Factfile: Class 117 DMU
The Pressed Steel Company built 123 three-car ‘high-density’ DMUS for Western Region, London area suburban services. They were essentially Derbydesigned Class 116s produced under licence because Derby Works did not have the capacity to build them.
Initially the units were supplied in unlined dark green but later deliveries were lined in cream. The vehicles had 3+2 high-density seating with 2+2 in First Class and they were non-gangwayed, so only those travelling in the TC had access to the toilet. They were the mainstay of WR suburban services out at least as far as Oxford and Westbury from the time of their introduction in 1959, until increasingly displaced by units cascaded from other regions in the 1980s. They were replaced by Networker Turbo units in the London area in the early 1990s but clung on in the far reaches of the former Western Region until 1996/97. Under TOPS the Pressed Steel units became
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Class 117. The original green livery was replaced by all-over Rail blue with yellow ends, following the introduction of the Corporate Image in 1964. In the late 1980s, those still operating in the London area received Network Southeast colours while others received Regional Railways or Scotrail livery. Perhaps the most notable livery variant was the 1950s-style chocolate and cream applied to 51368/59520/51410 for the
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GWR150 celebrations in 1985. A suburban DMU had never looked finer! Thanks to the usefulness, quantity and longevity of these DMUS, the equivalent of 12 units have passed into preservation, but several trailer composites are operated as steam-hauled coaches on the Torbay &
Dartmouth Railway.
are on the Class 121. The model has directional white/red marker lights, interior saloon lighting and cab illumination A bank of six tiny switches on the underside allows analogue users maximum possible control over the lighting of the unit.
Figuratively, the Bachmann model has all the bells and whistles you might expect of a modern DMU model. True, it does not come with on-board digital sound but it is equipped for easy sound-fitting. A Plux22 decoder socket and pre-installed speaker make the installation of top-notch sound easy.
The Rail blue/grey livery is neat and subdued and the grey, a problem area on some models, is correctly positioned. The BR logos and limited amount of lettering are neat and legible but the lifting point markings have not been applied to the solebars.
That said, there is some very impressive, neat and legible tiny printing on the body. In addition to the ‘Guard’ and ‘Private’ lettering correctly rendered in Corporate Image-style upper and lower case, the word ‘Coolant’ appears above the prominent bodyside filler. On the door glazing, tiny white labels read ‘Please close the door’ under a magnifier, while the second class area in the TC has No Smoking labels in the windows.
The blue and grey sample does not represent the era I model so I had already ordered an original lined green version, which gave me the opportunity to compare the two. The lined green version is a thing of beauty – the most exquisite ready-to-run model I’ve seen since the Blue Pullman, from the same stable. Vehicle numbers are W51349/W59501/W51391, with headcode 2A20 and the destinations, Newbury and Paddington. Bachmann has gone to town swapping detail slides on the moulds to provide a cab end in original condition with no marker lights and a bodyshell without the extra side grille. Inner ends are devoid of gangway connections and have the original exhaust layout. The livery application of the lined dark green looks spot-on, though the satin finish is very much an ex-works, brand new, unit. The cab ends have white roof domes. These quickly discoloured to cream and, in my view, cream looks better on a model, so I shall have the paintbrush out.
I can’t prove it from photographs but I’m pretty certain that the intermediate bufferbeams should be black. Red seems to have been factory applied but would have been painted out once the units entered traffic. Nevertheless, in whatever colour scheme (and NSE is forthcoming), the ‘117’ is, without question, the most beautiful ready-to-run model I’ve seen since the ‘Blue Pullman’. (CJL)