Class 120 Swindon 3-car DMUs

Operations - Scotland 1985-1989

The class made a return to the ScR in Autumn 1985. In October a batch of withdrawn power cars made redundant by the introduction of Class 142s in Manchester were move to Shields Electric Depot in Glasgow for cannibalisation, the spares would keep the Ayr DMUs going. They were all from NH apart from 53727 which came from DY (and was still at Etches Park on January 4, 1986). 51789/93 and 53666 were noted in Shields Road on the 12th November.

However, by the end of the year defects were noted in Class 107 wheelsets, leading to at least 14 sets being taken out of traffic. This resulted in the official status of the Class 120s in ScR being shown as "corrected" from withdrawn to being allocated to Ayr depot, except 53668 which was withdrawn, and 53691 / 53701 which were transferred back to NH. Despite the change in status the remaining vehicle would not re-enter service.

At Derby the remaining Class 120 Derby diagrams were taken over by 150s from January 1986, allowing 12 power cars (53653/4/6/77/87/93, 53705/8/17/20/42/3) and 3 centre cars (59264/8/85) to be transferred to Ayr soon after. Ten of these - 53654/77/87, 53705/8/17/20 and 59264/8/85 - arrived in Scotland on February 12th hauled by Class 40 D200 as 5Z31, a 10:00 Derby - Ayr TMD special. Three sets were noted in traffic by the 21st Feb.

Noted on the 24th February stored at Falkland Yard were 53727 (condemned), and two sets to be returned to traffic 53717 / 59289 / 53653, 53743 / 59531 (101) / 53656. Further sets noted in traffic on the same day were:

53705 / 59264 / 53687
53708 / 59281 / 53654
53720 / 59285 / 53677
53742 / 59268 / 53693

A fifth active set seen a few days later was 53730 / 59127 / 53650. These power cars were further ex-Derby vehicles. Ten sets with mainly Met-Camm centre cars had moved to Tyseley in January to help out with the Proof Junction rebuilding project. Tyseley was less than impressed with the power cars and only too glad to send them north to Ayr. They were booked to move on March 10/11/12th. Some of Chester's sets also moved to the ScR in March 1986. On the 12th 5Z34 moved 53670/2/3, 53715/22/4 and Met-Camm centre car 59102 from Chester to Ayr.

Falkland Yard on March 18th contained:
53510 / 59210 / 53565
53647 / 59262 / 53738
53648 / 59569 / 53706
53650 / 59127 / 53730
53651 / 59124 / 53736
53656 / 59531 / 53743
53659 / 59524 / 53744
53670 / 53715
53672 / 53722
53673 / 53724
and single vehicles 53727 and 59102.

Still at Shields Road on March 19th were seven of the eight October 1985 arrivals, the seven from Newton Heath - 51789 / 51791 / 51792 / 51793 / 53666 / 53674 / 53723. The eighth, 53727 from Derby, was at Falkland Yard.

The Class 120s were soon noted working all over central Scotland; on the old Swindon Class 126 route from Glasgow to Ayr and Girvan, services to Largs, East Kilbride, Edinburgh (via Shotts) and even Edinburgh - Perth and Glasgow - Dunblane services. Ayr depot was responsible for providing DMU sets for many Edinburgh services - Haymarket depot had a limited capacity and could only maintain seventeen 3-car sets. Pictured is set 505 in Glasgow Central station in April 1986, still carrying EP514. It has a Class 101 centre car 59121. Graeme Phillips Collection.

At the time it was rumoured the sets would survive on the Ayrshire services till the electrification was complete, and that they then may be transferred to Edinburgh for Dundee services to replace the Class 27 loco hauled sets if Class 150s were not available.

April 1986 saw seven vehicles at Shields Road withdrawn. These had included former ScR vehicles, which never returned to traffic. The vehicles (51789 / 51791 / 51792 / 51793 / 53666 / 53674 / 53723) were moved to Vic Berry's at Leicester by the middle of the month. In April and May there were further arrivals at Ayr from Newton Heath and Cardiff, including original ScR vehicles which this time did enter service. The image shows original ScR DMBC 51781 at the buffers in Glasgow Central in August 1986, still carrying its Cardiff set number, W prefix and central headlamp bracket. Andrew McConnell.

Noted at Falkland Yard on the 19th April were: 53715 / 53717 / 53743 / 53656 / 53706 / 53648 / 53727. These all had various defects and looked doubtful if they would return to traffic, 53727 was boarded up.

At the same time the following 120 vehicles were in traffic:
53654 / 59281 / 53708 - set 506
53649 / 59535 (101) / 53698 - set 507
53687 / 59264 / 53705 - set 514
53720 / 59285 / 53677 - set 516
53742 / 59268 / 53693 - set 517
53741 / 59063 (101) / 53652 - set 518
53730 / 59127 (101) / 53650
53653 / 59289 / 53722
53696 / 59121 (101) / 53669
53673 / 59374 (116) / 53090 (116)
53724 / 59786 (107) / 51174 (101)
53670 / 59801 (107) / 53452 (104)
53672 / 59800 (107) / 51248 (101)
53744 / 59524 (101) / 52026 (107)

By May Ayr had twenty-one Class 120 sets, seven had Class 120 centre cars, the others mainly Met-Camms. The sets could also contain a variety of other power car types, such as 105s or 107s. Sets noted on May 12th were:
505 - 53669 / 59121 (101) / 53696
506 - 53654 / 59281 / 53708
507 - 53649 / 59535 (101) / 53698
514 - 53687 / 59264 / 53705
516 - 53677 / 59285 / 53720
517 - 53693 / 59268 / 53742
518 - 53652 / 59063 (101) / 53741
519 - 53688 / 53571 (111) / 53737
520 - 53679 / 59104 (111) / 53711
522 - 53659 / 59524 (101) / 53744
528 - 53653 / 59289 / 53722
529 - 53651 / 59124 (101)/ 53736
530 - 51578 / 59580 / 51587
531 - 51794 / 59297 / 53709

The image shows set 522, formed of two Swindon 120 power cars and a Metro-Cammell center car, at Kingsknowe in August 1986. Alan Rintoul.

On May 31st 53669 and 53737 were noted stored in Ayr depot. A few days later on June 9th Falkland Yard contained 51794 / 53656 / 53677 / 53709 / 53715 / 53717 / 53720 / 53727 / 53743 / 59297, some of which would be withdrawn that month. The next image shows 120 vehicle in Falkland Yard in the summer of 1986. Andrew McConnell. On June 24th the north yard contained 53656 / 53720 / 56743, a week later on July 1st 53715 / 53717 / 53727.

The Class 107 situation did not improve, at the end of June 1986 they were all withdrawn pending exams / repairs to driving axles. Five more power cars arrived that month, withdrawn in May from Newton Heath they were reinstated and sent to Ayr. It allowed two sets already at Ayr to be withdrawn (516 and 531) and four vehicles placed in store, and many changes to the set formations. New formations formed by June 9th included:
524 - 53738 / 59262 / 53647
525 - 53724
615 - 51781 / 59682 / 51789
616 - 51782 / 59681 / 51790

New formations between June 9th and July 7th included Class 120 vehicles in 101/4/5 sets (3xx and 454 and 551) and new 120 sets (531 and 617):
349 - 51176 (101) / 59793 (107) / 53664
350 - 51182 (101) / 59807 (107) / 53655
368 - 53695 / 59225 (104) / 53491 (104)
454 - 51268 (105) / 59785 (107) / 51584
531 - 53709 / 59682 / 51788
551 - 53380 (105) / 59789 (107) / 53688
617 - 53185 (101) / 59558 (101) / 53706

July saw three power cars withdrawn, and over the next few weeks three centre cars were reinstated. The final Class 120 vehicles to arrive at Ayr, four from Chester and one (53733) from Newton Heath.

Ayrshire Electrification

The EMUs were introduced on the Ayr line in September 1986. The offical launch date was September 28th, although the Class 318s had been in use the previous week. This eased the DMU shortage at Ayr. Some sets were immediately sent to Haymarket, other vehicles were withdrawn. At Ayr depot on September 25th were found 53705, 53653, 51583, 51584, 59264, Newton-on-Ayr contained 53670, 53693, 59289. None of these would be transferred to HA. Falkland Junction on September 27th contained 53715, 53727 (both withdrawn).

The withdrawal / transfer process continued until March 1987 as the Class 107s were gradually returned to traffic from the end of November 1986 onwards. The extension of the electrification to include the Ardrossan South Beach services from November 24th reduced Ayr's DMU requirements to just three sets.

Some of the sets that were transferred to Haymarket, most notably the vehicles in the worst internal condition, received some attention and new upholstery at Cowlairs carriage shops. An example was 53672 which was reupholstered with blue square moquette. At Haymarket it became part of set 506 with 59297 and 53708 with black cab window surrounds.

The Haymarket sets were intended to work on Edinburgh - Dundee services (six of the sixteen ScR Class 120 sets would be needed for these), but these diagrams were found more often than not to be worked by 101s, the 120s could be found working on many other DMU diagrams. The image shows set 507 (W51781 + W59285 + W53698) at North Berwick on 5/12/86. The set number sticker failed to cover the C from it's Cardiff set number C616. Graeme Phillips Collection.

In November the ScR received it's last two Class 120 vehicles when 53686 and 53732 arrived at Haymarket from Chester, leaving the LMR without any of the Class in passenger use.

At the end of 1986 the official listing of the 120 fleet consisted of six sets at Ayr and six at Haymarket:
506  53708 / 59297 / 53672  (HA)
507  53698 / 59285 / 53648  (HA)
521  53730 / 59127 / 53653  (AY)
522  53744 / 59063 / 53693  (AY)
524  53738 / 59262 / 51587  (HA)
525  53738 / 59786 / 53687  (AY)
528  53722 / 59289 / 53650  (AY)
529  53736 / 59124 / 53651  (AY)
530  51578 / 59571 / 53654  (AY)
615  51781 / 59580 / 51788  (HA)
616  51782 / 59682 / 51790  (HA)
617  53706 / 59681 / 53652  (HA)
Four others were in hybrid sets at Ayr - 53669 (101349), 53647 (116392), 53670 (107427) and 53673 (104455). The other fourteen vehicles were listed as spare at Ayr. The Scottish sets were constantly changing. They are believed to have never carried a 120 prefix with their set number on the cab front.

On December 6th 51587 / 53654 / 53682 / 53700 / 53733 / 59262 and 59289 were noted in Carlisle Currock for retrimming, while 53658 and 53699 were in Kingmoor en-route from Chester to Ayr. The had still been working from Chester in early November despite being transferred to Scotland in early September.

By mid-1987 the requirements for the class were just five three-car sets at Haymarket for the Dundee services. Four would have 120 centre cars, the fifth a Met-Camm. Those vehicles to be retained - mainly the few vehicles that were asbestos free - received cosmetic attention at Corkerhill and Aberdeen Ferryhill depots, including complete retrims. Withdrawn vehicles also visited Ferryhill for component recovery. The image shows condemmed 53737 + 53679 at Aberdeen on the 26th April 1987. Hamish Stevenson.

Back to Ayr

By March 1987 the 120s at Ayr had either been transferred to Haymarket or been withdrawn, but in October 1987 two vehicles moved back. DMBC 53733 went back to Haymarket that December, DMS 53654 remained at Ayr until withdrawal in February 1988.

Falkland Yard on July 15th 1987 contained withdrawn 51583 / 51584 / 53693 / 53695 / 53744 / 59264, Ayr on July 14th had 53651, Ferryhill on July 14th had 53648 / 53650 / 53652 / 53659 / 53670 / 53709. After component stripping the vehicles would be taken to Snailwell for disposal. On July 27th 51782 / 51788 / 51794 / 53698 / 59285 / 59682 (and other DMU vehicles of other classes) made the move, hauled by 26007 from Millerhill to Newcastle, then 37051 to Whitemoor. A week later on August 3rd 53650 / 53670 / 59268 / 59580 / 59681 (and other classes) made the journey south behind 47308 as 5E96.

On September 4th 1987 53738 was noted at Ferryhill, it moved south to March for Snailwell with 53659 / 53709 / 53738 on the 25th. On November 4th 9X44 was a Millerhill - Snailwell train, 37033 hauling 51583 / 51584 / 53651 / 53741 / 53744 and Class 104 53598 south.

No more centre cars

The last four Class 120 centre cars on the region were withdrawn in 1987, 59297 first in August, 59281 and 59281 in October, and 59262 in December. One remained in traffic elsewhere - 59282 survived at Reading until June 1988.

53700 was in Springburn Works for repair in January 1988. Circa February 1988 set 534 was reformed to be 53732 / 59116 / 53215.

Seven remaining

The withdrawal of 51587 in May 1988 meant just seven vehicles remained in traffic - 53658 / 53682 / 53686 / 53699 / 53700 / 53732 / 53733, formed into sets 533 - 535.

The final year - 1989

At the start of 1989 the seven Haymarket vehicles were the last of the class remaining in service, all had been asbestos stripped.

On May 8th the formations were:
532  53699 / 59571 (111) / 53658
533  53700 / 59532 (101) / 53682
534  53732 / 59116 (101) / 53686
535  53733 / 59809 (110) / 53933 (108)
They were normally found working on Dunblane services from Edinburgh and Glasgow, and on Glasgow Central - Barrhead services.

ScotRail set 534 (53732 + 59116 + 53686) departs from Edinburgh Waverley with the 12:15 to Cardenden on August 16th, 1989. Graeme Phillips.

Class 156 units were introduced on the Glasgow - Cumbernauld service on August 7th and cascading of stock meant that the Class 120s were now surplus at HA. On August 8th set 533 worked the 08:30 Aberdeen - Dyce service. The power cars from that set - 53682 and 53700 - were withdrawn on September 12/13th due to the non-availability of replacement AEC engines. By the end of the month were noted in a derelict condition in the sidings to the west of Haymarket.

They remaining five continued to work in the Glasgow area until September 30th and taken out of traffic on October 1st. They were officialy withdrawn on October 23rd. Investigations had been made into moving the sets to the Crewe - Derby line, but this did not happen.

Credits

Much of the information on this page has been compiled from enthusiast magazines from the period.

Images

A full gallery of images of Class 120 on the Scottish Region in this period can be found here.

The Vehicles