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DMU Operations: London Midland Region


With by far the largest quantity of new DMUs it is not surprising that the London Midland Region also received the largest variety of types. The majority were low density sets with suburban quads for two routes from London and two types of parcel cars. More than half (657 vehicles) were built at its own workshops at Derby.

The planning and introduction of the London Midland Region DMU services from the management perspective is extensively covered in the minutes of the Lightweight Trains Committee.

Type Code Formation Sets Vehicles
Derby Lightweights Yellow Diamond symbol 1-car 2 2
2-car 59 119
Met-Camm Lightweights Yellow Diamond symbol 2-car 7 14
Class 100 Blue Square symbol 2-car 11 22
Class 101 Blue Square symbol 2-car 30 60
3-car 18 54
Class 103 Blue Square symbol 2-car 20 40
Class 104 Blue Square symbol 2-car 10 20
3-car 56 168
Class 105 Blue Square symbol 2-car 19 38
3-car 19 57
Class 108 Blue Square symbol 2-car 126 252
Class 110 Blue Square symbol 3-car 10 30
Class 111 Blue Square symbol 2-car 4 8
Class 112/3 Blue Square symbol 2-car 50 100
Class 115 Blue Square symbol 4-car 41 164
Class 127 Blue Square symbol 4-car 30 120
Class 128 Blue Square symbol 1-car 4 4
Class 129 Yellow Diamond symbol 1-car 3 3
Totals: 519 1275
November 1954 Silloth timetable

First deliveries and introductions were Derby Lightweights for West Cumberland, these thirteen sets being introduced in late 1954.

Publicity brochures were created for many of the lines to introduce the new trains to the public.

Introduction Dates

Some significant DMU introduction dates, from notes compiled by John Thomlinson:

1954

29/11/54 Carlisle - Silloth (Derby Lighweights)

1955

3/1/55 Workington, Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith (Derby Lighweights)
7/2/55 Carlisle - Maryport - Workington - Whitehaven (Derby Lighweights)
25/7/55 Watford - St Albans (ACV railbus)

1956

6/2/56 Bury - Bacup (Met-Camm Lightweights)
5/3/56 Birmingham New Street - Lichfield (Derby Lightweights)
28/5/56 North Wales (Derby Lighweights)
13/8/56 Bletchley - Buckingham - Banbury (79900/1)
8/10/56 Manchester - Buxton (Derby Lightweights)

1957

6/8/57 Harrow & W - Belmont (ACV railbus)
16/9/57 Crewe - Stoke - Derby (Class 104s)

1958

14/4/58 Derby - Nottingham - Lincoln (Class 101, 104, 105s)
" " Leicester - Nuneaton - Birmingham (" ")
" " Leicester - Nottingham (" ")
" " Leicester - Burton (" ")

17/11/58 Birmingham New Street - Coventry - Rugby (Class 100, 103s)
" " Birmingham New Street - Wolverhampton - Stafford (" ")
" " Birmingham New Street - Walsall - Rugeley (" ")
" " Birmingham New Street - Sutton Park - Walsall (" ")
" " Wolverhampton - Walsall - Lichfield - Burton (" ")
" " Dudley - Walsall (" ")
" " Leamington Spa - Coventry - Nuneaton (" ")
" " Rugby - Nuneaton - Stafford (" ")

1959

15/6/59 Blackpool - Fleetwood / Rochdale / Manchester (Class 101s)
2/11/59 Oxford - Bletchley - Cambridge (Class 108s)
Late 1959 Manchester Central - Chester (108s)

1960

4/1/60 Colne - Blackburn - Preston (Class 105 power twins)
" " Blackburn - Bolton (" ")
" " Colne - Accrington - Manchester (" ")
" " Accrington - Todmorden
" " Wrexham - Chester - New Brighton (Class 108s)
11/1/60 St Pancras - Bedford etc (Class 127s), soft introduction 28/9/59
4/4/60 Manchester Central - Liverpool Central (Class 115s)
25/4/60 Birmingham New Street - Barnt Green - Redditch
Late 1960 / early 1961 Manchester - Wigan - Southport
" " Manchester - Wigan - Liverpool Exchange
" " Rochdale - Bolton - Wigan
1960/1961 Cambrian Coast

1961

Summer 1961 Chester - Birkenhead Woodside
" " Chester - Helsby

1962

Jun-62 Marylebone - Aylesbury / High Wycombe etc (Class 115s), soft introduction on 23/1/61