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Vehicle 50915 / 53915

Class 116

Builder: BR Derby Works
Layout: High Density
Length: 64ft
Coupling Code: Blue Square
Coupling Type: Screw
Gangway Type: None
Engines: Leyland 150hp
Transmission: Mechanical
Lot Number: 30364
Diagram: 554

Allocations

3w/e 19/04/58	New to	88A (Cardiff Cathays)
Jan-61	Depot code change	88B
Mar-62	Depot code change	88M
Nov-64	Transferred to	86A (Cardiff Canton)
Sep-66	To Parcels Sector at	81C (Southall)
Apr-68	Transferred to	81D (Reading)
May 1973	Depot code change	RG
2w/e 05/11/77	Transferred to	TS (Tyseley)	- returned to passenger stock
16/08/87	Withdrawn from	TS (Tyseley)

The vehicle carried the following numbers:

50915 - original number
53915 - from Jun-83 (53xxx / 54xxx change)

Modifications

Sep-66 - Converted for parcels use
3w/e 30/06/73 - Dual AWS fitted
Jun-75 - WR AWS removed

Refurbished

At Swindon Works dated 27/01/1978 released in white/blue stripe livery

Disposal

Scrapped by Mayer Newman, Snailwell

Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:

	50862	59370	50915		As delivered to 88A - 3w/e 19/04/58
CAT345	50862	59370	50915		Listed at CAT - Jul-62
	50862	50915			Transfer to 81C - Sep-66
	50819	50915	50862	55991	Noted 02/09/69 - at Paddington¹
	55992	50915			Noted 13/08/70 - in Reading area²
	55992	50915			Noted 11/02/71 - at Royal Oak²
	50819	50915			Noted 29/10/1973 - at Reading³
	50915	55991			Noted 08/04/1974 - at Reading³
L343	55991	50915			Noted 30/04/75 - at Royal Oak, set number only on 50915²
L343	50915				Noted 20/07/75 - on Old Oak Common depot, loose vehicle²
L343	50915				Listed at RG - 01/05/1976 - DPU
	50819	50915			Noted 03/09/76 - in Paddington²
TS511	50819	59346	50915		Noted 10/02/1979 - at Birmingham New Street⁴
TS511	50819	59346	50915		Listed at TS - 12/08/79
TS511	50819	59346	50915		Noted circa 01/1981⁵
TS545	50819	59346	50915		Noted circa 10/1981⁵
TS545	50819	59346	50915		Noted circa 05/1982⁵
TS545	50819	59346	50915		Noted 14/09/1982 - Noted on 17.45 Manchester Piccadilly to Stafford service.⁵
TS545	50819	59346	50915		Listed at TS - Jan-83
TS545	50819	59346	50915		Noted circa 01/1983⁵
TS545	53819	59346	53915		Listed at TS - 14/07/83
TS545	53819	59346	53915		Noted circa 09/1983⁵
TS545	53819	59647	53915		Noted circa 12/1983⁵
TS545	53819	59647	53915		Noted circa 08/1984⁵
TS545	53819	59647	53915		Noted circa 12/1984⁵
TS545	53819	59647	53915		Noted circa 02/1986⁵
TS545	53819	59647	53915		Noted circa 03/1986⁵
TS532	53819	59647	53915		Noted circa 05/1986⁵
TS532	53819	59647	53915		Listed at Tyseley - Summer 1986
TS532	53819	59647	53915		Noted 12/07/86 - at Norwich²
	53819	59647	53915		Noted 31/10/86 - on 14:01 Blake Street - Longbridge⁶
TS532	53819	59647	53915		Noted 23/04/1987 - at Birmingham New Street⁷
TS824	51869	59634	59647	53915	Noted circa 06/1987⁵
T824	51869	59634	59647	53915	Listed at TS - Jul-87

Formation Sources
1: Leonard Rogers
2: Gerald Brown
3: Jeremy Goodyear
4: Shayne Lewis
5: Eddie Knorn
6: Martin Baumann
7: Robert Chilton

Images:

October 1965

BR (Derby) Class 116 3-car suburban dmu Nos. W50915 (116/2), W59370 (175) and W50862 (116/2) in BR green with small yellow warning panel at Cardiff (General) on a service to Merthyr Tydfil, 10/65. Hugh Llewelyn.

circa 1969

Set number: 343

50915 paired with 55992 at Reading - circa 1969 (photographer's approximate date). Both cars carry set No 343. © 53A Models of Hull Collection.

circa late 1960s

Set number: 343

Class 116 power car W50915, in use parcel vehicle as a parcel vehicle, seen at Southall. It is working with another former DMS, probably 50872. Date unknown but probably late 1960s. Graham Clark.

11th July 1973

Set number: L343

Freshly painted Class 130 parcels DMU set L343 with 50915 closest at Ranelagh Bridge on 11 July 1973. Alistair Ness.

1974

Set number: L343

Parcel DMU set L343 at Hanwell station sometime in 1974. The Class 130 (ex-116) power cars are presumably 50915 and 50819 - they had a GUV between them, presumably W86174 or W86572 which were once in the Railair set. Stuart Mackay Collection.

1976

Set number: L243

A very nice mixture - a parcels 116, GUV and 128. Ian believes that this was L243 or 343 (which may have been 50915 with an unrecorded 128 - 91 or 92). The GUV is one of the blue square conversions, note the gap between "Rail" and "Express Parcels" where "Air" used to be! Taken at Langley in 1976. Ian McDonald.

7th July 1978

Set number: TS511

M50915 leads set TS511 on Hatton Bank, July 7th 1978. The DMBS should be M50819, the vehicles had recently been converted back to passenger use after a decade carrying parcels. Michael Mensing.

8th March 1986

Set number: TS545

A few miles to the south-west of Langley Green is the station at Rowley Regis. By the time this photograph was taken on 8 March 1986, freight traffic to the various industrial termini hereabouts had finished, but the trackwork and and signalling were still pretty much intact. This picture shows the inevitable class 116 DMU (TS545, presumably 50915 + 59346 + 50819) on a Birmingham New Street to Stourbridge Junction stopping train approaching the station. Peter Tandy.

15th May 1988

Class 116 53915 at Snailwell on the 15th May 1988. Nicholas Youngman.

The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:

Date: July 1967

An interesting formation - Gloucester RC & W Co. Motor Parcels Van (later Class 128) No.W55992, with split headcodes, in Rail Blue and yellow gangway door coupled to BR (Derby) Class 130 Motor Parcels Van (converted from a Class 116/1 Motor Second from a 3-car suburban set) No.W50915, also in BR green, and three parcels vans (GUV's) approaching Paddington, 07/67. Hugh Llewelyn.

Date: circa 1969

Set number: 343

Gloucester Class 128 Pacels railcar W55992 working with (almost out of picture to the right) Derby Class 130 Parcels car W50915 (formerly high density "Suburban" Class 116 DMS) at Reading - c.1969. 53A Models of Hull Collection.

Date: 28th March 1971

Set number: 345

Class 128 W55992 is working with early Class 116 parcel conversion 50915 at Reading on the 28th March 1971. Note the set number on the 128. David Mant.

Date: June 1978

Set number: TS545

Class 116 set TS545 (presumably 50819 + 59346 + 50915, the power cars converted back to passenger use after being in parcel service on the Western Region) seen at Washwood Heath in June 1978. Michael Mensing.

Date: unknown

Set number: TS545

Tyseley Class 116 set TS545, led by DMBS M50819 (and presumably with 59346 + 50915) is seen heading for Kidderminster in Refurbished Livery of white with blue band, late 1970s / early 1980s. At the time BR ran some through services over the SVR from New Street on bank holidays. Graeme Phillips Collection.

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