53437

53437 is an early example of the Class 104 Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) and is the only surviving DMBS to have a roof mounted marker light, a feature of the earlier vehicles allocated to Buxton. Delivered to the North West in 1957, 53437 was part of a large batch of 3-cars for the London Midland region of BR. It weighs 31 tons and seats 54 people in second class, with a brake van also being included at the rear. 53437 was fitted from new with two BUT standard Leyland 680 engines and transmissions and is wired as Blue Square, the most common of the DMU multiple working types.

53437 was built as M50437 and entered service in 1957 in the North West with TCL M59145 & DMCL M50489 (neither survive). The earliest known record of the vehicle in service was on a Sunday excursion working from Manchester to Newcastle on the 3rd November 1957 where the 3-car set listed above was paired with M50449/M59157/M50501 in a six coach formation. M50437 worked regularly out of Buxton in the 50’s and the vehicle would have been in the early (malachite) green that 104s were delivered in. The set would have been painted in the more conventional green (darker, known as ‘loco green’) by 1960 and would go on to run around the Buxton area through the 60’s & 70’s, receiving BR Blue livery sometime in the 70’s. The asbestos insulation all 104s contained was removed around this time, although not as part of refurbishment as with many other classes, the 104s never being so treated with most staying in Blue to the end rather than receiving the Blue/Grey livery (some Scottish Region 104s were painted in these colours without being refurbished). The route indicator situated under the centre cab window had also been plated over by the late 1970’s and the roof mounted headlight blanked off (but not removed). At some time in the 80’s M53437 (as the vehicle had now been renumbered) was transferred south for duties around London, and was observed paired with M54182 (also preserved on the CVR) running from Cricklewood as a Power-Trailer set. M53437 was to gain its third number when overhauled at Doncaster in 1988 and painted in Network SouthEast colours, emerging as 53437. 53437 was the first class 104 to be painted in NSE and is now the last to keep the “toothpaste” colours as all the others have either been scrapped or in the case of 53455 & 53479, painted back into older liveries in preservation. 53437 was paired with 53479 (also preserved) and numbered set L701. Towards the end the vehicle would have been split and run in many hybrid formations, as it didn’t make much sense to keep the NSE 104 sets together with there being two brake vans in a 2-car set.

The Gospel Oak-Barking service that kept the last ten 104 power cars going after all the others was given to Class 115s in early 1992 and 53437 (with 53479) was withdrawn from service on the 18th January with electrical faults and was condemned for scrapping with other First Generation DMUs coming out of service at this time. However the vehicle was purchased in 1992 as part of a bulk buy of twelve vehicles from Kevin Dowd and Robert Simpson. 53437 was moved to the CVR some time later in the mid 1990’s, where it was stored awaiting restoration at Oakamoor Sand Sidings. Ten years of storage followed before 2004 when the group were considering weather to restore 53437 next to form part of a second set for maintenance cover. However feedback from the successful running set lead to M59137’s restoration being brought forward, and 53437 remains in the quarry awaiting its turn for restoration. 53437 recently made its first public appearance since 1992 when it was unsheeted and displayed at our 2007 DMU Gala.

The vehicle is currently stored at Oakamoor Sand Sidings, having never run in preservation. However the intention is to one day fully restore the vehicle, as it is the only other brake vehicle on the railway, and will hopefully form a second 104 set in the not too distant future. In the longer term this vehicle will be the DMBS in the group's flagship blue Buxton 3-car set along with M59137 & M53494. The more volunteers the group can attract, the faster results will be and the sooner we can make a start on this vehicle. If you have any amount of spare time and interest then perhaps you should consider joining us?