Many of the transfers between Bradford and Darlington around 1957 were not recorded. After receiving the Rolls Royce sets in Nov ‘57, at least 8 cars were sent north on the 21st (there was a similar occurance before the introduction of the diesel services in the Darlington area, when 20-30 cars were sent north). Of the new sets reffered to above, 50746/59303/50291 was shown as later transferred to Darlington, it was still running from Hammerton Street depot on 20th Jan ‘58.

DMUs replaced steam on the Darlington - Penrith line as from 6th January ‘58.

In August 1958 the NER introduced Met-Camm 2-cars (sharing duties with Cravens units) to the Newcastle - Sunderland and Sunderland - South Shields lines.

By September ‘60 the buffet services were extended to the Newcastle - Leeds services. Again they were formed onto a 4-car set. The 07:20 Newcastle to York, 10:15 York to Leeds, 11:35 and 15:33 Newcastle to Leeds via York, 07:45 and 11:45 Leeds to Newcastle via York and West Hartlepool, and the 17:00 Leeds to Newcastle via York. In one car of each train, the minature buffet had one attendant to serve a variety of light refreshments and drinks from the standing bar.

Eric Stuart notes that about 1960 a set (or two) of 101/111s with RMB was used for a regular summer Sunday service from Newcastle to Keswick and back via Carlisle and Penrith.

A defect found on Class 104 bogies 48 hours before they were due to be introduced on a new interval service between Manchester and Stoke-on-Trent, saw NER 101 sets sent on loan.

In the mid '60s South Gosforth power cars carried 52J plates, although at this time the code was not officially announced.

The NER's department of Public Relations & Publicity Officer produced an attractive poster featuring a Met-Camm in May 1959. Designed by Mr Gynth Russell, the unit is shown on a stretch of line south of Robin Hood's Bay, and the poster was displayed throughout the country.

Observation

For use on the Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh line, 54356 was converted to an observation saloon and renumbered 6300. It was withdrawn in ‘95 when the line was ‘sprinterised’. It is now preserved on the Gloucester & Warwickshire Railway. Right: 6300 is on the rear of the 10:15 Inverness - Kyle, seen at Achnasheen, 9/9/90. Gazza Prescott

 

Top	Order 3	Other notes	Western Region
Introduction	Order 4	Darlington	Hybrid units
Order 2	Order 5		The Green unit

Darlington

Most (if not all) of the 130 vehicles allocated to the new Darlington diesel depot during the ER dieselisation plan were 101s when it opened. In 1957 the principle service worked by these cars was the half hourly one from Darlington to Saltburn, using the 4-car units. Power/trailer sets were used between Darlington and Middleton-in-Teesdale, Richmond and Crook. At September '57 Darlington's allocation was 13 4-car sets (DMCs 50172-97, TBSs 59060-72 and TSs 59073 - 85), 14 2-car power/trailers (DMBSs 50198-209, 50247/8 and DTCs 56050-61, 56219/20) and 4 2-car power twins (DMBSs 50250-3 and DMCs 50260-3).

Darlington units on the '60s: Left - Crook Station in 1964, shortly before the line's closure from Bishop Auckland. Right: E50748 heads this 4-car set at Darlington Bank Top Station, also in 1964, in the north end dock where the Bishop Auckland / Crook trains, and prior to 1962 the Stainmore trains, departed from. Both Roy Lambeth.

When the four Class 111 power/trailers moved from the LMR to the ER they were given four Class 101 power/trailers in return (50203/6/8/28 56055/8/60/80).

Western Invasion

In 1967 the first Met Camm vehicles allocated to the WR made their appearance, these were three trailer composite cars TC(L)s Nos. 59525, 59538 and 59543. Transferred from the ER they worked initially in the London division but eventually settled down in the south west at Plymouth Laira (LA) depot working between class 116 power cars.

By 1975 the first 3-car Metro Cammell sets to work on the Western region replaced Swindon 120 units at LA and Bristol Bath Road (BR). Transferred from the ScR, these sets were given set Nos. 800-804 prefixed with "P" or "B" depending upon allocation, and were soon joined by two ex Midland 3-car units from Tyseley numbered 805 and 806. During the early '80s even more units were drafted in, this time generally from the ER.

Set P803 (51450 / 59546 / 51522) departs from Dawlish on the 24th May 1975. Neil Cannon.

1982 saw Met Camm 101s is take over service on the Central Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury ousting almost all remaining Swindon 120s. They were allocated to Cardiff Canton (CF) for use on these duties and general cross country services. The units selected for Central Wales use were reformed into 2 car sets, their centre trailers generally being stored at Cardiff Bristol and Reading. One trailer W59550 found a new home between two Derby class 116 suburban brake cars at Cardiff (CF) in set C307 which was an odd set containing two DMBS vehicle in its formation (W53083 / W59550 / W53820).

A Class 101 set on a test run to Weymouth Quay in March '83, prior to the introduction of the short lived service from the Quay to Cardiff. The photographer's father was driving. Stuart Davies

The Western Region Met Camms were the first DMU vehicles to carry the high intensity headlamp mounted on the cab front below the drivers window.

These units operated on the WR until 1987 when they were displaced by Class 108 units. Dispersed far and wide some units remained together at depots such as Chester and Neville Hill with one ex Cardiff unit returning during early 1989, from Newton Heath for a short stay at Cardiff before departing for Vic Berry's Leicester yard in May 1990.

The London division also gained Met Camms for the Reading Redhill service and Gatwick Airport. These units generally came from Tyseley with a small contingent of ER units.

Met Camms operated from all WR depots during the 1980s from Old Oak and Reading to Plymouth.

The final departure from Plymouth was in 1996 with cars 53314/53327 still sporting NSE livery and set number L842 since its transfer from Reading RG to the West Country.

Hybrid Sets

It was not uncommon in the l960s to see Met Camm vehicles of both DMBS and DTC types paired with other makes of unit. This usually took the form of 2-car power trailer combinations and became common on the ER in East Anglia and Cambridgeshire with Met Camm/Gloucester Class 100 and Cravens Class 105 vehicles, with a similar situation in Scotland. In the North East, as well as operating in 2-car formations with Class 105s they could also be found in mixed Class 104 four car sets as both types of four car unit were used in that area.

By the mid '80s though, due to the wholesale withdrawal of other types, mixed formations took on a new look with Met Camms being paired with almost anything. Centre trailers of which there were 150 constructed, appeared at depots such as Manchester's Newton Heath (NH), Chester (CH), Derby Etches Park (EP) and Edinburgh Haymarket (HA) marshalled between Swindon Cross Country units of Class 120, making life a little easier weight-wise for these ageing work horses, by virtue of being about 5 tons lighter than the normal Swindon built 64 ft TS vehicles.

Other depots took advantage of the glut of surplus Met Camms, trailers appearing in some Class 108 sets at HA and Class 110 sets at NL after the transfer of their own trailers to CF and ED.

The late eighties saw an explosion in mismatched Met Camms at CF, LA, CH, NH and TS depots, with pairings of Met Camms with 108s and Suburban 116s, the latter being a very strange combination operating from TS and CF. Pick and mix had taken on a new meaning!

During 1990 a 4-car set was reformed for use on the Cambridge - Kings Lynn service via Ely until completion of that line's electrification. The vehicles involved were:- L831 51211 / 59111 / 59072 / 53265.

At the end of 1983 some redundant ER trailers cars were put into 3-car sets with Class 116 power cars which had just been given gangways at Carlisle Currock carriage and wagon repair shops. They were put into action at Tyseley.

When Botanic Gardens 4-car 108s were made into 3-cars in summer ‘85 some of the displaced Class 108 TSLs were added to Class 101 (and 108) power twins.

When Class 108 59247 was condemmed due to accident damage Class 101 TBS 59113 was provided as a replacement for its set.

By 2/91 there was no longer any 101 power cars working with Class 108/110 trailers.

The Green Machine

In 1994 unit 101685 was repainted in a version of the old green livery and reformed as a 3-car set with cars 53164 / 59539 / 53160. Another unit 101683 was also reformed as a 3-car unit with cars 51177 / 59303 / 53269 these two units being designated for use on the Blaneau Ffestiniog branch in 3-car form for summer timetable use and with trailers removed during the winter.

Edale, 9/4/97 Peter, Lincolnshire & East Yorkshire Transport Review

The celebrity Heritage DMU 101685 is composed of three individual vehicles, which when new were paired with different units.

The DMBS vehicle then numbered E50164 was delivered from Metro Cammell's Washwood Heath Works in January 1957 paired with DMC E50168 as a Power Twin set and allocated to the NER. It is likely that this pairing remained for some years as units, when new, tended to be maintained in fixed formations for some time but eventually would be split up after breakdowns or overhauls when usually vehicles of the same batch would become mixed.

The records show that by 1983 E50164 now E53164 was still a north-eastern machine allocated to Heaton depot (HT) while its one time partner E50168, now E53168, had moved to Norwich (NR). Meanwhile E59539 the TC(L) car that now works in 101685 was now at Cardiff (CF) working in a Pressed Steel Class 117 set (C454 W51352 / 59539 / 51394). By contrast the DMC vehicle E50160 which also was a north-eastern car had by this time moved to Edinburgh Haymarket (HA) becoming Sc53160.

In 1985 W59539 moved with its Class 117 set to Bristol Bath Road (BR) with consequential set renumbering 'B450'. 1986 saw Sc53160 still operating in Scotland but now moved from (HA) to Ayr (AY) in set 101360 with cars Sc59074 and Sc53158 both ex HT vehicles, but now displaying the Strathclyde Orange and Black livery.

1988 saw E53164 make its first move from the north east when transferred to HA where it joined set 101359 with trailer Sc59116, originally based at Tyseley (TS), and another DMBS car, Sc51210, which itself has survived and is currently operating in Regional Railways

North West Trains set 101678, along with another ex-NE car DMC (now downgraded to DMS) 53746, Trailer W59539 moved back to CF and stored.

By 1989 DMBS Sc53164 transferred to a Swindon Class 120 set still based at HA its new set number becoming 120535 with vehicles 59065 (Class 101) and 53733 (Class 120). As can be seen this was hardly still a 120 set with two of its three cars being Met Camms!

1990 saw TC(L) 59539 move from CF to LE as a spare trailer for that depots mainly Class 108 power twin fleet, trailers occasionally being used when necessary (though fixed formations were maintained and set numbers carried at this depot, trailers would not necessarily

remain in the same set). This year also saw the reallocation of ScR set 101360 containing 53160 to Eastfield (ED) and subsequent transfer to England, at Chester (CH), on arrival the set was split with 53160 being paired as a power twin again, with blue and grey liveried Class 101 DMBS 51245 as set CH641, 53158 was treated similarly and paired with DMBS 51425 as set CH642, the trailer car TBSL 59074 being stored.

At this time the Scottish class 120 set 120535 was reformed using substitute Met-Camm car Sc53215. This resulted in 53164 returning to English soil, at NL paired with DTC 54365 becoming set NL232.

During 1991 59539 was transferred to Plymouth Laira (LA) joining a 3-car set made up of two DMBS vehicles transferred from Scotland, the set becoming P831 containing 51210 / 59539 / 53253.

At the same time 53164 moved from NL to LO where it was assigned to a 3-car unit becoming set LO344 containing 53164 / 59387 / 53203 the latter formerly of Norwich set No. 87. In October of 1991 this set was transferred to CF and became C388 set This was a hybrid unit containing two DMBS's both of ER origin and a class 108 TS(L) from Hull Botanic Gardens (BG).

1991 also saw the transfer of 53160 and 53158 to (LO) where the latter was withdrawn from service. 53160 however was dispatched to TS with its partner 51245 to become set T075 at that depot.

During l992 selections were being made from the remaining Met Camm Class 101 units for a final facelift/refurbishment and repaint into Regional Railways livery. The vehicles selected were moved to Doncaster works for the work to be carried out.

TC(L) 59539 was still at LA but now in set no. P821 with cars 53216 and 53294 when selected.

53164 returned to LO with 53203 but minus trailer 59387. 53160 and 51245 were returned from TS becoming LO604. By the end of 1992 the three vehicles had been overhauled at Doncaster and returned to service in Regional Railways colours, 53164 with 53160 carried set number 101685 and were returned to LO. However trailer 59539 was formed into the 3-car set 101694 with power cars 51188 and 53268 and allocated to HA.

Two years later in 1994 the HA allocation of Class 101s were transferred to Glasgow Corkerhill (CK) minus their centre trailers which were stored.

That same year it was decided to repaint a Class 101 set in the original green livery, 101685 was chosen, it was also decided to dedicate this set to the Llandudno - Blaenau Ffestiniog service and to strengthen to 3-cars in the summer timetable. 59539 was chosen and was transferred from HA along with a second vehicle 59203 which would create another 3-car unit as back up, though retaining Regional Railways livery this was done and these units operate as a 3-car set during the summer and 2-car power twins in the winter time. However, while the two sets are still in traffic the trailers have not been re-inserted since 1997, and are now in store at Blackpool.