Class 114 Derby 2-car DMUs

Coupling Code

In mid-1956 when Cravens cars were delivered to the Lincoln area they were found to be incompatible with the Class 114s, despite having both being designed to a new standard (what became the Blue Square code). One reason given was that the Derby's had Leyland engines and the Cravens AEC, and so there were minor variations in wiring (but probably not the real reason). This contributed to coupling codes being painted on the ends of vehicles, and to avoid the two classes being coupled the Class 114's received a diagonal cream stripe on their blue square.

Two inner end views showing that the blue square with diagonal stripe code lasted through the refurbished era and into the blue/grey era, but by then it only seemed to be on the inner ends of cars, the codes on the outer ends would have normal blue squares. This could mean that wiring alterations were made to make the vehicles blue square compatible - but only on the outer ends - meaning they could couple as a set to any other blue square set, but sets could not be split and the vehicles used to form hybrid sets. Pictures by Peter/LEYTR (first, at Skegness) and John Law (second).