1957
An incredibly rare photograph, in colour no less, showing midland region class 104 driving vehicles being built in the BRCW factory at Smethwick (Colin Wheeler Collection/Stathwood)
No less than five new Class 104 sets seen stabled on Buxton depot, the Class 104s' spiritual home. On the extreme left is also an early Derby Lightweight set (James Doubleday)
Crewe (David Russon)
1958
A DMBS vehicle in the 50444-50479 range stands at Birmingham New Street working the 13:37 Birmingham New Street-Rugby. This was the first day of this new service after a one month delay (Michael Mensing)
An official photograph of the first class section of one of the LMR driving trailer vehicles, M56175-184 (BRCW)
An official photograph of the second class section of one of the LMR driving trailer vehicles, M56175-184 (BRCW)
A DMCL or DTCL passing Longsight (Douglas Robinson)
1959
A view of Manchester London Road during electrification and reconstruction works (British Transport Commission)
A 3-car set passes Bescot with a service from Birmingham New Street, heading either for to Stoke-on-Trent or Manchester London Road. The vehicle closest the camera is in the 50444-479 range (James Doubleday)
A DMBS (in the 50444-479 range) leading several more vehicles (probably two 3-car sets) arrives into Uttoxeter (James Doubleday)
1960
Thought to be M5047X at Derby (BRCW Collection)
No less than three platforms are occupied with BRCW sets, alongside steam traction at Manchester Mayfield (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set standing at Stechford with the 13:38 Birmingham New Street to Rugby (Michael Mensing)
Manchester Mayfield station, with "Crab" 42848 (Manchester Locomotive Society)
A set calls at Whitchurch with 4300 class 6335 on the right (Geoff Dowling)
1962
A snowy scene showing a 3-car unit near Disley (J W Sutherland)
The 07:40 Shrewsbury-Crewe waits to leave Shrewsbury (Michael Mensing)
A 3-car set at Brindley Heath (Michael Mensing)
A Derby service at Sudbury Street (David Edwards)
A DMBS in the 50444-479 range calls at New Mills Newtown (J W Sutherland)
A DMBS in the 50444-479 range leads a 3-car set into Crewe, possibly from the Manchester direction, during the summer of 1962. This is a good photo showing the slightly lighter shade of green that most Class 104's were delivered in (Colin Boocock)
An early built vehicle, with a recently applied half yellow panel, leaving Furness Vale Manchester bound (J W Sutherland)
1963
A 3-car set stops at Uttoxeter with a service to Crewe (British Railways)
A snowy scene at Disley (J W Sutherland)
A DMBS in the 50444-479 range leads two 3-car sets through Stafford (Michael Mensing)
An early built vehicle on an excursion at Alsop-en-le-Dale (J W Sutherland)
A Buxton 6-car formation on a special at Eccles (possibly 1Z31), possibly going to Blackpool if the destination blind can be believed (Chris Heaven)
A 2-car set (led by a DMBS in the 50532-541 range) at Willenhll working a Wolverhampton-Burton service (Peter Shoesmith)
A DMCL in the 50480-494 range departing Hanley whilst working the 13:55 Macclesfield to Stoke-on-Trent (Michael Mensing)
Two 3-car sets at Barmoor Clough on the Buxton line (J W Sutherland)
A DMCL in the 50495-531 range passes through Polesworth with a Stafford-Rugby working (David Ford)
A set emerging from Eaves Tunnel on the Buxton line (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set at Hanley with Shelton Steel Works in the background
Two 3-car sets at Milford & Brocton (Michael Mensing)
1964
An atmospheric image at Dove Holes showing 8F 48316 working a Rowsley-Adswood freight, with a BRCW 3-car set alongside led by a DMCL in the 50480-494 range (J W Sutherland)
A DMBS in the 50532-541 range leads a 2-car set at Aldridge working the 13:46 Walsall-Birmingham New Street (Michael Mensing)
A DMCL in the 50480-494 range leads two 3-car sets through Lyme Park working the 16:25 Buxton-Manchester Piccadilly service (Michael Mensing)
Lincoln St Mark's is the location of this unknown set which was working the 10.20 from Derby (Geoffrey Skelsey)
One from the M50532-541 batch at Birmingham New Street (Phil Waterfield)
A LMR 2-car set west of Stechford leading a class 101 3-car to Birmingham (Michael Mensing)
1965
A Buxton-Manchester Piccadilly waits to leave Buxton (Colin Ball)
A rare and remarkable image, showing no less than two examples side-by-side of BRCW vehicles carrying the rare "wrap round yellow" livery variation, at Manchester Central station, platforms 5 & 6. The closest set appears to be paired with a Class 108 vehicle. Note the model ship in the case on the platform in front (MMU Visual Resources)
A 3-car set at Smethwick Rolfe Street (Michael Mensing)
1966
A 3-car set passes Stockport Edgeley shed, possibly on a Birmingham service (J W Sutherland)
Wigan Wallgate, platform 1. Rochdale-Wigan Wallgate service (Glenn Clarkson)
An early build DMBS arriving under the gantry at the Crewe Junction end of Shrewsbury (Russell Maiden)
An early build DMBS departs Buxton (J W Sutherland)
A DMCL in the 50495-531 range leads two 3-cars sets through Lilbourne bound for Rugby Midland (John Evans)
Birmingham Snow Hill. A 3-car set lurks on the left aongside Birkenhead's 9F 92113 leading Merchant Navy No.35026 during its stint in charge of the Warwickshire Railway Society's 'The Aberdonian Rail Tour' on day 3 of its circuitous tour from London Waterloo to Aberdeen and back (Photographer unknown)
Annoyingly the quality of the picture just wasn't quite high enough to read the number of this example, M505??, working in multiple with a Class 101 3-car set at Stockport on the 17:40 Manchester Piccadilly-Stafford (J W Sutherland)
A DMBS from the M50532-541 batch at Manchester Central
Earlestown, Liverpool service (A Murray Rust)
Two 3-car sets pass Kearsley Junction working a Bolton-Manchester Victoria service. The leading vehicle (a DMBS in the 50444-479 range) caries the short lived BR blue with half yellow warning panel livery (M Whitehouse)
1967
A Buxton set arrives into Miller's Dale on the last day of passenger services (R W Carroll)
A service from Rugby arrives into Leicester Central where it will terminate (David Ellis)
Derby, with Class 105 M50793 alongside (David Russon)
A DMBS leading two 3-car sets at Buxton (David Russon)
Two 3-car sets on depot at Buxton (David Russon)
3-car sets on depot at Buxton (David Russon)
3-car sets on depot at Buxton (David Russon)
A 3-car set awaits departure from Buxton, with another one alongside in the centre road. The overall station roof is still present (Geoffrey Skelsey)
Two Buxton 3-car sets arrive into Buxton's platform 1. On the depot behind is an Eastern Region Derby Class 114 set, an incredibly rare visitor to Buxton (Geoffrey Skelsey)
Two 2-car sets led by a Class 104 DTCL (in the 56175-184 batch) paired with a 108 DMBS at Northwich. In the background is 8F steam loco 48640 (S Blencowe)
One of the earlier sets painted into standard Rail Blue livery passes Hazel Grove bound for Buxton (J W Sutherland)
Arriving and departing sets pass on the approach to Buxton station. The surrounding details show a very much steam era railway (J W Sutherland)
Trent, on the last day before closure of (Bill Chapman)
Matlock (Tony Martens/John Law Collection)
Peartree (John Ireland)
Only the DMCL vehicle (in the 50424-427/480-494 range) has been repainted into early blue livery, the remainder of the 3-car set retaining green colours, seen at Manchester Piccadilly alongside electric loco E3107 (R W Carroll)
1968
Stockport. Left 11:45 Buxton-Manchester Piccadilly. Right 12:15 Piccadilly-Buxton (R W Carroll Collection)
Two 3-car sets depart Buxton with the freight sidings and loco sheds visible on the centre and right (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set arrives into Preston working Manchester-Blackpool service (George Woods)
Syston, on the last day of local trains between Leicester and Nottingham (Kevin Lane)
A 3-car set climbs towards Buxton at Middlewood, with the lifted chord line on the left (J W Sutherland)
Disley (George Woods)
A set emerges from the tunnel at Disley (J W Sutherland)
A mixed blue/green set arrives into Disley (George Woods)
A mixed green/blue set crosses an all blue one at Disley (George Woods)
A mixed blue/green set near Disley (George Woods)
Three sets cross near Disley, showing the variety of livery variations which were around at that time (George Woods)
Torside Crossing (Woodhead) (John Gilks)
Manchester Central, with a Class 115 (R W Carroll Collection)
An unusual vehicle, which has received a full yellow end but the 2-character route indicator box remains blue, arriving into Middlewood Lower (J W Sutherland)
Probably the rear of the same set featured in the previous photograph, departing Middlewood Lower (J W Sutherland)
An unusual vehicle, which has received a full yellow end but the 2-character route indicator box remains blue, arriving into Middlewood Lower (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set arriving into Buxton (J W Sutherland)
Probably the rear of the same set featured in the previous photograph, at Buxton. Dereliction is in the air, a scene that would continue at Buxton over the next 50 years, as various sidings and sheds fell out of use and lay undeveloped. It would be decades in many cases before the land left by the steam age railway would be populated by other developments (J W Sutherland)
1969
A 3-car set on an Up service at Davenport (J W Sutherland)
Two 3-car sets approach Woodsmoor (J W Sutherland)
Two 3-car sets at Woodsmoor (J W Sutherland)
The 10:10 Birmingham-Leicester passes Wigston Glen Parva Junction (Mike Mitchell)
Middlewood in the snow (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set approaches Middlewood on an Up service (J W Sutherland)
Two 3-car sets departing Middlewood with a Buxton service (J W Sutherland)
A snowy Saturday at Middlewood (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set at Whaley Bridge with a Manchester service (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set at Whaley Bridge with a Manchester service (J W Sutherland)
Two 3-car sets pass Whaley Bridge's up distant (J W Sutherland)
A rare photo of a vehicle carrying the short lived yellow cab door livery variant, south of Whaley Bridge (J W Sutherland)
A set near Whaley Bridge (J W Sutherland)
Lutterworth (R W Carroll Collection)
A 3-car set in the down platform passes a Cravens unit at Rugby Central whilst working a Nottingham service (Nigel Trout)
Passing East Leake whilst working a Rugby-Arkwright Street service (Bill Ford)
A 3-car set calls at Matlock (J W Sutherland)
A 3-car set arriving into Thurgarton on a Derby-Lincoln service (David Ford)