BR Diesel Multiple Units 70 years on.

[sandwhich]

Seventy Years ago in 1954 the first of the so called first generation of these units entered service in the Leeds/Bradford area and soon were used in Lincolnshire and Anglia and of course over the following years spread themselves throughout the UK. Although they could not save all branch lines they were no doubt very useful and despite so many different types served the railways well in all types of train services and came along at the right time.

[thesignalman]

If you are talking of the "Rolls Royce" Derby Lightweights, they were lovely to ride on, with a slow and gentle sway from side to side that I never experienced on any other type, and a sweet high-pitched but quiet engine sound contrasting with the harsh noises (and vibration) of the many later types.

I never experienced the first Metro-Cammell units that appeared around the same time.

John

[Mickey]

A few x3 car Rolls Royce sets were on the GN during the late 1960s and possibly until the advent of the all electric service in 1976/77 although of course we had the Cravens that were used on most of the DMU services out of Kings Cross on both the inner and outa suburban services during the 1960s and until full electrification of the suburban services that also worked along side a small number of weekday diesel hauled inner and outs suburban services formed of non-corridor coaching stock known as 'block enders' anyway getting back to the Cravens units on the Kings Cross-WGC services they were usually formed by x2 car Craven units although services north of WGC to Hitchin they were often running as x4 cars and occasionally on the Kings Cross-Royston services they ran as x6 cars although the Cravens were derided by some I liked them regardless of the rattling top sliding widows and the internal vibration effecting the main windows that seriously RATTLED along with the seating that vibrated and all topped off with the smell of diesel and sometimes diesel fumes entering the unit if the top sliding windows were all open on a warm/hot day especially if going through Gasworks tunnel side by side with a departing DELTIC that was chucking out a ton of diesel exhaust!!. Yeah no doubt an acquired taste to many travellers?.

The 'Midland' x4 car Rolls Royce sets running between St Pancras, Luton & Bedford appeared to be more powerful compared to the x3 car Rolls Royce sets running on the GN I believe?.

[sandwhich]

When these units were first introduced they must have been luxurious compared with the steam stock they replaced and it was no wonder that for a time passenger numbers soared.

[thesignalman]

A few x3 car Rolls Royce sets were on the GN during the late 1960s and possibly until the advent of the all electric service in 1976/77 although of course we had the Cravens that were used on most of the DMU services out of Kings Cross on both the inner and outa suburban services during the 1960s and until full electrification of the suburban services that also worked along side a small number of weekday diesel hauled inner and outs suburban services formed of non-corridor coaching stock known as 'block enders' anyway getting back to the Cravens units on the Kings Cross-WGC services they were usually formed by x2 car Craven units although services north of WGC to Hitchin they were often running as x4 cars and occasionally on the Kings Cross-Royston services they ran as x6 cars although the Cravens were derided by some I liked them regardless of the rattling top sliding widows and the internal vibration effecting the main windows that seriously RATTLED along with the seating that vibrated and all topped off with the smell of diesel and sometimes diesel fumes entering the unit if the top sliding windows were all open on a warm/hot day especially if going through Gasworks tunnel side by side with a departing DELTIC that was chucking out a ton of diesel exhaust!!. Yeah no doubt an acquired taste to many travellers?.

The 'Midland' x4 car Rolls Royce sets running between St Pancras, Luton & Bedford appeared to be more powerful compared to the x3 car Rolls Royce sets running on the GN I believe?.

Hi Mickey,

These weren't the "lightweights" I was referring to - here is a picture of a Derby Lightweight (aka "Rolls Royce"):
https://433shop.co.uk/index.php?route=p ... ct_id=5211

And an early Metro-Cammell:
https://433shop.co.uk/index.php?route=p ... ct_id=4453

John

[Mickey]

Ok John I was thinking of those x3 car Rolls Royce units that were on the GN in the early 1970s used mainly on the semi-fast Kings Cross-Hitchin-Royston services. The Midland Derby x4 car units working out of St Pancras on the St Pancras-Luton-Bedford services at the same time looked very similar to the x3 car Rolls Royce units on the GN but the Midland x4 car units looked and felt more powerful when riding on them.

[thesignalman]

Ok John I was thinking of those x3 car Rolls Royce units that were on the GN in the early 1970s used mainly on the semi-fast Kings Cross-Hitchin-Royston services. The Midland Derby x4 car units working out of St Pancras on the St Pancras-Luton-Bedford services at the same time looked very similar to the x3 car Rolls Royce units on the GN but the Midland x4 car units looked and felt more powerful when riding on them.

Did you know that those Midland units were Diesel Hydraulics built for the Western? They struggled on Rickmansworth bank so were exchanged for the Diesel-Mechanical sets intended for the Midland.

J

[Mickey]

No I wasn't aware of that John that is interesting thanks.

[sandwhich]

Electrification at Kings Cross was considered in the mid 50s but was soon dropped and diesels came instead as regards dmus the two car cravens units were the first to come in 1959 that were no longer needed for east anglia duties due to line closures, they were always considered unsuitable but could run on the widened lines to Moorgate, by 1966 the GN quad arts were really at an end and it was considered that the service should be all dmu operated but there not enough units available but some more standard block end stock was scrounged from other parts of the country, during the late 60s some 3 car BTH units found there way onto the outer services to replace some the loco hauled trains, then in 1969 the Rolls Royce 3 car units arrived which allowed loco hauled services into Broad Street to be replaced. This carried on until 1976 when the inner suburban services were electrified and ran into Moorgate via Drayton Park, the rolls royce units were then withdrawn, the outers became electric traction to Royston in 1978 the then remaining dmu services then became Metro Cammel units until electric units ran through to Cambridge and Peterborough in 1987/88.

[Mickey]

With regards to Peterborough I recall a Kings Cross driver's & secondman diagram around 1974/75 that was a Saturday afternoon only working that involved going Down road from Kings Cross to Peterborough on a loco hauled train (blue/grey B.R.Mk1s) behind a blue livered class 47 on the front and maybe leaving 'the Cross' sometime between 2:30-3:30 pm and on arrival at Peterborough getting off the loco after probably being relieved by Peterborough men and then going to the locomen's messroom and having a PNB (Physical Needs Break) which involved making a 'can of tea' and going to the toilet and then an hour later the return working back up to the Cross involved working a passenger service that was formed by a x2 Cravens unit believe it or not?. Anyway from a faded memory this train departed Peterborough sometime around 6:00 pm departing in darkness I recall and was given a main line run to Hitchin stopping at Huntingdon, St Neots, Sandy, Biggleswade and the approach to Hitchin where this x2 car Cravens was then 'turned in' off the Up fast line at Hitchin Yard (box) and into the Up platform and then on departure from Hitchin this x2 car Cravens unit was then 'turned out' again up the fast line at Hitchin South (box) and then the next stop was at Stevenage and then after the 'right away' from Stevenage it was a fast line run up to Kings Cross!. I think it may have been a short livered working but bit of a odd diagram all the same for a secondman with his driver.

[Mickey]

With reference to the Craven units a number of x2 car sets worked the North Woolwich-Stratford-Camden Road service Monday to Friday between May 1979 into the early/mid 1980s when I was a signalman at Victoria Park (Hackney Wick) in east London between early 1980 until late 1981 and then about 10-15 years later after I thought they were long gone a number of the x2 car Craven units turned up working on the Gospel Oak-Barking line service after the x4 car Derby Midland units were withdrawn maybe during the mid 1990s I can't recall exactly?.