TRIVIA: Southern Region services worked by DMMUs

randyrippley · 5 Jan 2020

Taunton said:
Not a 119 type, but you can see in two of the photos that one end of the unit has the curved-top 4-character indicator box, from the BRCW 118 build, and the other end has the straight top, from the Pressed Steel units. Presumably there were spares of only one type.

Goodness, I'm becoming a rivet counter! But remember being told this difference more than 50 years ago.

Looks to me like the Southport coach is in blue/grey while the other two are NSE, hard to be sure though. Makes me think it was a drafted in spare.

RailUK Forums

Andy R. A. · 5 Jan 2020

randyrippley said:
Looks to me like the Southport coach is in blue/grey while the other two are NSE, hard to be sure though. Makes me think it was a drafted in spare.

No, the whole formation was in Network South East colours, of that I am certain even after all these years. We did have one or two Thumpers with the odd mix and match colours though, this was 205009.

30907 · 7 Jan 2020

Sprinter107 said:
I've seen pictures in a book of class 117 dmus in the 1960s operating local trains from Basingstoke towards Woking. Not sure how or why this happened, but I've seen more than one picture, so obviously not a one off. Only seen 117s though, no other class.

Belayedly dug out a 1965-66 WTT: most offpeak Waterloo-Basingstoke/Salisbury services offpeak had been replaced by Reading-based DMMUs Woking-Basingstoke, which also covered a couple of Reading-Basingstokes.
Ironically there were Waterloo-Basingstoke parcels trains in a couple of the paths, so it may have been about saving coaches (the REP/TC conversions were underway) more than eliminating steam! WR London Div had begun to shed routes by then, so may have had units to spare...

Carlisle wrote

The Watercress, Fawley & Swanage lines will have been DEMU operated during the final years BR ran passanger trains on them

There were also DEMU workings between Soton and Poole by 1965 (earlier on Sundays), Lymington also went DEMU briefly. However the Watercress was DEMU from 1957.

Snow1964 · 11 Feb 2020

30907 said:
Belayedly dug out a 1965-66 WTT: most offpeak Waterloo-Basingstoke/Salisbury services offpeak had been replaced by Reading-based DMMUs Woking-Basingstoke, which also covered a couple of Reading-Basingstokes.
Ironically there were Waterloo-Basingstoke parcels trains in a couple of the paths, so it may have been about saving coaches (the REP/TC conversions were underway) more than eliminating steam! WR London Div had begun to shed routes by then, so may have had units to spare...

Carlisle wrote
There were also DEMU workings between Soton and Poole by 1965 (earlier on Sundays), Lymington also went DEMU briefly. However the Watercress was DEMU from 1957.

The Hampshire DEMUs also worked the Andover-Romsey line until it closed in 1960s and the Romsey-Eastleigh line until it closed (service withdrawn, line still exists) in 1969

I am sure I have seen a photo with one at Southampton Terminus, but no idea what service it was on (presumably sometime between 1957 and 1966)

delt1c · 12 Feb 2020

Wasn’t there a Brighton to Cardiff worked by 123’s

LAX54 · 13 Feb 2020

The SO Brighton to Exeter, went over to 'Thumpers' after the hauled stock with 2 x 33's were taken off the run.

randyrippley · 13 Feb 2020

delt1c said:
Wasn’t there a Brighton to Cardiff worked by 123’s

They ran as far as Portsmouth.
This site https://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-123/operations gives an overview of 123 operations and doesn't mention Brighton, though that doesn't mean they didn't

30907 · 13 Feb 2020

randyrippley said:
They ran as far as Portsmouth.
This site https://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-123/operations gives an overview of 123 operations and doesn't mention Brighton, though that doesn't mean they didn't

I am fairly sure the Cardiff-Portsmouth/Brighton was withdrawn (at least the Brighton part) some years before the Plymouth, and that would fit with the diagrams you linked to.

davetheguard · 15 Feb 2020

Sprinter107 said:
Excellent pics. Never knew dmus operated along there. How strange that a Reading set has northern area destinations on its blind. Thanks for posting those.

I think this must have been a temporary one off that was quickly changed. I don't remember it myself.

Some of the destination blinds on these Reading based sets had clearly been in use for a long time when I worked on them in the 70's & 80's; for instance on many of them "Bedwyn" was not on the blind, if you were working a train to Bedwyn, you had to choose between displaying "Hungerford" (although no trains actually terminated there) or "Savernake Low Level" (which was long closed).

Journeyman · 18 Feb 2020

Sprinter107 said:
I've seen pictures in a book of class 117 dmus in the 1960s operating local trains from Basingstoke towards Woking. Not sure how or why this happened, but I've seen more than one picture, so obviously not a one off. Only seen 117s though, no other class.

It was immediately before electrification, while the Southern was trying hard to limit steam working as much as possible. They borrowed a few units for Basingstoke locals.

Journeyman · 18 Feb 2020

yorksrob said:
It's nice to know the thumper carriages were put to good use afterwards!

Four of the former EPB driving trailers were re-used as well, as centre vehicles in the last few remaining two-car Hampshire Thumpers.

TRIVIA: Southern Region services worked by DMMUs

randyrippley

Established Member

RailUK Forums

Andy R. A.

Member

30907

Veteran Member

Snow1964

Established Member

delt1c

Established Member

LAX54

Established Member

randyrippley

Established Member

30907

Veteran Member

davetheguard

Established Member

Journeyman

Established Member

Journeyman

Established Member