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Vehicle 50594 / 53594

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: 30404
Diagram: 557

Allocations

15/05/58	New to	50A (York)
2w/e 31/05/58	Transferred to	56G (Hammerton Street)
3w/e 30/08/58	Transferred to	51A (Darlington)
w/e 03/01/59	Transferred to	50A (York)
3w/e 19/03/60	Transferred to	55H (Neville Hill)
3w/e 05/08/67	Transferred to	50C (Hull Botanic Gardens)
May-73	Depot code change	BG
w/e 18/10/75	Transferred to	NR (Norwich)
w/e 29/04/79	Transferred to	SF (Stratford)
3w/e 20/10/79	Transferred to	NR (Norwich)
13/06/82	Transferred to	LO (Longsight)
circa Feb-84	Transferred to	BX (Buxton)
09/06/85	Transferred to	NH (Newton Heath)
14/07/85	Withdrawn from	NH (Newton Heath)

The vehicle carried the following numbers:

50594 - original number
53594 - from Jun-83 (53xxx / 54xxx change)

Disposal

Scrapped by Vic Berry, Leicester

Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:

	50594	56185		As delivered to 50A - 15th May 1958
	50594	56185		Transfer to 56G - 2w/e 31/05/58
	50594	56185		Transfer to 51A - 3w/e 30/08/58
	50594	56185		Transfer to 55H - 3w/e 19/03/60
	50594	56185		Noted 26/08/74 - at York¹
H10	50594	56185		Noted 02/01/75 - at Selby, set number on 50594¹
	50594	56185		Noted 24/10/75 - at Norwich¹
H10	50594	56185		Noted 01/11/75 - at Bury St Edmunds, 56185 had set number H11¹
	50594	56185		Noted Jun-76 - at Sheffield²
77	50594	56126		Noted 20/11/76 - at Bury St Edmunds¹
77	50594	56124		Noted 26/02/77 - at Bury St Edmunds¹
	50594	56419		Noted 23/09/1978 - R.C.T.S. Fensman No.3 Railtour
77	50594	56419		Listed at NR - Autumn 1978
77	50594	56137		Noted 05/01/79 - at Norwich¹
	50594	56188		Transfer to NR - 3w/e 20/10/79
	50594	56185		Noted 24/05/80 - at Norwich¹
	50594	56186		Noted 31/05/80 - on 19.25 Ely – Cambridge³
77	50594	56126		Noted 09/12/81 - at Norwich¹
	50594	56186		Transfer to LO - 13/06/82
	50594	56186		Noted circa 08/1982⁴
	50594	56186		Noted circa 12/1982⁴
	53594	59155	53514	Noted 16/04/84
	53594	59155	53514	Noted circa 11/1984 - listed at BX⁴

Formation Sources
1: Gerald Brown
2: Leonard Rogers
3: Phil Shatford
4: Eddie Knorn

Images:

23rd September 1978

Set number: 77

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.

27th April 1980

Set number: 77

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.

1st April 1984

53594 is seen at Sheffield on the 1st April 1984. It seems to have some patches around the cab roof dome joints. Dennis Taylor.

16th April 1984

The Class 104 on the right consists of M53594 M59155 M53514, seen at Buxton on 16/04/1984, with set BX485 on the left. Graeme Phillips Collection.

The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:

Date: 2nd May 1959

E50594 was recorded for this image - a DMBS, the vehicle closest is presumably its partner for the first few years E56185. They are see stabled at Selby on 2nd May 1959. To the right of the marker light it has text painted on which should read "YK Set". Keith Long.

Date: circa early 1961

Night maintenance in Neville Hill depot. A fitter adjusts the tappets on a Leyland 680 engine. Note the lamp socket on the engine start/stop controls being used. The worksplate on the solebar tells us this is a BRC&W vehicle from lot 30404 - a DMBS from a batch of five driving trailer sets built for the North Eastern Region. Of the five DMBSs only two were allocated to the depot in this era: 50594 and 50598. This image appeared on the rear cover of the 17th edition of the British Transport Commission's Transport Age magazine dated April 1961. British Railways.

Date: unknown

An interior photo of a Class 104, possibly taken to emphasize the rather poor covering of the ashtray apertures in the backs of the seats. The Eastern Region moquette and second class seating behind the cab suggests that this is one of the power cars in the small batch of five ER 2-car Class 104 sets, E50594-598 Huddersfield Examiner.

Date: 5th March 1980

Set number: 77

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.

Date: 29th July 1981

Set number: 46

Left to right: E56187 + E51273, E56136 + E50594, E56439 + E51297, 31259, 47135. Ipswich, 29/7/81. John Carter.

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