M50455

M50455 is a standard Class 104 Driving Motor Brake Second, of which five survive in preservation. It was introduced in 1957 as part of a batch of 51 three car sets for British Railways’ London Midland Region. It entered service with Trailer Composite Lavatory M59163 and Driving Motor Composite Lavatory M50507. M50455 weighs 31 tons and seats 54 passengers in two second class saloons. Two passenger “vestibules” separate the saloons with passengers exiting the vehicle through four exterior doors. Additional doors are located in the drivers cab and the guard’s compartment. The vehicle is fitted with two standard Leyland 680 horizontal diesel engines providing 300hp. Standard transmissions and control systems enable M50455 to operate in multiple with other DMUs that carry the “Blue Square” coupling code, the most common of the multiple working types.

M50455 entered service in the North West in 1957. The vehicle’s first allocation was shed 9A, Longsight depot, which at that time was receiving a number of new DMU sets that were being delivered as a result of the 1955 “Modernisation Plan”. The Class 104 3-car sets proved versatile replacements for previously steam hauled secondary & branch line services in the area, and M50455 would have worked many of the routes around Manchester, particularly the Manchester-Buxton line, which was to have an association with the Class for years to come. Stoke-on-Trent, Derby, Crewe, Birmingham and Manchester suburban route would also have been covered.

Around 1960, the short lived light green livery that M50455 was delivered in was replaced by the more conventional BR green that was to last much longer. M50455 continued to work around the North West routes it was designed for throughout the 1960’s & 1970’s. During this time, British Railways’ policy resulted in the vehicle losing its lined green livery in favour of all over blue. This was also the start of the BR’s DMU refurbishment program. Although Class 104’s were never selected for proper investment and full refurbishment (unlike other more common classes such as 101 & 108) most vehicles went through a major overhaul, which included the removal of the original asbestos insulation and front end changes which were to change the character of the vehicle, the two character headcode box under the centre window being plated over. The introduction of the TOPS classification system in the 1970’s also resulted in M50455 being renumbered M53455.

The 1980’s were to see M53455 transferred away from its North West home south to the London area, where it was operating the lines that had not been electrified. Working a poor area of the BR network during a time of underinvestment, added to the fact the vehicle was now thirty years old, took its toll and reliability of all the units left much to be desired. The vehicle was moved around several times paired with many different vehicles as maintenance dictated.

Luckily, M53455 was to see an extended period of service when it was one of eight DMBS vehicles selected for refurbishment for the newly created Network SouthEast, which wanted them for use on its Gospel Oak-Barking line. Three of these eight vehicles were to survive in preservation (53437, 53455 & 53479). It was overhauled for the last time at Doncaster works in 1988 and was unveiled with 53539 as set L702 in the garish red, blue & white striped “toothpaste” livery. M53455 also lost its "M" prefix when it was repainted. Towards the end of service, the vehicle would have been split and run in many hybrid formations with other classes of DMU, as it didn’t make much sense to keep the Network South East 104 sets together with there being two brake vans in a set.

In January 1992 the Gospel Oak-Barking service (that 53455 was dedicated to) was given over to Class 115 units, so the vehicle was transferred to the Reading area for about 6 months works on “Thames Line” duties, the brake van door receiving a large graphic advertising this. By this time the vehicle had been reformed into its final set, L730.

By Mid 1992, the Thames Line had received new 2nd generation Class 165 “Thames Turbo” DMUs, which effectively displaced the remaining Class 104 vehicles, including 53455. The vehicle was condemned with many other DMUs at that time for scrap.

However the vehicle was purchased in 1992 as part of a bulk buy of twelve vehicles from enthusiasts Kevin Dowd and Robert Simpson. After a brief period in storage on the mainline, 53455 was moved onto the Churnet Valley Railway during the early 1990’s. The CVR was still in its early “Steam Centre” days and was only operating on a short demonstration line from the bay platform at Cheddleton station. 53455 was briefly used as a passenger coach, being propelled in one direction by the CVR’s Class 04 D2334. The vehicle was however in as withdrawn condition, and required full restoration. Once the CVR obtained the 7 miles of track from Leekbrook Junction to Oakamoor Sand Sidings in 1995, 53455 was stored awaiting restoration at Oakamoor.

M50517 was selected as the vehicle on the CVR in best condition, and was selected for restoration first. However by 1999 (once external restoration of M50517 had come to a conclusion), it was recognised a brake vehicle would be required to run with M50517. After inspection of the two DMBS vehicles in storage, 53455 was regarded as the better of the two vehicles so 53455 was taken out of store in 1999 for restoration to commence.

The extent of the corrosion found in this vehicle was legendary! The five year restoration was quicker than M50517’s, that vehicle always being the showcase, as many of 53455’s parts were suitable for re-use. Some seat cushions, interior panels and cab fittings only required spot repairs and a good clean, where as M50517 often needed new. Bodywork restoration was prolonged due to the sheer number of corners and spots round the brake van that had corroded. By the time the work was done and the vehicle was ready for priming, there was little of the NSE “toothpaste” livery left.

By July 2002 the car had been hand painted and rolled out of the shed at Oakamoor sporting BR

The unit, in mint condition, debuted at the 2004 "Swansong of Steam" gala, before being whisked off to the Severn Valley Railway for the never-to-be-repeated Railcar50 event, the biggest gathering of running DMU sets to date. We flew the flag for BRCW alongside Class 118 from the Battlefield Railway and the weekend was an unforgettable experience. The two car set had the honour of leading the 12 car Fish & Chip special from Bridgnorth-Kidderminster on the Saturday night, the longest DMU to have ran in preservation.

After the event, the DMU returned to the CVR for two years of intensive running, providing a mid-week service for the railway in August and during the school holidays. It also ran on off-peak Saturdays ensuring the railway was running every weekend from April-October. The line enjoyed this increased running from 2005-2006 before a review of services resulted in the midweek running being removed. The external appearance of the vehicle during these years was very good and our efforts during the restoration were rewarded by many favourable comments.

2007 onwards has seen the vehicle used on Bank Holidays and Special Events, providing a second

M50455 is currently fully operational and running with M50517. At the moment the set can be enjoyed on roughly 20 days a year on bank holidays and some special events. Several mechanical parts are currently being serviced, each component being removed, overhauled and returned between running dates so the vehicle remains operational.

In the near future, it is planned to give M50455 an intermediate overhaul, with the interior having a quick tidy up and the brake van a more thorough refresh. The exterior will also be rubbed down and repainted, as the paint from 2002 is beginning to look a little worse for wear. This repaint may coincide with the completion of centre car M59137 which will be inserted between M50455 & M50517, meaning a fully overhauled 3-car set can be launched into service.