WR Class 117 DMU's - unusual workings

[Czesziafan]

Living between Slough and Maidenhead at the time, I more or less grew up with the 117's as they led their unglamorous existence working between Paddington, Reading, Oxford, and Newbury. My favourite memories of them are of my late father's ingenious but invariably fruitless efforts to silence the rattling windows with bits of torn newspaper and chewing gum!

But occasionally the 117's were pressed into service on less dull workings, particularly some ADEX specials in the seventies. I remember going from Slough to Weymouth in '73, and from Maidenhead to Ramsgate in'75 on 117's. Does anyone have any memories or stories of these units on other off-beat workings? It would be interesting to see.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I have a picture of one of them at Kensington Olympia on the shuttle service and other pictures of some at Woking when there were diversions operating.

 

[big all]

I have a picture of one of them at Kensington Olympia on the shuttle service and other pictures of some at Woking when there were diversions operating.

one off our jobs at redhill in the late 80s pick the unit up at selhurst then if required 3 or 4 trips on the kenny bell and leave it in clapham or trips to blackfriars for route learning for the thames link in later years
and yes on occasions gatwick to reading would be guildford and woking that we signed then via westbyfleet to virgina water with pilot over that amazing suspended bridge over the m 25
http://www.semgonline.com/structures/struct_84.html
then as we already signed the route via stains for the vans from clapham to didcot no conductor needed.
appollogies if my post is difficult to read as grammer punctuation and general composition do not come naturally to me .

 

[Czesziafan]

That would certainly explain how they managed to be rostered for workings over the SR around London.

Somewhere I have a photo of a 12 car set on the West London Line and if I can find it I will post it.

 

[big all]

That would certainly explain how they managed to be rostered for workings over the SR around London.

Somewhere I have a photo of a 12 car set on the West London Line and if I can find it I will post it.

anything over a 3 car and in general interegional usually pre 1980 where fully other regions with pilots as redhill did not go dmmu till 1979/80 onwards with no work outside tonbridge reading apart from selhurst refueling and london bridge on paper trains at perhaps 2am covering for paper trains diverted from victoria to brighton until later around 86/7 with the kenny bell

 

[Taunton]

October 1988 there was a music concert by Jean Michel Jarre in London Docklands. The Stratford-North Woolwich branch was worked then by a few 2-EPB 3rd rail units, which were overwhelmed, there was no DLR then, and thus I saw a 3-car 117, in NSE livery, unloading at Custom House station. Surely the only time one appeared there. I presume it was running a shuttle from Stratford. Must have been driven over from Old Oak.

 

[Gwenllian2001]

They certainly reached Barry Island on Adds workings several times in the Seventies.

 

[Czesziafan]

They certainly reached Barry Island on Adds workings several times in the Seventies.

Really. I never knew that. Assuming they came from the WR London Division that is quite a journey without catering. and I imagine the journey through the Severn Tunnel would have been interesting for the passengers to say the least, especially with all those open droplights and the diesel fumes pouring in.

 

[eastwestdivide]

A single 3-car unit on a Reading-Gillingham (Kent) football special, around 1982/3.
Occasionally pressed into service as a makeshift Reading-Birmingham relief, if a northbound cross-country service off the SR had failed or was very late indeed.

 

[Taunton]

Really. I never knew that. Assuming they came from the WR London Division that is quite a journey without catering. and I imagine the journey through the Severn Tunnel would have been interesting for the passengers to say the least, especially with all those open droplights and the diesel fumes pouring in.

There were a few 117s allocated to Bristol (a classic source of Barry Island traffic, unlike London) at the time, along with some Birmingham RCW 118 sets built to the same diagrams which needed a dmu number geek to distinguish the two. And Bristol also seemed to dispatch dmus completely at random, so suburban sets without corridor would regularly set off for Cardiff or (especially) Weymouth, while a cross-country set was doing Severn Beach.

 

[delt1c]

There were a few 117s allocated to Bristol (a classic source of Barry Island traffic, unlike London) at the time, along with some Birmingham RCW 118 sets built to the same diagrams which needed a dmu number geek to distinguish the two. And Bristol also seemed to dispatch dmus completely at random, so suburban sets without corridor would regularly set off for Cardiff or (especially) Weymouth, while a cross-country set was doing Severn Beach.

there were 2 subtle differences to differentiate the 117 and 118, shape of the head code box and the buffers

 

[Sprinter107]

The interior bulkhead windows separating the compartments had square corners on a 117 but rounded off, as per the body side windows on a 118.

 

[dgl]

October 1988 there was a music concert by Jean Michel Jarre in London Docklands. The Stratford-North Woolwich branch was worked then by a few 2-EPB 3rd rail units, which were overwhelmed, there was no DLR then, and thus I saw a 3-car 117, in NSE livery, unloading at Custom House station. Surely the only time one appeared there. I presume it was running a shuttle from Stratford. Must have been driven over from Old Oak.

Destination Docklands, rained heavily from what I've heard and the videos I've seen (plus supposedly the bloke who was Elka's representative in the UK and got Jarre to buy a Synthex lent him one for the concert and it came back full of water!), the stage was a massive barge that was supposed to move up and down the Thames but weather conditions stopped that.
Would have been one concert but ended up having 2 shows because the local council would not give authority for 1 big show due to safety reasons (yet his concerts at the palace de la concord, Huston and Lyon all went fine).

 

[Czesziafan]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I seem to remember in the mid to late 70's a 117 worked an afternoon service from Paddington to Basingstoke(!) and another from Paddington to Birmingham Moor Street.

 

[randyrippley]

There were a few 117s allocated to Bristol (a classic source of Barry Island traffic, unlike London) at the time, along with some Birmingham RCW 118 sets built to the same diagrams which needed a dmu number geek to distinguish the two. And Bristol also seemed to dispatch dmus completely at random, so suburban sets without corridor would regularly set off for Cardiff or (especially) Weymouth, while a cross-country set was doing Severn Beach.

Any chance this was simply because they wanted to maximise the available seating on busier routes?

 

[Grumpy]

In the early 1970's the London Division of the Western Region ran a regular programme of excursions from the principal stations (i.e. Oxford to Ealing Broadway, and sometimes Acton Main Line). These were usually with the suburban DMU'S.Excursions ran on Sundays and reached most of the popular seaside resorts within a reasonable day trip distance. These were not just on the WR but also onto the SR and ER. As a slight variation on this they ran some "Holiday Preview " excursions in the early spring, usually on Saturdays to many of the same destinations, the idea being that people could spend a day having a look around resorts before deciding whether to book their summer holidays. There may have been some joint marketing with local tourist boards but I cant remember.
At times of heavy demand the Suburban DMU's were also used to provide relief trains between Paddington and Cardiff.
With regard to the Paddington-Basingstoke train referred to above, I don't recall that (probably my poor memory), but in the early 70's whilst most of the Reading-Basingstoke locals were worked by Southern DEMU's, there was an afternoon working by a Western DMU (I remember this because I once caught it in error, expecting it to take me to Newbury).
Around this time there was a daily working to Birmingham. I think the unit did a Paddington-Banbury late afternoon working which was probably fast to Reading then all stations. After sitting at Banbury the LM used it to do an all stations to Birmingham then it worked back to Reading.
One day in the late 80's I walked into Blackfriars and was amazed to see one parked up in one of the platforms. I often wondered what it was doing there and thanks to Big Al's post above I now know

 

[Czesziafan]

Looking at the summer 1975 working timetable I have found the following 117 workings:
2B40 15.33 Paddington- Moreton-in-Marsh
2M60 16.58 Reading - Birmingham New Street. Shown as leaving from No7 Bay.

 

[big all]

i remember pre eastgrins

Looking at the summer 1975 working timetable I have found the following 117 workings:
2B40 15.33 Paddington- Moreton-in-Marsh
2M60 16.58 Reading - Birmingham New Street. Shown as leaving from No7 Bay.

i remember pre eastgrinstead electrification so pre 87 we had a first part thumper job arrive redhill around 11 15 ecs to st leonards
then pass to reading on the 1233 stopper we then worked a i assume 117 from reading to the depot around perhaps 1400 but it was always a {T} prefix so assume tyseley so suspect that could be the later unit
it was detached from a paddington to perhaps oxford i think but cant be sure??
actually thinking off it it was more likely to be about 2 hrs earlier as in 9 15 at redhill and around midday at reading

 

[nw1]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I seem to remember in the mid to late 70's a 117 worked an afternoon service from Paddington to Basingstoke(!) and another from Paddington to Birmingham Moor Street.

The former was a regular service as late as 1984. There was a Paddington to Reading "stopper" which then continued as a Reading to Basingstoke as the same working. I think at the time, the "normal" Reading to Basingstoke shuttle was an hourly 205 DEMU (actually only a shuttle in alternate hours, the other hour extended through to Portsmouth), and it was obviously desirable to have an additional Basingstoke service in the evening peak, but there were no Southern DEMUs available so the additional was a 117 working through from Paddington. ISTR it was either 1725 or 1752 from Reading.


Going OT but very much related, the 1986/87 timetable had an 1140 Reading to Birmingham New Street service run by a Tyseley 116 DMU, calling only at the principal XC stations. This was to plug a gap as there was no 47-hauled XC service that hour, and wasn't in the original published 86/87 timetable; it seemed to be added as an afterthought. Presumably there was a southbound working as well. Presumably also it could be run at low cost as I would imagine that it was a unit used for Birmingham peak additional workings which would otherwise be idling in the sidings - these sorts of esoteric but efficient and interesting workings were very much a feature of BR days and sadly lacking in the current network.

 

[Czesziafan]

I think the Padd - Birmingham Moor St was in the mid to late 70's and I seem to remember it departed shortly after the 16.05 (15.50 from May 77) express to New Street, which anyone with a grain of sense wishing to travel beyond Oxford would have caught.

 

[AJM580]

Back in 1983, I saw set B436 arrive at Norwich (30 Jul 1983) on a Nuneaton - Norwich relief. There used to be a lot of odd units arrive during those early 80s summers but from what I recall they were usually Tyseley 116s or occasionally Etches Park 120s. Later on the 117s became more common in East Anglia when alllocated to Tyseley, as I had one up the Sheringham branch in 1993

 

[Cowley]

Back in 1983, I saw set B436 arrive at Norwich (30 Jul 1983) on a Nuneaton - Norwich relief. There used to be a lot of odd units arrive during those early 80s summers but from what I recall they were usually Tyseley 116s or occasionally Etches Park 120s. Later on the 117s became more common in East Anglia when alllocated to Tyseley, as I had one up the Sheringham branch in 1993

A Bristol unit in Norwich? That’s very impressive.
I would never have imagined one them making it over to your neck of the woods.

 

[AJM580]

I have to admit I was pretty surprised when it showed up. It was a bit like seeing the original WR named 47s in East Anglia - they certainly stood out

 

[Cowley]

I have to admit I was pretty surprised when it showed up. It was a bit like seeing the original WR named 47s in East Anglia - they certainly stood out

Or a classic Stratford embellished 47 rolling unannounced into St David’s on a hot summer Saturday, mmm...

 

[Sprinter107]

At that time both Reading and Bristol 117s worked into New Street on trains from Worcester, both via Stourbridge and Bromsgrove. So I imagine Tyseley borrowed it and sent it across to Norwich. From about 1986, the Bristol 117s were transferred away, most if not all to Tyseley. Tyseley also had some of the similar 118s around the same time.

 

[AJM580]

Or a classic Stratford embellished 47 rolling unannounced into St David’s on a hot summer Saturday, mmm...

Or a split-box March allocated 37

 

[Taunton]

Pressed Steel units were about the only WR dmus not seen at Taunton when dieselisation was completed in the mid-1960s. It formed a boundary between Bristol and Plymouth dmus, and for some reason the Minehead line was run with Bristol sets and the Barnstaple line with Plymouth sets, although both were worked from Taunton, and both changed over to Hymek hauled services on Summer Saturdays. Bristol sent a mix of Derby Suburban 116s, Gloucester Cross-Country 119s, and Swindon Cross-Country 120s, which through-routed from the Bristol line local services, avoiding (or reducing) the need to shunt trains across at the west end of the station. The random use of non-corridor suburban units to Minehead prevented any attempt to run the line with conductor guards, and the stations remained staffed.

Meanwhile when Barnstaple dieselised Plymouth sent up 2-car sets, with the centre trailers removed, generally for the three diagrams one Birmingham RCW Suburban 118, one older Swindon 120, and one of the last batch of 120s with the 4-character headcode. Again, because of that one non-corridor set, turning the intermediate stations into unstaffed halts was deemed impossible, and staff outnumbered passengers at each calling point (sometimes at places like Venn Cross outnumbering even the total passengers for the day).

 

[Czesziafan]

I have to admit I was pretty surprised when it showed up. It was a bit like seeing the original WR named 47s in East Anglia - they certainly stood out

I had 47085 "Mammoth" on 16th July 1974 on an ADEX from Slough to Great Yarmouth and return, an interesting journey via the Tottenham & Hampstead to Stratford and the GE main line. All for £1.50 with a buffet car although its crew decamped at Stratford on the return.

 

[davetheguard]

Somewhere in the back of my mind I seem to remember in the mid to late 70's a 117 worked an afternoon service from Paddington to Basingstoke(!) and another from Paddington to Birmingham Moor Street.

I'm sure I remember, probably for one timetable only, a booked morning train (about 09.00 - 10.00ish?) formed of W.R. DMU's from Basingstoke to Paddington, worked oddly -if I'm remembering correctly- an Oxford crew.