After the extensive technical
support of the prototype 150 and 151 units, the focus of attention moved
primarily to the fleet of railbuses then being introduced.
Following the original proposals by the Research Division for a lightweight railcar, several single car railbuses (or LEV's) were built for evaluation. Most used an adapted Leyland bus body on a 4-wheel modern suspension, based upon the developments with HSFV1. A two-car unit, designated the class 140 with each car having four wheels and a Leyland 200HP engine, was subsequently built in 1981 to BR's then current specifications regarding end loading strength etc which resulted in an expensive unit. This was trialled all over the country. The first complete class was the twenty units of two-car class 141 railbuses which were originally based at Neville Hill, Leeds. Introduced into service in and around West Yorkshire from November 1983 these turned out to be very uncomfortable and unreliable and were eventually withdrawn and exported to Iran. The Commissioning section was formed some time after the 141's had been introduced so we didn't have much to do with them There followed three further classes of railbus, the142, 143 and 144. Later a centre car was added to some of the 144 units. The original traction power train consisted of a Leyland TL11 200 HP engine, a Self Changing Gears mechanical automatic gearbox and a Gmeinder final drive unit on each car driving only one axle. We used to accompany the delivery runs from Derby C&W Works to the various depots. I remember a few incidents:-
The run with the 'Skippers' to Laira was a long one but interesting as it
went down the GWR over the various banks in Devon. At Laira in 1985 the
class 140 was out of use and sitting on blocks at this time. After the problems experienced with most of the
components they now sport Cummins
LTA10-R
230 HP engines with Voith hydraulic gearboxes and Voith final drives. The
original broom - with two new heads and three new handles? |
Click on the picture for a bigger image - photos are the author's unless otherwise indicated
Class 140
The first two car unit introduced in January 1981 was a sort of beefed up version of the LEV and was known as the class 140..................
This is now preserved on the Keith & Dufftown railway in Scotland
Class 141 After the original came the class 141's - a bit of a disaster. These are no longer operational in the UK as most members of the class were sold to Islamic Republic of Iran Railways around 1999-2000. These units have since been withdrawn and replaced by new DMUs. In 1996 Serco Railtest acquired 141118 (55518+55538) which they converted into a weed spraying unit for use on branch lines. It was painted into the Serco livery of red and grey and nicknamed 'Flower' but ended up in Iran. |
This is the first example in the yard at Derby C&W Works Author's collection |
An unidentified class 141 is pictured on the Goods Lines at Derby around 1985 - probably heading for the RTC for a test of some sort |
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On a rainy day at Wakefield Kirkgate an unidentified class 141 departs with a Huddersfield service |
In the Metrotrain livery another unidentified Class 141 in one of the north side bay platforms at York - probably 1986 |
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141006 at Leeds April 1984 Graeme Salt |
A pair of 141s approaching Huddersfield on 9th May 1987 Neil Harvey |
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Here's a shot of one of the class 141 railbuses on the Old Dalby test track in December 1987. 141 012 had been at RTC to have its engine and transmission replaced in a bid to improve the performance of these truly awful trains. Bob Osborne |
Serco's 2-car class 141 weedkiller unit 141118 in the late 1990s P Searle |
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Serco's 2-car class 141 weedkiller unit 141118 was made up of 55518 and 55538. It was nicknamed 'Flower' and is seen here in the RTC yard sometime in 1996 Serco |
'Flower' and seven other of the units ended up in Iran. Unknown
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More class 141's pictured in Teheran on 9th September 2009 - These units have since been withdrawn and replaced by new DMUs Alessandro Albe - Courtesy Phantasrail Galleries |
........... and for reasons beyond my comprehension this one has been preserved. 141113 at Butterley on 15th December 2007 - unlucky for some! |
The 142, 143 and 144 classes followed ............................better looking but an awful ride on anything other than CWR. Class 142 Built by BREL at Derby and wider than the 141's 142049 was shipped to Vancouver in 1986 for the World's Fair and even carried passengers but unfortunately it was returned to the UK. |
142049 pictured at Clayburn Interlocking in British Columbia in August 1986 John Cowan |
A publicity shot in Vancouver - note the destination blind display RB100 BREL |
By 2022 they had all gone
Class 143 Built by Andrew Barclay with body by Walter Alexander of Falkirk they were originally allocated to the North East but following refurbishment around 1999-2001 they were re-allocated to the South West and re-numbered into the 143 6xx series.
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Class 144 Built by BREL with body by Walter Alexander of Falkirk and originally 2-cars some were later fitted with a powered centre car. By 2022 they were all withdrawn |
144002 at York on 25th May 2006 in a Metro/Northern livery | 144020 3-car unit approaching Leeds on 2nd May 2007 | ||
144005 at Sheffield on 2nd May 2008 |
After the success of the railbuses Leyland were asked to fit a new body to the underframe of a Mk1 coach and this resulted in the Leyland Mk1 coach. Another failure! |