Vehicle 50491 / 53491
Class 104
Builder: BRC&W
Layout: Low Density
Length: 57ft
Coupling Code: Blue Square
Coupling Type: Screw
Gangway Type: LMS
Engines: Leyland 150hp
Transmission: Mechanical
Lot Number: 30294
Diagram: 558
Allocations
| Jul-57 | New to | 9A (Longsight) | |
| Sep-57 | Transferred to | 5A (Crewe North) | |
| Jun-58 | Transferred to | 9A (Longsight) | |
| 4w/e 01/07/61 | Transferred to | 9D (Buxton) | |
| Jul-61 | Transferred to | 5A (Crewe North) | |
| Apr-63 | Transferred to | 5D (Cockshute) | |
| 3w/e 30/04/66 | Transferred to | 2H (Monument Lane) | |
| w/e 07/01/67 | Transferred to | 2A (Tyseley) | |
| 2w/e 09/03/68 | Transferred to | 9D (Newton Heath) | |
| 4w/e 31/12/72 | Transferred to | 9L (Buxton) | |
| 06/05/73 | Depot code change | BX | |
| 26/03/86 | Transferred to | NH (Newton Heath) | |
| 11/05/86 | Withdrawn from | NH (Newton Heath) | |
| Jun-86 | Reinstated | AY (Ayr) | |
| Feb-87 | Withdrawn from | AY (Ayr) | - or 3w/e 21/12/86? |
Notes
9th August 1986 - Seen with white cab roof dome
The vehicle carried the following numbers:
50491 - original number
53491 - from 1983 (53xxx / 54xxx change)
Disposal
Scrapped by Mayer Newman, Snailwell
Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:
| 50439 | 59147 | 50491 | As delivered to 9A - July 1957 | ||||||
| 50439 | 59147 | 50491 | Transfer to 9L - Dec-72 | ||||||
| 50439 | 59147 | 50491 | Noted 28/08/75 - on Longsight depot1 | ||||||
| 50435 | 59136 | 50491 | Noted 10/04/76 - in Manchester Piccadilly2 | ||||||
| BX483 | 50430 | 59143 | 50491 | Noted 19/07/1982 - Manchester Picc3 | |||||
| 50430 | 59137 | 50491 | Noted 30/11/1982 - Noted at Manchester Picc.3 | ||||||
| BX483 | 50430 | 59137 | 50491 | Noted circa 12/19823 | |||||
| BX482 | 50430 | 59137 | 50491 | Noted circa 03/19833 | |||||
| BX483 | 53430 | 59187 | 53491 | Noted circa 07/19843 | |||||
| BX483 | 53430 | 59187 | 53491 | Noted circa 11/1984 - listed at BX3 | |||||
| BX483 | 53430 | 59187 | 53491 | Listed at BX - circa Jul-85 | |||||
| BX483 | 53430 | 59187 | 53491 | Listed at BX - circa Dec-85 | |||||
| 53430 | 53491 | Formation change - NH - circa Mar-86 | |||||||
| 53430 | 53491 | Listed at Newton Heath - Summer 1986 - Withdrawn but still in traffic | |||||||
| 514 | 53705 | 59559 | 53491 | Listed at Ayr - August 1986 | |||||
| 514 | 53705 | 59559 | 53491 | Noted 4th August 1986 | |||||
| 514 | 53705 | 59559 | 53491 | Noted 9th August 1986 | |||||
| 101368 | 53491 | 59225 | 53695 | Formed at AY circa Aug-86 | |||||
| 53705 | 59559 | 53491 | Noted 25/09/86 | ||||||
| 104368 | 53491 | 59225 | 53525 | Formed at AY circa Oct-86 | |||||
| 107427 | 51987 | 59559 | 53491 | Noted 11/10/86 | |||||
| 51987 | 59559 | 53491 | Noted 11/10/1986 - at Glasgow Central3 | ||||||
| 101321 | 51249 | 59542 | 53491 | Noted circa 12/19863 | |||||
| 51249 | 59042 | 53491 | Noted 4th December 1986 |
Formation Sources
1: Gerald Brown
2: Leonard Rogers
3: Eddie Knorn
Images:
April 1967
Set number: 418
A BRC&W three-car DMU (power cars M50491 and presumably M50439) enters Birmingham Snow Hill in April 1967. Tyseley set number 418 is in the cab window. The centre car is noted as M59148 which casts in doubt whether it or M59147 was transferred from Tyseley to Etches Park the previous month. Hugh Llewelyn.
7th September 1984
Set number: BX483
Three-car Class 104 DMU set BX483 (presumably 53491 + 59187 + 53430) departs Whaley Bridge station on a Manchester service on 7 September 1984. Andrew Walker.
16th November 1985
Set number: BX483
With the Buxton tracks having been temporary slewed for the Hazel Grove chord, two Buxton allocated BRC&W class 104 dmu's, BX484 (left) and BX483 (right, presumably with 53491 closest), with their white trademark cab roofs pass each other, working the Manchester Piccadilly - Buxton services on 16th November 1985. Andrew J Crowther.
Summer 1986
Class 104 53491 awaits departure from Glasgow Central in the summer of 1986. Andrew McConnell.
6th August 1986
Class 104 DMSL 53491 in Glasgow Central on 6 August 1986. Andrew Malloy.
6th August 1986
A hybrid DMU arrives into Glasgow Central station on 6 August 1986. Closest is Class 104 DMSL 53491, the Met-Camm centre car is presumably 59559 and at the far end is a Class 120 DMBS presumably 53705. Andrew Malloy.
30th August 1986
Class 104 DMCL no 53491 in plain blue leads blue / grey class 101 (presumably 59559) and 53705 (class 120) in platform 1 of Ayr station on 30-08-1986. This is typical of the 'Frankenstein' dmu sets that were put together in the 1980's immediately prior to the start of electric services, four weeks after this picture was taken. Gordon Thomson.
15th September 1986
Ayr depot on 15/9/86 with a very mixed set comprising 53491 (cl.104) nearest the camera, with 59559 (cl.101) and 53705 (cl.120) behind. This set was typical of those on the Ayr line at this time, with Ayr depot almost seeming as though they were lashing together anything that could turn a wheel so as to keep the service going until the advent of the electrics. Leonard Rogers.
circa late 1986
Class 104 DMS 53491 on the rear of two Class 101 vehicles departing from Paisley Gilmour Street circa late 1986. The DMBS at the far end is 51249 (set 101321) and so the centre car presumably 59542. Ian Docwra.
3rd October 1986
Set number: 427
A Class 104/101/107 hybrid DMU thought to be set 427 (53491 + 59559 + 51987) seen at Lochside with the 16:50 Glasgow - Ardrossan service on October 3, 1986. Hamish Stevenson.
11th October 1986
Set 427 (53491 + 59559 + 51987) with the 10:35 Glasgow Central - Edinburgh at Curriehill on the 11th October 1986. Hamish Stevenson.
late 1986
Catcing the winter sun in Fife. BRCW built DMUs were almost unheard of in Scotland during the 1960s and 70s, save for a few rare occasions they worked up on specials from Tyneside or Teeside. But by the mid 80s when first generation DMUs were being displaced by Sprinters and "anything goes" formations meant almost nothing was a surprise. Here we see former Buxton route class 104 M53491, with its classic Buxton white cab roof, at the end of a formation at Inverkeithing in late 1986. This vehicle had been withdrawn in May that year from Newton Heath but reinstated to Ayr the following month to work around Scotland until final withdrawal in early 1987. Murray Liston.
The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:
Date: 19th April 1984
An EMU and DMU line-up at Manchester Piccadilly on 19 April 1984. Right to left are Class 123 E52096 (with E59824 + E59773 + E52089), Class 104 M53450 (with M59187 + M53491), the single-engined Class 104 M78601 (with M78851) and a Class 506 EMU. Keith Long.
Date: 7th September 1984
Set number: BX483
Three-car Class 104 DMU set BX483 (presumably 53430 + 59187 + 53491) approaches Whaley Bridge station with a Buxton to Manchester service on 7 September 1984. Andrew Walker.
Date: 24th January 1985
On a cold and snowy day Buxton based BRC&W class 104 3 car dmu M53430, M59187, M53491, is seen in its home town waiting to take out the next service to Manchester Piccadilly. 24th January 1985. Andrew J Crowther.
Date: 1986
Set number: 514
Set 514 arrives into Edinburgh Waverley in 1986. It is presumably formed Class 120 53705, Class 101 59559 and Class 104 53491. S Saunders.
Date: 1986
Set number: 101321
Hybrid set 101321 at Paisley Gilmour Street circa late 1986. The DMBS is 51249, if the centre car is the regular then it should be 59542, the blue DMS on the rear is Class 104 53491. Ian Docwra.
Date: 1986
Set number: 514
Set 514 at Largs in 1986, the hybrid formation contained 53705 (120), 59559 (101) and 53491 (104). Andrew McConnell.
Date: Summer 1986
Set number: 514
514 is seen in Glasgow Central, the set composed of the 120, a 101 centre car (59559) and 104 DMC (53491). Summer 1986. Andrew McConnell.