Class 100 Gloucester RC&W 2-car DMUs

Operations - London Midland Region

The first nine sets were ultimately destined for services around Edinburgh, however they initially went on loan to 9A (Longsight), being delivered from GRC&W to Manchester at the rate of about one a week. They travelled via Cam Hill, Castle Bromwich, Walsall & Crewe.

Noted in use on Manchester - Buxton - Crewe services on the 16th June 1957 were Sc50339/56094 and Sc50340/56095. Sc50346/56101 arrived in Birmingham on the 1st August 1957 and was used the following day to work an additional train to Manchester. Returning to Birmingham New Street the same day it left the next day for Manchester, again on a relief passenger turn.

The introduction of the winter timetable on the 16th September 1957 saw a new working with a Longsight set running to Birmingham every day. Arriving at New St at 11:12 as the 09:50 from Stoke-on-Trent, it returned as the 13:05 to Wolverhampton. During the first week 50345/56100 and 50349/56104 were noted on it, and on the 19th the 13:05 to Wolverhampton was formed of 50346/56101 and 50390/56145 (Class 105).

The image shows Sc50342 at the front of a two-car GRC&W / two-car Cravens / possibly a BG formation in Birmingham New Street with the 1.05pm service to Wolverhampton on September 30, 1957. Michael Mensing.

Six of the sets destined for the ScR also spent a period at Llandudno Jct. - 50339-41/3-5 with 56094-6/8-100. Sets of up to 8-cars were used on Saturdays on the 07:08 Llandudno to Birkenhead, returning as the 10:00 Birkenhead to Llandudno and the 10:30 Prestatyn to Manchester (Exchange) returning at 13:30 to Llandudno. The stock worked empty from Llandudno Jct to Prestatyn (these workings could also have been Derby Lightweights?). The vehicles were also know to have worked "The Welsh Dragon" shuttle service between Rhyl and Llandudno (such as on the August 1957 bank holiday when three sets were used), on which Derby Lightweights were already in use. At the time it was thought that all the 79xxx vehicles would have their MW systems adapted to work with the then new blue square standard cars.

M50355/7 were delivered to 6G (Llandudno Jct) in September/October 1957.

On the 4th December 1957 50350 and DTC went empty stock from Crewe to Lostock Hall to work the 'Canadian Trade Mission Special' around South Lancashire.

The LMR received the rest of the first batch for use in the Midlands, announcing in mid-December 1957 that the sets would be used to extend DMU schemes in the Manchester and Birmingham areas. The cars operated on local and branch line services, mainly in the Birmingham area, later based at Longsight and Newton Heath.

In January 1958 nine sets (50348/9/51-7 and partners) went on loan to Brunswick depot (8E, Liverpool), and these were introduced on workings Liverpool Central and Warrington from January 6th 1958 at hourly intervals.

The image shows one of the newly inaugurated Liverpool (Central)-Warrington (Central) diesel services, with Driver E. Harold at the controls, and on the platform are Messrs F. Walton, DOC Liverpool Central, A.M. Todd, DMPS Bank Hall, C.S. Longsdale, DMPS Edge Hill, G.V. Davies, SM Liverpool Central, MGE Lambert, Divisional Traffic Manager, and T.C. Byron, DPM. British Railways.

The nine Brunswick sets moved to Ryecroft depot (3C) in June 1958, as did 50350 (and partner) from Cockshute. The depot already had ten Park Royal sets.

In June 1958 GRC&W the Ryecroft sets started operating from Walsall to Dudley and on the Birmingham - Rugely services.

Easter 1959 diesel railcar excursions included M50352/7 and Class 103 50408 (all with trailers) on a W720 Walsall - Euston.

By 1965 50348-57 with 56103-112 were allocated to 2G (Rycroft - Walsall) for local services from Birmingham New Street. 50358 & 56113 were allocated to 9L (Buxton) working between Buxton and the Peak Forest.

Seaton and Stamford

In June 1966 50358 + 56113 were transferred to Leicester Midland depot, and along with the Cravens units already at same the depot they would replace the steam push and pull service on the Seaton - Stamford shuttle from 4 October 1965. After the line closed in 1966 the pair were transferred to Chester. This image shows the set on a Seaton-Stamford working in May 1966.

In March 1969 50348-58 and 56103-13 moved from Chester to Longsight, allowing a batch of Longsight 108s to move to Carlisle.

Decline

None were refurbished, and the DTC(L)s were later declassified to DTS(L). Withdrawals commenced in 1972, and initially concentrated on trailer vehicles, leaving the DMBSs to be formed into hybrid sets. By 1980 the ER had lost its allocation, either to the LMR or by withdrawal. When the 1983 50xxx to 53xxx renumbering happened there were only 9 vehicles remaining.

The last survivor in passenger use was DMBS 53355 which ran with the last Class 105 53812 as Newton Heath`s N699 set. Withdrawn in June 1989, interest was shown in it by the NRM, but it was damaged by vandalism while in store, and subsequently scrapped at Vic Berry`s in early 1991.

53355 and 53812 are seen in the first image, at Manchester Victoria on the 22nd March 1986. Paul Moxon.

In the second image the pair, now labelled N699, at Stalybridge on the 11:xx shuttle to Stockport, 18th June 1988. Gazza Prescott.

56310 has Class 129 55998 for company at Cohen's at Kettering in the final image, on the 11th August 1979. Neil Cannon.