Vehicle 50446 / 78851
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: 30293
Diagram: 556
Allocations
| Sep-57 | New to | 5B (Crewe South) | |
| Jun-58 | Transferred to | 5D (Cockshute) | |
| Oct-58 | Transferred to | 9A (Longsight) | |
| 4w/e 01/07/61 | Transferred to | 5D (Cockshute) | |
| 3w/e 30/04/66 | Transferred to | 2H (Monument Lane) | |
| 4w/e 05/11/66 | Transferred to | 16C (Derby Etches Park) | |
| May-73 | Depot code change | DY | |
| w/e 11/01/75 | Transferred to | TS (Tyseley) | |
| w/e 24/04/76 | Transferred to | NH (Newton Heath) | |
| w/e 09/10/76 | Transferred to | DY (Derby Etches Park) | |
| w/e 01/05/77 | Transferred to | NH (Newton Heath) | |
| 04/09/82 | Transferred to | LO (Longsight) | |
| 12/05/85 | Transferred to | NH (Newton Heath) | |
| 17/11/85 | Withdrawn from | NH (Newton Heath) |
The vehicle carried the following numbers:
50446 - original number
78851 - from Sep-82 (single engine conversion)
Modifications
Mar-82 - Single engine conversion
Disposal
Scrapped by BR, Cheetham Hill
Some sample formations the vehicle has been noted in:
| 50446 | 59154 | 50498 | As delivered to 5B - September 1957 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59157 | 50499 | Noted 02/01/71 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 03/08/1971 - at Nottingham1 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 02/10/1971 - at Derby2 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 31/10/71 - at Crewe3 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 30/04/72 - at Derby3 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 18/08/1972 - at Derby1 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Transfer to TS - w/e 11/01/75 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 23/08/75 - on Tyseley depot4 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 22/11/1975 - RCTS Reunion Railtour 50325-59118-50307 + 50498-59165-50446 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 13/03/1976 - at Solihull on 10:58 from Birmingham Moor Street1 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59165 | 50498 | Noted 27/03/1976 - at Solihull1 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59158 | 50498 | Noted 17/07/76 - in Manchester Victoria3 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59158 | 50498 | Noted 27/09/1976 - at Preston 1 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59158 | 50498 | Transfer to DY - w/e 09/10/76 | ||||||
| 50446 | 59158 | 50498 | Noted 19/03/77 - on 2F75 1236 Birmingham New Street-Leicester with 50067 + 59010 + 50093 | ||||||
| NH350 | 50446 | 50521 | Noted circa 05/19825 | ||||||
| NH350 | 50446 | 50521 | Noted 19/07/1982 - Manchester Victoria, "half powered" set5 | ||||||
| NH350 | 50446 | 50521 | Noted circa 08/19825 | ||||||
| 78851 | 78601 | Noted circa 10/19825 | |||||||
| 78851 | 78601 | Noted May-84 | |||||||
| EXPDM352 | 78851 | 78601 | Noted 04/08/84 - Officially the set number was NH 350, but the Experiment number EXPDM352 was carried under the cab window like a set number. | ||||||
| 78851 | 78601 | Noted circa 10/19845 | |||||||
| 78601 | 78851 | Listed at LO - 01/01/85 |
Formation Sources
1: Peter Wallwork
2: Jeremy Goodyear
3: Leonard Rogers
4: Gerald Brown
5: Eddie Knorn
Images:
20th August 1963
A BRC&W triple with a Park Royal twin on the rear works the 8.04am Coventry - Stoke-on-Trent service approaching Marston Green on 20 August 1963. DMBS M50446 leads which was allocated to Cockshute depot at the time. Michael Mensing.
April 1967
A three-car BRC&W DMU with Derby Etches Park allocated 50446 closest in Birmingham New Street in April 1967. Hugh Llewelyn.
July 1970
Set number: EP471
Derby Etches Park BRC&W triple set EP471 at Toton in July 1970. Closest is DMBS M50446. Mel Smith.
March 1975
Set number: TS414
A three-car Class 104 labeled set TS414 at Erdington in March 1975 led by DMBS 50446, which was allocated to Tyseley between January 1975 and April 1976. Michael Mensing.
April 1975
Set number: TS414
Class 104 DMU set TS414 led by DMBS 50446 seen in Dorridge station in April 1975. Michael Mensing.
7th June 1981
A Class 104 DMU formed of M50446 + M50498 departs from Brierfield on 7 June 1981. John Carter.
4th October 1983
78851 + 78601 Reddish Vale on 4 October 1983. Chris Thorp.
Unknown date
Set number: EXPDM352
The Class 104 half engine set EXP DM 352 (78851 + 78601) seen in Liverpool Lime Street. Date unknown. Malcolm Clements.
The vehicle is mentioned in the following images:
Date: 29th June 1972
Set number: EP490
A rare visitor to South Wales, this Derby-based Class 104 unit (M50498 + M59165 + M50446) with what appeared to be an empty stock working though Newport on 29th June 1972. It had previously worked a Derby – Cardiff special. Note the EP490 (Etches Park) set number in the cab window. Jim Sparks.
Date: 17th December 1975
A blurry image, but added as a rare shot of a BRCW Class 104 (M50498 + M59165 + M50446) at Reading on 17/12/75. The vehicles were allocated to Tyseley at the time. Bob Gregory.
Date: 5th August 1979
A view looking East at a basic Colne station, terminus of the East Lancashire line from Preston on August 5th 1979. A two-car BRCW Class 104 DMU formed of cars M50498 & M50446 was preparing to return to Preston. Colne once had a three platform station, a large goods yard with a warehouse, coal sidings and a carriage shed. The fortunes of this once busy location declined when the route from Colne to Skipton was closed in 1970. Worse was to come when 'economies' saw the line towards Preston singled to Chaffers Siding just East of Nelson. Colne station became unstaffed in 1971 and the demolition of all the remaining railway structures followed swiftly, leaving the bus shelter mediocrity seen in this view. Over 40 years on, the line is still single track, the station has been tided-up, but is still unstaffed. As for the route to Skipton, which if reinstated would become a useful trans-pennine link, it remains just a 'maybe one day'. Martyn Hilbert.
Date: 15th April 1982
Set number: EXPDM352
M56492, M50385, M50521, M50446, M50958 at Preston on 15-04-82. Vincent Haworth.
Date: 15th April 1982
Set number: EXPDM352
EXP DM352 (M50521 & M50446) at Preston on 15-04-82. Vincent Haworth.
Date: 18th September 1982
Set number: EXPDM352
The single engined experiment Class 104 BRC&W 2-car DMU 50521 + 50446 on Longsight depot, 18-9-82. On Tour With the Class 13 Army.
Date: circa 1983
Set number: EXPDM352
The experimental Class 104 78601 + 78851 - each power car had one engine removed - in Manchester Piccadilly circa 1983. Graeme Phillips Collection.
Date: 7th May 1983
Set number: L576
Class 119 sets L576 and L578 have either come out of or are about to enter the empty siding on the right. They are at Spalding on a Flower Parade special from West Ruislip on 7 May 1983. Other details from the July 1983 issue of The Railway Observer (p270): in the sidings on the far left are 53669 + 59256 + 53718 / 50331 + 59125 + 50308 / 53738 + 59262 + 53693 which ran from Burton-on-Trent / Leicester. On the right are 54230 + 53947 / 51929 + 52041 / 78601 + 78851 which ran from Manchester Piccadilly. Stuart Mackay Collection.
Date: circa 1984
Set number: EXP DM352
Class 104 with experimental half engine modification, EXP DM352, with 78601 (50521) leading 78851 (50446) passes through Audenshaw, under Stamford Road bridge and past Boothcote Farm on a Stalybridge to Stockport service. Date unknown. Likely 1980s, likely a weekend. Photograph taken from approximately 53.46859569880387, -2.1215742975572685. Photo by my dad, David Slack. Uploaded by Andrew Slack. David Slack.
Date: unknown
Set number: EXPDM352
The experimental Class 104 single-engine conversion EXP DM352 (78601 + 78851) in Manchester Piccadilly. Date unknown. Stuart Pearce.
Date: 19th April 1984
An EMU and DMU line-up at Manchester Piccadilly on 19 April 1984. Right to left are Class 123 E52096 (with E59824 + E59773 + E52089), Class 104 M53450 (with M59187 + M53491), the single-engined Class 104 M78601 (with M78851) and a Class 506 EMU. Keith Long.
Date: May 1984
Set number: EXPDM352
Experimental DMU no. EXP DM 352, consisting of cars 78601 (nearest, formerly 50521) and 78851 (formerly 50446) both of which had had one of their two 150hp engines removed as a proposed cost saving measure, seen at Stalybridge in May 1984. It is said that the unit was underpowered - although it should have had the same power as a 'conventional' Class 101-109 power-trailer or 4-car unit - and the only other cars to have this modification carried out subsequently were the Metropolitan-Cammell Class 111s, which had 180hp Rolls-Royce engines. This unit was one of the few Class 104s to receive blue & grey livery, plus the black strip below the cab windows was presumably to mark it out as non-standard. Graeme Phillips Collection.
Date: 19th August 1984
Set number: EXPDM352
Modified Class 104 M78601 (ex 50521) and M78851 (ex 50446) at Manchester Piccadilly on 19 April 1984. Keith Long.
Date: 14th September 1984
The expanse of Manchester's Piccadilly terminus can be appreciated in this panoramic view from the footbridge, dating from 14 September 1984. Both 25kV and 1500V dc electrics, and diesel multiple unit motive power can be seen. On the left a Class 304 unit is on a Crewe service and a Class 506 unit is on a Hadfield service on the right. The DMU with the black stripe across the front is carrying the marking "EXP DM 352" below the cab window (and formed of M78601 + 78851), the Class 104 to the left has a blue/grey centre car. Andrew Walker.
Date: 14th September 1984
There are several Class 104 (including 78601 + 78851) and 108 DMUs in this view of Manchester Piccadilly on 14 September 1984. Andrew Walker.
Date: 27th July 1985
Set number: EXPDM352
Single engine power car Class 104 set EXP DM352 (78851 and 78601) is seen making a smoky exit from Chester, heading for Manchester Piccadily on the 27th July 1985. Gazza Prescott.