M50531/E59228
Our final set is formed of spare vehicles which have been rescued from other locations to be held at the East Lancs Railway for further storage and hopefully eventual restoration.
Unfortunately these are vehicles in our collection that has struggled in preservation, with long periods in storage and several custodianship agreements not bearing much fruit, with no resources ever being available to restore the vehicles.
59228's place as the last surviving Eastern Region class 104, the only 104 trailer brake and indeed one of only three DMU trailer brakes to survive, compounds the situation as to dispose of such a rare vehicle would be a correspondingly harder decision to have to make. Accordingly it was decided in the 2010's that fellow Eastern Region DMCL 50556 would be scrapped and attempts would be made to retain the rarer 59228 for some sort of long term salvation in the future.
Both vehicles remains in storage at the East Lancs Railway. 50531, being in better condition than 59228, is hoped to be made operational again to become a spare vehicle within the ELR fleet, whilst 59228 is being retained for a long term restoration which would eventually see it operate as the centre car of a 3-car formation with 50455 & 50517.
50531
50531, built in March 1958, is a Driving Motor Composite Lavatory (DMCL) vehicle, weighing 31 tons and seating 12 first class and 54 second class passengers in three saloons. Two passenger vestibules separate the saloons with passengers exiting the vehicle through four exterior doors. Additional doors are located in the drivers cab. 50531 is fitted with two standard Leyland 680 horizontal diesel engines providing 300hp. Standard British United Traction (BUT) transmissions and control systems enable 50531 to operate in multiple with any vehicles that carry the “Blue Square” DMU coupling code, which is the most common.
50531 was preserved by the group in 1993 and was originally destined to be broken up to provide spare parts for the developing Class 104 fleets at the Llangollen and Churnet Valley Railways. However an offer by a private individual to maintain and restore the vehicle resulted in 50531 being partnered with 50479 and returned to working order at the Cambrian Railway (Oswestry), moving shortly afterwards to the Telford Steam Railway in 1999.
Between 1999 and 2004, 50531 operated on the short line at Telford with
50479, being withdrawn occationally for rolling restoration and repair work to be undertaken to keep the vehicle in reasonable condition.
In 2004, new fire safety regulations caused the railway to withdraw 50531 from service, and as the original group which was set up to look after the vehicle has disbanded, the work to modify 50531 was never undertaken.
From 2004 to approximately 2014, 50531 operated as hauled coaching stock on the railway, after the original group which was set up to look after the vehicle had disbanded. Following a decade in storage, the vehicle was moved to the East Lancs Railway in 2023.
BR HISTORY
50531 (numbered M50531) entered service in the North West, delivered to Crewe South depot in March 1958 with Trailer Composite Lavatory M59187 and Driving Motor Brake Second M50479 as the last of a batch of 51 three car sets for British Railways’ London Midland Region. The area was at that time 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 50531 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. During the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's 50531 was allocated to Crewe South, Toton, Derby and Newton Heath.
Around 1960, the short lived light green livery that 50531 was delivered in was replaced by the more conventional BR green that was to last much longer. In the late 1960's the vehicle lost its lined green livery in favour of all over blue.
During the 1970's 50531 went through a major overhaul, which included the removal of the original asbestos insulation and the two character route indicator box located on the front end. The introduction of the TOPS classification system in 1973 also resulted in 50531 being renumbered M53531 in May 1983.
The 1980’s were to see Class 104’s begin to fall into decline. By 1985, 50531 was running as a 2-car set with M53465 (in Blue livery. The set remained in the North West, despite many vehicles being transferred to places such as Scotland and London.
By 1989, 50531 was running in a two car "power twin" formation from Chester with DMBS M53447 (now also preserved) as set CH610. On the 4th May 1990, CH610 became the very last Class 104 to carry passengers along the Manchester-Buxton branch, the line that Class 104's were most associated with, when the set operated the 16:07 Manchester to Buxton and 17:08 Buxton to Bolton services.
The early 1990's Class 104 vehicles were transferred for future use in the London area, however 50531 was not one of them, and it saw the end its days running from Chester, being taken out of service in March 1992.
GALLERY - WORKING ON THE MAINLINE
M53531/M53465 at Manchester Victoria (John Horne)
M53531 calls at Moses Gate with a Manchester Victoria-Blackburn service (Steve Robinson)
53531, showing its non standard numbers, at Manchester Victoria (Gazza Prescott)
M53531/M53447 (CH610) arrive into Romiley working 2H60 11:00 Manchester Piccadilly-New Mills Central (Kevin Dowd)
M53531/M53447 (CH610) stand failed at Manchester Piccadilly in the Platform 1 neck end (Kevin Dowd)
M53531/M53447 (CH610) in service at Chester (Ian S W)
RESTORATION
50531 has mainly received "rolling restoration" rather than a particularly long period out of service being rebuilt. The late 1990's saw initial work to return the vehicle to service at Oswestry, when the vehicle was also repainted, retaining BR Blue.
After moving to the Telford Steam Railway in 1999, the vehicle was refurbished with some bodywork repairs being undertaken on the exterior before seeing passenger service until 2004.
In 2009, the deterioration of the exterior was aided by a repaint into BR Green.
In 2023/24, an engineering assessment was made to determine 50531's future. As part of this assessment, several mechanical systems were made operational once more, giving some hope to its future.
M53531 in its early days in preservation, at the Cambrian Railway, Oswestry
Shortly after arriving at the Telford Steam Railway (C Lemon)
Stabled in the passenger platform at Spring Village (On Tour with the Class 13 Army)
Stabled in the passenger platform at Spring Village (D Angell)
Shortly after being repainted into BR Green
Stabled at Spring Village
59228
59228, our youngest vehicle built in November 1958, is a Trailer Brake Second Lavatory (TBSL) vehicle, weighing 25 tons and seating 51 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 guard’s compartment. 59228 is fitted with standard control systems enable the vehicle to operate in multiple with any vehicles that carry the “Blue Square” DMU coupling code, which is the most common.
59228 was preserved by the group in 1993 but was not able to find a home immediately, being stored at Crewe carriage sidings instead for seven years. Sadly it was vandalised during this period and the resulting water ingress along with a general lack of use led to deterioration of the vehicle which has not able to be recovered.
In 2000 a possible solution was found, with the private individual who had been looking after 50479 & 50531 at the Telford Steam Railway also taking 59228 under their wing. Some limited stripping out work was undertaken in a lead up to a restoration, but this was quickly aborted and 59228
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continued to deteriorate. The vehicle continued to be stored at the Telford Steam Railway for a further 20 years in the company of fellow Eastern Region survivor 50556, until the railway asked for them to be removed.
In 2020 the vehicle moved to the East Lancashire Railway as a refugee(!) where it remains in store, a long way down the restoration queue.
BR HISTORY
E59228 entered service in the North East, delivered to Hull Botanic Gardens depot in November 1958 with Driving Motor Composite Lavatorys E50561 & E50582 and Trailer Second Lavatory E59207 as part of a batch of 26 four car sets for British Railways’ Eastern Region. The area was at that time receiving a number of new DMU sets that were being delivered as a result of the 1955 “Modernisation Plan”. The Class 104 4-car sets proved versatile replacements for previously steam hauled secondary & branch line services in the area, and 59228 would have worked many of the routes around the North East, particular in the Newcastle suburban area. until transfer in the mid 1970's to Norwich whereupon it served East Anglia.
Around 1960, the short lived light green livery that 59228 was delivered in was replaced by the more conventional BR green that was to last much longer. In the late 1960's the vehicle lost its lined green livery in favour of all over blue. During the 1970's 59228 went through a major overhaul, which included the removal of the original asbestos insulation.
In August 1980 a decision was made that would lead to 59228 becoming the only trailer brake Class 104 to survive, it was transferred to the Midland Region (who traditionally did not operate trailer brakes), renumbered M59228 and escaped the mass cull and elimination of Class 104's on the Eastern Region in the early 1980's, before preservation of the class had even been considered.
On the Midland in the 80's 59228 ran from Derby, Buxton and Newton Heath before changing regions again when it was loaned to the Scottish Region following the loss of their units in a depot fire at Ayr. Again this had the effect of extending 59228's life as whilst up in Scotland it became the last trailer brake to survive in service, returning south in October 1988 and finally being stored at Crewe in June 1989.
GALLERY - WORKING ON THE MAINLINE
M59228 stabled in the centre road at Buxton (Chris Lemon)
M59228 at Edinburgh Waverley (Dennis Taylor)
M54350 & M59228 stored at Crewe Brook Sidings (BRCW Collection)
GALLERY - PRE-RESTORATION
59228 shortly after arrival at Telford, showing the re-glazing work that was required at that point (Stuart Mackay)
In store at Spring Village, 53556 is behind
Showing much corrosion around the guards brake area
In store at Spring Village
In store at Spring Village
Now under a tarpaulin
RESTORATION
After moving to the Telford Steam Railway in 2000, the vehicle was secured and received some re-glazing work and general tidying up.
A heavy restoration was not to follow however, the only serious work being the removal of the seating and the water damaged floor ready to replace it. This replacement didn't happen and the vehicle was returned to store.
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