Class 107 Derby 3-car DMUs

Operations

The class worked almost exclusively on local services in Central Scottish. All were delivered in 1960/1 to Hamilton depot on the south side of Glasgow. The only vehicle to be allocated outside Scotland was one centre car which spent time on the LMR in the 1980s. The Class was notable for having an axle problem in 1986 which saw most of the vehicles temporarily taken out of traffic. Final withdrawals were in 1992.

The Sixties

All of the class were delivered to 66C (Hamilton) between December 1960 and June 1961. From there they worked Glasgow south side suburban services which had been further dieselised in November 1960 on duties from Glasgow Central such as the Cathcart Circle. Hamilton had borrowed sets from the NER for the inauguration of these services, as the 107s arrived these were returned, the 111s returning in December 1960 and the 101 / 104s in January 1961.

To overcome a shortage of Class 126 Inter-City sets at Ayr shed, two 107s were sent on loan in early February 1961.

At the end of February 1961 five sets went on loan to 64H Leith Central, four after delivery to Hamilton and the last seems to have been delivered direct on loan (although the centre car wasn't shown as moving till later). From Edinburgh they worked with Met-Camm sets on services to Stirling, Fife and Dundee. Two sets were returned to Hamilton within a few weeks, the other three remained until May 1962.

Two sets were used for a 'Land Cruise' from Ayr to Keswick on Monday 15th May 1961, calling at Kilmarnock to pick up. The passengers were allowed two hours at Carlisle on the outward trip, and then taken via Whitehaven to Keswick, where three hours were spent, returning via Penrith. The sets also became regulars on the Six Lochs Land Cruises.

In this film clip dated circa 1961 at set including SC51985 is seen working a Neilston High service.

In June 1961 two sets moved from Hamilton to Dundee. With all the sets now delivered, this meant the allocation was now three sets at Leith Central, two at Ayr, two at Dundee, and nineteen at Hamilton. The two sets on loan to Ayr were returned in August 1961. Curiously the centre cars were not listed as moving back until February 1962, yet Ayr only had Class 126 sets so the centre cars would be of no use, so the vehicles probably moved back as complete sets.

The image shows a set at Hawkhead in 1962. Corriebob.

1962 saw the first phase of the south Glasgow electrification go live, with EMUs taking over the Cathcart Circle services from the DMUs, amongst others. The EMUs, which had been running on north Clyde services for several years, had earned the nickname 'Blue Trains', and to match the south side DMU services were branded as 'Green Trains' for publicity purposes.

The year saw many moves, in May the three sets left Leith, one to Dundee and two back to Hamilton, and two moved from Hamilton to Ayr but were back within a couple of weeks. June saw twelve sets move to Corkerhill, and one the following month - meaning this south Glasgow depot now had half the fleet. In July a Dundee set moved to Kittybrewster for three months. At the end of the year Corkerhill had thirteen sets (the DMBSs were 51985-96 and 52003), Hamilton had ten sets (51997/8, 52001 and 52004-10), and Dundee the remaining three (51999/52000/52002).

There were no allocation changes in 1963. The image shows a Class 107 set at Lanark on the 31st July 1963, Sc52034 is closest. Hamish Stevenson. In November 1964 the Dundee sets moved to Hamilton, meaning it now shared the fleet evenly with Corkerhill, the later having the lower numbers (51985-96 and 52003) and Hamilton the higher ones (51997 - 52010 except 52003).

The next moves were in April 1966 when two sets left Hamilton for Ayr, and four sets for Corkerhill. One Ayr set seems to have moved with the wrong DMBS but allocations show that the correct one, 51998, was sent to 67A on the last day of the month and 51999 was returned to Hamilton.

In June 1966 Hamilton received many 100s, 101s and 105s, allowing the remaining Hamilton 107 sets to move to Corkerhill with the two Ayr sets. Corkerhill now had the entire 107 fleet, its allocation at this time also included a Class 108 and two Class 120s. Glasgow St Enoch station closed that month, its services now left from Central. The image shows a set there that last month. Corriebob.

June 1966 also saw the introduction of set numbers to the Glasgow Division ScR fleet. A document distributed to the depots describing the numbering allocated the seventeen sets at Corkerhill the numbers 117-133, the nine sets at Hamilton 134-142, and the two Ayr sets 143-144. However, that totalled 28 sets, two too many, Hamilton only had seven! The number would be stencilled on the cab front, as seen on this set (132) at Kilmacolm, date unknown. Stuart Rankin. Formations never seemed to be fixed with this numbering system.

DMUs in Gourock station in June 1967. Corriebob.

The electrification of the Gourock and Wemyss Bay lines in June 1967 eased the Glasgow DMU requirements and five sets (with the lowest numbered DMBSs) were transferred to Leith Central; they were back at Corkerhill by the end of the year. Curiously three DMSs have a later return date, it seems unlikely they would be left behind and all probably returned together. May 1968 saw the start of the sets moving away from Corkerhill for good, the four sets with the lowest numbered DMBSs (there is a definate trend in this) moving to Hamilton. The next nine lowest numbered followed in May 1969 (May is a common month for transfers with the start of the summer timetable).

The Seventies

The first moves in the seventies were in May 1972 when the next six lowest Corkerhill sets moved to Hamilton, and its last seven sets to Ayr. Corkerhill would not have any more (first generation) DMUs allocated to it until the late 1990s, but they continued to be stabled and fuelled (and maintained?) there. The Class would now remain settled (the lower nineteen sets at Hamilton, the other seven at Ayr) for the next five years, the only change being the withdrawal of DMBS 51995 from Hamilton in 1973 following collision damage.

In the image set number 145 has Kilmacolm on the destination blind when seen at Glasgow Central in March 1974. John McIntyre.

A 101/107/107 hybrid set worked the Branch Line Society Clydesider railtour on 24 August 1974 from Glasgow Central.

In November 1977 a Hamilton set moved to Ayr, in April / May 1978 all of the Ayr sets moved to Hamilton meaning it now had the whole fleet.

The image shows Sc51993 leading set 139 through Princes Street Gardens on the 2nd May 1978. Robert Chilton Collection.

In October 1978 the first refurbished set emerged from Glasgow Works introducing the blue/grey livery to the Class.

The Eighties

In 1981 the set numbering was revised into the 400 series, for the Class 107s this was 425 to 449 (allocated to the DMBS in numerical order). Initially some sets carried the three-digit number was carried on a board in the left-hand cab window, others had it added in stickers under the drivers cab window with the 107 prefix.

The image shows 107 440 arriving at a busy Bridge of Weir station on the 23rd June 1981 with the 08:17 Kilmacolm - Glasgow service. Hamish Stevenson.

Trailer Sc59794 became M59794 in 1981 when it was allocated to Chester (CH). The following year it moved to Newton Heath (NH).

At the start of 1982 Hamilton still had the whole fleet (except 59794 on the LMR), by the end of the year all its 107s were at Ayr and the depot had been closed. The first batch moved in January, more in May (sets 439/440/441/448/449), and the remainder (432-8, 443-7) on August 2nd, one week before the official closure date on the 9th. Ayr depot had had amost all its Class 126 fleet withdrawn that year, and also received other sets from other Scottish depots.

Of the twenty six-sets Class 107s originally built, one DMBS had been withdrawn, one centre car was on the LMR, leaving an odd DMS. Could this be one of the reasons 52022 was put in store in April 1983? It was withdrawn by the end of the year.

A fire at Ayr depot on New Years Day 1984 damaged several DMU vehicles. It resulted in eight Class 107 vehicles being stored unserviceable, they were withdrawn within a few months. The image shows the badly damaged and distorted shell of 52009 at the depot on February 15. It would later be taken off its bogies and cut up on site in September. Hamish Stevenson.

On the 12th May 1984, the first set in SPTE livery, 107444, was used to ferry dignitaries to the opening of two new stations on the G&SW line at Kilmaurs and Auchinleck.

Some noteable workings were done south of the Border by 107 430 - 51990 / 59802 / 51803 (the later a Class 101 car) - freshly outshopped from Swindon Works in August 1984 in Strathclyde Orange PTE livery. En-route back to Ayr they were seconded by Tyseley due to a shortage of sets in the West Midlands. On the 24th it was used on the Cross City Line, and the following day worked a summer saturday service from Birmingham to Weston-Super Mare.

The image shows Class 116 M53857 with 107430 in Birmingham New Street. Graeme Phillips Collection.

Also on the LMR in 1984, centre car 59794 moved from Newton Heath to Buxton (BX) where it became part of Class 108 set BX493 with 51936 and 52051.

The Axle crisis

The whole class was withdrawn from traffic for a few months in June 1986 when fractures were found in the power car axles. Many different classes of units were moved to Ayr from around the country to cover for the sudden shortage. The image shows many sets stored at Falkland Yard. Andrew McConnell. Although also reported as stored, some of the Class 107 centre cars remained in use. A set, labelled 446 on one end and 440 on the other (52007 + 59806 + 52033), was sent to the Derby Railway Technical Centre for investigations. It was noted passing through Saltaire en-route to Derby on July 18th. After fitting with test gear it returned to Scotland on September 8th. The next day it was noted in Glasgow Queen Street working services to Perth.

It returned to Derby again on the 13th September, running via Settle Junction, Rotherham, and seen in this image approaching Tapton Junction, Chesterfield, for further investigations. Kevin Law.

A handful of power cars returned to traffic earlier than the others, they had heavier axles which were not prone to the fractures. After tests, shot-peening the axles was identified as the solution for the others, which was tackled at Glasgow Works. One of the first sets back in traffic was 107 439 (52000 + 59785 + 52036) in traffic in the last week of November (1986), with 432, 425, 428 and 435 scheduled to follow in that order. The class was fully reinstated by the start of 1987, and was now subjected to an increased level of inspection with a three-monthly ultrasonic axle test.

One set (formed 51996 / 59798 / 52019) was involved in a side-swipe incident with a Class 86 in 1987. More details here. The damage was repaired and the vehicles remained in traffic.

A reshuffle of Buxton's three-car sets in 1987 meant BX493 containing Class 107 centre car 59794 was disbanded, the Class 108 power cars moving to Tyseley. Although it may have been the intention for 59794 to move to Ayr that May, it first moved to Newton Heath and was noted in Red Bank Parcel Sidings on October 17, 1987, having stood redundant for several weeks. It then moved to Eastfield in November, joining Eastfield's hybrid set 101 393 with 53216 (101 DMBS) and 53632 (108 DMS). The following year 101 393 was reformed using just Met-Camm cars, and in May 1989 59794 was allocated to the ER at Neville Hill (NL). However this inter-regional move was never more than a paper move, as the vehicle remained dumped at Thornton Yard. It was scrapped at MC Metals in July 1991.

This image shows Strathclyde liveried set 107444 (formed 52005, nearest, 59804 & 52031) leaving Dalmeny and about to cross the Forth Bridge into Fife on the 17th August 1987. Robert Frise.

The Glasgow - Ayr line had been electrified in September 1986 and the Ardrossan / Largs branches in January 1987, EMUs taking over DMU services. Despite losing most of it's DMU diagrams, Ayr depot retained the 107s for some time after. The first sets left in October 1987 when five sets — still in blue/grey — moved to Eastfield. In July 1988 those same five sets move from Eastfield to Haymarket just to be replaced at Eastfield by other sets from Ayr. This would keep the Strathclyde liveried sets in the Strathclyde area — around this time there was a report in the press that Strathclyde Regional Council’s transportation convener complaining about Strathclyde-liveried DMUs (which they were subsidising) being used on services running exclusively outside the region^[1]. All the remaining Ayr 107 sets moved that month (July 1988), most (the Strathclyde liveried sets) going to Eastfield and two (still in blue grey) joining the ex-Eastfield sets at Haymarket.

From then until their last days in traffic in August 1992 there was the occassional shuffle between those two Central Scotland depots. In 1989, to avoid confusion with Class 156 set they changed their set numbers from the 107 4xx to the 107 7xx series (107 725 to 749, with no 735, 738, 741, 742 or 748). By the end of the year they were almost exclusively at Eastfield, by the end of September 1990 they were.

The Nineties

At the start of the decade the Class 107s were now the only remaining first generation units on the region (until facelifted Class 101s came north in 1992).

The image shows set 107 729 formed of 51989 / 52023 entering Falkirk Grahamston with the 12:29 to Glasgow Queen Street on 23 January 1990. Hamish Stevenson.

In July 1991 Sprinters took over the Dunblane and Grahamston workings from Queen Street and the 107s were all transferred to Haymarket, which was to be their last move. This co-incided with another set number series change to avoid confusion with the new 158s, this time into the 107 0xx series. The Class was still seen in their regular haunt of Glasgow Central on Shotts line workings.

The image shows set 107030 climbing Kingskettle Bank between Ladybank and Markinch on 29 May 1992. Alistair Fyffe.

The Class was gradually phased out, the last two sets noted in traffic were 107 747 (52008 + 59792 + 52029) and a set which had run for a few months with vehicles from 444 (52031 + 59804) and 445 (52006). The remaining vehicles were placed in store in August 1992 and officially withdrawn that October.

One notable working in the last few months was a tour of east central Scottish freight branches organised by Black Cat Railtours on May 16th. The number of bookings for the tour from Edinburgh Waverley required two sets, yet Scotrail only able to provide one set (52006 / 59804 / 52031). As a result it was re-run on June 13th with 51994 / 59794 / 52008 (two DMBSs). Black Cat requested a Class 107 for their west of Scotland freight lines tour on August 22nd, but the Class was now in store and a 101 was used instead.

References

1. ^⋏ Email John McGrevey to Stuart Mackay 15 September 2021