Built by The Pressed Steel Co, at its Linwood Plant (near Paisley) Scotland, in late 1959 as W51375 DMS (Driving Motor Second). It was the second one of this type built and ran in passenger service, mostly in the London area, until 1999 before being withdrawn.
51375 was preserved at the Birmingham Railway Museum, but was never returned to service there.
In 2004 the vehicle was bought by Chiltern Railways for conversion to an intermediate power car for its water jetting train. It was converted at LH Group Services, near Burton-on-Trent, and was completed in September 2004. The cab end was removed and a gangway end built on, with roller shutter doors, in case the water tanks ever had to be removed (something which is happening shortly!). The vehicle was then renumbered 977992. It ran as the only powered middle car, as part of the water jetting train, known locally as The Green Goddess and was withdrawn from Departmental service at the end of Autumn 2014.
As part of this the water jetting train, 977992 was part of the last Class 117 set operational on the mainline, outlasting other vehicles by some ten years due to its continued use on the national network for Chiltern Railways. The vehicle was preserved for a second time in May 2015 after finally being dispensed with nearly 60 years after the vehicle was first built!
Moved by rail from Aylesbury Depot to Birmingham Railway Museum, Tyseley on 28/4/15. Our volunteer Paul has bought 977992 for use by the S&T Department and it was moved by road from Tyseley to Chinnor on 12/5/15. The Department has outgrown its Pallet Van, and 977992 will provide an excellent replacement with its roller doors and end loading facility via its end doors. It will give much needed space for work benches, tool lockers, and the ability to work on long items such as signal poles etc. in an undercover environment. The vehicle is located at Princes Risborough and is being used as a Workshop as part of the ongoing restoration at that site.
- Builder
- Pressed Steel
- Class/type
- BR DMS (Driving Motor Second)
- Built year
- 1959
- Status
- Departmental use
- Wheels
- 2-2w-2w-2 DMR