Met-Camm Lightweight 2-car DMUs

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Operations

The first seven sets (to be delivered, not numerically) were allocated to the London Midland Region and based in the Manchester area for use primarily on the Bury-Bacup service.

The other twenty-nine units were for the Eastern Region, fifteen initially at Lincoln until Blue Square units arrived when they would join the others at Stratford and Norwich workings services throughout East Anglia.

Three Lincoln sets worked Birmingham Industries Fair shuttles in 1956 before delivery, the same year two Norwich sets would spend three months on loan to the Scottish Region.

Bacup services ended in December 1966, the LMR vehicles were withdrawn in mid-1967. The closure of many East Anglian branches and the arrival of Blue Square units from other areas saw the withdrawal of all the ER sets by the summer of 1969.

London Midland Region

The first unit, 79076/79626, ran trials between Castle Bromwich and Aldridge during September 1955.^[1]

On 19/12/55 LMR set 79082 + 79632 travelled from the Met-Camm works at Saltley to London for an official inspection^[2]. From Euston it did a demonstration run to Watford. Mr JW Watkins, the LMR General Manager was one of the special party of passengers on board, and he talked about the plans the Region had for the sets^[3]. It returned to Birmingham the same evening before going on later to Bury^[2]. Trials, including brake tests, were also done between Euston and Watford during the week beginning 19th December 1955.^[4]

All seven sets were allocated new in December 1955 to Bury depot (26D).

The sets allocated to Bury worked regular trial trips to Manchester Victoria during December 1955 and January 1956, in preparation for Manchester to Bacup services beginning on the 6th February 1956.^[5]

A demonstration run was made on the 31st January 1956 from Manchester to Bacup and return to Bury. Mr TW Polding, District Passenger Manager, Manchester addressed the guests on their hopes for the new services.^[6]

Formal Introduction

They took over the Bury - Bacup service on the 6th February 1956, with the weekday services doubled to 35-37 a day instead of the former 16 to 19. Cheap fares were introduced, and it was quoted that the new these changes gave the line its biggest transformation since it opened up the Rossendale Valley to trade and industry some 110 years previously.

From Bacup to Bury there were 35 trains on weekdays and 48 on Saturdays. In the reverse direction there were 37 on weekdays and 47 on Saturdays. There was a 30 min frequency at normal periods, stepped up at peak periods and on Saturdays. Many services started and finished from Bury Knowsley St. as well as Bury Bolton St. The sets also replaced steam on nine services in each direction between Manchester Victoria and Bury Knowsley St via Newton Heath, Moston and Heywood, one service between Rochdale and Knowsley St via Heywood, one between Manchester Victoria and Bury Bolton St via Clifton Jct, two services between Manchester Victoria and Royton via Oldham and two between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge.

The LMR announced that in the first six days of operation some 23,000 passengers used them, compared with about 8,000 in the same period by steam the previous year. The first month of use on the line saw passenger journeys increase from 37,000 to 85,000 for the same period the previous year, an increase of 120% (tickets issued were 49,060 against 21,263). Figures released by the LMR in July 56 showed 156,317 passengers had travelled on the Bury - Bacup line since 6/2/56, an increase of 135%. In Oct '56 the LMR announced that since the units were introduced between Bury and Bacup, 523,822 passengers were carried between the two points, a 300% increase over the comparable period of 1955.

In July 1956 the Met-Camm sets were joined by a Derby Lightweight set formed M79142/M79684 which would be allocated to Bury and share the duties.

During summer 1956 the Bury sets worked regularly to north Wales on summer excursions. Other excursions that year was on Mon 2/4/56 when three twin sets ran from Bury to York, covering areas which had yet to see a DMU.

In September 1958 all seven sets (and the Derby Lightweight) were transferred from Bury to Newton Heath depot. DMBS M79076 was withdrawn in October 1964, no doubt due to accident damage.

In December 1964 one set (M79077 / M79627) and the Derby Lightweight were transferred to Reddish depot, the other five and a half sets followed in February 1965. This allowed some of the Derby Lightweights at Reddish to move on to new homes, and the Met-Camms would work alongside their Yellow Diamond bretheren on routes from Piccadilly.

The image shows the 5.57pm Manchester Piccadilly - Hayfield service one mile north of Strines on the 19th June 1965, formed of Reddish based Met-Camm Lightweight and Derby Lightweight sets. Michael Mensing.

Other services the sets working at this time included trains to Ardwick, this image shows a DTC paired with a Derby Lightweight DMBS at Manchester Piccadilly with Ardwick on the blind.

After the moved to Reddish the Bury services were in the hands of blue square units and the last passenger train ran between Rawtenstall and Bacup on December 5, 1966 — Bury - Rawtenstall services continued till 1972.

For the Met-Camm vehicles, their tour of Manchester depots continued, when the remaining thirteen vehicle were transferred from Reddish to Longsight in March 1967. They only lasted four months there, all being withdrawn in July 1967. They were broken up during 1968 at the depot's carriage works.

British Industries Fair

In 1956 it was the turn of the Met Camm Lightweights to provide a service between Birmingham (New Street) and Castle Bromwich for visitors to the British Industries Fair, as the Derby Lightweights had done previously. The cars involved were E79061-3 and E79277-9, and the fair was open from the 23rd April to the 4th May.

The image shows two sets under the arched roof of the Midland side at Birmingham New Street station. Image by Peter Shoestring. Geoff Dowling and John Whitehouse Collection.

When it closed the sets were sent to Derby, and on the 7th May E79062/79278 were used to convey a special party between Stanton Gate and Crewe.

Scottish Region

Two sets were loaned by the ER to the ScR for a period of 14 weeks. They arrived at Leith Central on the 13th April 1956 and they started running on the Guldane branch (closed to passengers some 25 years previously) for crew training.

They were placed in service on Monday 11th June to determine the suitability of using DMUs on certain routes. One set (E79056/79272) operated between Waverley and Galashiels. The Scotsman newspaper website has a couple of interior views of passengers on this service - image one, image two.

The other set (E79055/79271) worked on the Gleneagles, Crieff and Comrie line. This second line became completely diesel worked apart from the 06:00 Stirling to Crieff, the engine of which returned light. The set was stabled in the semi-roofless Perth North shed, from which it ran out empty in the morning to Comrie and returned light at night after working the 6:03pm Gleneagles to Comrie. The set had a most favourable effect on both comfort and patronage. The set finished on the branch on the 21st July and ran light to Leith Central the following day.

Both sets then operated on the Costorphine, Waverley and North Berwick line for the remaining eight weeks till 15/9, before returning to the ER. They formed part of augmented services introduced on the 23rd July on the North Berwick and Costorphine branches; with other services still steam operated. Example workings on the 8th Aug when set 79056/272 was on the 14:50 from Waverley and 15:55 return from North Berwick to Waverley. For the fourteen weeks the vehicles, 79055/6 and 79271/2 were allocated to St. Margarets, and were listed as transferred north on the 4 week period ending 21/4/56, and back south in the 4 week period ending 22/9/56.

Eastern Region

Deliveries (all 1956)
79047-56	79263-72	Norwich	Jan/Feb
79057-58	79273-74	Stratford	Mar
79059-64	79275-80	Lincoln	Apr/May
79065-66	79281-82	Norwich	May
79067-75	79283-91	Lincoln	Jun/Aug

Twenty-nine units were allocated to the Eastern Region, fifteen to Lincoln (once noted as ordered for Cambridge) and fourteen for service in East Anglia based at Norwich and Stratford. They were used on secondary and branch lines from Cambridge to Yarmouth, serving such places as Hunstanton, Wells, Fakenham East, Swaffham and Melton Constable to name just a few towns no longer rail connected. They joined the Derby Lightweights which had been introduced on Monday 19th September 1955.

Norwich

On the 5th January 1956 79047/79623 and 79048/76264 travelled from Saltley to Norwich via Coventry and Peterborough.^[2]

During February 1956 the newly delivered sets took over two Norwich to Ipswich return trips per day.

The summer 1956 timetable saw further services change to the DMU services. The Swaffham - Thetford branch changed over to a Met Camm based at Dereham. This allowed the closure of the sub shed (actually only a pit) at Swaffham where the branch steam loco had been shedded. Norwich 2-car sets also started that timetable on the branch from North Walsham to Mundesley, and on certain trains over the Yarmouth - Vauxhall line.

At 8/56 Norwich had 24 2-car sets - 13 Derby Lightweights and 11 Met Camms (79047-54/79263-70, 79065/79281, 79066/79282 and 79075/79291). Although allocated to Norwich Thorpe (32A) and maintained and serviced in the new diesel shop which was nearing completion there, they are regularly outstationed at East Dereham, Kings Lynn and Ipswich for working branches in these areas. There was no restrictions in mixing the two types into 4/6-car sets. The Swaffham - Thetford branch was also not worked by a Met-Camm based at Dereham. Norwich sets had also begun appearing on some trains on the Yarmouth Vauxhall line.

Stratford

79057/79273 and 79058/79274 were noted at Stratford near the new works on the 8th April 1956. They had been noted on trial between Romford and Upminster on 22/3/56 and were due to be trailed on the Wickford - Southminster branch soon after.

The first visit of a diesel unit on regular passenger service at Southend (Victoria) took place on the 9th August 1956. The normal services were unable to cope with the additional traffic and, as no Southend crews were available to work reliefs, Stratford dispatched a twin-unit to work non-stop between Shenfield and Southend. This working proved very popular and continued until the 17th August.

Lincoln

The Lincoln sets began to be delivered in April 1956, and were soon noted on crew training runs between to Boston and Peterborough. The vehicles 79059-64/79275-80 and 79067-74/79283-90 went on to work around the County including the Grantham, Louth, Grimsby and Burton-on Trent areas along with Lincoln allocated Derby Lightweights.

A privately organised charter was run on the 12th May 1956 from Ipswich to Doncaster Works by the father of an RCTS member. On the return journey the Derby Lightweight set showed signs of possible overheating so Met Camm Lightweight set 79062/79278 was provided at Lincoln for the remainder of the journey.

John Padley remembers the sets at Lincoln, working turn and turn about with the Derby 79xxx series, and often in multiple with them. He travelled on them on the Lincoln to Cleethorpes service (Table 53 as it was then), and used to call them the "streamliners" because of the sloping windscreens as compared to the vertical fronts of the Derby units.^[7]

The timetable cover is for Boston and Lincoln 17th June to 15th September 1957. The inside and more examples can be found on the ER timetable page.

They lasted less than a year at Lincoln, they would be moved to East Anglia when the Derby Heavyweight (Class 114) sets were delivered to Lincoln, the last leaving in April 1957.

Driver Training School

On Thu 8th October 1956 Lincoln set 79063/79279 was sent to New Barnet from where it made a practice run to Harston the following morning before proceeding to Stratford. From the 22nd the set was used for driver training courses on the Hitchin to Cambridge branch on Mondays to Fridays. On the Monday morning the set would come down from Stratford via Cambridge to Hadley Wood, where the crews lodged while undergoing tuition, and then made a number of trips between Baldock and Harston before returning to New Barnet where the unit was stabled for the night. Further trips were made on the Tue, Wed and Thu, and on the Fri the set made one trip on the branch before taking the men back to Hadley Wood and then return to Stratford for servicing. At the end of the year the set was still operating this schedule, and apparently aroused considerable comment from the locals, particularly at Royston.

In the images staff pose in front of a unit in Tilbury station on the 16th July 1959. Steve Davies Collection.

The Eastern Region sets allocated to Norwich shared duties with the Derby Lightweights. By 1957 there were 38 twin units of the two classes and were used far and wide over East Anglia, reaching as far south as Chelmsford and the Bridlington Branch and to Kings Lynn in the west. In 1957 there were 30 diagrams for the 38 sets, 24 of them actual train workings and the other six used to strengthen peak services. While the diagrams were based on a day's working, they were grouped into eight cycles to fit in with the maintenance schedule for each set. There was a daily routine examination, and both the motive power and carriage & wagon depts, and both departments required more detailed servicing to be carried out after 1,250 - 1,500 miles running. As most of the daily diagrams were between 300 and 400 miles, most of the diagrams were grouped into a four day cycle which brought each unit back to Norwich for attention on the 4th day. On other nights of the cycle the unit could be stabled at one of the sub-depots such as Dereham, Ipswich or Yarmouth.

Providing no major work arises, the servicing could be completed during the night shift allowing the set to return to work on the fifth day, so no use was lost. At multiples of the 1,500 miles more intense servicing takes place. At 3,000 miles there was a more thorough inspection of the whole railcar, including it's oil and grease points. At 6,000 miles, amongst other tasks, the filters on all systems were renewed, engine oil checked and engine speeds and tappet clearances checked; at 12,000 miles the work included testing of the injector equipment, and examination of the final drives. Between 30,000 miles and 36,000 miles there was a major overhaul involving a thorough examination of the engine, regrinding of the valves, inspection of the transmission and drive and removal of the electrical equipment for checking. Engines were changed for overhauled units between 100,000 and 120,000 miles.

Cambridge

Cambridge depot (31A) was the only other Eastern Region depot to have the type allocated, and it was just one set (79068/79284) for a few weeks (May to June 1959), possibly covering for an out of action Derby Lightweight?

Two image of sets in traffic, the first is taken at Dereham. In the second a Swaffham - Kings Lynn service is seen at Middleton Towers. Dates unknown. Both Steve Davies Collection.

A unit feature in a film clip on the East Anglian Film Archive "Last Train From Aldeburgh" (1966).

Withdrawal

Though very successful in service their incompatibility with most other units and the many branch line closures made their early withdrawal along with the Derby Lightweights inevitable. The ER units only survived about a year or so longer than the LMR sets, most going in 1968 with just a few lasting until the Summer of 1969, the last allocation being Norwich.

The image shows three sets arriving into Mellis on the GE main line, date unknown. Steve Davies Collection.

Two withdrawn sets were used for a rescue exercise near Leiston.

No vehicles have survived, the cars being withdrawn long before there was any interest in preserving DMUs.

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References

1. ^⋏ p309 October 1955 Railway Observer
2. ^{⋏ a b c} p44 February 1955 Railway Observer
3. ^⋏ p31 6 January 1956 Railway Gazette
4. ^⋏ p46 February 1955 Railway Observer
5. ^⋏ p45 February 1955 Railway Observer
6. ^⋏ p138 10 February 1956 Railway Gazette
7. ^⋏ email John Padley to Stuart Mackay 12 December 2020

The Railway Observer is the journal of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society