Class 123 (BR Swindon Intercity Services 4-car)

The Class 123 was the last type of first generation diesel multiple unit to enter service and in many ways the best, being designed for longer inter city routes with a high degree of passenger comfort including some corridor compartments and B4/B5 bogies which gave a better ride at higher speeds [1]. They had a similar front-end design to the Class 309 EMU with wrap around cab windows [2].

Information
Number built:	40 (10 4-car sets)
Built:	1963
Builder:	BR Swindon
Engine:	2 BUT (Leyland Albion) 6-cyl per power car
Power:	920 hp (686 kW)
Formation:	Driving Motor Brake Standard Lavatory (DMBSL)+ Trailer Composite Corridor (TCK)+Trailer Standard Lavatory or Trailer Buffet Standard (TSL/TSLRB)+ Driving Motor Standard Corridor (DMSK)

The Class 123 was also fitted with Pullman style gangways to the cab ends so everyone on a train could access the buffet car. They were used on South Coast-Wales services though were based on Western Region as Southern Region did not want to have anything to do with diesel-mechanical units! They were later used on outer-suburban services out of London Paddington [3].

They were surplus to requirements by the late 1970s but had a short reprieve in the North East of England before finally being withdrawn in 1984.

Class 123 at Swindon (KD Collection)

[1] Brian Haresnape, Diesel-Multiple Units: The First Generation (Ian Allan, 1985) p. 71
[2] David Lawrence, British Rail Designed 1948-97 (Ian Allan, 2016) p. 135
[3] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 83

Matisa B41UE/B45 Universal Tampers

Along with Plasser & Theurer, Matisa is a major supplier of tampers to Network Rail and UK suppliers. Tampers pack or "tamp" the ballast under the tracks and sleepers to provide a firmer foundation.

Information for Matisa B45
Number built:	5
Built:	2015 (LU)
Builder:	Matisa
Engine:	Caterpillar diesel
Power:	540 hp (403 kW)

The Matisa B41UE is manufacturer's most numerous type on British rails being especially designed for the British market. It is a universal tamping machine designed for switches and crossings. The machine comprises two parts, the first has the engine and hydraulics and the second is a permanently coupled trailer that contains a workshop [1].

Another type in use in the B45, three of which are in service on plain line and switches and crossings. Two B45s are also owned by London Underground.

Volker Rail DR 75404 at Leicester

DR 75404 is a B41UE, one of eleven in service

Another view of DR 75404

[1] Royston Morris, Railway Maintenance Vehicles & Equipment (Amberley, 2017) p. 9

Guernsey Railway Trams

The Guernsey Railway opened as a steam tramway in 1879. The railway converted to electric operation in 1892 [1] using equipment supplied by Siemens and was one of the first street tramways in the British Isles equipped with overhead electric lines. The tramway ran profitably at first carrying an average of three thousand passengers a day [2] though like most such systems could not compete in the end against motor buses and closed in 1934.

Information
Number built:	19
Built:	1890-1905
Builder:	Brush, G.F. Milnes, Falcon Engine & Car Works, Guernsey Railway Company
Engine:	Siemens traction equipment (500v DC OHLE)

The tramcar fleet came from a number of sources including three ex-Cardiff Tramway cars and one rebuilt from a steam trailer by the railway company itself. The railway was powered by two Marshall engines and two Siemens generators providing one hundred amperes at five hundred volts. The tramcars also had Siemens motors and chain drives and could run up to twelve miles per hour.

After the closure of the railway the track was lifted within days and the tramcars sold. There have been plans to restore a heritage tram to the island though as yet no progress has been made on this.

Guernsey tramcar in operation, public domain image [2]

[1] Chas S Dunbar, Buses, Trams & Trollies (Hamlyn, 1967) p. 47 
[2] "A Guernsey Railway", The Street Railway Review (Vol 3 1893) p. 559