Marston Vale DMU history

[MK Tom]

I'm trying to build up a history of the DMU types used on the Marston Vale line since the end of steam. So far I have a rough timeline:

Derby Lightweight units - circa 1959-1968
Class 105 - 1968-1981
Class 104 - 1981-1985
Class 108/101 - 1985-1993
Class 117/121 - 1993-1999 (with class 31 loco haulage 1999-2000)
Class 150 - 2000-2009
Class 150/153 - 2009-present

Can anyone add anything to this or clarify the dates for me?

Thanks!

 

[DarloRich]

Cant help i am afraid as i have only been down he for about 7 years. Would love to hear more from those with more info

 

[70014IronDuke]

I'm trying to build up a history of the DMU types used on the Marston Vale line since the end of steam. So far I have a rough timeline:

Derby Lightweight units - circa 1959-1968
Class 105 - 1968-1981
Class 104 - 1981-1985
Class 108/101 - 1985-1993
Class 117/121 - 1993-1999 (with class 31 loco haulage 1999-2000)
Class 150 - 2000-2009
Class 150/153 - 2009-present

Can anyone add anything to this or clarify the dates for me?

Thanks!

As I have just written in another thread, the first units had numbers like M50937 - M56227.

I think they lasted until about 1966 (or perhaps 67) to be replaced by the older Derby liightweights, the same type that worked the Cumbrian coast lines. M7xxxx numbers.

 

[MK Tom]

Thanks for that! What is the difference between those Derby Lightweight designs? I'm only familiar with the ones that look like the M77990 single car units.

 

[Taunton]

The original (and true) Derby Lightweights, built 1954-7, were numbered in the 79xxx series. They had the large glazed front, and Yellow Diamond coupling code.

From 1958-61 the same assembly line built the Class 108, numbered in the 5xxxx series, which were refinements. These had what became the "standard" dmu front, as supplied to some outside manufacturers as well, various other improvements, and Blue Square coupling code. The actual multiple equipment was not that different, just variances in how the batteries were used for remote engine starting and such like, but they were incompatible. These cars also had the lightweight alloy bodywork, hence the overall name.

Simultaneously with the 108s, Derby had a second assembly line in parallel, building the "heavyweights", all steel cars on long frames, including the pioneer Blue Square E50000 series cars, many suburban cars for the Western and later London Midland, as well as some others. These had the same front as the 108, so superficially appear to be the same, but are structurally quite different.

I believe the Marston Vale line had Yellow Diamond cars from an early date, operating from both Bletchley and Cambridge depots, they were of course able to run right through from the latter at the time. The pioneer pair of comparable single units, 79900/1, also operated, generally as a pair, on the Bletchley to Verney Junction and Banbury branch, and turned up on the Bedford line as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banbury_to_Verney_Junction_branch_line#DMU_experiment

 

[ChiefPlanner]

BY did make up a special 4 car set of loose vehicles for the school train diagram sometime in the early 1980's , but unable to confirm what or when.

The 31's was my doing BTW - a success , but higher authority did not approve until the situation became even more desperate after I had moved on....

 

[70014IronDuke]

I believe the Marston Vale line had Yellow Diamond cars from an early date, operating from both Bletchley and Cambridge depots,

I don't think this is correct. The first DMUs on the line were the Class 108s (yes, thank you for the correct modern code). They carriages were numbered M50938-47, and M56221-9.

AIRI, there were none allocated to Cambridge.
However, on Sundays (while there was a Sunday service on the line) an ER based unit did work the first train out of Cambridge to Bletchley. I would guess it was approx 09.00 ex Cambridge.

It was certainly an E7xxxx series, and almost certainly non blue square controls.

The pioneer pair of comparable single units, 79900/1, also operated, generally as a pair, on the Bletchley to Verney Junction and Banbury branch, and turned up on the Bedford line as well.
...

I have learned the hard way never to say 'never ever' - but I can say for certain that I personally 'never, ever' saw the M79900/1 units at Bedford. I lived about half a mile from the branch line, and even when not trainspotting, used to often play sports within 150 yards of the line. I only ever saw these single units shuffling into/out of Bletchley up-side bay platforms on Buckingham services.

 

[87015]

In usual first gen DMU fashion there was loads of odds and sods kicked out at one time or another. Leighton Logs has a page here showing plenty of "vice" turns when Bletchley got desperate which has some cart gen and should be of general interest to the branch's history and does include dated records of additional DMU classes to those mentioned above.

http://www.leightonlogs.org/BedBley80sJHa.htm

 

[Cowley]

In usual first gen DMU fashion there was loads of odds and sods kicked out at one time or another. Leighton Logs has a page here showing plenty of "vice" turns when Bletchley got desperate which has some cart gen and should be of general interest to the branch's history and does include dated records of additional DMU classes to those mentioned above.

http://www.leightonlogs.org/BedBley80sJHa.htm

I just read it, very interesting.

 

[DarloRich]

I just read it, very interesting.

indeed - traction this morning on the Vale was 150109 and a 153.

 

[MK Tom]

The original (and true) Derby Lightweights, built 1954-7, were numbered in the 79xxx series. They had the large glazed front, and Yellow Diamond coupling code.

From 1958-61 the same assembly line built the Class 108, numbered in the 5xxxx series, which were refinements. These had what became the "standard" dmu front, as supplied to some outside manufacturers as well, various other improvements, and Blue Square coupling code. The actual multiple equipment was not that different, just variances in how the batteries were used for remote engine starting and such like, but they were incompatible. These cars also had the lightweight alloy bodywork, hence the overall name.

Simultaneously with the 108s, Derby had a second assembly line in parallel, building the "heavyweights", all steel cars on long frames, including the pioneer Blue Square E50000 series cars, many suburban cars for the Western and later London Midland, as well as some others. These had the same front as the 108, so superficially appear to be the same, but are structurally quite different.

I believe the Marston Vale line had Yellow Diamond cars from an early date, operating from both Bletchley and Cambridge depots, they were of course able to run right through from the latter at the time. The pioneer pair of comparable single units, 79900/1, also operated, generally as a pair, on the Bletchley to Verney Junction and Banbury branch, and turned up on the Bedford line as well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banbury_to_Verney_Junction_branch_line#DMU_experiment

Thanks for this. Are the heavyweight units you're referring to the 114s?

When I said 'Derby Lightweight' before I was referring to the earlier units, not the 108s. I just call them that because they never got a TOPS class number. Did 108s operate the Marston Vale at some point in the 1960s then, or did the 105s take over directly from steam and the DL units?

 

[theblackwatch]

In usual first gen DMU fashion there was loads of odds and sods kicked out at one time or another. Leighton Logs has a page here showing plenty of "vice" turns when Bletchley got desperate which has some cart gen and should be of general interest to the branch's history and does include dated records of additional DMU classes to those mentioned above.

http://www.leightonlogs.org/BedBley80sJHa.htm

Great stuff there, and just the sort of historic info the is important and interesting to a lot of us. What a shame such things were rarely logged in detail in the 1960s (and I say that in general, not just specific to the Bedford-Bletchley route).

 

[Taunton]

Actually there is quite a bit of recorded history from the 1950s/60s, if you only trawl back through (or can recollect) the monthly pages of Modern Railways and the Railway Magazine, whose contemporary news columns and selections of the Pictures Editor (OK, I think in those days just one Editor used to do the whole thing) do give surprisingly wide and detailed coverage.

Throwing together odd lashups (to use a USA railroad term) of miscellaneous dmu cars together seems to have been a feature of some regions more than others. The Western kept the original as-delivered formations together for decades, for much of their time, and the Southern did even more so. It seems to have depended on whether the regional maintenance controls were organised by car or by set, different regional chief engineers had different practices. The North Eastern seems to have been the most fluid, for example it was by no means unusual to find odd Met-Cam local service cars inserted as substitutes into Trans-Pennine sets, even breaking the corridor connections through to the buffet.