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Vehicle 50688 / 53688

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

4w/e 04/10/58	New to	BL (Bristol Marsh Junction)
by Jun-62	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)
circa May-64	On loan to	81D (Reading)
Jul-64	Ex-loan back to	82A (Bristol Bath Road)
4w/e 31/05/69	Transferred to	16C (Derby Etches Park)
May-73	Depot code change	DY
02/02/86	Transferred to	TS (Tyseley)
09/03/86	Transferred to	AY (Ayr)
p/e 23/11/86	Withdrawn from	AY (Ayr)

The vehicle carried the following numbers:

50688 - original number
53688 - from Aug-83 (53xxx / 54xxx change)

Disposal

Scrapped by Mayer Newman, Snailwell

Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:

	50741	59280	50688	Noted circa Aug-67 - in plain blue livery
EP480	50741	59280	50688	Noted circa Jun-69
	50741	59280	50688	Noted 27/09/69 - at Nuneaton¹
	50741	59280	50688	Noted 30/10/70 - at Derby²
	50709	59287	50688	Noted 19/09/71 - at Crewe at 6.30am²
	50709	59287	50688	Noted 02/10/1971 - at Birmingham New Street³
EP578	50709	59276	50688	Noted 13/08/74 - on 1320 Crewe-Licoln St Marks
	50736	59301	50688	Noted 28/05/1975 - at Nottingham⁴
EP598	50731	59301	50688	Noted 05/08/1975 - at Solihull⁴
EP598	50731	59301	50688	Noted 13/12/1975 - at Birmingham New Street ⁴
	50731	59301	50688	Noted 05/06/76 - on 0844 Nottingham-Skegness
	50731	59301	50688	Noted 04/09/76 - on 12.38 Leicester – Derby with 50714 + 59273 + 50687⁵
	50731	59301	50688	Noted 15/05/77 - on 0800 Crewe-Manchester Piccadilly
	50731	59273	50688	Noted 03/09/77 - on 2M85 1531 Lincoln St Marks-Derby
	50737	59274	50688	Noted 29/08/81 - at Norwich¹
	50737	59274	50688	Noted 20/09/81
EP518	50737	59274	50688	Listed at DY - circa Jun-82
EP518	50737	59274	50688	Noted circa 01/1983⁶
EP518	53737	59274	53688	Noted circa 06/1983⁶
	53737	59274	53688	Noted circa 12/1983⁶
	53737	59126	53688	Noted 22/03/1985⁶
	53737	59571	53688	Noted 01/06/85 - at Norwich¹
	53737	59571	53688	Noted circa 07/1985⁶
	53727	59571	53688	Noted 24/09/85 - on 10:25 Crewe - Derby service⁷
	53737	59571	53688	Noted 20/11/85 - on 08:35 Lincoln - Crewe service⁷
	53737	59527	53688	Noted 06/12/85 - on 16:30 Crewe - Lincoln Central service⁷
TS408	53737	59571	53688	New set number at TS - Jan-86 - number never carried
	53737	59527	53688	Noted 10/01/86 - on 09:22 Derby - Crewe service⁷
	53737	59527	53688	Noted 12/01/86 - on 21:10 Crewe - Grantham service⁷
	53737	59571	53688	Noted 13/02/1986 - operating from Tyseley in connection with additional services resulting from Proof House Bridge renewal.⁶
	53737	59571	53688	Noted 2nd April 1986
519	53737	59571	53688	Noted 1st May 1986
519	53737	59571	53688	Listed at Ayr - Summer 1986
551	53380	59789	53688	Formed at AY 2w/e 07/07/86
369	51186	59268	53688	Listed at Ayr - August 1986
spare	53688			Formation change - circa Oct-86
	53688			Noted 11/10/1986 - at Ayr Depot⁶

Formation Sources
1: Gerald Brown
2: Leonard Rogers
3: Jeremy Goodyear
4: Peter Wallwork
5: Phil Shatford
6: Eddie Knorn
7: Martin Baumann

Images:

10th June 1970

Set number: EP480

Etches Park based Swindon Cross-Country set EP480 at Melton Mowbray on 10th June 1970. M50688 appears to be at the front, transferred from the Western Region the previous year. David Page.

20th September 1981

This Swindon Class 120 cross-country set (M50688, M59274, M50737) is seen at Derby waiting to work the 17.18 to Lincoln, doors open in welcoming fashion. 20/9/81. Gerard Fletcher.

Unknown date

DMS M50688 awaits departure from Derby with a local service to Matlock - no other information with this slide, so my guess is late 1970s / early 1980s, and no later than 1983. Graeme Phillips Collection.

Unknown date

A Class 120 DMU arrives into Derby station with DMSL M50688 closest. Paul Redmond.

Unknown date

A Class 120 DMU with DMSL M50688 closest is seen at Nottingham, date unknown. Paul Redmond.

7th May 1983

The gradual decline in status of the venerable Swindon built Class 120 cross-country dmus was a sad spectacle to witness. Quite probably the most comfortable classic dmus still in service in the 1980s, it was still a pleasure to travel in them. How sad that they should all perish in the scrapyard without a complete set being preserved. Originally a Western Region car as W50688, it was one of the large batch transferred to Derby Etches Park in May 1969 to improve the quality of service on the Birmingham to Norwich/Cambridge and Crewe - Derby - Lincoln routes. At this time they had micro buffets in the centre cars and after a brief period of service, these were soon disused. Renumbered from M50688 the previous month, M53688 is seen on May 7th 1983 along with M59274 & M53737 having arrived at Peterborough on the 14.08 stopping service from Birmingham and loading to work the 17.25 return to Leicester. Gerard Fletcher.

17th December 1985

Two cars of a Swindon Cross-Country Class 120 unit Nos.53688-53737, reformed with a class 101 intermediate trailer No.59571 forming a Nottingham to Crewe service with Prototype class 150 unit No.151 001 on the Matlock shuttle service at the same platform face on a wet 17th December 1985. Gordon Edgar.

28th December 1985

A Swindon class 120 'Cross-Country' unit nos.53688 - 59571 - 53737 rattles away at Derby station during the early evening of 28th December 1985 forming a Crewe to Lincoln service. Gordon Edgar.

8th March 1986

Class 120 53688 is seen stabled at Tyseley Carriage sidings on 08.03.1986. The 101 centre car behind is probably 59571. Andy Cole.

The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:

Date: 12th October 1985

Class 120 hybrid set M53737 + E59571 + M53688 at Lincoln Central, 12th October 1985. Hamish Stevenson.

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