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Vehicle 50943 / 53943

Class 108

Builder: BR Derby Works
Layout: Low Density
Length: 57ft
Coupling Code: Blue Square
Coupling Type: Screw
Gangway Type: LMS
Engines: Leyland 150hp
Transmission: Mechanical
Lot Number: 30465
Diagram: 543

Allocations

24/01/59	New to	2D (Coventry)	- pending allocation
Apr-59	Transferred to	3C (Ryecroft)
Jun-59	Transferred to	26A (Newton Heath)
Oct-59	Transferred to	1E (Bletchley)
3w/e 31/01/65	Transferred to	6A (Chester)
3w/e 30/04/66	Transferred to	8J (Allerton)
3w/e 02/07/66	Transferred to	9D (Newton Heath)
4w/e 04/02/67	Transferred to	9A (Longsight)
4w/e 04/03/67	Transferred to	9D (Newton Heath)
2w/e 11/10/69	Transferred to	8J (Allerton)
06/05/73	Depot code change	AN
29/03/87	Transferred to	TS (Tyseley)
02/10/88	Transferred to	NH (Newton Heath)
07/05/89	Transferred to	NL (Neville Hill) PNLX
07/07/91	Transferred to	LO (Longsight) PLOX
02/07/92	Withdrawn from	LO (Longsight) RCLO

The vehicle carried the following numbers:

50943 - original number
53943 - from 1985 (53xxx / 54xxx change)

Modifications

Feb-72 - AWS fitted

Refurbished

At Swindon Works dated 03/06/1977 released in white/blue stripe livery

50943 was involved in the following incident:

circa early 1966 - Unknown location

Collision involving Class 108

Info from Vic Smith

56226 sustained collision to the cab, details of the incident unknown. It would spend some time at Patricroft (image on Flickr) before withdrawal in September. Partner 50943 sustained some rear end damage but was repaired and returned to traffic.

Disposal

Scrapped by Booth Roe Metals, Rotherham

Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:

	50943	56226	Noted January 1959
	50943	56226	As delivered to 2D - 24/01/59
	50943	56226	Transfer to 3C - Apr-59
	50943	56226	Transfer to 1E - Oct-59
	50943	56226	Noted 05/01/66 - in Manchester Exchange station¹
	50943	52059	Noted 20/07/68 - in Manchester Victoria¹
AN451	50943	52059	Noted 19/10/69
	50943	52047	Noted 19/04/73 - on Newton Heath depot²
AN142	50943	52047	Noted 09/09/73 - in Manchester Oxford Road²
	50943	52039	Noted 19/04/74 - in Liverpool Lime Street¹
	50943	52039	Noted 23/02/76 - in Liverpool Lime Street¹
	50943	52042	Noted 24/04/1976 - at Wigan North Western³
	50943	52042	Noted Jun-76 - in Manchester Piccadilly¹
	50943	52047	Noted 04/01/77 - in Liverpool Lime ¹
	50943	51570	Noted 24/09/1977 - 12.50 Lime Street to Wigan nW with 51417-56492⁴
	50943	51570	Noted 27/09/1977⁴
	50943	51923	Noted 27/09/1977 - 07.40 Wigan NW to Liverpool with 50935-51572⁴
	50943	51570	Noted 30/09/1977 - 16.45 Lime Street - Wigan NW with 50463-59171-50515⁴
	50943	52043	Noted circa 01/1983⁴
	50943	52048	Noted circa 02/1983⁴
	50943	52047	Noted circa 04/1983⁴
	50943	51568	Noted circa 04/1983⁴
	53943	52037	Noted circa 10/1983⁴
	53943	51570	Noted circa 01/1984⁴
	53943	52043	Noted circa 07/1984⁴
T211	53943	54277	Noted circa 06/1987⁴
T211	53943	54277	Listed at TS - Jul-87
T211	53943	54277	Noted 26/09/87 - at Norwich²
T201	51927	53943	Noted circa 01/1988⁴
T201	51927	53943	Listed at Tyseley - 7th April 1988
T214	53943	54061	Noted circa 05/1988⁴
T214	53943	54061	Formed at TS circa May-88
T214	53943	54061	Noted 19/05/88 - at Norwich²
	53943	54061	Noted 01/08/88 - on 18:05 Grantham-Boston
N607	53943	54061	Noted circa 11/1988⁴
	53943	54346	Noted 30/08/89 - on 15:56 Leeds - Sheffield⁵
NL252	53943	54346	Listed at NL - 05/09/89
LO288	53943	54205	Listed at LO - Aug-91
	53943	54205	Noted 07/08/91⁵
LO288	53943	54246	Listed at LO - Dec-91
LO288	53943	54246	Noted circa 02/1992⁴

Formation Sources
1: Leonard Rogers
2: Gerald Brown
3: Peter Wallwork
4: Eddie Knorn
5: Graeme Phillips

Images:

circa April 1966

M50943 on Patricroft shed reputedly with rear end damage, side by side with Standard 5 73140, circa April 1966. Ian McDonald Collection.

23rd May 1987

Set number: T211

Class 108 DMU set T211 (53943 + 54277) at Wirksworth on Saturday 23 May 1987. A large crowd of locals can be seen to the left of the set. Stuart Mackay Collection.

5th January 1991

Set number: N607

A three-car Class 108 formed of three brake vehicles including a centre trailer coach (TBSL), was awaiting departure from Skipton with a service to Bradford Forster Square on January 5th 1991. The leading car was M53943 and the rear driving car was M53971. It would appear this was a cobbled together set of serviceable cars in the period when the troublesome Class 142 fleet was giving the first generation DMU fleet an extended period of operation. M53943 was carrying the set number N607 on the cab front, whilst at the rear, M53971 was displaying set number T203. Martyn Hilbert.

The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:

Date: 7th September 1987

Set number: T211

On the afternoon of 7 September 1987 two of Tyseley's two-car Class 108 sets led by T211 (54277 and presumably 53943) were photographed climbing the 1/75 of Wilmcote Bank a short distance from Stratford-upon-Avon. The leading DTS was possibly unique at the time as it still had operational headcode blinds although I'm not sure what the code carried on this run represented. Later, on the run to Stratford from Leamington Spa it had changed to display the set number. These shots were a bonus as I was in this spot for a picture of 47628 with the VSOE on its way from Stratford to London Victoria. Peter Tandy.

Date: 7th September 1987

Set number: T211

Two Class 108s working to Stratford-upon-Avon from Leamington Spa at Wilmcote Bank on 7 September 1987. Closest is set T211 (54277 and presumably 53943) with the DTS displaying the set number on its still working headcode. Peter Tandy.

Date: 5th January 1991

Set number: T203

With Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 53971 at the rear, a Neville Hill allocated three-car Class 108 DMU was stood on the Up Main alongside Broughton Road Sidings at Skipton during a reversal with a service from Bradford Forster Square on January 5th 1991. All three vehicles have brake vans, the TBSL is probably E59246, the far DMBS is E53943 which carried set number N607, Martyn Hilbert.

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