Class 108 on the Keighley & Worth Valley Heritage Railway at Oakworth Station
51565 was preserved with partner 50928 in 1992 by Bradford Metroploitan Council, who based it on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. The vehicle was quickly repainted into green with speed whiskers and the original two character headcode box was returned to the front end. Some time later the vehicle lost the whiskers in favour of a half yellow panel. The DMU has since seen extensive use and has proved a most valuable asset to the railway. It sees frequent use all year round and has never been withdrawn from traffic for major repairs. In 2007 the railway recognised the need to overhaul the vehicle in the near future. This lead to the aquisition of a Class 101 set, which the railway has been restoring to relieve 51565 of its current duties. Class 108s have been one of the most successful DMU classes, both in British Railways days and in preservation. They were the “standard” DMU, built by BR itself (at Derby) and were the final design that was piloted by the earlier Derby Lightweight class. Their corrosion free aluminium bodies have made Class 108s ideally suited to the preservation life of long periods stood still stabled in the open air. Most Class 108s in preservation were withdrawn in the early 1990s and were the first class of DMU to be preserved in very large numbers. This was partially due to BR’s decision to offer this class as the standard DMU for heritage buyers. Consequently a large number were saved and they formed the backbone of the heritage scene in the 1990’s and the first part of the early 2000’s. It was only the withdrawals of the Class 101s and Class 117s in the mid 2000’s that rivalled the numbers of 108s on heritage railways. Many 108s have been running “as withdrawn” as their good condition upon preservation meant most could be launched immediately into traffic. The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is one of the UK’s oldest and most established heritage railways, and DMUs have been a part of the story from the beginning; two Railbuses having bee
Size: 3755px × 5822px
Location: Oakworth Station, West Yorkshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © Kevin Clark / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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