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Built by Cravens of Sheffield in 1958 this car is one of only two of its type to have survived. It is a Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory of what later became British Railways Class 105.
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Built by Cravens of Sheffield in 1958 this car is one of only two of its type to have survived. It is a Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory of what later became British Railways Class 105.
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Cravens car 56456 is seen at Carrog Station during the 2008 season (Mike Martin)
The Cravens Company of Sheffield built 405 railcars in two and three car sets to a design which broadly mirrored the then standard Mark One coach.
The two-door per side design was intended for rural work and many of the sets were despatched to parts of the country just in time for the lines for which they were intended to be closed down by Dr Beeching.
Many of the class were originally built for use in East Anglia but were soon displaced because of line closures. 56456 was delivered new to Cambridge Shed (31A),along with power car 51298 and entered service in January 1959. Due to closures it had moved on to Lincoln (40A) by 1962 but was moved to Finsbury Park (34G) by 1965 and used for suburban duties out of King's Cross in London for which duties it was particularly unsuited. It eventually was moved on to the North West and was eventually withdrawn from Newton Heath Depot (26A) in Manchester in 1984.
During their service the Cravens cars obtained a reputation for rattles and indiferent construction and so they were never considered for the life-extension programme. As a result withdrawal of the class took place as new DMUs became available from the early 1980s.
Following withdrawal 56456 was purchased for use on the Llangollen Railway and initially entered service in blue livery.It was then restored and painted green in 1985 and partnered with class 127 power car 51618. Following years of service it was extensively restored again in 1997 and worked until March 2010. It was then taken out of service and is being given an extensive overhaul and rebuild at Pentrefelin Works. It is expected to enter traffic again around 2013.
The car was part of lot number 30470, diagram number 533.
Only three Cravens cars have survived of two different types and this is one of only two trailers left. It is also one of very few vehicles to have survived from the Cravens factory.
The class 105 trailer at Llangollen in July 1985, working a service to Berwyn. The trailer worked continuously for 25 years at Llangollen before being withdrawn for a rebuild. (Mike Martin)
