Set 77

These formations have been noted:

Formation Sources
1: Gerald Brown
2: Eddie Knorn

circa 1971

Set 77, a Met-Camm / GRC&W hybrid, at Norwich with an Ely service circa 1971. John Law.

Unknown date

A Cravens vehicle is on the rear of a 4-car formation departing from Trimley station on the Felixstowe branch. Date unknown. Steve Davies Collection.

23rd September 1978

Norwich allocated DMU set 77, formed of Class 104 DMBS E50594 and Class 105 DTCL E56419, at Wisbech with the RCTS Fensman No3 railtour on 23 September 1978. Stuart Mackay Collection.

5th March 1980

A scene during the tenure of BRCW Class 104 dmus at Norwich. The first BRCW sets arrived from Neville Hill in October 1975 and some were in poor condition compared with the Metro-Cammell sets which they replaced. At their most prolific, there were 9 x 3 car sets and 5 twin units. Eventually refurbished Metro Cammell sets replaced them from 1980 onwards, the last BRCW cars soldiering on until 1982. The twin sets were often hybrids paired with Cravens Class 105 cars. On 5th March 1980, Set 55 led by BRCW car E56189 and paired with Cravens power car E51255 is ready to depart with the 12.45 to Yarmouth. This unit continued in the diagram operating the 13.50 Yarmouth - Norwich, 14.33 Norwich - Ely, 17.24 Ely - Cambridge and 17.51 Cambridge - Stamford. On the right are BRCW set 77 E56188 + E50594 and behind it set 79 comprising cars E50597 + E56187. Gerard Fletcher.

27th April 1980

A Norwich allocated two-car Class 104 DMU formed of cars E50594 & E56188 was stood in the bay platform at Ipswich with a service from Lowestoft on April 27th 1980. Martyn Hilbert.

Unknown date

A Class 104 / 105 hydrid DMU at Cambridge in the early 1980s. Graeme Phillips Collection.

18th January 1981

Two Cravens DMUs waiting to depart from Cambridge for Ipswich and Ely on 18 January 1981. Closest is a DTCL from set 77 - it seems to have been one of the vehicles that was built with four marker lamps - the centre two have been removed and plated over. The other vehicle is the DMBS from set 35 and has the mounting for the top centre marker lamp. It is thought to be 50384 which also once had four lamps. Rob Edwards.

circa 1988

Norwich Met-Camm set 77 (54351 + 51177) enters Hoveton and Wroxham station, circa 1988. Stuart Mackay Collection.

circa 1988

Norwich Met-Camm set 77 (51177 + 54351) in Hoveton and Wroxham station, circa June 1988. Stuart Mackay Collection.

15th April 1989

2 x 2-car class 101 DMU's are seen at Stoke Bridge Level Crossing in Ipswich Docks on April 15, 1989. This was a Branch Line Society railtour called the 'Orwell Docker' and covered several freight only lines in the area. It was repeated twice later in the year. The line beyond the crossing belonged to ABP (Associated British Ports) and served Cliff Quay. It was formed set 77 54351 + 51177 and set 01 54405 + 51207. Adrian Nicholls.

15th April 1989

The Branch Line Society "Orwell Docker" railtour used two 2-car class 101s for a jaunt around East Anglia on 15 April 1989. The first freight branch visited was the the lengthy single track line from Chesterton Junction to Fen Drayton. Extensive gravel pits around Fen Drayton owned by ARC Ltd provided enough railbourne freight to warrant retaining this 11 mile stub of the former Great Eastern Railway St.Ives branch. Aggregate traffic from the gravel pits ceased in May 1992 and the line was mothballed with a view to reinstating a passenger service for Cambridge's growing commuter belt but this fell through, Cambridgeshire Country Council opting for a guided bus way on the track bed. The flooded gravel pits are now an RSPB nature reserve for water foul and wild bird and the railway is just history. Set 77 51177+54351 & set 01 54405+51207 sit at the lines physical end with the far unit beside the buffer stops where Holywell Ferry LC used to be. Adrian Nicholls.

15th April 1989

The Branch Line Society "Orwell Docker" railtour on 15/4/89, stood at the closed Felixstowe Beach station. The line from Felixstowe Town to Felixstowe Pier with Felixstowe Beach as the only intermediate station on the branch had closed to passengers on 11/9/67 but the line had remained open for freight to the every expanding Languard Container Terminal. The tour arrived here with authority to proceed beyond the BR limit onto FD&RC (Felixstowe Docks & Railway Co.) tracks into Languard (Felixstowe North) container terminal but a mix up on the day meant the tour stood here for 25mins while the organiser and BR staff made representation to FD&RC staff on site. With 47 279 shunting the terminal the site staff refused access having been not made aware by their manager the tour was coming. So after a stand off the tour reversed here to a wave of disappointment from the membership. Adrian Nicholls.

15th April 1989

The Branch Line Society "Orwell Docker" railtour at Ipswich Docks sidings on 15 April 1989. It was formed set 77 54351 + 51177 and set 01 54405 + 51207. Walter Burt.

Do you have any images of the set you can add?