Wikipedia

British Rail Class 105

The British Rail Classes 105 and 106 diesel multiple units were built by Cravens Ltd. of Sheffield from 1956 to 1959. The class were built with a side profile identical to British Railways Mark 1 carriage stock, using the same doors and windows. None were selected for refurbishment. The last passenger car was withdrawn from service in 1988.

British Rail Classes 105 and 106
Inside Longsight Diesel Traction Maintenance Depot, December 1983
In service1959–1988
ManufacturerCravens
Family nameFirst generation
ReplacedSteam locomotives and carriages
Constructed1956–1959
Number builtDMBS: 142, DTCL: 108,
DMCL: 33, TCL 19.
Total: 302 cars
Number preserved3 cars
SuccessorClass 313
Formation2-cars sets: DMBS-DTCL or DMBS-DMCL,
3 cars sets:DMBS-TCL-DMCL
OperatorsBritish Railways
Depots
Specifications
Car body constructionSteel
Car length57 ft 6 in (17.53 m)
Width9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
Height12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
DoorsSlam
Maximum speed70 mph (113 km/h)
WeightPower cars: 29.5 or 30.5 tonnes (29.0 or 30.0 long tons)
Trailer cars: 23.5 or 24.5 tonnes (23.1 or 24.1 long tons)
Prime mover(s)Two BUT
Power output150 bhp (112 kW) each engine
TransmissionMechanical: 4 speed epicyclic gearbox
UIC classificationPower cars: 1A′A1′
Trailer cars: 2′2′
Coupling systemScrew-link couplings, British Standard gangways
Multiple working■ Blue Square
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Class 105 set forming a charter at Fakenham East railway station, Norfolk
Class 105 at Kings Cross York Rd station on the last day of diesel services to Moorgate in 1976

Originally AEC engined vehicles were class 105 and Leyland engined vehicles were class 106, but in the late 1970s they all became class 105s.[4]

Usage

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1978 view towards Bures from Class 105 approaching Sudbury.

The Class 105 DMUs were used chiefly on Eastern Region services around Hull, Lincolnshire, East Anglia and local services to/from London King's Cross. Units initially designated to work on the former Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway lines were moved to services from London King's Cross upon the closure of the M&GN joint lines in 1959. Units were also used on the London Midland Region and in Scotland, particularly in Aberdeenshire.[5] The closure of many of these lines in the 1960s resulted in their dispersal throughout Great Britain, notably to Tyseley depot near Birmingham. The electrification of the lines from London King's Cross and the introduction of the Class 313 EMUs in 1976 led to the withdrawal of many Cravens units.

Norwich was the last depot to operate the Cravens units, with set 30 being returned to green livery, and gaining some celebrity status towards the end of its service life. The unit was, however, contaminated with asbestos and consequently scrapped.

Orders

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Lot
No.		 Car type Qty
 Fleet
numbers		 Notes
30280 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 14 50359–50372 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30281 Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL) 14 56114–56127 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30282 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 17 50373–50389 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30283 Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL) 17 56128–56144 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30284 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 5 50390–50394 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30285 Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL) 5 56145–56149 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30352 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 33 50752–50784 2- or 3-car sets
30353 Driving Motor Composite with lavatory (DMCL) 33 50785–50817 2- or 3-car sets
30354 Trailer Composite with lavatory (TCL) 19 59307–59325 3-car sets
30469 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 48 51254–51301 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30470 Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL) 48 56412–56459 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30503 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 24 51471–51494 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30504 Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL) 24 56460–56483 Power-trailer 2-car sets
30505 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) 1 50249

Technical details

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  • Builder: Cravens
  • Introduced: 1956
  • Coupling Code: Blue Square
  • Body: 57 ft 6 in x 9 ft 2 in
  • Engines: Two BUT, 150 bhp
  • Transmission: Standard mechanical

For coupling codes see British United Traction

Preservation

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Cravens trailer E56456 at the Llangollen Railway

Due to the use of asbestos in their construction, and extended usage by BR, the class has fared very badly in preservation. 51485 and 56121 were preserved by the West Somerset Railway but moved to the East Lancashire Railway in 1997 where they have been restored after asbestos stripping. 56456 is based on the Llangollen Railway, working initially with a Class 127. The National Railway Museum had intended to preserve 53812 - which had been stripped of asbestos but a lack of space prevented this car and the Class 100 coupled to it from being moved to York and they were vandalised beyond repair at Crewe.

Number Vehicle type Location
51485 DMBS East Lancashire Railway
56121 DTCL East Lancashire Railway
56456 DTCL Llangollen Railway

Models

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Since 2010, Bachmann has produced 00 scale models of the class 105 in both BR green[6] and BR blue liveries.

References

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  1. ^ a b Hemming 1978, pp. 4–6.
  2. ^ British Rail Locoshed book. Ian Allan. 1979. p. 38. ISBN 0-7110-0931-7.
  3. ^ British Rail Locoshed book. Ian Allan. 1981. p. 42. ISBN 0-7110-1112-5.
  4. ^ "Class 105 DMU Numbering". www.railcar.co.uk. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  5. ^ Green-Hughes, Evan (September 2010). "The Cravens DMUs". Hornby Magazine. No. 39. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 76–79. ISSN 1753-2469. OCLC 226087101.
  6. ^ Wild, Mike (September 2010). "Bachmann wows with Cravens DMU". Hornby Magazine. No. 39. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 74–75. ISSN 1753-2469. OCLC 226087101.

Sources

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Further reading

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