M55989 Post Office motor parcels van at Manchester Victoria, 1982
The British Railways Class 128 was a class of diesel multiple unit, built for British Railways. Introduced in 1959, ten of the class were built by Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, each with two 230 hp British United Traction - Albion engines. The class was built specifically for parcels, fitted out with parcel racks and bike storage at each end, and did not feature any passenger accommodation.
Operations[]
Originally only eight sets were ordered by the BTC as part of the 1955 Modernisation Plan, but this was changed to ten by the time B.U.T. ordered the power units from Leyland Motors Ltd in November 1958 (an order worth £86,000).
Initial allocations saw the LMR sets go to Newton Heath for northwest services and the WR cars were spread between the London area (55991/2), Tyseley (55993/4) for Midlands services and Chester (55995/6). Boundary changes in the mid-1960s saw Chester and Tyseley become part of the LMR, increasing that regions allocation.
Giving a useful shove up the hills to Buxton, a non-corridor Gloucester Parcels unit was marshalled at the rear of the 13:10 Piccadilly to Buxton (Stockport, 4/1/79).
In the 1980s, the remaining five sets were allocated to the ER. In 1985 they were allocated to Reading (two), Newton Heath (two) and Chester (one). Typical duties of the Reading cars in 1985 would be one set operating from Southall from Monday to Friday from 05:00 to 22:00. Duties in this time would include carrying letter-post, periodicals, parcels and Red Star traffic between Paddington and Reading and intermediate stations. the other set would act as a spare/relief unit.
Other duties for the class at this time included using them to convey staff from the WR to Stratford to collect WR sets. Newton Heath would also keep one as a spare, with the other working through Manchester Victoria to Manchester Mayfield Parcels Depot before being attached to a Buxton service set. this weekday working would return in the early evening to Piccadilly, then via Manchester Victoria to Newton Heath. Other workings in this area would have included Manchester to Oldham Mumps.
The Chester car had no booked diagram but would be used as required on special trains along the Cambrian Coast, and even worked ballast trains on the Barmouth bridge due to locos being banned from crossing this during the 1980s. 55994 worked a Crewe - Barmouth special on the 17th June 1980 for the then BR chairman Sir Peter Parker to inspect the bridge. During the 1984 Motor Show at the Birmingham NEC this car operated a special parcels service from Northampton to Birmingham, based at Nuneaton, although fuelled and serviced at Tyseley.
In 1988 the remaining cars were transferred to Cambridge.
Decline[]
The first vehicle was also the first to be withdrawn (55987) after an accident at Guildford station in July 1971. The youngest unit (55996) was also the next in March 1979, due to its front being torn in a collision at Farnley Junction 2 years earlier. The next was in 1980 (55988), and the last two LMR units in 1982 (55989 & 55990).
At the end of 1990 Regional Railways Midland sub-sector obtained the five remaining cars along with the Class 114 DPUs. Consideration was given to using them as sandite/route learning vehicles, but this idea was repelled due to their lack of windows.
All five were withdrawn in November 1990. One of them (55991) was still fitted with a Leyland Albion engine, the other four were intended to be used as spares, with their Leyland TL11 engines modified and fitted to the Class 142s. Component recovery took place at Derby Etches Park and Chester wagon shops. 55992-5 were re-allocated to Chester in November 1990 while 55991 was withdrawn. It was doubtful they ever reached Chester, and were withdrawn the same month.
With component recovery still in mind 55992-5 were moved to Inverness with withdrawn Class 114 DPUs, being noted there in March 1991. It is believed this was abandoned and they were sent for scrap. None were preserved.
