Vehicle 50680 / 53680
Class 120
Builder: BR Swindon Works
Layout: Cross Country
Length: 64ft
Coupling Code: Blue Square
Coupling Type: Screw
Gangway Type: BR Standard
Engines: AEC 150hp
Transmission: Mechanical
Lot Number: 30334
Diagram: 586
Allocations
| Sep-58 | New to | 86C (Cardiff Canton) | |
| by Oct-60 | Transferred to | 84E (Tyseley) | |
| 01/01/63 | Boundary change | 84E | transferred from WR to LMR stock |
| Sep-63 | Depot code change | 2A | |
| 3w/e 01/02/64 | Transferred to | 82A (Bristol Bath Road) | |
| Jun-64 | Transferred to | 84A (Laira) | |
| Feb-65 | Transferred to | 82A (Bristol Bath Road) | |
| 4w/e 31/05/69 | Transferred to | 16C (Derby Etches Park) | |
| May-73 | Depot code change | DY | |
| 25/01/83 | Transferred to | CH (Chester) | |
| circa 1984 | Transferred to | NH (Newton Heath) | |
| 11/05/86 | Withdrawn from | NH (Newton Heath) |
The vehicle carried the following numbers:
50680 - original number
53680 - from May-83 (53xxx / 54xxx change)
Disposal
Scrapped by Vic Berry, Leicester
Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:
| TYS508 | 50725 | 59281 | 50680 | Listed at TYS - circa Oct-60 | |||||
| EP485 | 50725 | 59281 | 50680 | Noted circa Jun-69 | |||||
| 50703 | 59289 | 50680 | Noted 07/11/71 - in Birmingham New Street1 | ||||||
| 50703 | 59289 | 50680 | Noted 13/11/71 - in Birmingham New Street1 | ||||||
| 50742 | 59267 | 50680 | Noted 08/07/72 - at Thetford2 | ||||||
| 50742 | 59267 | 50680 | Noted 17/02/73 - at Derby1 | ||||||
| 50742 | 59267 | 50680 | Noted 14/07/1973 - at Birmingham New Street3 | ||||||
| 50709 | 59273 | 50680 | Noted 31/05/1974 - at Birmingham New Street3 | ||||||
| 50743 | 59259 | 50680 | Noted 07/07/1975 - at Loughborough4 | ||||||
| 50743 | 59259 | 50680 | Noted 13/09/1975 - 08:47 Nottingham to Grantham4 | ||||||
| 50709 | 59259 | 50680 | Noted 05/08/77 - on 2E84 2054 Derby-Lincoln St Marks | ||||||
| 50709 | 59259 | 50680 | Noted 10/09/77 - at Aberystwyth2 | ||||||
| 50709 | 59255 | 50680 | Noted 02/08/80 - at Norwich2 | ||||||
| EP505 | 50715 | 59264 | 50680 | Listed at DY - circa Jun-82 | |||||
| EP505 | 50715 | 59264 | 50680 | Noted circa 09/19825 | |||||
| 53680 | 59054 | 53694 | Noted circa 04/19835 | ||||||
| 53680 | 59054 | 53694 | Noted 29/03/1984 - at Chester5 | ||||||
| 53735 | 59528 | 53680 | Noted circa 07/19845 | ||||||
| 53735 | 59528 | 53680 | Listed at NH - circa Jan-86 |
Formation Sources
1: Leonard Rogers
2: Gerald Brown
3: Jeremy Goodyear
4: Peter Wallwork
5: Eddie Knorn
Images:
9th July 1967
A Swindon Cross-Country DMU led by Bristol allocated W50680 heads away from Radipole Halt with a Weymouth working on 9 July 1967. Stuart Mackay Collection.
July 1971
A Lincoln-bound Swindon Cross-Country set in Nottingham Midland station in July 1971. The closest power car seems to be M50680, M50720 is on the far end. Mel Smith.
30th July 1983
A Class 120 DMSL M53680 / Class 101 TBSL (presumably 59054) / Class 120 DMSL hybrid DMU seen in Aberystwyth station on 30 July 1983. Alistair Ness.
30th July 1983
Class 120 M53680, Aberystwyth, 30 July 1983. Alistair Ness.
22nd April 1986
Swindon Cross-Country Class 120 DMU's meet at Leyland on April 22nd 1986. On the left M53680 was bringing up the rear of a Blackpool North to Manchester Victoria service, whilst arriving on the right (complete with its slam-doors opening before it had stopped!) was M51575 with a Manchester Victoria to Blackpool South through service. This was the brief period when the large three-car BRCW Class 104 fleet based at Newton Heath had been sidelined, and due to the introduction of the new Class 150/1 Sprinter fleet at Derby Etches Park, the surplus well-worn but not quite life expired Class 120's were moved to pastures new at Newton Heath. The 120's would fade-away as deliveries of new Class 150/2 Sprinters began in earnest during 1987. Martyn Hilbert.
The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:
Date: 13th March 1980
50739, 59273 and 50680 are amongst the Class 120 vehicles seen at Derby on 13/3/80. Chris Lings.
Date: 28th December 1985
A Swindon Cross Country Class 120 Driving Motor Brake Second (ex Composite downgraded), M53735 was bringing up the rear of a six-car Manchester Victoria to Blackpool North service stood on the Down Slow at Leyland station on December 28th 1985. Running as part of a three car set, the centre trailer car was a Class 101 Metro-Cam M59528, whilst the other leading Class 120 car was M53680. The unit was eventually withdrawn from Newton Heath depot in May 1986. Martyn Hilbert.
Date: 28th December 1985
On a bright Winter afternoon, a Swindon Cross Country Class 120 Driving Motor Brake Second (ex Composite downgraded), M53735 was bringing up the rear of a six-car Manchester Victoria to Blackpool North service stood on the Down Slow at Leyland station on December 28th 1985. Running as part of a three car set, the centre trailer car was a Class 101 Metro-Cam M59528, whilst the other leading Class 120 car was M53680. The unit was eventually withdrawn from Newton Heath depot in May 1986 and scrapped by Berry's of Leicester. The unit is stood on the original low-height North Union Railway stone platform that survived on the Down Slow at Leyland. This platform is believed to be the oldest in the same position along the entire WCML that is still in use. Martyn Hilbert.