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Vehicle 50953 / 53953

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

28/02/59	New to	6K (Rhyl)	- stored pending allocation
Jun-59	Transferred to	9E (Trafford Park)
4w/e 01/06/63	Transferred to	9A (Longsight)
4w/e 06/11/65	Transferred to	9D (Newton Heath)
w/e 06/05/67	Transferred to	9A (Longsight)
4w/e 05/04/69	Transferred to	12A (Carlisle Kingmoor)
06/05/73	Depot code change	KM
Jan-75	Depot code change	KD
15/05/88	Transferred to	HT (Heaton)
29/07/91	Withdrawn from	HT (Heaton) PHTX

The vehicle carried the following numbers:

50953 - original number
53953 - from Jun-83 (53xxx / 54xxx change)

Modifications

Jun-75 - AWS fitted

Disposal

Scrapped by Booth Roe Metals, Rotherham

Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:

	50953	56236		As delivered to - 28th February 1959 - stabled at 6K, pending allocation
	50953	56236		Noted mid-March 1959
	50953	56247		Noted 04/11/68 - at Manchester Piccadilly¹
	50953	56245		Noted 01/06/1974 - at Carlisle ²
	50953	56245		Noted 01/09/74 - on Kingmoor depot³
	50953	56240		Noted 22/05/76 - at Carnforth¹
	50953	56242		Listed at KD - circa Aug-80
	50953	56242		Noted circa 08/1981⁴
	50953	56242		Noted 16/03/82 - at Lancaster with 56245 + 50962
	53953	54242		Noted 24/03/84 - at Lancaster
	53953	54242		Listed at KD - 01/01/85
	53953	54242		Listed at Carlisle Kingmoor - Summer 1986
	53953	54242		Noted 03/11/86 - on 12:35 Newcastle - Alnmouth
902	53953	59387	51566	Noted 12/09/87 - at Norwich³
	53953	54242		Listed at KD - circa Jan-88
	53953	54242		Noted 30/07/88 - on 15:17 Newcastle - Carlisle service⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 01/10/1988 - Barrow connection from BR Weston-Super-Mare to Carlisle excursion
	53953	54242		Listed at HT - Feb-89
	53953	54242		Noted 01/04/89 - on 15:17 Newcastle - Carlisle service⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 15/04/89 - on 14:32 Newcastle - Carlisle service⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 23/06/89 - on 07:26 Seaham - Newcastle with 54240 + 53963⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 05/08/89 - on 15:14 Newcastle - Carlisle service⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 07/08/89 - on 10:00 Whitehaven - Carlisle⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 07/08/89 - on 12:56 Whitehaven - Carlisle⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 07/08/89 - on 14:15 Carlisle - Barrow-in-Furness with 53959 + 54243⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 15/08/89 - on 16:27 Newcastle - Carlisle service⁵
	53953	54262		Noted 21/08/89 - on 14:15 Carlisle - Barrow-in-Furness with 53957 + 54236 and 54238 + 53956⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 21/08/89 - on 10:00 Whitehaven - Carlisle⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 23/08/89 - on 19:12 Newcastle - Carlisle service⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 02/09/89 - on 11:05 Carlisle - Barrow-in-Furness⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 02/09/89 - on 09:02 Whitehaven - Carlisle⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 11/11/89 - on 10:15 Barrow-in-Furness - Carlisle⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 25/11/89 - on 14:35 Newcastle - Carlisle service⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 25/11/89 - on 16:18 Carlisle - Newcastle service⁵
	53953	54242		Noted 17/03/90 - on 10:30 Newcastle - Carlisle⁶
	53953	54242		Noted 25/08/90 - on Thornaby TMD

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

Images:

8th July 1978

A Class 108 DMU led by M50953 arrives into Carlisle station with a service from Workington on 8 July 1978. Stuart Mackay Collection.

3rd November 1986

M53953 + M54242 await departure from Newcastle p5 with the 12:35 Newcastle - Alnmouth local service on 3/11/86. At the time, these cars were allocated to Kingmoor for Cumbria services, but this one could have worked across to Newcastle on a Tyne Valley service, perhaps due to unit failure, and was now being utilised on this north-east service. Most of the Kingmoor 108s - including this pairing - were reallocated to Heaton in May 1988, when the former was closed, the remaining units going to Chester depot. Graeme Phillips Collection.

23rd August 1989

Class 108 vehicles 53953 and 54242 depart Newcastle for a trip up the ECML with the 17:45 to Morpeth on Wednesday 23/8/89. In the background, platform construction work is underway, including the outer island platform, which was initially numbered 15 and 16 when opened for local services in 1989. All the platforms were renumbered soon afterwards, the outer island becoming platforms 5, 6, 7 and 8, and the platform from which this photograph was taken renumbered from 8 to 2. Graeme Phillips.

The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:

Date: 16th March 1982

Lancaster station contains a 4-car formation of Class 108s made up of two 2-car sets on the 16th March 1982 - 56245 + 50962 + 56242 + 50953. Jerry Glover.

Date: 24th March 1984

Class 108s at Lancaster on Saturday 24th March 1984, with 54242 + 53953 closest. Colin Brooks.

Date: 25th August 1990

54242 and 53953 are seen at Thornaby TMD on the afternoon of Saturday 25/8/90. Note Kilmarnock showing on the destination blind! Graeme Phillips.

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