Bubble cars - Class 121 / 122

[daodao]

Class 121 railcars were extensively used on the Coryton branch in 1985/6, before the service was revised and Sprinters introduced in 1987. I have a particular memory of travelling from Whitchurch to Cardiff and back on one on a very snowy day in January 1985 (when the roads were treacherous) to purchase an electric fan heater for my new flat.

There is a photograph of one at Rhiwbina halt in 1985 at https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/class-121/all/14

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Class 121 railcars were extensively used on the Coryton branch in 1985/6, before the service was revised and Sprinters introduced in 1987. I have a particular memory of travelling from Whitchurch to Cardiff and back on one on a very snowy day in January 1985 (when the roads were treacherous) to purchase an electric fan heater for my new flat.

There is a photograph of one at Rhiwbina halt in 1985 at https://www.railcar.co.uk/images/class-121/all/14

Nice photos

 

[delt1c]

Some 122's had seats removed and door alterations to convert them to single car Parcels cars reclasified as 131 , i remember many journeys in Scotland where they were atatched to normal services

 

[Taunton]

Must have been late 1970s, travelling Inverness to Edinburgh, one afternoon, changing at Stirling, we actually met in the main train some visiting Americans who we knew, and introduced them to various railway aspects they did not understand. At Stirling, the connection was a 3-car Met-Cam in the Up bay, MBS leading, which I whizzed then across to and sat them in the front seats for the view. How enterprising of me, and how those joining in the minutes afterwards who came in to the front saloon, and then out again, were envious.

About 5 minutes before departure one of the Bubbles-now-Parcels crept out of a siding ahead, came across the crossovers into our bay, and buffered up right in front of our noses. And then led, all the way to Edinburgh ...

 

[Beebman]

In a similar vein regarding forward views, when I was a fairly frequent traveller on Reading-Paddington stoppers in the late 70s and 80s I would of course try to get a front seat as much as possible. However on more than one occasion there was a Class 121 leading the formation with brake end at the front so no forward view. I always remember the Branch Line Society's 'Cotswold Lion' DMU railtour in June 1985 which took a 4-car 117+121 (55028) formation to Long Marston, Hereford Goods and Glascoed. The bubble car had the brake at the outer end so a forward view was only possible on the tour from one end of the 117.

Here's a link to a photo I've found of the tour leaving Long Marston. 55028 is at the far end but it should be easy to spot from the exhaust plumes which way round it is!

http://www.hondawanderer.com/images/L420_55028_Long_Marston_1985.jpg

 

[Wyrleybart]

Nothing to do with differences between classes but I hope you fill forgive this here. I well remember when I was little waiting at a crossing near Criccieth for a train to pass... that happened to be a single 'bubble car' unit towing a solitary four wheel freight van. It never crossed my mind to take a picture, I just gawped - one of life's big regrets!

You will be thinking of the diesel parcels units.

When Barmouth bridge was closed to locos DPUs were drafted in to act as surrogate locos At that time Shrewsbury crews signed DPUs and worked a weekdays service to Newtown with Kay & co parcels traffic, after which the unit returned empty. Plans were made for the unit to instead run empty to Machynlleth and pick up up route conductors for the Coast line.

The initial job was to recover all the vacuum braked wagons marooned north of Barmouth bridge and ship them in batches of seven to Machynlleth yard where they could be moved conventionally. Most of the vehicles were gunpowder vans and vanfits used from Penrhyndeudraeth in explosives traffic, the latter as barrier vans. The DPU movements also gathered up any vacuum braked coal wagons from the coast.

After the wagons had all been recovered the DPUs were occasionally used for shipping wagons to Barmouth with timber for repairing the bridge. I worked at Machynlleth at the time and as a favour to my chargeman I went down and coupled the DPU to a vacuum braked bogie bolster loaded with a huge timer baulk for a movement to Barmouth.

Sometime later DPUs were used with pairs of Dogfish (ZFV) ballast hoppers to perform ballast drops north of the bridge, but this extended to Abersytwyth too because I recall a photo of a DPU and Dogfish dropping stone at Bow Street on the Aberystwyth line.

 

[clagmonster]

The unit you had at the Worth Valley would have been one of the prototype W&M West German diesel railbuses. There is some information on the unit on the link below:

Waggon & Maschinenbau Diesel Railbus No. M79964

A popular vehicle on early morning services, M79964 give passengers a different view of the line.

kwvr.co.uk

I do like those older DMUs, also the Class 110. (Not sure which class it was, but I travelled on a single car DMU on the KWVR a couple of years ago, the doors were in the middle, I think it spent it's working life in East Anglia, I also enjoyed a single unit DMU about the same time on the Weardale Railway, which is a good line too. (I think it, the line, is in the process of being bought by a new operator?)

 

[clagmonster]

You will be thinking of the diesel parcels units.

When Barmouth bridge was closed to locos DPUs were drafted in to act as surrogate locos At that time Shrewsbury crews signed DPUs and worked a weekdays service to Newtown with Kay & co parcels traffic, after which the unit returned empty. Plans were made for the unit to instead run empty to Machynlleth and pick up up route conductors for the Coast line.

The initial job was to recover all the vacuum braked wagons marooned north of Barmouth bridge and ship them in batches of seven to Machynlleth yard where they could be moved conventionally. Most of the vehicles were gunpowder vans and vanfits used from Penrhyndeudraeth in explosives traffic, the latter as barrier vans. The DPU movements also gathered up any vacuum braked coal wagons from the coast.

After the wagons had all been recovered the DPUs were occasionally used for shipping wagons to Barmouth with timber for repairing the bridge. I worked at Machynlleth at the time and as a favour to my chargeman I went down and coupled the DPU to a vacuum braked bogie bolster loaded with a huge timer baulk for a movement to Barmouth.

Sometime later DPUs were used with pairs of Dogfish (ZFV) ballast hoppers to perform ballast drops north of the bridge, but this extended to Abersytwyth too because I recall a photo of a DPU and Dogfish dropping stone at Bow Street on the Aberystwyth line.

Most interesting. What happened to the gunpowder and coal traffic - did it simply cease to run or were there any subsuequent revenue earning runs with the DPUs?

 

[Wyrleybart]

Most interesting. What happened to the gunpowder and coal traffic - did it simply cease to run or were there any subsuequent revenue earning runs with the DPUs?

Domestic coal traffic ceased, as did occasional movements of slag and nuts to the farming industry, but they were both in vacuum braked vehicles, which were obsolete anyway
The explosives traffic was serviced from a loading platform at Maentwrog Road a couple of miles south of Blaenau Festiniog on the line to Trawsfynydd. Traffic was roaded from Penrhyn' to Maentwrog.

 

[randyrippley]

As I've mentioned before, bubble cars were used to haul single vans containng milk churns on the Bridport line

 

[Cowley]

As I've mentioned before, bubble cars were used to haul single vans containng milk churns on the Bridport line

I was chatting with a friend earlier today about Bubble Cars on the Bridport branch. I’d love to see a picture of one hauling a van on it.

 

[Rick1984]

One curiousity. As far as I know the trailers were built with a gangway connection on the non-driving end.
Would anyone know why?

 

[randyrippley]

One curiousity. As far as I know the trailers were built with a gangway connection on the non-driving end.
Would anyone know why?

Presumably interchangability with other types and maybe standardisation?
For instance did the 122 trailers use the same body and underframe as the 117 DMS?

 

[xotGD]

Slough - Windsor services would sometimes drop a bubble car + 101 trailer combo in place of the usual 2-car 101. I always sat in the bubble!

 

[Rick1984]

So

Presumably interchangability with other types and maybe standardisation?
For instance did the 122 trailers use the same body and underframe as the 117 DMS?

So basically you can substitute it in for another units driving trailer

 

[davetheguard]

So

So basically you can substitute it in for another units driving trailer

Well yes, exactly that; although to be pedantic, class 117's didn't have driving trailers - both driving cars were powered, the trailer (i.e. unpowered car) car was in the middle.