Transmission - 50000
This vehicles hydraulic torque converter was of the American twin
disc type. It had operational differences from the Leyland - Lysholm
Smith type fitted to the West Riding Lightweights. On these cars
manual change of the controls was necessary when the driver wished to
isolate the torque converter and chance to direct mechanical drive. On
50000 this change was automatic. 50049
The final power car to be built, delivered in 9/57 and allocated to
Lincoln, was fitted with the newly developed Albion 230hp engines,
each with a 20" fluid flywheel. These drove a Wilson SE4 gearbox
and Self Changing Gears RF28 final drive. This was an experiment in an
attempt to overcome the insuffucency of power which had been found
where fairly severe gradients and tail loads were met.
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The BUT Albion 230hp engine newly fitted to
50049. Note also the style of BR emblem, as applied to the early
DMUs. |
The set was blue square, allowing it to operate with the rest of
the class and other vehicles, and had provision made for the fitting
of fully-automatic gear control, which would relieve the driver of the
responsibility for effecting appropriate gear changes. This system had
first been applied to Derby Lightweight 79135 in 1957. After testing
it was announced at the start of 1958 that the rest of the class, with
the exception of 50000 would be fitted with the Albion engines. By
late summer '58, 50048 became the 2nd car to receive the new
equipment.
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