Hastings Diesels Limited No. 1001

Thanks to the efforts of Hastings Diesels Preservation Limited, we can still enjoy the sights, and, more importantly, the unique DEMU sound on the main line. D&E modellers interested in the privatisation era have the ideal excuse to add a main line certif

TSO trailer No. S60529 from set No. 1013 is a long-frame vehicle with eight passenger compartment windows per side. It is fitted with lighting conduit on the roof whereas higher numbered 6L and 6B vehicles were not so equipped.

in poor condition. Additional lining was added to the tunnels to save cost over reboring them, preventing the use of standard gauge stock.

The line was opened to C1 gauge stock in 1986 after electrification and selective singling through certain tunnels alongside speed restrictions. The unique appearance of the Hastings main line DEMUs is a direct result of this historical legacy resulting from poor practices by the contractor which built the line and the cost-saving measures taken to rectify the situation.

Unique DEMUs

The tunnel legacy ultimately resulted in a unique design of six-car DEMUs, introduced in June 1957 to operate services between Hastings and London, starting with seven Class 201 or 6S sets built on 56ft 11ins underframes, known as short-frame sets and numbered 1001-1007. Nine Class 202 or 6L units numbered 1011-19 followed, built on standard 63ft 5ins underframes known as long-frame sets.

Finally, seven long-frame Class 203 or 6B buffet units numbered 1031-37 completed the fleet of 23 six-car sets. All were formed with a DMBS at each end of the set, fitted with an English Electric 4SRKT Mark II diesel engine coupled to a six-pole English Electric type 824/1B generator providing power to EE507 traction motors – four to a six-car set. At peak times, two units would be coupled together as 12-car formations.

In common with Class 205 and

Class 207 DEMUs, the Hastings line DEMUs were regarded as a short term solution to urgently eliminate steam traction from non-electrified lines on the Southern Region until conductor rail could be installed. As history shows,

Several corridor coaches were secured and will eventually be restored, including Trailer First Corridor (TFK) No. S60708 from unit No. 1012.

DEMUs lasted considerably longer than the intended 10-year design life due to financial constraints preventing expansion of third rail electrification.

Hastings main line DEMUs provided many years of reliable service, finally being withdrawn in number from the Hastings line following electrification in 1986. Adding to their interest are the number of set reformations, use of Hastings main line vehicles in ‘Tadpole’ sets and the preservation of 15 vehicles by Hastings Diesels Preservation Limited. One former buffet car survives on the main line today in the form of the former Southern Region General Manager’s Saloon, aka Caroline.

Preservation

The story of heritage unit No. 1001 starts with the efforts of the Hastings Diesel Group to preserve as many Hastings DEMU vehicles as possible.

This was followed by the establishment of Hastings Diesels Preservation Limited which successfully secured two six-car sets: No. 1001 and No. 1013 alongside spare vehicles binging the total to 15, which includes a mix of short- and long-frame vehicles. Three of the unusual corridor composite

A short-frame (6L) TSO trailer is also part of the train. No. S60501 is from the original Class 201 No.1001 and has seven seating bays and windows per side compared to eight of a 6L TSO trailer.

Underframe and bogie detail of TSO No. S60529. Note the blue damper.

coaches are included in the preserved fleet which are currently stored at St Leonards Depot, appropriately the base for the preserved stock.

St Leonards Railway Engineering Limited was established to lease and run the depot at St Leonards which today is an important site responsible for the Hastings stock and to service mainline locomotives working in the area, primarily for GBRf and Network Rail. The preservation company was disbanded and replaced with Hastings Diesels Limited (HDL) which exists today to maintain and operate the fleet.

In the early 1990s, restoration commenced with three vehicles, including two DMBS Nos. S60000 and S60018 (S60118) which with trailer

No. S60529 was hired by the Kent & East Sussex Railway for several years. Short-frame trailer No. S60501 was added to the train and subsequently achieved main line certification.

Following attention to door locks and fitting of AWS, No. 1001 made its debut with the DEMU Phoenix Tour on May 11, 1996, 10 years after the final day of Hastings line DEMU operation under BR ownership.

Demand for seats in subsequent

railtours saw a 4-Cep TS trailer added to the formation in August 1986. The train was further strengthened in early 2000 with a 4-Big trailer to provide catering. The core traction for No. 1001 during the 1996-2003 period was 6S DMBS No. S60000 Hastings with 6L DMBS No. S60116 Mountfield and

No. 60118 Tunbridge Wells.

Central door locking (CDL) and ‘OnTrain Monitoring and Recording’ (OTMR) was installed in 2007 to six vehicles, with No. S60000 stopped for eventual rewiring and the fitting of OTMR. In the last few years, work on another 6L DMBS has been progressed, No. S60119, including the fitting of up-to-date safety and monitoring equipment.

A very comprehensive history of Hastings line DEMU preservation and main line certification can be found at www.hastingsdiesels.co.uk, including details of tours, main line operations, restoration work, the ‘soap train’ and other operations. Enthusiasts must be made aware that St Leonards depot is an active railway site with regular movements of main line locomotives and multiple units, making it a potentially hazardous location. Casual visits are not encouraged as a result.