The first nine sets were ultimately destined for services around Edinburgh, however they were delivered on loan to 9A (Longsight). The sets were delivered from GRC&W to Manchester at the rate of about one a week. They travelled via Cam Hill, Castle Bromwich, Walsall & Crewe. Sc50346/56101 arrived in Birmingham on 1/8/57 and was used the following day to work an additional train to Manchester. It returned to Birmingham New Street the same day and left the following day for Manchester, again on a relief passenger turn.

On the 16th June '57 in use on Manchester - Buxton - Crewe services were Sc50339/56094 and Sc50340/56095. The introduction of the winter timetable on the 16th September '57 saw a new working with a Longsight set working to Birmingham every day. Arriving at New St at 11:12 as the 09:50 from Stoke-on-Trent, it returned as the 13:05 to Wolverhampton. During the first week 50345/56100 and 50349/56104 were noted on it, and on the 19th the 13:05 to Wolverhampton was formed of 50346/56101 and 50390/56145 (Class 105).

Six of these sets destined for the ScR sent a period at Llandudno Jct. - 50339-41/3-5 with 56094-6/8-100. Sets of up to 8-cars had been used on Saturdays on the 07:08 Llandudno to Birkenhead, returning as the 10:00 Birkenhead to Llandudno and the 10:30 Prestatyn to Man (ex) returning at 13:30 to Llandudno. The stock worked empty from Llandudno Jct to Prestatyn (these workings could also have been Derby Lightweights?). The vehicles were also know to have worked "The Welsh Dragon" shuttle service between Rhyl and Llandudno (such as on the August '57 bank holiday when three sets were used), on which Derby Lightweights were already in use. At the time it was thought that all the 79xxx vehicles would have their MW systems adapted to work with the then new blue square standard cars.

50355/7 were delivered to 6G (Llandudno Jct) in Sept/Oct '57.

The LMR also received the rest of the first batch for use in the Midlands, announcing in mid-Dec '57 that the sets would be used to extend DMU schemes in the Manchester and Birmingham areas, and introduced on workings between Liverpool Central and Gateacre and Liverpool Central and Warrington (from Jan 6th '58 at hourly intervals). The cars operated on local and branch line services, mainly in the Birmingham area, later based at Longsight and Newton Heath. 

On the 4th Dec. '57 50350 and DTC went empty stock from Crewe to Lostock Hall to work the 'Canadian Trade Mission Special' round South Lancashire.

In June '58 they started operating from Walsall to Dudley and on the Birmingham - Rugely services.

Easter '59 diesel railcar excursions included M50352/7 and Class 103 50408 (all with trailers) on a W720 Walsall - Euston.

At 1965 50348-57 with 56103-112 were allocated to 2G (Rycroft - Walsall) for local services from Birmingham New Street. 50358 & 56113 were allocated to 9L (Buxton) working between Buxton and the Peak Forest.

The second batch went to the ScR, based at Leith Central, and operated the first dieselised Edinburgh suburban services.

Scotland

Noted heading north through Preston to Edinburgh on 17/12/57 were 51117 / 56309, on the 19th 51118 / 56310, and 51119 / 56311 on the 24th.

The introduction to the Edinburgh District local services was postponed from the 6/1/58 to the 3/2/58 on the Costorphine - North Berwick and Waverley - Galasheils (via Peebles) services. The Princes St - Leith service was also postponed from the 6th January to a later date. The ScR ran a newspaper advertising campaign for the introduction.

One of the sets was put on public exhibition at Edinburgh Waverley on the afternoon of Jan 28th 1958, attended by Sir Ian Bolton, chairman, and members of the Scottish Area Board, and James Ness, General Manager of the ScR. The ScR PR dept. issued an illustrated brochure "Edinburgh Diesel Suburban Service" to introduce the new diesel railcars to the public. It included a series of diagramatic maps outlining the five Edinburgh suburban lines over which the new sets would progressively run when delivered and placed in service, as well as mentioning some features of them such as the power units, heating arrangements and views from the windows!

This was taken the day following the exhibition, the 29th January.

The Edinburgh sets were to provide a more frequent service, particularly during peak hours, and were expected to cover a total of 1,000,000 miles a year, double that provided by the steam trains they replaced.

From 3/2/58 they began an hourly service between Costorphine and North Berwick (which had Edinburgh Waverley as an intermediate stop), at the 30min past the hour from North Berwick from 07:30 to 21:30 (except 08:15, 16:41, 17:33 and 18:35). In the reverse direction departures from Costorphine were mainly at 10 or 15 mins past the hour, but from Waverley at a more uniformly 30 mins past. On most services timings were accelerated.

A few days after the services began, on the 8th Feb., a set was stranded on the North Berwick branch due to snow drifts, resulting in buses being used between Longniddry and North Berwick.

From 17/2/58 they were introduced on services from Edinburgh to Galasheils via Peebles East, on a considerably expanded timetable. New trains left Waverley at 09:10, 12:20, 16:21 and 18:26, and the previously Saturday Only 20:50 was changed to 20:45 and run daily (previously the last Monday to Friday train had been the 17:05). In the reverse direction there was new trains from Galasheils at 11:15, 14:06, 18:05 and 20:35, while the 10:16 was changed to 10:00, and the weekdays 19:15 and SO 13:15 were withdrawn.

51124 leads a 2-car set on the 12:20 Edinburgh - Galasheils past St. Margarets on the 7th April 1958. Hamish Stevenson

Following this, as soon as further sets were available they were introduced on services from Costorphine to Rosewell, and both Costorphine to Costorphine and Musselburgh to Musselburgh both via Craiglockhart and Newington, which took the southern loop between Gorgre and Portobello via Morningside Road as well as the main line through Waverley. These services required a reversal at Portobello after leaving, or in the reverse direction, to gain the Circle Line.

On the 25th Feb. '58 50342/56097 were noted on driver instruction work on the Kelvin Valley branch. For this the set came through from Leith Central on Monday mornings and was stabled at Eastfield until the following Friday night.

From May 5th '58 they were introduced on Edinburgh Princess Street to Leith North. Again there was a considerable increase in Mon-Sat trains, with 27 each way compared with 15 Mon - Fri and 7 on Sats (previously there were no trains after 2pm on Saturdays). During the morning and evening peak periods, and at midday, a 20-min service was provided. They were also used to Melrose and Hawick, and on locals to Polmont and North Berwick.

The 9th June saw the completion of the Edinburgh Suburban Dieselisation Scheme when sets took over the suburban and the Musselburgh services. The service was basically the same as steam - the journey times on the suburban was actually slightly increase, to allow for engineering work in connection with the new Craiglockhart - Slateford line. The Edinburgh - Rosewell and Hawthornden trains were also dieselised and improved.

On Monday 7th July (sometimes also quoted ast the 4th August?) they took over the Edinburgh (Princes St.) to Glasgow (Central) services, operating as four cars, although steam remained on the 12:30 SO, 13:20 SO and 17:16 SX from Central, and the 17:17 SX, 18:10 SO and 22:45 SO from Princes Street. While at the termini the sets also worked the following trains: 06:45 Shotts - Edinburgh, 18:10 SO Edinburgh - Shotts & 20:58 SO return, 12:33 Edinburgh - Kingsknowe and 13:06 SX return, 07:30 and 15:30 Cathcart Outer circle trains, and the 13:25 Glasgow - Whitecraigs and 14:27 return.

A ScR publicity shot of a set leaving GlasgowCentral, dated 10th July 1958.

On the 2nd August '58 a combination of the Bank Holiday and the return Glasgow Fair traffic saw an 8-car set used to supplement the Swindon Inter-City sets on the Edinburgh - Glasgow line. 

It wasn't long before the ScR cars were joined by 11 of the LMR sets, some going to Hamilton, although two returned south soon after.

It was noted in September '58 that the DMUs had not stimulated any extra passengers on the Princes Street - Central line. Most services were now reduced from 4-cars to one twin, and Met-Camms were also appearing on the services. On the 15th Sep. '58, the Edinburgh Autumn Holiday, the North Berwick services were 'jam-packed' and extra steam services were run.

Apparently due to complaints of rough riding in late '58, the sets were taken off the Edinburgh Princes Street - Glasgow Central via Benhar line for a spell, and replaced by Swindon Inter-City sets and 101s from Dundee. When the Swindon Inter-City sets were transferred from the WR to the ScR, these replaced any Gloucester workings still remaining on the Edinburgh / Glasgow via Holytown line.

Around March '59 the ScR formed a 3-car set for use as a test train on some routes, loaded with brake blocks.

On Sunday 9/8/59 a diesel land cruise from St. Enoch to Largs and Girvan consisted of four Gloucester twins. Similar recent excursions had used Met-Cams.

Failures requiring assistance were becoming more and more frequent on the Edinburgh suburban line in Winter 59/60, not helped by the increase in traffic. N15 69211 from 64B was a regular in assisting ailing units.

About November 1960 the BMU was absent from the Ballater line, and its workings were being operated by a Gloucester or Cravens unit.

At 1965 allocations were: 50339-43 with 56094-8 at 66C (Hamilton) for South Clyde locals from Glasgow Central & Hamilton. 50344-7 with 56090-102 and 51108-10 with 56300 were at 67A (Corkerhill) for Glasgow St. Enoch - East Kilbride / Kilmacolm workings. 51111-27 with 56303-19 were allocated to 64H (Leith Central) for Edinburgh - North Berwick workings.

Declining Scottish traffic in the late '60s saw its sets go to East Anglia, based at Norwich Thorpe and Cambridge.

ScR sets were observed on Tyneside during 1967 being used as replacements for the South Tyneside electric system which was being dismantled at the time. Sets observed by Fred Kerr during 6th -8th July working South Gosforth diagrams included 51108/56099, 51114/56313, 51115/56305, 51115/56307 (changed DTC), 51120/56303, 51125/56317.