British Rail Class 104
| British Rail Class 104 | |
|---|---|
Preserved 2-car Class 104, unit nos. 50517 and 50455, at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway in 2004
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| In service | 1957–1993 |
| Manufacturer | Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company |
| Constructed | 1957–1959 |
| Number built | 71 DMBS, 108 DMCL, 15 DTCL, 56 TCL, 26 TBSL, 26 TSL. Total: 302 cars |
| Formation | 2 car sets: DMBS-DTCL 3 car sets: DMBS-TCL-DMCL 4 cars sets:DMCL-TSL-TBSL-DMCL |
| Capacity | DMBS: 52, DMCL/DTCL: 12F 51S, TCL: 12F 54, TBSL: 51, TSL: 69 |
| Operator(s) | British Rail |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 57 ft 6 in (17.53 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
| Maximum speed | 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) |
| Weight | DMCL/DMBS: 31 long tons (31.5 t), TBSL: 25 long tons (25.4 t), DTCL/TCL/TSL: 24 long tons (24.4 t) |
| Prime mover(s) | Two B.U.T. (Leyland) 6-cylinder diesels of 150 bhp each |
| Power output | 300 bhp (220 kW) |
| Transmission | Mechanical: 4 speed epicyclic gearbox |
| Braking system(s) | Vacuum |
| Safety system(s) | Automatic Warning System |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
 "Mexican Bean" liveried Class 104 DMU, (units SC53434 & SC53424) at Glasgow Queen Street
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The British Rail Class 104 diesel multiple units were built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company from 1957 to 1959.
The first units ordered were for the London Midland Region, with the majority of the class for use in North West of England. Sets were also used in Tyneside, replacing the former LNER Tyneside electric units following the de-electrification of the North Tyneside Loop line in 1967, but were themselves made redundant by the opening of the Tyne & Wear Metro in 1980. In the mid-1980s a few units reallocated to Scotland, with one unit being repainted in a unique maroon and white livery for services to Oban – it became known as the "Mexican Bean". Other vehicles spent time in London and the last vehicles could be found there in the early 1990s, notably on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.
The class was gradually taken out of service from the early 1980s. The final vehicles were withdrawn in 1995.
BR Blue-liveried Class 104 in the snow, Buxton (Derbyshire) 24 December 1978
Class 104 at Castleton station
29 September 1982
Unit EXP.DM.352. at its home depot of Longsight Diesel TMD, Manchester, 15 January 1984
A number of Class 104s were used following their withdrawal from passenger services.
The last two London Midland DTCL vehicles to survive, M54182 & M54183, were converted in 1987/1988 into loco hauled Sandite cars and renumbered ADB977554/ADB977555 respectively. Used until 1994, M54183 was scrapped in February 1994 while M54182 was stored at Buxton until June 2000 and was saved for preservation.
Other Sandite cars included 53472, 53478 & 53530 which were used in Scotland until April 1989.
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