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British Rail Class 117

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British Rail Class 117
A Class 117 at Didcot Parkway, 1989
Interior of a Class 117.
In service1959–2000; one unit used in departmental use until 2015
ManufacturerPressed Steel Company
Family nameFirst generation
ReplacedSteam locomotives and carriages
Constructed1959–1961
Number built123 cars (42 DMBS, 42 DMS, 39 TCL)
Number preserved35 cars (17 DMBS, 16 DMS, 23 TCL)
Number scrapped88 cars (25 DMBS, 26 DMS, 16 TCL)
FormationDMBS-TCL-DMS
OperatorsBritish Rail
ScotRail
Silverlink
Lines servedWestern Region
London Midland region
Scottish region
Specifications
Car body constructionSteel
Car length64 ft 0 in (19.51 m)
Width9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
Height12 ft 8+1⁄2 in (3.87 m)
DoorsSlam
Articulated sectionsSingle car (2)
Maximum speed70 mph (113 km/h)
WeightPower cars: 36 long tons 0 cwt (80,600 lb or 36.6 t),
Trailer cars: 30 long tons 0 cwt (67,200 lb or 30.5 t)
Prime mover(s)BUT (AEC) then BUT (Leyland), of 150 hp (110 kW), (both types), two per power car
Power output600 hp (450 kW) per 3-car set
TransmissionMechanical
HVACOil burning air heater
Braking system(s)Vacuum
Safety system(s)AWS
Coupling systemScrew
Multiple working■ Blue Square
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The British Rail Class 117 diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by Pressed Steel from 1959 to 1961. It was a licence-built variant of the British Rail Class 116.[1]

Original work

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A total of 123 Class 117 cars were built by Pressed Steel between 1959 and 1961, delivered as 39 three-car units plus three pairs of spare motor coaches. When first introduced in 1960, these three-car units were all based with the similar Class 121 single carriage (railcar) units on British Railways Western Region for suburban work out of London Paddington. The units were largely based at Reading and Southall depots. The units remained here for many years working these services.[2]

The type was used for a railtour from Paddington to the south west on 31 May 1969.[3]

Later operations

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In the 1980s, expiry of other DMUs facilitated moves for some units from the Western Region to Birmingham, as below, and Scotland, prior to the delivery of new units to replace them. They were given refurbishments.

The first shake up in ownership occurred in the late 1980s, when the Scottish, Welsh, Cornish and Birmingham based units were transferred to Provincial Services, later Regional Railways, in the sectorisation of British Rail, while the Southall-based units transferred to Network SouthEast.

They were replaced on the lines out of Paddington when the Class 165/1 'Network Turbo' units came into service by 28 November 1992.[4]

They soldiered on in the former Western Region until replaced by Class 150 and Class 153 DMUs by 21 May 1993, although the type could be found running Penzance - Looe services until 1997. An attempt was made to remove them from Cornish work using Class 142 "Skipper/Pacer" railcars, but these fixed wheelbase units proved to be a liability on the tight Cornish branchline curves, increasing rail and wheel wear, and were transferred to the North of England instead. The 117s were finally replaced with the advent of more Class 150s and Class 153s freed up from other areas.[5]

117308 in Scotrail livery at Edinburgh Haymarket in 1994

The type was used in Scotland between Edinburgh - Perth, Cowdenbeath and Markinch using the Forth Bridge and continued to work in Scotland until 12 January 1998, where they were replaced with Class 156s.[citation needed] The final day of 117s running in Scotland was 27 November 1999.[6]

In 2000, Class 150 Sprinter units replaced the Class 117 units on Silverlink, finally bringing to an end decades of service on Britain's rail network in front line service.[7]

Table of orders and numbers
Lot No. Type Diagram Qty Fleet numbers Notes
30546 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 534 42 51332–51373
30547 Trailer Composite with lavatory (TCL) 601 39 59484–59522
30548 Driving Motor Second (DMS) 535 42 51374–51415

Preservation

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Due to the type's longevity, 12 units have been preserved on heritage railways.

Set number Vehicle numbers Livery Location Notes
DMBS TCL DMS
L721 51363 59510 51405 BR Green Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Fully operational, owned by Cotswold Diesel Railcar Ltd Archived 13 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
117204 51365 - 51407 BR Green Plym Valley Railway
117301 51353 - - ScotRail Wensleydale Railway Bought by a local community group.[8] 51395 Scrapped March 2013
117310 - - 51381 Regional Railways Mangapps Railway Museum -
117311 51352 - 51376 Yellow DMBS, Green with whiskers DMS South Devon Railway Currently Under Restoration to run with W55000.[9]
- 51371 - 51413 BR Green MOD Long Marston Preserved June 2015 [10]
117313 51339 59506 51382 BR Green Colne Valley Railway Moved from East Lancashire Railway in 2021
L702 51356 59492 51392 BR Green Swanage Railway 51356 restored to main line standard.[11]
- 51342 - 51384 BR Green Epping Ongar Railway Repainted into BR green from EOR dark blue livery
- 51346 59486 51388 BR Green Swanage Railway Overhauled & Mainline Registered.
117444 51360 BR Blue Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Has recently been refloored inside, expected to return to BR green in due course.
- 51347 59508 51401 BR Green Gwili Railway
- 51367 59511 51402 BR Green Strathspey Railway 51402 and 51367 both now repainted, 59511 being restored
L432 51370 59520 51412 BR Blue Mid-Norfolk Railway -
- 51372 - - BR Blue Private site; Titley junction station [12] -
- - 59509 51400 BR Green Wensleydale Railway Main-line certificated by RESCO
- 51351 - 51397 Green Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
L720 51354 - 51396 BR Green Peak Rail
- - - 51375 BR Green Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Rebuilt as an intermediate car by Chiltern Railways for use as a water jetting van. Sold in 2015 to its current owner
- - 59488 - Green and Cream Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
- 59493 - BR Green West Somerset Railway
- - 59494 - Green and Cream Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
- - 59500 - Green and Cream Wensleydale Railway
- - 59501 - BR Green Great Central Railway
- - 59503 - Chocolate and Cream Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
- - 59507 - Chocolate and Cream Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
- - 59513 - Chocolate and Cream Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
- - 59514 - BR Green Swindon and Cricklade Railway
- - 59515 - Blood and Custard Yeovil Railway Centre
- - 59517 - Chocolate and Cream Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway
- - 59521 - Scotrail Helston Railway
- - 59522 - BR Blue and Grey Chasewater Railway
- - 59511 - BR Green Strathspey Railway
- 51366 - - - - parts survive [13]
- - 59505 - BR Green Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Under restoration, owned by Cotswold Diesel Railcar Ltd Archived 13 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Preserved Vehicles".
  2. ^ "Diesel Multiple Units".
  3. ^ "The Taunton Trains Collection Gallery". TauntonTrains.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  4. ^ "BR Class Manual" (PDF).
  5. ^ "Toddington to Laverton Halt". Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Class 117 DMU".
  7. ^ Marks, Roger (15 February 2015). Heritage DMUs: The Final Years. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445640297.
  8. ^ "51353".
  9. ^ "51352".
  10. ^ "51371".
  11. ^ "51356".
  12. ^ "51372".
  13. ^ "Preserved Vehicles".
  14. ^ "59505".

Further reading

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 117.
  • Bendall, Simon; Lowery, Dave; Forsythe, Robert (November 2003). "Sound of the suburbs". Model Rail. No. 61. Peterborough: EMAP Apex. pp. 18–24. ISSN 1369-5118. OCLC 173324502.
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