Class 116 Derby 3-car Suburban DMUs

Hybrids

Class 116 / 120

The mid-1960s also the contraction of the Southern Region's activities in the far south west of England, resulting in the WR gaining a much higher route mileage with a territory now stretching from Penzance to Salisbury. This western expansion caused the use of 116 units on long distance services for which they were considered unsuitable, due to their lack of toilet facilities, to remedy this situation seven Laira hybrid sets were assembled at Newton Abbott, this involved the substitution of the Class 116 DMS cars with those of Swindon built Class 120 units. The latter of course being equipped with toilets in both the DMS(L) and the TS(L) vehicles. This operation resulted in both the 116 and 120 sets being equipped with one toilet in each type of 3-car set treated, long distance passengers travelling in what was essentially a 116 set needed to make sure they rode in the appropriate vehicle as at that time there were no gangway connections fitted to class 116 vehicles. They were now mainly based at Exeter, and worked on some of the longer ex-SR lines such as Exeter to Padstow, Bude, Ilfracombe and Plymouth via Okehampton as well as the former GWR routes to Kingswear, Paignton, Torquay and Plymouth.

When these sets were disbanded all but two of the original DMS cars were returned to their correct sets, the two incorrectly paired remained that way until their eventual withdrawal in the late 1980s.

The swaps were:

• 50898 from LA 300 leaving 50845 / 59362 with 51585 (from LA 504)
• 50902 from LA 301 leaving 50849 / 59357 with 51586 (from LA 505)
• 50918 from LA 302 leaving 50865 / 59372 with 51583 (from LA 501)
• 50871 from LA 310 leaving 50818 / 59326 with 51589 (from LA 506)
• 50921 from LA 311 leaving 50868 / 59326 with 51590 (from LA 502)*
• 50877 from LA 312 leaving 50824 / 59332 with 51588 (from LA 507)
• 50900 from LA 313 leaving 50847 / 59353 with 51582 (from LA508)

*51141 (from LA 303) was exchanged with 51590. However, as LA 303 had a lavatory (it was power cars 51128/41 with Class 118 59481) 51590 changed with 50921 in LA 311.

Class 101 / 116

In the early 1990s Tyseley put together about 25 hybrid sets formed of a Class 116 DMBS and a Class 101 DMC for use in the Midlands. They were given set numbers in the T031 - T056 range.

The image shows T041 (53090 + 53268) at Manchester Piccadilly working 13:41 to Chester via Northwich, 3rd October 1990. Gazza Prescott.

There were other examples of this combination, such as short-lived Cardiff 116/101 set C980 (53089 + 51513) in late 1988. More examples can be found in a 116/101 hybrid gallery.

Others

One of the oddest combinations occured at Tyseley during 1976 when M50835 and M59334 were paired with Class 100 DMBS M50343 in place of Class 116 DMS M50888. One CF based 3-car unit W50090 W59040 W50132 was disbanded in 1970 and the two power cars were used as single units numbered (set 101) and (set 102). These vehicles were used as extra power units in support of the Swindon Cross Country sets, being attached at Cardiff for services to Shrewsbury, the 116s would normally be locked out of use as were class 121 units which performed the same work. The set was later reformed using TC W59344 and was transferred to the ScR in the mid 1970s becoming set 116385, this becoming the only complete 3-car unit of the (4 lamp fronted) first batch to work in Scotland.