While at Aintree station Merseyside during Grand National Day 1975 , myself and a friend came across a DMU which looked particularly well turned out and freshly painted. It was stationary with the motor off so we went for a closer look. My friend who was far more knowledgeable than I, thought it might be brand new stock but on closer inspection discerned that it looked far younger than its years but had been well maintained and seen little hard work. A lady equally as well turned out as the DMU appeared at the door smoking a Sobranie cocktail cigarette and invited us inside. One side was well equipped for serving drinks and food and the other was a comfortable lounge with a large projector television on which the race would be shown. It seemed to have been hired for the day by a consortium of rich people who wanted to be near to the race but miss the crush and crowds. We were treated to a glass two of champagne and a few beers and left feeling at peace with the world. Has anyone else any recollection of that DMU or anything similar? I wonder what it cost to hire and where it is now? It would be a shame if age alone brought it to a breaker's yard.
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edwin_m
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I remember seeing the first refurbished DMU on display in Leeds about that time. My father and I initially thought it was a new train but also realised on closer inspection it wasn't. It was the first unit to have the white livery with blue stripe, which ought to help establish if it was the same one. I also encountered a DMU looking a bit worse for wear but with the orange Intercity first class seats in Scotland in 1981. I think it was the same one but blue-grey by then.
Harpers Tate
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I wonder if it was this:
Class 109 ER General Manager's special train 975005 / 975006 (ex 50416 / 56171 )
Class 109 ER General Manager's special train 975005 / 975006 (ex 50416 / 56171 )
frodshamfella
Established Member
Wasn't these types of DMUs operating from Aylesbury a few years ago on a peak hour shuttle to High Wycombe. I would have loved to have gone on it.
WesternLancer
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A lady equally as well turned out as the DMU appeared at the door smoking a Sobranie cocktail cigarette and invited us inside. One side was well equipped for serving drinks and food and the other was a comfortable lounge with a large projector television on which the race would be shown. We were treated to a glass two of champagne and a few beers and left feeling at peace with the world
These sorts of visions are known to happen to enthusiasts after a week or so of constant, 24 hour, moves on an All Line Rover...only real cure is probably to book 2 nights in a sleeper berth.
Sorry, no, it was a "Bubble car" class 121(?) single car originally built for WR.
frodshamfella
Established Member
ahh ok....well id have still liked a ride on it, shame I missed that.
So did I - I have family nearby, but our visits coincided with New Year when it tended not to run
Rode them in the olden days (70s) though...
frodshamfella
Established Member
So did I - I have family nearby, but our visits coincided with New Year when it tended not to run
Is there something similar on the Llangollen railway, I have been on a DMU there where you have a great view past the driver, and very comfy sprung seats ( 1st)
Ash Bridge
Established Member
@Harpers Tate appears to be right on the nail above. Check out the website below for class 109 and look at the Non Passenger Use Section, I think you'll find the explanation there.
@frodshamfella the very same unit fortunately found its way into preservation, shot below is at the East Lancs DMU Gala 3 years ago.
@frodshamfella the very same unit fortunately found its way into preservation, shot below is at the East Lancs DMU Gala 3 years ago.
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WesternLancer
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Nice to see it in a preserved state
Also on this link are some god interior pics from the time as a special saloon - which may ring some bells with the OP - no champers on the trips pictured tho!
Class 109 DMU Images
The history of Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs / railcars) in Britain.
www.railcar.co.uk
This set was saved by the Chasewater Railway, but became dilapidated and in a perilous state by the mid 1990s, its asbestos contamination making it an expensive set to save.
However the Llangollen Railcar Group bought the set and in a ten year project assisted by the Heritage Lottery Fund, returned it to original condition, to excellent standards. The Class 109 set has become a flagship for DMU preservation in general, and currently lives at the Llangollen Railway in Wales.
So I assume this means that the GM saloon interior is no longer in the set as the restoration returned it to passenger standards inside?
EDIT - I just found the pics of the restoration inc the restored interior here - absolutely superb standards! Wonderful to see and quite a job - well done to all involved in that work and the Nat Lottery funds used:
56171
preserved.railcar.co.uk
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The Eastern Region GM's "saloon" was commissioned by Gerry Fiennes, converted from a redundant Wickham 2-car dmu, in one of his periods there, and he writes about it in his books as being useful commercially to bring key freight customers or politicians around the system. Ian Allan (the man) got to experience it, and described how much more efficient it was to have such a go-anywhere self-contained unit than what he encountered after it was disposed of, a single saloon carriage hauled by a Class 47. When not required for VIP duties it was used as a route learner, or by the civils as an inspection unit. Mechanically it was a standard Blue Square unit, one of just five sets built with Wickham bodies. When they became surplus in the mid 1960s the others were sold to a Caribbean railway.
It wasn't the only internal user rail vehicle to have stylish catering included - the old GWR dynamometer car apparently had a kitchen which could produce the equivalent of what Pullman did.
It wasn't the only internal user rail vehicle to have stylish catering included - the old GWR dynamometer car apparently had a kitchen which could produce the equivalent of what Pullman did.
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Ash Bridge
Established Member
Yes totally restored to as near as possible original condition, and a wonderful job they made of it too! I have some interior shots from when my good friend @Cowley & myself rode on it back in 2018 but I'd better not post them just now for fear of cluttering up the thread!
Merle Haggard
Established Member
When these Wickham units were in service (around Cambridge) I thought that they were much more refined than the other dmu there. The set chosen for the General Manager's conversion was I think, withdrawn from passenger service before the others, so possibly Mr Fiennes, or his advisor, had a high opinion of them, too, and the withdrawal was for conversion, rather than as surplus.
All but one (I think) of the others were sold for further use, and again the reason might have been that they were more attractive to a prospective buyer than some of the other designs.
In the old days, officers' specials had a plentiful supply of alcohol - one of my CO colleagues was the regular steward on these jollies, he knew how to act the part. Eltham Well Hall put a stop to all that.
All but one (I think) of the others were sold for further use, and again the reason might have been that they were more attractive to a prospective buyer than some of the other designs.
In the old days, officers' specials had a plentiful supply of alcohol - one of my CO colleagues was the regular steward on these jollies, he knew how to act the part. Eltham Well Hall put a stop to all that.
WesternLancer
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Thanks - yes saw the pics on the restored site as per link - absolutely superb work. A shame to loose the unusual interior of the GM's saloon, but of course wonderful to see it restored to original condition as an alternative.
The remaining units were actually sold back to their manufacturer, Wickham. Probably best know in the UK for their lightweight engineering rail trolleys, they had a substantial export business for various equipment, particularly to onetime colonial railways, and their established customer in Trinidad wanted a couple of dmus. What better to supply than ones they had built themselves, and possibly even had the spares for, which BR were looking to dispose of?
Clarence Yard
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There were 5 units, 2 were sold back for export to Trinidad very early on, 1 became the GM’s saloon and the other 2 were withdrawn in 1971.
WesternLancer
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Railcar site has images of 1 or 2 in the UK scrap line, presumably those two.
Looks very much like the one I was on. Especially the red paint. I do recall now that someone on board told us that it was a General Manager's train. Thanks for posting the pic.
'A lady equally as well turned out as the DMU appeared at the door smoking a Sobranie cocktail cigarette and invited us inside. One side was well equipped for serving drinks and food and the other was a comfortable lounge with a large projector television on which the race would be shown. We were treated to a glass two of champagne and a few beers and left feeling at peace with the world
These sorts of visions are known to happen to enthusiasts after a week or so of constant, 24 hour, moves on an All Line Rover...only real cure is probably to book 2 nights in a sleeper berth.
Yes indeed haha! On the day in question we had proceeded to Aintree railway station as part of a detachment of British Transport police officers detailed to take care of the throngs of Grand National fans arriving by rail. Once things had quietened down the others went over to the race course on the pretence of helping Merseyside Police with the crowds though in reality going to get a free seat at the Grand National. Because we were two of the youngest officers on duty we were ordered to stay and look after the now empty rail station. We had to listen to their jeers as they marched off. However finding the special train considerably brightened our day up. Before anyone who was only born in the last forty years or so questions police officers drinking on duty let me tell you that the television programme Life on Mars was as real as it got.
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WesternLancer
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An excellent story! Thanks for posting and starting the thread as some interesting info has come to light. I'll certainly look out to see this DMU in preservation having learned about it here.Looks very much like the one I was on. Especially the red paint. I do recall now that someone on board told us that it was a General Manager's train. Thanks for posting the pic.
'A lady equally as well turned out as the DMU appeared at the door smoking a Sobranie cocktail cigarette and invited us inside. One side was well equipped for serving drinks and food and the other was a comfortable lounge with a large projector television on which the race would be shown. We were treated to a glass two of champagne and a few beers and left feeling at peace with the world
These sorts of visions are known to happen to enthusiasts after a week or so of constant, 24 hour, moves on an All Line Rover...only real cure is probably to book 2 nights in a sleeper berth.
Yes indeed haha! On the day in question we had proceeded to Aintree railway station as part of a detachment of British Transport police officers detailed to take care of the throngs of Grand National fans arriving by rail. Once things had quietened down the others went over to the race course on the pretence of helping Merseyside Police with the crowds though in reality going to get a free seat at the Grand National. Because we were two of the youngest officers on duty we were ordered to stay and look after the now empty rail station. We had to listen to their jeers as they marched off. However finding the special train considerably brightened our day up. Before anyone who was only born in the last forty years or so questions police officers drinking on duty let me tell you that the television programme Life on Mars was as real as it got.
Ah yes, the Wickham.
Ten years of our lives went into that, so thanks for the nice comments. It's actually now been in preservation service for 14 or so years!
Better interior pictures
Ten years of our lives went into that, so thanks for the nice comments. It's actually now been in preservation service for 14 or so years!
Better interior pictures
Llangollen Railcars - 56171
llangollenrailcars.co.uk
Llangollen Railcars - 50416
llangollenrailcars.co.uk
WesternLancer
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10 years work to be very proud of I'd say!
I second that!
Ash Bridge
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An absolute credit to all involved in its restoration, our trip onboard the 109 at the ELR dmu gala 3 years ago remains one of the most memorable moments for me...just wish we could have sampled the 1st class too but everyone made a beeline on every trip for those seats!
Thank you. Great to see that it is still around after forty five years (and me too though sadly not my buddy RIP Barry Turner 1955-2010). Really interesting to read all these posts too.
KevinTurvey
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Bill
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That's a really great shot. Thank you for sharing!Bill
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