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Vehicle 56439 / 54439

Class 105

Builder: Cravens
Layout: Low Density
Length: 57ft
Coupling Code: Blue Square
Coupling Type: Screw
Gangway Type: LMS
Lot Number: 30470
Diagram: 533

Allocations

10/10/58	New to	31A (Cambridge)
4w/e 30/05/70	Transferred to	32A (Norwich)
May-73	Depot code change	NO
Sep-73	Depot code change	NR
Dec-83	Depot code change	NC
22/06/86	Transferred to	LN (Lincoln)
12/10/86	Withdrawn from	LN (Lincoln)

The vehicle carried the following numbers:

56439 - original number
54439 - from Nov-84 (53xxx / 54xxx change)

Disposal

Scrapped by Mayer Newman, Snailwell

Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:

	51281	56439	As delivered to 31A - 10th October 1958
	51281	56439	Noted 19th July 1959
	50365	56439	Noted 21/12/70 - at Norwich¹
	50249	56439	Noted 03/09/71 - at Norwich¹
65	51114	56439	Noted circa 1972 - at Bury St Edmunds²
78	51222	56439	Noted circa 1972 - at Bury St Edmunds²
65	51114	56439	Noted 10/02/73 - on Norwich depot³
56	51277	56439	Noted 15/08/73 - at Stowmarket²
56	51277	56439	Noted 25/10/73 - at Bury St Edmunds²
	51277	56439	Noted 03/08/1974 - at Birmingham New Street ⁴
56	51277	56439	Noted 22/11/74 - at Bury St Edmunds²
	51277	56439	Noted 28/05/75
56	51277	56439	Listed at NR - 19/07/75
51	50249	56439	Noted 05/06/76 - at Bury St Edmunds²
	50249	56439	Noted 14/03/77 - at Bury St Edmunds²
56	51256	56439	Noted 03/09/77
	51255	56439	Noted 20/03/78 - at Bury St Edmunds being hauled by 31325²
58	51255	56439	Noted 03/08/78 - on Norwich depot²
58	51255	56439	Listed at NR - Autumn 1978
	51255	56439	Noted 10/01/79 - at Norwich²
58	51255	56439	Noted 08/04/79 - on Norwich depot²
	51297	56439	Noted 24/05/80 - at Norwich²
	51297	56439	Noted 13/09/80 - on 08.41 Bishops Stortford – Ely⁵
	51297	56439	Noted 17/04/81 - at Bury St Edmunds²
43	51297	56439	Noted 09/09/81
59	51258	54439	Noted circa 09/1984⁶
71	53381	54439	Noted circa 04/1985⁶
71	53381	54439	Listed at Norwich - circa Nov-85
71	53381	54439	Listed at NC - Dec-85
71	53381	54439	Noted 12/04/1986⁶
71	53381	54439	Listed at Norwich - June 1986
	53381	54439	Noted 04/08/86

Formation Sources
1: Leonard Rogers
2: Gerald Brown
3: Ipswich Transport Society
4: Peter Wallwork
5: Phil Shatford
6: Eddie Knorn

Images:

24th April 1976

Evening at Spalding Town. A Cravens diesel multiple unit (the vehicles are thought to be E56439 + E50249) stands at Spalding station on the evening of Saturday 24th April 1976. I would have taken this photo whilst waiting to board the return day excursion train I had travelled on from Bristol. Tom Harper.

9th September 1977

Set number: 56

A Class 105 Cravens DMU sitting in Felixstowe station after arriving with the 10:00 from Ipswich on 9 September 1977. Closest is DTCL E56439. Robert Thomas.

16th November 1985

Set number: 71

Cravens Class 105 Set 71 (E54439 closest) departs from Manningtree with the 1046 Manningtree - Harwich Town on Saturday 16th November 1985. Colin Brooks.

16th November 1985

Set number: 71

Cravens Class 105 Set 71 (54439 closest and presumably 53381) on the 12:30 Manningtree - Harwich Town heads away from Wrabness on Saturday 16th November 1985. Colin Brooks.

16th November 1985

Set number: 71

Class 105 Set 71 (54439 closest) with the 09:55 Harwich Town - Manningtree ambles towards Mistley on Saturday 16th November 1985. Colin Brooks.

16th November 1985

Set number: 71

Class 105 Set 71 (E54439 closest) with the 11:54 Harwich Town - Manningtree arriving at Wrabess on Saturday 16th November 1985. Colin Brooks.

4th August 1986

E54439 + E53381 near Ely on a Cambridge to Lincoln service, 04.08.86. Nicholas Youngman.

21st March 1987

A two-car Cravens DMU (54439 + 53381) in Doncaster station on 21 March 1987. John Law Collection.

21st March 1987

Class 105 DMU vehicles 54439 + 53381 are seen at Doncaster, Saturday 21/03/1987. Graeme Phillips Collection.

The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:

Date: 29th July 1981

Set number: 46

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

Date: 9th September 1981

Set number: 43

Norwich was always swarming with the busy little Cravens Class 105 dmus in the 70s & 80s. Resting between duties here is Set 43, E51297 + E56439. The old twin headcode box has been plated over which was unusual and note yet another Cravens reflected in the windows! The destination blind shows Ipswich, but strangely there was only a single dmu working along the main line through Diss at this time. This was the 17.15 Norwich - Ipswich all stations which was scheduled to run just behind a London service. 9/9/81. Gerard Fletcher.

Date: 16th November 1985

Set number: 71

Class 105 Set 71 (presumably 53381 + 54439) depart Wrabness on the 12:30 Manningtree - Harwich Town service on Saturday 16th November 1985. Colin Brooks.

Date: 16th November 1985

Set number: 71

Class 105 Set 71 (presumably 53381 and 54439) with the 10:46 Manningtree - Harwich Town arrives at Mistley on Saturday 16th November 1985. Colin Brooks.

Date: 16th November 1985

Set number: 71

Cravens Class 105 Set 71 (presumably 53381 + 54439) with the 10:46 Manningtree - Harwich Town approaches Mistley on Saturday 16th November 1985. Colin Brooks.

Date: 5th July 1986

53381 and 54439 depart from Leicester with the 11:54 Leicester to Peterborough on the 5th July 1986. Dennis Taylor.

Date: 15th March 1987

Having carried it's last passengers, Cravens Class 105 Two-Car DMU formed of cars 53381 & 54439, had been relegated to mail and parcels duties, seeing out its last few months in traffic before withdrawal. The unit was stabled with a Class 114 at Leeds Neville Hill Depot on March 15th 1987. Martyn Hilbert.

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