until 2000 when it was displaced by new class 170 units and was one of eight class 150 units transferred to the Silverlink Train Operating Company for Bletchley – Bedford and Barking – Gospel Oak services. it was displaced by new class 172 units on these duties in 2010 and has transferred to First Great Western for local duties around Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter.
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