This will be the last year of first generation DMUs, with the 101s being the last class left in regular revenue earning traffic, and this section will follow their final days.

The vehicles are allocated to Longsight for the Manchester / North Wales Coast services.

For all the summer 2000 diagrams, download this Excel 97 file (128kb). They are more or less the same as the winter ones, except they are seen less on the Manchester - Sheffield and Holyhead runs, and there is a new Blackpool North diagram on Saturdays. This is the 11:03 from Manchester Piccadilly (1N65), with the 2x2-car sets arriving at 12:17. The return 2H90 leaves Blackpool North at 18:09, arriving Manchester at 19:25.

For what was such a large class, it is somewhat surprising that so few have made it to preservation so far. However, there is expected to be great demand for the remaining sets. For those interested in purchasing vehicles, here is a guide to what conditions the remaining cars are in. Click for ex-Corkerhill or Longsight vehicles. And we also have details on the Class 117s that are in store.

Angel have also indicated that they would prefer TRA to co-ordinate the early stages of discussions on the mass disposals. They cannot cope with a flood of individual enquiries. Purchasers would of course handle final negotiations on individual vehicles themselves. Angel offer to provide status updates to those who nominate specific vehicles. So please email/phone your requirements, quoting specific vehicles where appropriate, to Tony Fox anthony.fox@which.net , tel: 01473 890511 immediately, so that we can provide Angel with this feedback.

Gavin Booth noted 2/5/00:

"If I have got my details correct, sets 695, 835 and 840 are the only ones to retain 1st class seating, unless any Railtrack vehicles still retain it.  So if you want a 1st class saloon, earmark these vehicles either for the vehicle itself, or to cannibalise the seats from.  However, from the preserved railway point of view, second class seats are probably better as it allows up to 19 passengers to see the scenery of your preserved railway forwards,  instead of just 4 in first class!"

Note: three Sandites - 977896, 977898, and one other B/G one - arebeleived to still have 1st class seating also.

Manchester

Longsight's 101 659 (51213 + 54352) is reported as being of lease since 18th July. As 51213 was running with 'triplet' 660, the trailer from this set 54343 has been stored and 51189 is now running with 654 forming a new triplet.

On Thursday 3rd sets 659 & 835, and the trailers from 660, 661, 662 & 664 were moved from Longsight to Shoeburyness by 47 774.

678 worked to Buxton on Tue (22nd). 660 came off-lease on the 8th July, resulting in another change to the 'triplets'.

'Triplets'

Some summer diagrams were timed for 142s or 150s (due to the cascade resulting from the introduction of the 175s, which hasn't happened yet) and D1 (power/trailer) sets do not have the power to keep up.  There are not enough D3s (power twins) to go round so an attempt has been made to give D1s more power (effectively D2s).  The power cars from D1s could not be made into 2-car sets being all DMBS.

The extra car is normally locked out of passenger use, but this depends on the guard. The units carry the 'correct' set number on all cab ends.

The four trailers are all stored at Longsight. 101 657 is the only unit formed with the 'extra' power car adjacent to the existing power car - all the others have the added DMBS next to the DTSL.

1st reported sighting (of any 3-car unit) was 01/06/00 19:35 Stockport, arriving from HG direction off 18:18 Picc-NMC, ECS via Chinley (reverse).

In mid-July 101 659 (51213 + 54352) came off-lease. As 51213 was running with 'triplet' 660, the trailer from this set 54343 has been stored and 51189 is now running with 654 forming a new triplet.

The 'triplets' have changed again, with 654 back as a 2-car, and 51463 from 661 is now running with 658, as 657 is now stored. The 3-cars in traffic should be:

Corkerhill

Four Corkerhill 101s were booked to leave the depot on Sunday 30th at 09:59 for Longsight. They ran via Glasgow Central, where we saw them. They were earlier than booked and after the crew changed ends, the headed of towards the WCML in a cloud of smoke. We heard that by the time they got to Newton fire bells started ringing and three engines had to be shut down. This caused some delays to services. They did eventually make it to Newton Heath by the evening. The sets were 684/687/692/693. On Tue 1st they were transferred to Longsight. One, 693, entered traffic on Friday (2nd) working the 05:53 Man Picc - Sheffield, then runs to Marples, New Mills etc, and on Sat it is on Man - Sheffields again. The rest remained at LO 'under exam'.

The other four sets from Corkerhill moved south on Sunday (6th) Booked timings were: light engine(s) due to depart Carlisle light at 17:00, arriving CK at 19:25. It departs with the sets at 20:00 as 5Z37, running via Larkfield Jct, Newton, Motherwell (20:36), Carstairs (20:28), Carlisle (22:15 till 22:45) and arriving at Newton Heath at 01:14. When we viewed the train, passing Polmadie, they were about 20mins early, and the locos were 37 219 and 37 109, with sets 691/694/695/689.

The four cannibalised vehicles left the depot by road soon after, going to Shoeburyness. 53177 was moved on Tue (8th) .

	Here one of the Corkerhill vehicles its seen being loaded on a lorry ready for the journey to Shoeburyness. Eric Whyte

101 faults listed on 24th June (note that these were rectified in most cases in a few days, as noted below)

101680 (Faults reported as seized gearbox & one engine cutting out) was observed working Chinley - Manchester Piccadilly service through Strines at 19:05 on 29/6/00, and then the set worked Manchester Piccadilly to New Mills Central, again seen at Strines at 20:10. The unit appears to have quite smoky exhausts. Paul Moxon

101677 (subject of an underframe fire/ dog & fork failure on no.2 drive) was noted (at speed!) passing through Strines on a Piccadilly-Sheffield service at 2115 last night. (28/6/00). Paul Moxon

June observations  

On Sat. (17th) evening three sets were coupled together at Piccadilly (682/3/5) to run ECS to Longsight (5H39 departing at 21:16). An incident occured at some point, en-route or on arrival, with damage sustained to two vehicles. 53256 (682) has had it's air/vacuum/electrics ripped out, and 53269 (683) has had drawgear and electrics ripped out.

101 677 failed in Totley Tunnel on Friday (16th) while working the 12:14 Sheffield to Manchester. 681 was sent to drag it out, and it is now in LO, the failure is thought to be bad vibrations on the no.2 final drive, and is noted as having the dog & fork removed, after a possible diesel engine incident.

from Paul Moxon:-

Saturday 3rd June saw two of the recently reformed Longsight units working Marple services, 653 and 657.

Also on Saturday 3rd June, set 101681 failed between Romiley and Hyde, with total lack of power on the leading car, attempts to restart the unit's engine proved fruitless, and the driver tried tightening fuses to try to restore electrical power to the starter motor. After about 40 minutes, the air/axle lights came back on, and the poor guard had to retrace his steps (it was a typically Manchester rainy day) to retrieve the detonators he had laid behind the unit. 101681's engines were stopped, and the unit was then failed at Piccadilly, as the one engine then failed to restart. The fitters were then called out to try to rectify the lack of power to one engine, and were still working on it an hour later.

May

Set 655 arrived Longsight 27th May and has not left, marked as 'on exam'. Set L835 has not left LO since the 20th April.

L840 worked the 16:27 Stoke on Wednesday (31/5/00) (booked 323).

L840 worked the 17:22 Picc-HG on Tuesday (30/5/00) (booked 323).

The 17:10 Macc-Picc (ECS out) is *booked* a D1 in the WTT!!  Certainly been worked by a 101 this week. (26/5/00 - 2/6/00)

from Chris Bull: They are still there after the start of the Summer timetable, but only saw 1 set each day, Mon 29 (101682) & Tue 30 May (101677). Attachment of 101682, from Blaenau Ffestiniog on the Monday. 

March

On Wednesday 8th March the green set 101 685 operated 2A06, the 06:03 Manchester Picadilly to Manchester Airport, and 2F91 07:13 Manchester Airport to Liverpool Lime Street. The first heritage unit in Lime Street for many years, it caused a bit of interest! Here it changed diagrams, working the 2A20 09:28 back to Manchester Airport, although it was terminated at Oxford Road where 150 149 took over. The 101 went ECS to Stockport Carriage sidings, and was working Marples services in the afternoon. (Thanks to Kevin Dowd for this.)

On Saturday 25th March, Two of Longsights 'Heritage' 101 sets (101657, and 101660) worked the 12:46 2T03 Piccadilly to Horwich Parkway, ran ecs to Bolton, then worked the 2T64 13:58 Bolton - Horwich, ecs to Preston CS, They then worked 17:15 2T05 Horwich Parkway to Manchester Piccadilly, and ecs to Longsight We guess a Footex to Bolton Wanders' new stadium for the Bolton Vs Port Vale match. (Sighting supplied by Paul Moxon, train reporting no's confirmed/supplied by Kevin Dowd)