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| Iris at Duffield |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 2 |
| Built: | 1956 |
| Builder: | British Railways Derby Works |
| Motor: | 2 BUT (AEC) horizontal 6-cylinder diesels |
| Power: | 300 hp (224 kW) |
| Formation: | Driving Motor Brake Standard (DMBS) |
As well as a number of 2- and 4-car sets a couple of single railcars were also built for the Banbury (Merton Street) to Buckingham/Bletchley route. However, being non-standard they were withdrawn (like the other Lightweights) after just a few years in service [2] by the end of the 1960s.
Some of the Lightweight DMUs avoided scrapping and went into departmental service, one of the single cars became QXV RDB975010 Iris when it was transferred in 1967 to British Rail Research [3]. Following rebuilding it was used for radio control and survey research at Derby [4] later it was used for radio propagation, noise measurement and data transmission tests [5]. It has now been preserved at the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway and has been restored to it's original condition.
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| Iris at Wirksworth |
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| Comparison of Iris to a Class 122 railcar (left) |
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| Side of Iris |
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| Iris at Duffield |
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| Iris at Wirksworth |
[1] Brian Haresnape, Diesel Multiple Units: The First Generation (Ian Allan, 1985) p. 23
[2] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recogition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 28
[3] Colin J Marsden, Twenty Five Years of Railway Research (OPC, 1989) p. 96
[4] Haresnape p. 25
[5] Colin J Marsden, Departmental Stock (Ian Allan, 1984) p. 34