Batch One

NER - DMBSs 50359 - 89, DTCs 56114 - 44

The first two vehicles, (50359/56114) were delivered to Hull on the 9th August 1956. Officially there were shown as new in July '56 to 53C (Springhead), a temporary home while Botanic Gardens (53B) was in the process of being rebuilt for diesel use. They were the first 5xxxx series cars to be delivered.

Their first duties were crew training on the Hornsea and Withernsea branches. The Botanic Gardens staff also did test runs from Hull to Scarborough, Leeds and Doncaster, and along the Goole to Selby and Selby to Driffield branches.

They were noted at Scarborough on at least four occasions. On the 11th & 25th September the set made the journey from Hull as a fast train, and returned as a slow, with the timings reversed on the 18th and 27th. On the 25th and 27th the train also had an XP van attached and carried weights equivalent to passengers.

Springhead was to get all 31 NER sets of the first batch (14 Leyland engined and 17 AEC engined). They were expected to be introduced to traffic sometime in Oct '56, when five sets should have arrived. The Hornsea and Withernsea branches were planned to be the first dieselised, and when more sets were delivered they would be extended to Beverley, Brough and Thorne North.

But it was late Oct. before the second set arrived, and then one a fortnight until 50365/56120 when delivery was increased to one a week.

The sets were introduced on the 7th January 1957, when a number of the steam-operated passenger train services between Hull and Beverley, Hull and Hornsea, Hull and Brough, Hull and Goole, and Hull and Withernsea were taken over on weekday. There were still only eight sets available at this time, so they were introduced to existing timings, with regular interval services would be planned for a later date providing a more frequent and faster service.

Further diesel workings began on the 4th March, nearly all on accelerated timings. The Hornsea & Withernsea branches were now completely dieselised except for the 07:07 from Hornsea and the 06:42 from Withernsea. Three extra round trip workings were introduced on each branch. Most of the Beverley trains were DMUs with five extra trains each way, and the only steam remaining on the Brough service were those for the Blackburn Aircraft employees. Other DMUs workings were the 04:38 Hull - Stainforth & Hatfield, on Saturdays only the 10:00 and 21:35 Hull - Goole, the 13:30 and 16:50 to Thorne North and the 20:15 Hull - Bridlington. There were still  no diesel workings on Sundays at this time.

By the summer (57) though there were more sets were allocated to the Hull area than required. The abundance of units at made it possible to work the heavy weekend traffic to the coast resorts of Hornsea & Withernsea without recourse to steam except on rare occasions. They were now working on Sundays, when 8-car sets were required on fine days, packed to capacity, with almost as many standing as sitting. The sets to Beverley were not so well patronised, mainly because they were only used off-peak times, as the majority of peak hour trains were York and Scarborough steam workings. A 2-car set was run empty from Hull to Bridlington every morning for crew training purposes at Bridlington, returning in the evening. It was hoped to introduce DMUs on the Bridlington and York services as the start of the winter timetable. 

On the 29th July '57 the first regular DMU working to Scarborough commenced, with Bridlington men on the 10:15 from Hull, returning on the 13:00 to Hull. On the first day it was made up of three 2-car sets, and on the next two days it was formed of four 2-car sets of Craven and Met-Camms. On Saturdays the railcars worked to Hull, where the Bridlington driver obtained a steam engine and Botanic Gardens fireman to work to Scarborough and back. 

At November '57 there will still 31 sets allocated to the Hull District, with four Met-Camm twins on loan.

On the 25th February '58 the first train from Hull to Withernsea, an ECS set, got stuck in heavy snow at Ryehill. On the same day the 12:30 York - Hull became embedded in deep drifts at Kipling Cross.

Because of insufficient sets all Hull - Scarborough services reverted to steam with the start of the summer '58 timetable, but starting on the 30th June the 12:28 and 17:10 from Hull and the 13:10 and 18:20 from Scarborough reverted to DMU, thought to be required to provide DMUs for the use of the well publicised 'Diesel Day Line' tickets.

The transfer to Botanic Gardens took place on paper as Nov. '58,  where they remained for many years. Latterly they were spread throughout the country, such as at Ayr, Bletchley, Newton Heath and Tyseley.

Following the failure of a Walsall 2-car set, part of an excursion to Hull on 13/10/60, Hull's 56138/50383 was used as a replacement on the return journey. The following day it was working the Burton - Wolverhampton service!

LMR - DMBSs 50390 - 4, DTCs 56145 - 9

The five LMR sets were delivered to Longsight. The winter '57 timetable introduced on the 16th Sep. saw LO sets working through to Birmingham. Although mostly Class 100s in the first week, on the 19th Sep the return working, the 13:05 to Wolverhampton was formed of 50346 / 56101 (Class 100) and Class 105 50390 / 56145.

Their stay at Longsight was brief. They moved between Llandudno Jct, Chester, Derby and Leicester (15A - Wellingborough for Leicester to Birmingham New St services) before settling at Bletchley in 1967. The next 14 years were spent between Bletchley & Bedford and between Watford Jct and St Albans. All were withdrawn before 1983.

Batch Two

LMR 3-cars - DMBSs 50752 - 70, DMCs 50785 - 803, TCs 59307 - 25

Set 50309/59120/50327 was noted on the Lincoln - Nottingham line on the 15th March '58 on crew training, several other 3-car sets appeared after that.

The 3-car sets, allocated to Derby, entered traffic on the 14th April '58 on the Lincoln - Nottingham (Midland) - Derby and Nottingham and Leicester lines of the LMR. Running times between Nottingham and Lincoln was approx. one hour, and 34 mins between Nottingham and Derby, 51 mins between Nottingham and Leicester (London Road), 66 mins between Leicester and Burton, and 79 mins Leicester to Birmingham. Many trains provided a through service between Lincoln and Derby. There were many more services than previously, and were generally run at hourly intervals. They were augmented by existing steam services at peak periods. Good connections were available between the Birmingham - Leicester and Leicester - Nottingham services and at Trent between the Leicester - Trent - Nottingham and Derby - Nottingham - Lincoln services. Sets were based at Nottingham & Leicester, although one stayed overnight at Saltley carriage sheds. Trains running between Leicester & Birmingham carried route indication B7 and those on the Birmingham - Derby line B8 & B9. Sets noted in Birmingham New St working these in the first few weeks were 105 triples 50754/59309/50787 to 50770/59325/50803.

The Birmingham - Leicester services were also worked by Class 104s and 3-car 105s, on occasions though 2-car sets deputised, such as 50392/56147 on the 30th May '58, with resultant overcrowding.

On Sun 1st June '58 there was an 'Amateur Photographer' excursion from Nottingham, Mansfield and Derby, to Betws-y-Coed. It consisted of 9-cars, six from Nottingham (Midland): 50754/59809/50787 and a 3-car Class 104, and another 3-car Class 104 from Mansfield. The train left Derby (Midland) at 08:40, arriving Betws-y-Coed at 12:10. Departure was at 17:00, getting back to Derby seven minutes late due to a dead stand at Crewe.

On the Midland route to Manchester, the Co-Bos were frequently failing. on one such occasion one failed at Chorlton-cum-Hardy causing a 1½ hour delay to the 17:55 to St Pancras on the 15th Oct. '59. A relief train, consisting of a 3-car Cravens, was run in it's timing from Derby to St Pancras.

LMR power-twin sets - DMBS 50771 - 84, DTSs 50804 - 17

On Sunday 8th June '58 50771/804 and 50773/806 operated a RCTS special 'The Roses Rail Tour', leaving Manchester Victoria and visiting various branches and MPDs, covering over 200 miles.

The power twin sets, allocated to Hewton Heath, were introduced on the 9th June '58 to services between Manchester (Victoria), Oldham (via Hollingwood) and Werneth. The extra power was required for the 1 in 59/49 out of Victoria station, the long 1 in 50 to Oldham (Werneth), and one working over the 1 in 27 Middleton incline.

Noted receiving attention in Horwich Works 10/5/59 were 50772/50805.

Occasionally TCs found their way into the normally power twin sets. Between 68 and 70, due to electrification on the Midland and branch line closures in the Anglia area a number of Cravens became available. The nineteen 3-car East Midlands based sets were reformed into power twins and were transferred to the north west to Accrington, now able to tackle the very hilly terrain north east of Manchester working beside the surviving Rolls-Royce engined power twins, although they soon went back to Newton Heath.

Again latterly many units were dispersed with some going to Norwich and others to Scotland at Hamilton and Haymarket. It was not uncommon for those remaining at Newton Heath to occasionally run with a trailer from another class.

All were withdrawn by 1983 except the "celebrity" vehicle 50812 which was paired with the remaining Class 100, by virtue of the fact it had it's asbestos removed.

Batch Three

ER power trailer sets - DMBSs 51254 - 301, DTCs 56412 - 59

This batch was split between Lincoln (40A - 51254-63/89-95/7/100/1) and Cambridge (31A 51264-88/96/8/9). Many of the routes for which the sets were built soon closed. Some sets had been intended for the former Midland & Great Northern (M&GN) line services, which would have involved some fairly long cross-country runs.

The summer 1958 traffic on the Witham - Braintree and Witham - Maldon East lines were too much for the German railbuses. Steam was scheduled to be re-introduced, mentioned as a temporary measure till sufficient 105s were available which would work the two lines till the end of summer. In the event they did not revert to steam, as the Craven units arrived in time to take over for the period of heavy traffic.

The 2nd Aug. '58 saw a 10-car set form the Saturday 06:50 Grimsby to Kings Cross and 15:52 return. It was formed of 51255/60-3 and 56413/18-21.

In connection with the Borough of Wood Green Charter celebrations an exhibition of locomotives and rolling stock was held at Noel Park Goods Yard in Wood Green. The displays included 51261/56419 (with Spalding and Grimsby on the blinds). 14,000 people attended the event from the Friday 12/9/58 to Sunday 14th.

In Oct '58 the ER announced it's intention to allocate 2-car Cravens sets to certain suburban services from and too Kings Cross on the Great Northern Line, with a planned start in the first half of the following year. The intended 20 units, later 28, taken from the M&GN fleet would not be suffice to cover the whole of the suburban service, the final scheme would be a combination of diesel hauled trains and DMUs.

Two sets were transferred to 34B (Hornsey) on paper in November '58. On Oct. 13th '58 the two sets, 51261/56419 & 56415/51257 started on the Kings Cross suburban services. They were still based at Cambridge, where they attended each Saturday for periodical maintenance, running empty to Hertford. Initially they were used largely for crew training but they also provided some revenue earning off-peak services. On Mondays to Fridays their regular jobs were on the 12:40 Kings Cross - Hertford North, the 16:28 and 22:37 Finsbury Park to Hertford North, the 18:50 Kings Cross - Hatfield, the 12:01 and 17:31 Hertford North - Kings Cross and the 21:00 Hatfield to Kings Cross. They were being introduced on the line due to growing difficulties in maintaining the Class N2 0-6-2 tanks, as a stop gap till the full delivery of diesel locomotives and units. There was a fleet of twenty Craven twins planned, to be used on selective services, hopefully from the start of 1959.

By Nov. '58 the GN line Sunday services between Kings Cross & Hertford were completely diesel operated. The pattern of services was two DMU trains followed by one loco hauled (Class 26).

At the start of '59 work on electrification on Sundays saw the line between Wood Green and Palmers Green closed, passengers being transported by bus. There was a service from Palmers Green to Hertford, operated on the 4th & 11th January by 51257/56415 & 51261/56419. The service from Wood Green to Kings Cross was operated by 51259/56417 & 51289/56447 on the 4th, but steam operated on the 11th.

An exhibition of locomotives and rolling stock was held in Lincoln in connection with the opening of the new Holmes Good shed on the 16th & 17th January '59. All 45 exhibits were undercover in the new shed, and included a Craven twin set.

By February '59 the start date for the complete diesel service had slipped to the summer. On the 2nd February, sets started working to Kings Cross from Cambridge. The single diagram involved three trips, departing for London at 11:21, 15:26 and 23:25.

On the Hertford North branch on the first day of normal daily working south of Crews Hill (March 23rd) the 08:11 Gordon Hill - Moorgate did not run. On the 24th a 6-car set (three twins) commenced daily operation on this train. This was an interesting development as it had been officially stated that diesel units were not permitted over the widened lines to Moorgate.

The promised sets (originally quoted as to be 51254-72 + 56412-30) were eventually transferred to Hornsey, mainly in 6/59. They later shifted to Finsbury Park. Official re-allocation dates were Feb '59: 51263/56421, May 59: 51291-5/56449-53, Jun '59: 51255/6/64-73 with 56413/4/22-31/54, and in Jul '59 51297-301 & trailers and 51471/2 & 56460/1. Vehicles (51297-301 + 56455-9 along with the two batch four ER vehicles 51471/2 + 56460/1) apparently oscillated between Finsbury Park and Lincoln several times (with and without their proper trailers).

The summer '59 timetable saw the former irregular Great Northern Suburban service replaced by a basic 30-min interval service in the off-peak hours. On the main line there was an all stations to Hatfield train from Finsbury Park at 11 mins past each hour, taking 39 mins compared with the previous 44. At 40 mins past each hour a faster service left Kings Cross, calling at Finsbury Park, Oakleigh Park, and all stations to Welwyn Garden City, reached in 46 mins. On the Hertford line, departures were at 3 and 30 mins past the hour from Kings Cross, the former connecting at Finsbury Park with the slow Hatfield train and then omitting Harringay and Hornsea to reach Hereford in 48 mins, and the latter stopping at all stations and taking 51 mins as compared to 57 previously.

In the reverse direction similar arrangements applied except the all stations from Hertford at 58mins past the hour, which terminated at Finsbury Park, the stock forming the all stations return to Hatfield at 11mins the hour, 73 mins later. These were all 105 operated. In the peak hours, services were loco hauled.

On Sundays, the whole inner suburban service was operated by 105s, with the Baldock & Cambridge services in the hands of steam / diesel locos, apart from three down and two up runs.

The revised G.N. suburban services from the 15th May had a "we mean business" feel to them. Loud-hailers were used for announcements at most stations without public address systems, and station masters were very much in evidence. It was quoted at this time that the 105s were only a temporary measure, to be replaced by Derby/Rolls Royce 3-car sets.

While there was a lot of problems with the diesel locos on the peak hour services, the 105s seemed to behave themselves. The first class was converted to a 'non-smoking' compartment, although the first class seats remained. Some juggling with the sets occurred and resulted in the appearance of a 3-car set (51298/51293/56456) which operated for about a week. A power twin of 51266/51269 was also noted, their trailers being left at Finsbury Park.

The vehicles, although reliable, had a bad reputation with the public, due to the tremendous rattling noises they made, produced by the vibrating sliding window toplights, door droplights and metal luggage racks.

They were built with the BR Derby standard design of railcar bogie, with single bolster and swing links, which were prone to hunting once worn, producing more vibration. The swing links were later removed.

They were pushed to the limit to keep services running. Being two-car units they proved to be unsuitable for these services, as they were underpowered for frequent stopping & starting, and tended to overheat. The summer of '59 was very hot, and watering cans had to be provided at each station en-route for topping up. The overheating also caused low oil pressure, and to keep the sets in service the safety cut-out relays had to be cut. They were disliked by the passengers, who had been used to high density articulated vehicles, as they only had two side doors per vehicle, bus type seats, and many unusable areas (cabs/vans) in a 6/8-car set.

The vehicles which remained at Cambridge (51274-83/96 + 56432-41/54), along with the rest of it's fleet, worked from Cambridge on local services and between Manningtree & Dovecourt and Witham & Maldon.

Later, certainly by 1967, the sets were joined by 51273/89-95 + 56412/47-53.

Lincoln vehicles (51284-8 + 56442-6) worked (along with 114s) Lincoln - Derby, Lincoln - Sheffield Victoria, Boston - Gainsborough then Doncaster or Sheffield Victoria, Grantham - Doncaster, and Cleethorpes - Peterborough or Doncaster.

The first part of the Grantham - Doncaster diesel diagram in the summer '58 timetable (07:50 ex-Grantham, 10:20 ex-Doncaster, was worked by a 2-car set, although the next two turns were then taken over by a 3-car Derby set.

Sets were known to work Cambridge - Birmingham services. In the early '70s a small number of the early ER power trailers went to the north west to replace Carlisle's Derby Lightweights.

When Kings Cross was electrified in 1977 the sets were scattered to locations such as Ayr and Tyseley. In 1978 51280/1/2/6/7/96 were still at Lincoln, operating with 56431/44/6/54/72.

Batch Four

ER power trailer sets - DMBSs 51471/2 & 56460/1

The two ER sets went to Lincoln, to join the batch three vehicles there.

ScR power trailer sets - DMBSs 51473 - 94 DTCs 56462 - 83

The ScR cars were delivered to Kittybrewster, except the final one. They were introduced to the Buchan lines - between Aberdeen, Peterhead & Fraserborough, and Fraserborough & St Combs on the 15th June '59. They also worked the services to Ballater on the diagram opposite the Battery Multiple Unit.

The final set was delivered to Hamilton in June '59, and the same month 51482-93 (& trailers) were transferred there from Kittybrewster. However, some of the ScR worked about the Glasgow area before being introduced up north.

The first 'passenger' train to traverse the Slateford - Craiglockhart was a 2-car Craven conveying the Scottish Area Board of the BTC on the 19th March '59.

Easter Monday '59 saw the ScR operate the famed 'Six Lochs Diesel Land Cruise' from Glasgow Buchanan St. via Callander, Killin and Crainlarich to Glasgow Queen St. Low Level. It was composed of four 105 twins, and proved so popular that a relief had to be provided, comprised of a further two sets and a Met-Camm, and they ran the circuit in the opposite direction, via Balornock and Partick West, but did not call in at Killin.

On Sunday 12th June '59 a 'Six Lochs Diesel Land Cruise' ran from Ayr and stations to Dalry. It was composed of two Met-Camms and one Craven twin. This apparently was not to the liking of a few passengers who expected one of Ayr's Inter-City sets which mainly sat idol on a Sunday.

On the 20th June '59 the 'Six Lochs Diesel Land Cruise' was operated by four Cravens twins, running from Strathaven via Helensburgh.

The 'Six Lochs Diesel Land Cruise' actually ran every summer Sunday that year, running from Glasgow to Callander, Killin and Crainlarich, although the sets used week to week could vary. The fare of 10/- made it very popular, and even in bad weather two trains were required. the normal motive power was four twin sets for each train, supplied by Hamilton.

On the 6th July '59 three diesel sets, made up of six and eight vehicles, started operations from Hamilton shed. They covered a number of business trains from the Hamilton area to and from Glasgow and also made runs to East Kilbride, the Cathcart Circle, Uplawmoor line etc.

A diesel service operated between Glasgow Central Low Level and Kelvin Hall stations to augment the sparse regular service during the Scottish Industries Exhibition, @9/59. Hamilton provided a Craven twin set for this. The journey took four minutes and provided an immense contrast with the filth of the steam journey through the tunnels.

On the 19/1/60 the 09:17 Fraserborough to Aberdeen became blocked by a snow drift just north of Newmachar station during the worst blizzard conditions the area had seen for years. The 57 passengers were stranded for fifteen hours, although heat and light were provided at all times. A railway district inspector in a Land Rover reached the train by road. He contacted a bakery who were able to bring food to the passengers. A steam relief train which got to 1/4 mile from the DMU took the passengers of the set at 04:00, and followed an engine and snowplough the 12 miles into Aberdeen, arriving at 06:30. Local helicopters had been contacted, although they could not fly on the 19th because of the weather and would have had to wait until daylight the following day.

Around about October '60 the BMU was absent from the Ballater line for a period, it's workings were covered by a Gloucester or Craven.

At 1965, the Hamilton sets were 51481-92/4 + 56470-81/3, working the South Clyde locals from Glasgow Central, the remaining sets were still at Kittybrewster. Many of the lines in the North of Scotland soon closed though and the sets were transferred to the 'lowlands' to Leith, Haymarket and Hamilton. In 1978 a couple were allocated to Tyseley. Scotland got rid of all its power/trailer combinations fairly early, and the 105 DTCs were transferred South, to places such as to Heaton (HT).

Batch Five

Single vehicle DMBS 50249

50249 was delivered to Darlington, and by the time it was withdrawn it had also been allocated to Cambridge & Norwich.

Formations

Latterly there was no general policy to maintain fixed formations, and there was many inter-regional transfers of individual vehicles and movement of sets to where the needs lay, irrespective of suitability of the job. This resulted in some curious combinations in certain areas, such as in Scotland where DMBS cars were often used as extra power cars and added to 2-cars usually of different manufacture, mainly 101s and even with single Gloucester 122s.

Lancaster Castle on 2/8/79. The set, led by 50768, had just worked the late afternoon through service from Windermere Robert Frise