Northern 142028 stands in the platform at Manchester Piccadilly, 28th September 2016.

Tags:   28th September 142028

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Great Western Railway 150108 standing in platform 7 at Bristol Temple Meads working 2O86, 08:42 Gloucester – Weymouth, 20th September 2016.

Tags:   20th September 150108

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Northern 150149 stands in platform 1A at Sheffield working 2P77, 17:23 Sheffield – Retford, 28th September 2016.

Unit History
150149 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 now 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.

Tags:   28th September 150149

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Northern 150223 stands in the platform at Manchester Piccadilly, 28th September 2016.

Tags:   28th September 150223

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Recently refurbished and now in the new corporate Great Western Railway livery and branding 150247 stands in the platform at Gloucester working 2B96, 15:20 Cheltenham Spa – Swindon, 9th September 2016.

Tags:   9th September 150247

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