The British Rail Class 119 DMUs were used throughout the Western Region and on services in the Midlands sourced by

Tyseley Tyseley is a district in the southern half of the city of Birmingham, England, near the Coventry Road and the districts of Acocks Green, Small Heath and Yardley. It is located near the Grand Union Canal. Etymology Tyseley means "Tyssa's clearin ...

Depot. Built by the Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. Ltd, the body design was based on the Swindon Cross-Country sets, but with a Derby cab. Sets were normally formed of three cars.

History

Shortly after their introduction, some sets were transferred from

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

to serve the intermediate stations on outer suburban services from

London Paddington Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a London station group, Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services pro ...

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. These were as 7-car sets, with the addition of Hawksworth composites adapted to run as DMU trailers. Sets worked over most of the Western Region, notable early use being the last passenger train over the Plympton branch. Minehead, Calne and Bridport branches that have since closed were also served by the sets, which also covered main line services in company with the Swindon Cross Country sets. As with most asbestos-contaminated stock, there were heavy withdrawals, but a number were rebuilt internally after asbestos removal. The rebuilt sets were frequently used on express services from

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...

along the Reading-Gatwick link and on stopping services to

Tonbridge Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

. Units stabled at Redhill Station overnight would find themselves being fuelled at Selhust Depot, working parcels services to

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...

and at Clapham Junction working the early morning service to Kensington Olympia. The fleet was displaced by the 'Turbo' Class 165 and Class 166 fleets in 1992.

Orders

Accidents and incidents

*On 1 August 1990, unit L576 collided with a passenger train comprising

4VEP The British Rail Class 423 ( 4 VEP), electric multiple unit passenger trains were mostly built by British Rail (BR) at York Works from 1967 to 1974, although the MBSOs and TSOs of the first 20, 7701-7720, were built at Derby Works. They hav ...

electric multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...

s 3508 & 3504, and

4CIG The British Rail Class 421 ( 4CIG) electric multiple units were built at BR's Holgate Road carriage works between 1964 and 1972. Units were built in two batches, and were initially introduced on services on the Brighton Main Line. Later unit ...

unit 1304 at due to overrunning signals. Forty people were injured.

Preservation

*51073 (DMBC)

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is a long heritage railway in Derbyshire. The headquarters of the railway centre on Wirksworth station, and services operate in both directions between Wirksworth and Duffield and from Wirksworth to Rave ...

*51074 (DMBC) Swindon and Cricklade Railway *51104 (DMSL) Swindon and Cricklade Railway 2 vehicles are currently undergoing restoration on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway (updated 14/6/12), now in service (09/05/19). 1 vehicle has recently been restored on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (updated 25/08/13).

References

External links

The Railcar Association - Class 119

{{British Rail DMU

119 119 may refer to: * 119 (number), a natural number * 119 (emergency telephone number) * AD 119, a year in the 2nd century AD * 119 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 119 (album), 2012 * 119 (NCT song) *119 (Show Me the Money song) * 119 (film), a ...