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Encyclopedia > British Rail Class 121
W55033 at the Colne Valley Railway in original green livery ( Alternative picture)

The British Rail Class 121 diesel multiple units were built by Pressed Steel in 1960. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 535 pixelsFull resolution (1423 × 952 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 535 pixelsFull resolution (1423 × 952 pixel, file size: 1. ... Description The Colne Valley Railway is a heritage railway based at Castle Hedingham station, near Halstead in Essex, United Kingdom. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (3648 × 2736 pixel, file size: 4. ... This article is about the defunct entity British Railways, which later traded as British Rail. The History of rail transport in Great Britain is covered in its own article. ... DMU, type SA108 of Great Poland Voivodship in Poznań, Poland The Transwa Prospector DEMU capable of up to 200km/h provides a passenger service between Perth, Western Australia and the mining town of Kalgoorlie A Diesel Multiple Unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered... The Pressed Steel Company (PSC) was a British car body manufacturing company founded at Cowley near Oxford in 1926 as a joint venture between William Morris, the Budd Corporation and an American bank. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Description

Sixteen single-car driving motor vehicles were built, numbered 55020-55035. These were supplemented by ten trailer vehicles, numbered 56280-289 (later renumbered 54280-289). They had a top speed of 70 mph, with slam-doors, and vacuum brakes. The driving motor vehicles were nicknamed "Bubble Cars" by some enthusiasts. Railfans practicing their hobby at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. ...


Current operations

Chiltern Railways operate a single Class 121 "Bubble Car" on Aylesbury to Princes Risborough shuttles. Set 121020 is seen away from its normal haunts, at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway on 15th October 2004, whilst taking part in the Railcar 50 event.
Chiltern Railways operate a single Class 121 "Bubble Car" on Aylesbury to Princes Risborough shuttles. Set 121020 is seen away from its normal haunts, at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway on 15th October 2004, whilst taking part in the Railcar 50 event.

Upon privatisation of Britain's railways, the Class 121 fleet was only operated by one passenger company, namely Silverlink, with several more units in departmental duties with Railtrack. There are two examples left in revenue-making service. Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 649 KB)BR Class 121 Bubble Car no. ... Download high resolution version (2048x1536, 649 KB)BR Class 121 Bubble Car no. ... W55033 at the Colne Valley Railway in original green livery ( Alternative picture) The British Rail Class 121 diesel multiple units were built by Pressed Steel in 1960. ... Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south east England. ... Princes Risborough is a town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 9 miles north west of High Wycombe. ... Bewdley ( pronunciation) is a small town in Worcestershire, England, along the Severn Valley a few miles to the west of Kidderminster. ... LMS Ivatt Class 2MT 2-6-0 no. ... Silverlink Trains is a regional franchise in the British railway system with routes in suburban London and from London to Northampton. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ...


Arriva Trains Wales

In 2006 unit 121032 was purchased by Arriva for use on the Cardiff Bay Shuttle. The unit has been repainted into Arriva colours and was hauled to Wales in June 2006 to enter service in July. The unit finally entered service on 17 August 2006 but was withdrawn 2 days later due to a major problem with the engine. The unit re-entered service on the Cardiff Bay line on 14 September 2006. The unit has been regularly seen on the Barry Island Railway during training purposes for the unit. Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Arriva Trains Wales (Welsh: ) is a train operating company that operates urban and inter urban passenger services in Wales and the Welsh Marches. ... is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...


Chiltern Railways

In 2003, Chiltern Railways surprised many by reintroducing "Heritage" diesel multiple units on its Aylesbury to Princes Risborough shuttle service. For this purpose, unit 121020 (vehicle 55020) was purchased from Network Rail, and heavily refurbished to allow it to operate passenger services. It was repainted into Chiltern Railways blue livery. The introduction of this unit allowed the release of a Class 165 "Turbo" unit for refurbishment. This unit has been fitted with secondary (magnetic) door locking and other safety features, and thus was exempt from the 30 November 2005 deadline for the withdrawal of all Mark 1 vehicles. Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chiltern Railways is a train operating company in England. ... A wide variety of locomotives and multiple units have operated on Great Britains railway network. ... Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in south east England. ... Princes Risborough is a town in Buckinghamshire, England, about 9 miles south of Aylesbury and 9 miles north west of High Wycombe. ... Network Rail is a British not for dividend company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares. ... Class 165/1, no. ... is the 334th day of the year (335th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... British Rails first design of carriages were given the designation Mark 1. ...

Departmental unit, 960011 stored at the National Railway Museum Now in use with Serco Rail Operations.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2790x1734, 2800 KB)BR class 960, 960011 at National Railway Museum, York, after being withdrawn. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2790x1734, 2800 KB)BR class 960, 960011 at National Railway Museum, York, after being withdrawn. ... Locomotives arranged around the turntable in the Great Hall. ...

Network Rail

Network Rail (NR) operates a small fleet of former Class 121 vehicles for various departmental roles. These have been reclassified as Class 960 departmental units. Duties include route learning, video surveying of track, Severn Tunnel emergency tunnel evacuation and sandite application. Units are painted in various liveries including Network SouthEast (NSE), South West Trains blue/red, Railtrack's brown livery, Railtrack's blue/green livery, and Network Rail's new all-over yellow livery. In addition, two units have been specially repainted in old BR liveries, namely maroon and blue/grey. Network Rail is a British not for dividend company limited by guarantee whose principal asset is Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, a company limited by shares. ... The British Rail Class 960 was reserved for former diesel multiple units converted for departmental use, and former electrical multiple units rebuilt as test trains. ... The approach to the tunnel. ... A train in NSE livery Network SouthEast (NSE) was a sector of British Rail that principally operated commuter trains in the London area, and was formed in 1986 when BR was sectorised. ... South West Trains (SWT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire and Wiltshire (the area largely covered before 1923 by the London and South...



The current fleet is listed below:

Unit no. Vehicle no. Livery Use Status
Departmenal no. Former no.
960010 977858 55024 BR Maroon Sandite unit In traffic
960011 977859 55025 Railtrack Blue/Green (Ex Video survey unit, now Route Learner) In traffic with Serco Rail Operations
960012 977860 55028 SWT Blue/Red Route-learning unit In traffic (South West Trains)
960013 977866 55030 NSE Sandite unit In traffic
960014 977873 55022 BR Blue/Grey Route-learning unit In traffic
960021 977723 55021 Railtrack Brown Sandite/Route-learning unit In traffic
960302 977975 55027 NR Yellow Severn Tunnel emergency unit In traffic
960303 977976 55031 NR Yellow Severn Tunnel emergency unit In traffic

South West Trains (SWT) is a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire and Wiltshire (the area largely covered before 1923 by the London and South...

Silverlink

Silverlink inherited a small fleet of four "Bubble Cars". They were mainly used on the Marston Vale Line from Bletchley to Bedford, as well as non-electrified lines in North London, such as Gospel Oak to Barking. The units replaced the previous fleet of Class 108 and Class 115 units, and were supplemented with a fleet of Class 117 units cascaded from Thames Valley services. Silverlink Trains is a regional franchise in the British railway system with routes in suburban London and from London to Northampton. ... The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford. ... Bletchley is a town in what is now Milton Keynes new city. ... Bedford is the county town of the English county of Bedfordshire. ... The Gospel Oak – Barking Line is a railway line in north and east London which connects Gospel Oak in North London and Barking in East London. ... Class 108 DMU, nos. ... Built by BR Derby Introduced: 1960 Coupling Code: Blue Square Body: 63ft 6in x 9ft 3in Engines: BUT (Leyland Albion) of 230hp Transmission: Standard mechanical These 41 high density sets operated the outer-suburban services from Marylebone to Aylesbury, High Wycombe and Banbury, which were known as the Chiltern Lines. ... 51402 at Northampton & Lamport Railway. ...


The four units, nos. 55023/27/29/31, were based at Bletchley depot, where staff repainted set L123 (55023) into its original British Railways green livery. The others remained in obsolete Network SouthEast livery. In 1996, set L123 was withdrawn from traffic, and the other three were hired to Great Eastern for use on the Sudbury branch to Sudbury . These returned to Bletchley in 1997/98. Two of the units (121027/029) were repainted into Silverlink's purple and green livery, and the third (121031) was repainted into Network SouthEast livery. The three units also received names from withdrawn Class 117 units. Bletchley TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Bletchley to the north of Bletchley Station on the Bedford line. ... A train in NSE livery Network SouthEast (NSE) was a sector of British Rail that principally operated commuter trains in the London area, and was formed in 1986 when BR was sectorised. ... First Great Eastern was a successful railway company that operated suburban, local and medium distance train services from London Liverpool Street via Romford to Essex and Ipswich. ... The Sudbury Branch Line is the railway line from Marks Tey to Sudbury. ... Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, 15 miles from Colchester and 60 miles from London. ... 51402 at Northampton & Lamport Railway. ...

The units were replaced on Silverlink duties in 2001 by Class 150 "Sprinter" units cascaded from Central Trains. The units have all since been transferred to departmental duties. Bletchley TMD is a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Bletchley to the north of Bletchley Station on the Bedford line. ... The Marston Vale Line is the railway line from Bletchley to Bedford. ... Class 150/2, no. ... Central Trains rolling stock at Liverpool Lime Street railway station Central Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom, running local and long-distance services in central England. ...


Preservation

"Bubble Cars" have proved popular for preservation on heritage railways. A scene on a heritage railway. ...

Vehicle no. Unit no. Vehicle type Location Comments
Original no. Departmental no.
54285 977466 T004 DTC Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust Noted as for Sale
54287 - L211 DTC Colne Valley Railway -
54289 - L263 DTC Ecclesbourne Valley Railway -
55023 - L123 DMBS Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway Repainted into BR Green livery whilst based at Bletchley depot.
55026 977824 P126 DMBS Swansea Vale Railway -
55033 977826 T004 DMBS Colne Valley Railway Painted in experimental MidLine livery.
55034 977828 T005 DMBS Birmingham Railway Museum -

  Results from FactBites:
 
List of British Rail classes - encyclopedia article about List of British Rail classes. (2950 words)
Class 02 The British Rail Class 02 were a class of twenty 0-4-0 diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotives built by the Yorkshire Engine Company in 1960 (first ten, D2850-D2859) and 1961 (D2860-D2869) for service in areas of restricted loading gauge and curvature such as docks.
Class 04 The British Rail Class 04 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunting locomotive class, built between 1957 and 1962, were very similar to the Class 03 but were built by private industry rather than the British Railways workshops.
Class 05 The British Rail Class 05 diesel locomotive was built for use on the Eastern & Scottish Region.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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