Class 115 Derby 4-car DMUs

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Operations

The units are best known for working service out of London Marylebone to places such as High Wycombe, Banbury and Aylesbury, which they did from 1961 to 1992. Another long term service was was the Manchester-Liverpool CLC route which they operated from 1960 till circa 1987.

Many sets were delivered before the Marylebone services were to ready to be dieselised, seeing them stored or going on loan to a variety of locations around the country; they would also help out with the inauguration of DMUs from St Pancras. In the early years some Marylebone services ran through to Nottingham.

In 1987 a batch of vehicles were transferred to Tyseley to work Cross-City line services normally as part of hybrid sets. The later years also saw the Bletchley allocated sets working Gospel Oak-Barking services for a brief spell.

The last vehicles were withdrawn in 1994.

Deliveries

At first just fifteen sets were ordered for the Marylebone scheme, in February 1959 the BTC ordered the power equipment for these from British United Traction. Soon after this scheme was increased to 35 sets, and another six sets for the CLC route between Manchester and Liverpool.

The three batches were built in a continuous run but not delivered in order, and none were delivered to thier intended depots — almost all were delivered to Cricklewood or stored.

First off the production line at Derby were the first six sets from the second batch (power cars 51849-60) which would eventually be based on the CLC service, all were delivered to Cricklewood (14A) in February and March 1960. These were followed by the fifteen batch one sets (power cars 51651-80), delivered March 1960 to July 1960, most to Cricklewood, one to Trafford Park (9E, so driver training on the CLC route could begin) and three on loan to the North Eastern Region at Neville Hill (55H). A few were not delivered in numerical order.

The remainder of the second batch sets (51861-900) followed, delivered in order July to December 1960. Apart from the first two sets delivered on loan to Neville Hill and the final set delivered to Bletchley (1E), all immediately went into storage at Derby Friargate or Chaddesden Sidings until they were required for service.

The table below shows the delivery allocations in green and subsequent moves until June 1962 when the vehicles were finally in their intended locations. There were no more allocation changes in 1962. Other depot codes are 8H Allerton, 18A Toton and 30A - Stratford. Marylebone depot was 14F, some sets were stored at Marylebone (not allocated to the depot) shown in the table as "Mary".

Early Years

A four-car set was on display at Marylebone Goods Depot in April 1960, at an exhibition of British Railways locomotive, passenger & goods vehicles, and containers. It was for delegates attending the Institute of Transport Congress and for the press.

The sets were delivered before the Marylebone scheme was authorised to begin and was further delayed by the late running modernisation of Marylebone depot to handle the new trains. In this period some sets would temporarily work in other areas of the country, and many sets worked out of St Pancras with the Rolls-Royce quad sets which were experiencing teething troubles.

Stratford

Ten sets (three batch one and seven batch three) were used on the Great Eastern lines in late 1960 for four months between Shenfield and Chelmsford when electric trains were temporarily withdrawn for the overhead wires to be converted to AC^[1]. For this the vehicles were loaned to Stratford depot (30A).

A rolling stock exhibition was held at the Marylebone parcels depot on May 13th & 14th 1961, arranged by the BTC as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Institute of Locomotive Engineers, which included Class 115 power cars. Pictures of this exhibition appeared in the 19/5/61 issue of Railway Gazette.

In June 1961 questions were raised in Parliament about the cost of the Marylebone - High Wycombe - Princes Risborough scheme (including alterations to stations, buildings and tracks, new trains and oil installations). The MP was concerned about the high expenditure for such a small scheme.

On 12/6/61 the number of DMUs on the Marylebone to High Wycombe and Aylesbury line were increased. First class facilities were re-introduced on the new trains.

In December 1961 five Marylebone sets and one Allerton set were transferred to Toton to cover for their Cravens sets which had been taken out of service for axle exams. They would be noted working services such as Nottingham-Leicester-Birmingham (worked by two four-cars sets on December 16th)^[2]. Five sets would return home in February 1962, the final set in March.

The 1970s

In 1971 the Class began working the 'Quantonian', a shuttle that ran several times a year between Aylesbury and the Buckingham Railway Centre at Quainton Road for open days.

In August 1973 a single power car (M51887) was noted working attached to a Cravens set (M56148 + M50394).

The image shows a Class 115 at High Wycombe on the 7th October 1978. 54A South Dock.

The 1980s

On 11/12/81 a set running ECS from Marylebone to Princes Risborough stopped at a fallen tree branch across the Chiltern main line in a cutting near Seer Green, and was hit by another set on the 07:31 from Marylebone to Banbury at about 30mph. The driver of the latter had been authorised to pass the Gerrards Cross signal at danger, and he and three passengers were killed.

Eric Stuart notes: "The Class later came to the Met and GC and we called them GTs! They worked as short trains or in 4/6/8-car rakes. Also, latterly, some 115s were mixed with 116s and, in one case, a 108/104/115 set was run for some months."

A former underground driver noted: "One 5th Nov, the leaves had fallen and the rails were very damp. The 16:10 ex-Marylebone (a 4-car 115) arrived at Chalfont at about 5 mph and well over 30 minutes late.; It failed to leave the platform and was there 30+ mins later when the following 4-car arrived. The two finally managed to struggle off amid a cloud of smoke. I understand they then expired near Gt Missenden and an 8-car buffered up behind, the 16-car ensemble finally reaching Aylesbury. A lot of kids were going home on the 16:10 and their parents were going between Amersham and Gt Missenden, trying to find them! Added to the other mega-delays, Bonfire Night parties were upset! (There is an element of black humour there, though probably not at the time!). There was a Class 25 at Aylesbury for weekend track work and the spare crew were sent with it urgently to Rickmansworth. Subsequent trains were banked from Ricky to Amersham. The sight of a 8-car 115 roaring away with all powered wheels spinning uselessly, with the 25 giving it full power and full sand, with sheets of sparks coming from its wheels and a cloud of exhaust going up, is one of the most spectacular (safe!) railway incidents one could see."

Circa May 1984 The Aylesbury & District Railway Passenger's Association ran a special from Marylebone to Milton Keynes via High Wycombe, Aylesbury, Claydon Junction and Bletchley. The well loaded Class 115 also had passengers join at Quainton Road and Winslow, and had many spectators on the platform at Winslow.

This video footage by Loose Grip 99 shows units in action on 2 July 1984.

Tyseley

In June 1986 51879 went on loan from Marylebone to Tyseley and was formed into temporary set TS400 with 59621 (127) + 54281 (121) + 53098 (116). The set ran trials on June 17 and 18 to assess the feasibility of using four-car sets on the West Midlands PTE supported Cross-City Line^[3].

The success of these trials led to the first major transfers for the Class in 1987, and the major reshuffle of the LMR DMU fleet saw Tyseley gain 22 power cars and a number of trailers to enable a fleet of 4-car sets to formed for the Cross City line.

About the same time fourteen DMBSs were fitted with gangways to run as hybrid sets with twelve Class 108 DTCs.

The image shows 51849 paired with Class 108 54274 working The Quaintonian at Quainton Road on 20/4/87. Robert Frise.

The 1990s

The Marylebone sets, which were later transferred to Bletchley but remained on Chiltern Line duties, were declared surplus after the introduction of Class 165s, from 1991 onwards. While at Bletchley depot the class was also used on the Barking to Gospel Oak line, units being formed as power twins. They were in turn replaced on this line by Class 117 power twins.

The image shows two-car set L750, with 51651 closest (and presumably 51878), at Gospel Oak with the 15:15 to Barking on the 2nd October 1992. Gazza Prescott.

The final Class 115 working out of Marylebone was in July 1992. The Tyseley sets survived a bit longer until February 1994.

While at Tyseley the vehicles worked in hybrid three and four car sets. The image shows set T402 formed M51851 + M59614 + M59658 + M51146 (a 115/127/115/116 hybrid) at Redditch on the 10:54 to New Street, 7-4-93. Kevin Dowd.

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References

1. ^⋏ British Railways Magazine, Eastern Region edition October 1960, p288/9, Railway Railways
2. ^⋏ Motive Power Miscellany, p136 February 1962 Modern Railways
3. ^⋏ p49 September 1986 Rail Enthusiast