Class 121 bubble cars in multiple

[Waddon]

I wonder if anyone could tell me what other types of unit might have run in multiple with class 121's, especially during the BR blue era? Would they have ever run in multiple with 108's or 101's, for example?

 

[Oracle]

I recall them working to Hayes & Harlington from Paddington from '66 onwards with trailer cars. Wiki says:

These were supplemented by ten trailer vehicles, numbered 56280–56289 (later renumbered 54280–54289).

There was a seven-car special in 1981 I think it was that traversed the Staines West branch before it closed, and travelled along numerous GWR branches. The bubble-car was sandwiched between two 3-car units.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Were parcel vans ever attached to them?

 

[headshot119]

I wonder if anyone could tell me what other types of unit might have run in multiple with class 121's, especially during the BR blue era? Would they have ever run in multiple with 108's or 101's, for example?

They can work in multiple with any other "Blue Square" DMU, and also "Red Triangle" DMUs, although that was prohibited due to the "Red Triangle" units not having the gear change revs marked on them in the cabs.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I often saw them tagged on to 117s and 119s making 4 car sets between Paddington / Reading / Newbury.

 

[12CSVT]

I seem to recall that the Bubble cars were not allowed to work singly on the Bedford - Bletchley line so pairs of 121s were quite regular on this route in the 1990s

121s tagged onto other classes of DMU were almost an everyday sight on suburban services out of Paddington

 

[JonathanH]

I seem to recall that the Bubble cars were not allowed to work singly on the Bedford - Bletchley line so pairs of 121s were quite regular on this route in the 1990s

121s tagged onto other classes of DMU were almost an everyday sight on suburban services out of Paddington

In their final days they'd be put in place of power cars for other classes. On 13 November 1992, I rode a five-coach train made up of carriages from five different classes between Reading and Twyford

L265+L408(part)+L124
54491-53539-51385-59115-55024
Coaches from classes 108/104/117/101/121

 

[4SRKT]

While technically able to run with other Blue Square units, this wasn't common IIRR, except with the purpose built trailer cars

 

[ChrisCooper]

A fairly common use aswell as working with their own trailers was in a 117 formation in place of a motor coach. This same flexability was retained with the Sprinters, so 153s are sometimes used to replace one coach in a 2 car Sprinter.

 

[ACE1888]

Final day of service on the Maiden Newton-Bridport line on 3.5.1975 produced W55033 plus 3 car set W51387/W59497 and W51345 (B407)

 

[zn1]

the bletchley class 121 flying meccano units were not permitted to run as single units was due to their prone abilty to break down in service, it used to cause no end of problems, and they could be banged together with most of their 1st generation Cousins.

i used to use the line daily for years and the units worked hard, they were supplemented by 117 twin sets i recall

i seem to recall that the 121 trailer cars built for use by them made the bubbles slightly underpowered.(subject to confirmation)

you have to give the boys at BY credit for keeping them running at all at the time....they were tired out and overdue a well deserved retirement, they should have been replaced by class 150 sprinters years before !!

when they left bletchley and the resignalling happened one of the nicest and friendliest branch lines in the UK changed....the branch is sterile now and to me is just another railway line...

 

[83G/84D]

I can't recall the exact details however a single "bubble" (Class 121/122) ran away going down Luxulyan bank on the Newquay branch.

After that they were always coupled to something.

 

[O L Leigh]

"Bubbles" worked in multiple with lots of things, but in the BR Blue era they were very definately Western Region units which meant that they would only really have been multiplied with other WR DMUs. Cl101s and Cl108s never really ventured that far west, so the chances of them working with a "Bubble" at that time would be virtually nil. More than likely they would have worked either with a trailer car to make a fairly bog-standard power/trailer 2 car set, or tacked onto a Cl117 or Cl119 suburban unit to give a longer formation.

O L Leigh

 

[theblackwatch]

In the early 80s Tyseley bubble cars would also be used vice a 116 power car on occasions.

I also recall the cornish branches being worked by pairs of bubbles in the last year or two in service (1992/93) with Regional Railways - I rode on 55003+55012 from Par to Newquay on July 27th 1993 and the same pair from Liskeard to Looe three days later. From memory 55000+55006 were also out and about that week too.

Another trip I did with a pair (which was a pretty rare working) was in August 1992 when 55032+55034 were on a Nottingham-Crewe service. Happy days...

 

[12CSVT]

Looking through some old spotting records, I came across 55000 + 59118 + 53165 (class 122 / 101 / 101) being recorded on the Exmouth branch in September 1991.