British Rail Class 105

Infobox DMU
name = British Rail Class 105

---

imagesize = 265px
background = #0033cc
caption =
Manufacturer = Cravens Ltd.
Operator = British Rail
Formation = unknown
Built = 1956-1959
LinesServed =
InService = 1959-1988
CarLength = 17.53 m
CarWidth = 2.81 m
CarHeight = 3.83 m
Weight = 30.5 tonnes
Capacity =
MaxSpeed = 70 mph (112 km/h)
Gauge =
Traction =
Engine =Two BUT, 150 bhp
SafetySystem= |The British Rail Class 105 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 The last passenger car was withdrawn from service in 1988.

Usage

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 contaminated with asbestos, and was scrapped.

A number of Class 106 cars were purchased and sectioned for use as store rooms on North Sea gas platforms. It is not known whether any of these sections survive.

Numbering

* DMBS 50249, 50359-50394, 50771-50784, 51254-51301, 51471-51494
* DMCL 50785-50803, 50804-50817
* DTCL 56114-56149, 56412-56483
* TSL or TCL 59307-59325

Technical details

* 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

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 are being restored after asbestos stripping. 56456 is based on the Llangollen Railway, working 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.

References

*Motive Power Recognition: 3 DMUs. Colin J. Marsden
*British Railway Pictorial: First Generation DMUs. Kevin Robertson
*British Rail Fleet Survey 8: Diesel Multiple Units- The First Generation. Brian Haresnape
*A Pictorial Record of British Railways Diesel Multiple Units. Brian Golding

External links

* [http://www.railcar.co.uk/his100-109/105intro.htm History of the Class 105s]