Pressed Steel class 117 high density Trailer Composite Lavatory (TCL) DMU trailer W59501 stands in the yard at the Great Central Railway (North), Ruddington, 15th June 2014.
Unit History
On the 16th October 1958 the British Transport Commission placed an order with The Pressed Steel Co., Linwood (Paisley) to build one hundred and twenty three vehicles of the standard Derby high-intensity design for Western Region London area suburban duties, these became class 117. Delivery commenced in November 1959, with the final class 117 set delivered a year later in November 1960. Although ungangwayed when built, these were added later during the 1960’s. Interestingly although nominally a three car set only thirty nine trailer vehicles were built for forty two pairs of power cars. This meant in practice three sets ran with at first converted Great Western hauled stock and latter with class 118 trailers. W59501 entered service formed with W51349 and W51391 in May 1960 allocated to Southall and was withdrawn in April 1994. In May 1994 it was sold for preservation arriving at the Chinner and Princess Risborough Railway moving to the Colne Valley Railway in 1997. In 1999 W59501 was formed with class 116 power cars M51151 and M51138 to make a three car set. In 2001 the three car set was sold to the Nottingham Railcar group and moved to the Great Central Railway (North) where it entered traffic in 2002. Around 2011 it was taken out of traffic and appears to have been languishing in this spot in the yard for the last three years.

Tags:   15th June 59501

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Class 117 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 51353 basks in the winter sunshine at Swanwick, Midland Railway Centre, 22nd February 2009.

Vehicle History
On the 16th October 1958 the British Transport Commission placed an order with The Pressed Steel Co., Linwood (Paisley) to build one hundred and twenty three vehicles of the standard Derby high-intensity design for Western Region London area suburban duties, these became class 117. Delivery commenced in November 1959, with the final 117 set delivered a year later in November 1960. Interestingly although nominally a three car set only thirty nine trailer vehicles were built for forty two pairs of power cars. Although ungangwayed when built, these were added later and by 1965 at least four sets had had them added to allow them to be formed into three or four car sets with the addition of a number of converted locomotive hauled stock. From about 1968 the rest had the corridor connections added. With the introduction of the Networker Turbo DMU’s (class 165/1) in 1992 the class 117 units were displaced from there London suburban duties and 51353 would be transferred to Haymarket for peak Fife suburban duties. Withdrawn in the autumn of 1999, displaced by class 170 Turbostars it was sent to store at Perth and moved south in March 2000 for another period in store at Shroeburyness before purchased for preservation in 2004. 51353 was purchased by Dorset County Council who wished to obtain three 3-car sets for a proposed community rail link between Swanage and Wareham and was moved to a private site in Dorset where all nine of vehicles were being stored. However in 2007 the site had to be cleared six of vehicles including 51353 moved to the Midland Railway, Butterley for storage. By 2011 it was understood that Dorset County Council would no longer be proceeding with the plan to operate the vehicles, and 51353 was sold and found a new home on the Wensleydale Railway in 2012. By 2014 the group had decided not to restore the vehicle and placed it up for sale and in 2015 it was bought by a local community group who have converted it to a static “community hub”.

Tags:   22nd February 51353 Midland Railway Centre New Photo Distillery

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Pressed Steel class 117 high density DMU trailer W59486 stands in the yard at Swanwick, Midland Railway Centre, 12th July 2009.

Unit History
On the 16th October 1958 the British Transport Commission placed an order with The Pressed Steel Co., Linwood (Paisley) to build one hundred and twenty three vehicles of the standard Derby high-intensity design for Western Region London area suburban duties, these became class 117. Delivery commenced in November 1959, with the final class 117 set delivered a year later in November 1960. Although ungangwayed when built, these were added later during the 1960’s. Interestingly although nominally a three car set only thirty nine trailer vehicles were built for forty two pairs of power cars. This meant in practice three sets ran with at first converted Great Western hauled stock and latter with class 118 trailers. Despite the “shortage” of class 117 trailers W59486 was one of three trailers transferred to the London Midland Region during the late 1970’s being allocated to Cricklewood. By 1992 the class 117 units were displaced from there London suburban duties and 59486 would be transferred to Haymarket for Fife suburban duties. Withdrawn in September 1999, displaced by class 170 Turbostars it was sent to store at Perth and moved south in March 2000 for another period in store at Shroeburyness before purchased for preservation.

Tags:   12th July 59486

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Driving Motor Second (DMS) W51415 leads Bristol based three car set B435 into Birmingham New Street, 25th September 1982.

Unit History
On the 16th Oct. 1958 the British Transport Commission placed an order with The Pressed Steel Co., Linwood (Paisley) to build one hundred and twenty three vehicles of the standard Derby high-intensity design for Western Region London area suburban duties, these became Class 117. Interestingly although nominally a three car set only thirty nine trailer vehicles were built for forty two pairs of power cars and three sets entered service formed with Class 118 trailer vehicles of the same design as the Class 117 trailer vehicles but built by the Birmingham Carriage a Wagon Co. Although un-gangwayed when built, these were added later and by 1965 at least four sets had had them added to allow them to be formed into three or four car sets with the addition of a number of converted locomotive hauled stock. From about 1968 the rest had the corridor connections added. Delivery commenced in November 1959, with W51415 formed with W51373+W59480 (Class 118) entering traffic in October 1960, allocated to Reading, These three vehicles remained together until Western Region set 435 was transferred from London suburban duties to the West Country when Reading swapped 59480 for a Class 117 vehicle 59486 prior to its dispatch to Laira. The set transferred to Bristol in May 1982 and Tyseley in February 1988 where it became set T310 and then 117310 in 1992. The set transferred to Haymarket in April 1994 51415 was withdrawn in October 1996 and broken up by MC Metals, Glasgow in the same month.

Canon AT1, Agfacolour CT18

Tags:   25th September 51415 Canon AT1 Agfacolour CT18 Epson V600 New Photo Distillery

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Western Region London suburban set L430 (W51368/59520/51410) departs Acton with a local service for Paddington, 8th April 1977.

Unit History
L430 is a class 117 three car high density Derby designed diesel multiple unit built by Pressed Steel in 1959/60. One hundred and twenty three vehicles were built and although sufficient driving motor vehicles were built to form forty two, three car sets only thirty nine trailer vehicles were built. This meant in practice three sets initially operated with a converted Great Western coach and latter with class 118 trailers, remarkedly set L430 is in its original formation as delivered in September 1960. Although non-gangwayed when built, these were added later and most were fitted by 1968. The class will always be associated with Western Region London suburban duties although at the very end of there career the survivors could be found at Bletchley and Haymarket. The class was one of the last of the first generation DMU types to stay in service, and consequently many are preserved (with quite a few trailers used as hauled stock), however W51368 was withdrawn and broken up in April 1999 and W51410 was withdrawn and broken up in September 1996. W59520 was withdrawn inDecember 1995 but was not broken up and can be currently (November 2013) found at the Dartmoor Railway were it is used as hauled stock

Tags:   8th April 51368 Praktica LTL High Speed Ektachrome

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