British Rail Class 127
Encyclopedia
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Class 127 diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s were built by BR Derby
Derby Carriage and Wagon Works
Derby Carriage and Wagon Works was built by the Midland Railway in Derby, England. The plant has been through many changes of ownership and is currently owned by Bombardier Transportation, a subsidiary of Bombardier Inc. of Canada. As of 2011 it is the only remaining passenger rolling stock...
in 1959. Thirty 4-car units were built, formed of two outer driving motor vehicles, sandwiching two intermediate trailers which were classified class 186. The technical description of such as 4-car unit was DMBS + TSL + TS + DMBS.
Numbering
Vehicles were numbered as follows:- 51591-51650 - DMBS
- 59589-59618 - TSL (class 186)
- 59619-59648 - TS (class 186)
Usage
The units were almost exclusively used on London St. Pancras to BedfordBedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
commuter services, which earned the class the nickname "Bed-Pan" units. The class was maintained at a new purpose-built depot at Cricklewood
Cricklewood
Cricklewood is a district of North London, England whose northeastern part is in the London Borough of Barnet, western part is the London Borough of Brent and southeastern part is in London Borough of Camden.-History:...
.
Powertrain
Unlike other "Heritage" DMU units, the class 127 units had hydraulic transmission (as opposed to the more standard mechanical transmission).The gear selector in the driver's cab had a "D" position where "4" would be on other standard transmission units.
As built, these units were coded Blue Square, and were therefore able to work with mechanical transmission units, provided the driver remembered to use 1,2,3,D instead of just selecting D.
This was changed to a unique code of Red Triangle when a driver forgot he had a mechanical transmission unit on the rear of his train, which meant this unit was driven only in fourth gear, which burnt out the transmissions on that unit.
Power was provided by engines supplied by Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
. For further information on the powertrain
Powertrain
In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive...
see British Rail British United Traction
British Rail British United Traction
British United Traction was a joint company owned by the Associated Equipment Company and Leyland Motors which produced railway equipment and trolleybuses. It was established in 1946.-Products:...
.
Replacement
The class 127 units operated one of the most intensive passenger services worked by diesel multiple units and, by the late 1970s, it was clear they needed replacing. It was therefore decided to electrify the Bedford line and replace the Class 127 units with new Class 317British Rail Class 317
The British Rail Class 317 alternating current electric multiple units were built by BREL York in two batches, from 1981-82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 bodyshell, departing from the "PEP"-aluminium design which had...
electrical multiple units. The class 127 units should have been withdrawn by 1982, however, problems with the new trains meant they had to struggle on in service until early July 1983. From early 1983, they had commenced operations on the Barking to Gospel Oak line at first running in three-car then finally two-car formations from November 1983 with just the two power cars. The units lasted in service on this line until eventually being withdrawn in March 1984. The units were then stored at Carlisle depot pending reuse, preservation or scrapping. Subsequently, many trailer vehicles saw further use in combination with Class 116
British Rail Class 116
The British Rail Class 116 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1957 to 1961.-Regular use:These units stayed in regular service until 1990, when they began to be withdrawn from traffic. They were replaced on regional services by the new "Sprinter" derivative units, or by Class 323...
units, based at Tyseley
Tyseley
Tyseley is a district in the southern half of the city of Birmingham, England, near the Coventry Road and the districts of Small Heath and Yardley...
depot in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. These lasted until October 1993.
Rebuilding
In 1985, 22 redundant power cars, including the first built, no. 51591, were rebuilt to form 11 two-car parcels units. Vehicles were renumbered 55966-987, and formed into sets CH910 to CH920. Units were fitted with roller shutterRoller shutter
A roller shutter, roller door or sectional overhead door is a type of door or window shutter consisting of many horizontal slats hinged together. The door is raised to open it and lowered to close it. On large doors, the action may be motorized. It provides protection against wind and rain...
doors, and were based at Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
depot. The units lasted in service until 1989, when they were withdrawn.
Preservation
Three units have been preserved on heritage railwayHeritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
s, although only one of these contains a trailer vehicle.
| Vehicles Numbers | Livery | Location | Comments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51591 | 59609 | 51625 | BR Green | Midland Railway - Butterley Midland Railway - Butterley The Midland Railway – Butterley is a heritage railway, formerly known until 2004 as the Midland Railway Centre, at Butterley, near Ripley in Derbyshire.-Overview:... |
Previously parcels unit 55966+55976. |
| 51592 | 59719 | 51604 | BR Green | South Devon Railway South Devon Railway Trust The South Devon Railway Trust is a charitable organisation that operates a heritage railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh in Devon, alongside the River Dart... |
59719 is a Class 115 British Rail Class 115 The British Rail Class 115 diesel multiple units were 41 high density sets which operated the outer-suburban services from Marylebone usually to destinations such as High Wycombe, Aylesbury and Banbury which are on the Chiltern Main Line and Great Central Main Line... vehicle. |
| 51610 | - | - | BR Green | Midland Railway - Butterley Midland Railway - Butterley The Midland Railway – Butterley is a heritage railway, formerly known until 2004 as the Midland Railway Centre, at Butterley, near Ripley in Derbyshire.-Overview:... |
Previously parcels unit 55967. |
| 51616 | 59276 | 51622 | BR Green | Great Central Railway | 59276 is a Class 120 British Rail Class 120 The Class 120, were a cross-country DMU in three-car formation, built at the British Rail Swindon Works.Totalling 194 cars, three batches were built:*1958 - 49 sets for the Western Region*1959 - 7 sets for the Scottish Region... vehicle. |
| 51618 | - | 56456 | BR Green | Llangollen Railway Llangollen Railway The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of... |
56456 is a Class 105 British Rail Class 105 The British Rail Class 105 diesel multiple units were built by Cravens Ltd. of Sheffield from 1956 to 1959. The class were built with a side profile identical to British Railways Mark 1 carriage stock, using the same doors and windows. None were selected for refurbishment... vehicle. |
| - | 59603 | - | BR Blue/Grey | Chasewater Railway Chasewater Railway The Chasewater Railway is a former colliery railway running round the shores of Chasewater in Staffordshire, England. It is now operated as a heritage railway.The line is approximately two miles in length, contained entirely within Chasewater Country Park... |
- |