Vehicle 79971
Park Royal Railbus
Builder: Park Royal
Layout: Railbus
Length: 42ft
Coupling Code: None
Coupling Type: None
Gangway Type: None
Lot Number: 30480
Diagram: 613
Allocations
| 2w/e 12/07/58 | New to | 14E (Bedford) | - Listed as 15D although Bedford had become 14E in April 1958 |
| 25/02/60 | Transferred to | Cowlairs Works | |
| 26/02/60 | Transferred to | 65H (Helensburgh) | |
| 4w/e 29/07/61 | Transferred to | 63A (Perth) | |
| 4w/e 26/08/61 | Transferred to | 60B (Aviemore) | |
| 2w/e 30/11/61 | Transferred to | 65H (Helensburgh) | |
| 04/03/63 | Transferred to | 65A (Eastfield) | |
| 12/04/63 | Transferred to | 67C (Ayr) | |
| 19/03/64 | Transferred to | 65A (Eastfield) | |
| 24/08/64 | Transferred to | 67C (Ayr) | |
| 4w/e 31/12/65 | Transferred to | 65A (Eastfield) | |
| 03/02/68 | Withdrawn from | 65A (Eastfield) |
Notes
21/07/58 - M79971 commenced trials on the Bedford - Hitchin and Bedford - Northampton branches.
11/08/58 - The Bedford - Hitchin and Bedford - Northampton passenger services have been operated from 11th August by Bedford allocated M79971 / 79972 / 79973.
Disposal
Scrapped by Patersons Tip, Mount Vernon Buried.
Images:
circa July 1958
The interior of a Park Royal Railbus, presumed to be M79971, circa July 1958. British Railways.
10th August 1958
New Park Royal railbus M79971 at Bedford on the 10th August 1958. It was introduced on services to Northampton and Hitchin the next day. The KDH Archive.
Unknown date
New Park Royal railbus M79971 circa mid-1958. British Railways.
Unknown date
Park Royal built Railbus SC79971 at Arrochar and Tarbet in the early 1960s. Phil Bevan.
8th August 1960
Park Royal railbus 79971 in Arrochar & Tarbet station while working the Craigendoran shuttles on 8 August 1960. Mike McDonald Collection.
Unknown date
Park Royal railbus M79971 at Dollar on the Devon Valley line, 22 July 1961. Walter Burt Collection.
18th April 1965
Park Royal Railbus No M79971 in the yard at Ayr shed, delivered in July 1958 to the LM region at Bedford and used on the Bedford - Hitchin and Bedford - Northampton branches, transferred to the Scottish region in February 1960. Withdrawn in February 1968 the body was grounded in Millerhill yard where it was used as a staff bothy on the east side of the up yard and later as as a C&W messroom and workshop, removed during July 1984. and disposed of by been buried in Patersons Tip, Mount Vernon, Glasgow the same month. Keith Long.
31st December 1966
Park Royal railbus M79971 at Drybridge station with an Ayr - Kilmarnock service on December 31st, 1966. JL Stevenson.
circa 1967
Two railbuses in Grangemouth station, circa 1967. The dent on the Park Royal identifies it as 79971, the AC Cars vehicles is probably 79978, its partner on the branch ('77) had a yellow panel before leaving the Western Region. AndrewHA Collection.
Unknown date
M79971 in Falkirk Grahamston station circa January 1968, presumably on a service to or from Grangemouth. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
M79971 in Falkirk Grahamston station circa January 1968, presumably on a service to or from Grangemouth. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
M79971 in Falkirk Grahamston station circa January 1968, presumably on a service to or from Grangemouth. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
M79971 running into Larbert station circa January 1968. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
A passenger runs to board M79971 in Larbert station circa January 1968. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
M79971 in Alloa station circa January 1968. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
M79971 has some admirers in Alloa station circa January 1968. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
M79971 in Alloa station, circa January 1968. Stuart Rankin.
circa January 1968
Park Royal railbus M79971 in Falkirk Grahamston station, circa January 1968, presumably on a service to or from Grangemouth. Stuart Rankin.
Unknown date
M79971 at Grangemouth. Undated, but it between January 1966 and withdrawal in February 1968. It carried the M prefix will the end despite being transferred to the ScR in 1960. Stuart Rankin.
circa late 1967 / early 1968
Park Royal Railbus M79971, presumably on a Larbert-Alloa service, leaves the Scottish Central at Alloa Junction (between Larbert and Stirling) to take the line towards the swing bridge over the River Forth. Date unknown, but thought to be around the time passenger service ended in January 1968. Photograph by the late Ed Nicoll and uploaded with the kind permission of the Scottish Railway Museum and Collections Trust (with whom copyright resides) from their Forbes Alexander Collection. Ed Nicoll.
6th January 1968
Park Royal railbus M79971 in Grangemouth station on January 6th, 1968. WS Sellar.
6th January 1968
M79971 sits in Falkirk Grahamston station alongside Met-Camm set 69 on 6/1/68. WS Sellar.
6th January 1968
Park Royal railbus M79971 in Grangemouth station on January 6th, 1968. WS Sellar.
6th January 1968
Park Royal railbus M79971 is seen in Grangemouth station on January 6th, 1968. WS Sellar.
27th January 1968
Park Royal railbus M79971 during a photostop at Throsk on January 27th, 1968. WS Sellar.
Unknown date
M79971 grounded in Millerhill yard where it was used as a hut for several years after withdrawal. Date unknown. Hamish Stevenson.
June 1973
The body of Park Royal railbus M79971 in Millerhill on June 1973. Alistair Ness.
June 1973
Park Royal railbus body M79971 Millerhill, June 1973. Most of the text on the side can be clearly read: 15 tons, 43'-0" x 9'-3", 50S, DRB, S.P. 8.67, Lifted 7501, 12.3.65, 6-6-58 Docker Syn, C7 and an unreadable date. Alistair Ness.
Unknown date
M79971 grounded in Millerhill yard where it was used as a hut for several years after withdrawal. Date unknown. Hamish Stevenson.
28th February 1976
Park Royal Railbus body M79971 Millerhill on 28 February 1976. This former railbus body was in use throughout the 1970s as a staff bothy on the east side of the up yards. Sadly it was too far gone and full of asbestos to be preserved so it was taken to Patterson's Tip in Glasgow and unceremoniously buried in the ground. Alistair Ness.
28th February 1976
Park Royal Railbus body M79971 at Millerhill on 28 February 1976. This former railbus body was in use throughout the 1970s as a staff bothy on the east side of the up yards. Sadly it was too far gone and full of asbestos to be preserved so it was taken to Patterson's Tip in Glasgow and unceremoniously buried in the ground. Alistair Ness.
1st May 1977
This Park Royal built Railbus was delivered in 1958 to Bedford depot and numbered M79971. However, just over a year later it was reallocated north to Scotland where it worked for a further 8 years before withdrawal from Eastfield in 1968. The body was then placed alongside Millerhill Yard for use as a staff bothy, modified to include a couple of stoves taken from brake vans hence the two chimneys visible when seen here on 1st May 1977. The 20 year old paint is rapidly fading but shows the original number M79971 which was never given a Sc prefix. It was later removed and buried in Paterson's tip at Mount Vernon due to its blue asbestos content. Murray Liston.
28th August 1977
Over 10 years after withdrawl the body of Park Royal Railbus SC79971 could still be found in Millerhill Yard on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Seen on the 28th August 1977 in use as a Carriage and Wagon Department messroom and workshop it has been fitted with two solid fuel stoves, hence the chimneys. The body is otherwise in a fairly complete condition and would survive at this location for almost seven more years before being removed during July 1984 and buried in Patersons Tip, Mount Vernon, Glasgow. Bob Woolnough.
10th March 1979
M79971 in use as a hut in Millerhill yard, 10/3/79. Basil Hancock.