Class 121 - Single Car DMU
Class 121 Single Car DMU No W55023 The DMU was built in 1960 following the success of the Gloucester RC & W single car units built in 1958 to replace the ageing GWR railcars, later to become TOPS class 121. Their design included high density seating with doors to each seating bay to augment the Pressed Steel class 117 - 3 car units in the peak hours and to operate on lightly used branch lines on the Western Region of British Railways. The units were originally fitted with B.U.T. (A.E.C.) engines which were l50 bhp later replaced with Leyland 680 type engines. There was a total of 16 units built numbered from W55020 - W55035. W55023 is the oldest out of five class 121 single units so far preserved. It has spent a considerable part of its life working on the lines in and out of Paddington allocated to Reading depot and in March 1993 was repainted back into 1960’s BR green livery and relocated to Bletchley depot for use on the Bletchley to Bedford branch line operated by North London Railways. It arrived at Bletchley enroute from Doncaster works on 5th April, 1993. In 1996 new operational policies meant that class 117 power twin sets were preferred to running single cars in pairs on the Bletchley to Bedford line and W55023 was declared surplus to requirements after its last turn of duty on 9th November, 1996. The ex Western Region single car DMU W55023 arrived at Chinnor on March 27th, 1997 and is in full working order, making its first passenger run in preservation on May 18th, 1997.
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©CPRRA 2005
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