Class 112/3 Cravens 2-car DMUs
Operations
The two types were intended for services in the North West of England and would commonly be associated with Accrington depot. They would also spend time in London based at Crickewood.
The mechanical sets would also spend a short time allocated to depots such as Newton Heath, Gorton, Speke Jct, Allerton & Stoke.
Deliveries
All vehicles would be delivered to Newton Heath (26A) and Accrington (24A) depots, many of the mechanical batch and one hydraulic set to the former and the remainder to the latter.
The vehicle 'New' dates indicate that they were not all delivered in numeric order, the first sets added to the stock books beginning on August 1st 1959 started at the fifth set numerically. The lowest numbered set (51681 / 51706) and 51683 / 51709 were almost the last of the mechanical batch to be added to the stock books delivered to Newton Heath on 31/10 and 07/11.
The first fourteen sets delivered, between August 1st and September 26th, 1959 - an average of roughly two sets per week, were delivered to Newton Heath, after which deliveries were switched to Accrington, where all subsequent deliveries went beginning October 3rd, with the exception of the two out-of-turn sets which still went to Newton Heath. At around the same time the last six Newton Heath sets and first two Accrington sets (51691-8 plus partners) moved to 8C, Speke Junction.
The image shows a train from Liverpool Lime Street (via Runcorn) entering Chester General circa 1960, a regular working for the twelve Liverpool based sets. They would be replaced by 108s and move to Newton Heath in late 1960 / early 1961. David Faircloth.
Two of the former Speke Junction sets (51695 + 51720 and 51698 + 51724) would spend about at month at Allerton (8H) from October 1960 before returning to Newton Heath.
North West
The Rolls-Royce sets were used on services between Manchester, Accrington, Burnley, Colne & Skipton, and between Accrington and Preston, the last phase of the North East Lancashire (Manchester part 3) diesel scheme was introduced on the 6th March 1961.
The first image shows a set in Preston station on May 27th, 1961. Michael Mensing.
The second image shows the west end of Accrington carriage shed, with 51684 / 51709 nearest the camera, along with two hydraulic and probably four other mechanical sets. Believed to be circa 1962, as the stationary steam loco that was used to heat carriages, and was kept in front of the building with the chimney, has gone, and all the vans are believed to be stored. Accrington shed closed to steam on 5th March 1961. It became 10E in 1963, and closed on 2nd October 1972. The depot was used for storage after this date, and was apparently demolished circa 1974-75. Andrew Dyson Collection.
A mechanical set was involved in a serious collision at Royton on the 8th February 1961, driver error causing it to go straight through the buffers and it came to rest in a house on the other side of the street (pictured). The vehicle at the front which took the brunt of the damage, DMBS M51701, was repaired and returned to traffic.
The first withdrawal would be hydraulic DMBS 51780. Working a Sunday excursion on July 16, 1961 from Accrington to Fleetwood the six-car formation struck the rear of a stationary ballast train at Singleton Bank. The first three vehicles would be withdrawn, a standard Cravens set and 51780. Withdrawal date was not until February 1962 so they may have been under consideration for repair, they were cut up at Derby C&W. It was the first of three hydraulic DMBSs that would be withdrawn early.
A fire claimed another hydraulic DMBS on March 12, 1964 when M51770 caught fire at Shoe Mill while working the 7.58am Skipton to Manchester service. It would be withdrawn in June 1964, it had already been cut up at Doncaster Works (an unlikely location for a LMR unit to go?) the previous month.
The image shows a mechanical set at Southport in 1966. David Faircloth.
The third hydraulic DMBS to be withdrawn early was M51763, withdrawn in December 1966 and cut up at Carlisle Currock in March 1967, reason unknown.
The only mechanical set to be withdrawn prematurely was 51705/24, withdrawn in 12/67 after a catching fire in Sough Tunnel (near Darwen) in October 1967 while working the 8.30am Blackburn to Manchester service. They were cut up at Spring Vale (also near Darwen) in April 1968.
Andrew Dyson adds "My dad was speaking to a former fitter from Accrington DMU depot and the subject of 112/3's arose. The fitter remembered a DMU catching fire inside Sough Tunnel near Darwen. The unit was cut up at Spring Vale by himself and several other staff from Accrington depot. Cutting the unit up was only undertaken on Sundays, as staff had to work Monday to Friday, and management wouldn't free them on these days to cut the unit up! There is a small article on this fire in the book "Railways Around Blackburn", complete with a photo of the burnt out unit in the tunnel. The fire was so intense that the sole bars in the middle on the units melted, causing the unit to sag. The cause given was the carden shaft shearing, flailing about rupturing the fuel tank. According to the fitter my dad talks to, the carden shaft only had 3 bolts, (1 on one side, 2 on the other), as opposed to 4 (2 on either side) normally used on other units. The single bolt sheared under stress, followed by the other 2 bolts. Apparently this was a common problem on 112's."
Two hydraulic sets worked a Stephenson Locomotive Society / Manchester Locomotive Society railtour from Lancaster to Ravenglass on the 15th March 1969[1].
London
A Class 113 alongside a Class 127 on Cricklewood depot in March 1964. Hugh Llewelyn.
Between 1962 and 1967 seventeen of the hydraulic vehicles were allocated to Cricklewood. They were used on St. Pancras - Bedford service that included running over the City Widened Lines from which the longer Class 127s were banned.
A Class 113 was noted running with a Class 127 centre car (51732 + 59623 + 51761) on Kentish Town - Barking services on March 2 1963, illustrated on page 117 of the Brian Morrison DMU book.
The hydraulic sets returned to Lancashire in 1967 when all the mechanical sets moved to Cricklewood (48 remaining vehicles as Sough Tunnel fire victims 51705/24 were withdrawn). At least one set would be noted working formed of two DMBSs.
The sets would also be noted worked coupled to the Class 127 sets on St Pancras - Bedford workings. On such an occasion vehicles were involved in a fire at Sandridge, near St. Albans on the 12th June 1968.
Mass Withdrawals
The image shows two hydraulic sets at Chesterfield (Midland) station, date unknown. Only the leading car DMBS M51739 is still in green, so circa late 1960s, it was always allocated to Accrington depot. Graham Clark.
By 1968 five vehicles had been withdrawn through accident damage - five percent of the vehicles, a high percentage for less than a decade in traffic. But all the vehicles would soon be withdrawn with maybe a handfull just making it to the ten year mark.
In 1968, and with some operating restrictions, route availability was given for longer vehicle types to run over the City Widened Lines. In August 1968 Class 116s arrived at Cricklewood from Tyseley and the Cravens were taken off the St Pancras suburban services. All the Cricklewood sets were withdrawn that November, except nine units (51683/8/91/2/7/700-3, 51706/10/3/7/9/20/7/8/30), and one extra DMCL 51709, which continued to be used on Kentish Town - Barking services. 51709 would be withdrawn in March 1969.
Disposal of these withdrawals was to A.King at Wymondham, Derby C&W, G.Cohen at Kettering and Steelbreaking at Chesterfield.
The remaining hydraulic vehicles were all withdrawn from Accrington in 1969 when former three-car standard Cravens sets arrived as power twins from Derby Etches Park. The first set was withdrawn in February, six DMBSs and three DMCLs in April (these February and April sets, except DMCL 51768, were sold to A.King for disposal at Wymondham and Norwich). M51768 is believed to have moved from Accrington to Derby Etches Park after withdrawal. Two sets were withdrawn in May — the two DMBSs sold to W.Hesselwood and cut at Armytage Ltd, Sheepbridge, the two DMCLs, along with M51768, sold to T.J.Thomson at Stockton. Many vehicles wernt to Rugby for stripping of spares before disposal.
The final 29 hydraulic vehicles were withdrawn in July 1969 and were all sold to Milton Metals, Swansea — but delivered to, and cut by, T.W.Ward Ltd at Briton Ferry. They moved from Rugby to Briton Ferry on three dates[2]:
29/06/1970: 51732/735/747/755/760/766/767/771/774/776/777/779
16/07/1970: 51737/745/746/750/751/753/757/762/765/773/775
10/08/1970: 51731/738/740/742/749/752/758/759/764
The nine surviving mechanical sets at Cricklewood didn't make it to the end of the year, being withdrawn on November 2nd 1969. All were sold to the Bird Group at Long Martson, except 51688 which was sold to Stealbreaking at Chesterfield. This image on flickr shows withdrawn vehicles at Rugby en-route to Long Marston.
References
- ⋏ Ravenglass & Rowrah Tour, Six Bells Junction website, accessed 10 June 2021
- ⋏ from LMR Control Records, via Peter Trushell, submitted by John Hall