At first glance this would seem to be a photograph of a Mark I compartment coach at Hull Botanic Gardens MPD on the 12th March 1977. However on closer examination you will notice that it has exhaust pipes on the vehicle end. In actual fact E51983 is very rare as it is one of only seventeen non driving class 124 Motor Brake Second Compartment (MBSK) DMU vehicles.
Unit History
These seventeen vehicles were the only engine fitted DMU’s without a driving cab. In mid-1959 BR placed an order with BUT for seventeen sets of equipment for power cars with driving positions and seventeen sets for power cars without driving positions. Seventeen trailers were also built along with the power cars at Swindon Works. These figures included spare cars. The vehicles were designed to the same standards of strength and comfort as main-line locomotive-hauled coaches and were for Trans Pennine duties from Hull to Liverpool. Two types of power car were supplied. The first type had a cab at one end and a corridor gangway at the other. The second type had a corridor gangway at both ends and no driving cab at all and thus placed in the middle of formations. Each six car set, therefore, had four powered vehicles which gave a punchy 1,840 h.p. to enable it to tackle the severe grades on the Trans- Pennine routes. Marshalling was as follows: driving motor composite; motor brake second; trailer first buffet; trailer open second; motor brake second; driving motor composite. The sets had a good power to weight ratio (8.1 b.h.p. per ton) and were thus notable for both their prodigious acceleration rate and for their maximum speed of 70 mph, a considerable improvement on steam performance. The class commenced operation between Hull, Leeds and Manchester, Liverpool on the 2nd January 1961. In the first week of operation passenger numbers on these services increased by 45%. In 1975 the trailer buffet vehicles were withdrawn improving the power to weight ratio even more, however in 1981 it was decided to remove the engines from the MBSK’s (to reduce maintenance costs) and they reverted to trailer vehicles for there last years. All the class 124 Trans Pennine sets were withdrawn in 1984 with there duties going locomotive hauled with class 31/4’s.
Re-edited 29th November 2015.
Praktica LTL, High Speed Ektachrome
Tags: 12th March E51983 Praktica LTL High Speed Ektachrome Epson 4490
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Best viewed Original size.
Another unidentified pairing of Class 128 DMPV and a Class 116 DMS working west into Reading - c.1968.
Note the small but delightful array of 1960s motor cars in the foreground. I (think) I can recognise (left to right) - Austin Cambridge estate, Austin A60 Cambridge (or Morris Oxford equivalent), Ford Consul Classic, Ford Zephyr Mk4, Austin / Morris Mini van & Austin / Morris 1100/1300.
Can anyone identify the maroon car third from the right please?
© 2017 - 53A Models of Hull Collection. Scanned from the original 35mm colour transparency; photographed by John Senior.
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Tags: British Rail Gloucester Class 128 DMPV Derby Class 116 DMS DMU Diesel Parcels Reading Berkshire Train Railway Locomotive Railroad
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Best viewed Original size.
A fascinating picture of an unidentified Gloucester Class 128 gangwayed DMPV (Diag 643, Lot 30551 - one of W55991 to W55996) carrying what appears to be non-standard blue livery with white cab roofs and seemingly without yellow warning panels (although the reality is the van has a central yellow painted corridor connection). The DMPV is working with an unidentified green liveried Derby Class 116 DMBS, the pair pulling a BR(SR) green liveried CCT at Twyford and is thought to be heading east - c.1968.
There is photographic evidence of W55991 carrying this early livery, so the probability is that this is the DMPV pictured.
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© 2017 - 53A Models of Hull Collection. Scanned from the original 35mm colour transparency; photographed by John Senior.
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Tags: British Rail Gloucester Class 128 W55991 DMPV Derby Class 116 DMBS DMU Diesel Parcels Twyford Berkshire Train Railway Locomotive Railroad
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The short rail line linking Stourbridge Junction with Stourbridge Town Station is steep and there have been several accidents involving runaway trains. This was the most spectacular when the Dodger (local name for the railcar) smashed through buffers and barrier and ended up teetering over Foster Street. No one was seriously hurt.
Tags: railways accidents Stourbridge
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90386 Near Dunfermline 7-4-66 Photographed By Derek Harrison
Tags: 90386 Near Dunfermline British Railways Steam Locomotive
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