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As with most asbestos contaminated stock, there were heavy
withdrawals, but a number were rebuilt internally after the asbestos,
which had been sprayed on to a depth of an inch, had been removed.
These had new panelling and fluorescent lighting, new seat covers and
linoleum to the standard BR blue/grey pattern. The rebuilt sets were
concentrated on Reading and the Reading-Gatwick link, but the Railcar
web links have shown that sets visited Skegness from Tyseley and
provided the last conventional DMU service to the resort. A book on
the Central Wales line also suggests that one set was used while the
line was severed at Glanrhyd, while stock redundant from Reading went
to Tyseley for further service in the Midlands and a set from Cardiff
went to the North East, as shown in the Brian Morrison book. 51104 is
photographed in Rail on a driver training diagram that took it via
Peterborough to Norwich, after which it was sent to Penzance to cover
the services to St Ives, but was withdrawn along with 51073. 51074 had
been withdrawn some time earlier and stored at Old Oak Common, surplus
to requirements.
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