The Edinburgh DMU Story by Alan Rintoul
The Edinburgh DMU story starts in 1956 when one of the original Metro-Cammell Lightweight sets made up of DMBS E79055 and DTC E79261 were trialled on the Corstorphine - North Berwick and Waverley - Galashiels via Peebles lines. The public liked these new trains with their clean and bright interiors, particularly the view ahead from the forward compartment through the driver's windscreen.
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| A few days into 1957, new Swindon Inter-City DMUs were introduced on the busy Edinburgh - Glasgow service, although these were slightly more austere in appearance compared to the Metro-Cammell set. The opportunity to watch the road ahead was not available on these units as a guard's brake van was placed at the outer end of the car behind the driver's cab. The interior layout of these trains had much in common with the contemporary standard Mk. 1 coaching stock of the period with second-class accommodation in open saloons and first-class in six-seat compartments. The bogies on these units were rather rough riding at speed and certainly not an improvement on the Gresley-bogied stock the DMUs replaced, but once again the generally smoke-free interiors and provision of a buffet car in the sets endeared them to the public and a significant increase in passenger numbers was achieved following their introduction. |  |
To service the ever-growing fleet of diesel trains, the former terminus station at Leith Central was converted into Scotland's first diesel depot with the platforms removed and replaced by long storage roads with inspection pits.
The next DMU type to appear were the Gloucester twins (later Class 100) which commenced service during 1957 on local services amid a blaze of publicity in the press. During the year the following services were dieselised: Corstorphine - North Berwick; Waverley - Galashiels via Peebles; Waverley - Musselburgh; the Suburban Circle and Princes St. - Leith North.
A Gloucester twin, headed by 56314, departs Piershill on a Corstorphine - North Berwick service, 7th April 1958. Hamish Stevenson |  |
From 1958 the Gloucesters were joined by Metro Cammell twin and triple sets (later Class 101) which went to work on Edinburgh - Fife, Stirling, Dundee and Perth services. The Metro-Cammell sets were the most numerous build of DMUs and with their raked back fronts and aluminium-framed windows were a common sight in Edinburgh over the next 35 years.
A 3-car Metro-Cammell set is about to come off the south end of the Forth Railway Bridge into Dalmeny station, heading towards Edinburgh Waverley. 26th October 1962. ScR Official Picture, courtesy of A.A.Maclean Collection |  |
Deliveries from Metro-Cammell were obviously not quick enough for the Scottish Region to rid itself of steam locos on Edinburgh local services, so in 1959/60 a number of Derby twin sets (later Class 108) intended for the LMR were placed in service from Leith Central until the Metro-Cammell order was completed. Right: one of the brand new 108s at Morningside Road on the suburban circle, heading for Musselburgh. ScR Official Picture, courtesy A.A. Maclean Collection |  |
The standard livery for DMUs from new was green with cream lining and plain green ends then speed whiskers on all but the Gloucesters, with yellow warning panels becoming standard from 1962.
Although the new DMUs generated a significant increase in passenger numbers, this wasn't enough to sustain the losses of the services they were operating. The year 1962 was a bleak one for the Edinburgh rail network and a major transport setback for the future was brought about by the closure of the Peebles loop, Suburban Circle and Leith North services. The Beeching Report closed the Musselburgh branch in 1964 which took with it the Edinburgh local stations at Abbeyhill, Piershill, Portobello and Joppa, while the most ludicrous closure of all was effected from 31st December 1967 when the Corstorphine branch was closed. No attempt was made to rationalise operation of these services by having unmanned halts or conductors on board in the Paytrain fashion to which DMUs were so well suited. The North Berwick branch survived and became the only regular DMU service departing from the east end of Waverley station.
The Swindon Inter-City sets continued to operate the Glasgow services throughout the 1960s, but they did occasionally venture further afield. On summer Saturday afternoons, one of these sets was diagrammed for an Edinburgh - Newcastle round trip making connections there with trains to and from the south.
The corporate identity for BR started to manifest itself from 1967 when the Swindon sets were repainted to standard coach blue / grey livery, while all other types were painted all over blue: initially with half yellow ends then full yellow ends. Right: Five of the six cars are in blue/grey on this Swindon set, the last one remains in green. Heading west, the two lines closest head for Glasgow, the far two soon bend off and go towards Fife. In the distance a blue liveried Metro-Cammell is about to pass Haymarket depot and enter the station. GM Staddon |  |
The Gloucester and Metro-Cammell units continued to operate stopping trains north and west of Edinburgh and were joined at Leith for a short time in 1966/7 by Derby Lightweight sets surplus to requirements on the Eastern Region. Their lack of coupling code compatibility with other units gave them a restricted scope of operation and they were withdrawn and returned to the ER except for two DTC cars (79250 and 79252) which found themselves used as staff quarters at Craigentinny and Bellahouston (Glasgow) carriage sidings until the late 1970s.
With traffic patterns changing due to line closures, changes were made to the DMU fleet with a number of Gloucester and Metro-Cammell twin units sent to Norwich to replace non-standard Derby and Metro-Cammell Lightweight sets.
The ER supplied a number of Metro-Cammell triple sets and from the WR came Gloucester single cars (later Class 122), three of which were converted to parcels use during 1968. These parcels cars were often used on Dundee and Stirling services coupled to a passenger set. Right: 55000 on Haymarket depot in July 1978. Alan Rintoul |  |
Visitors to Edinburgh were Hamilton-based Derby triples (later Class 107), Cravens twins (later Class 105) and from 1969, Derby Suburban triples on services from Glasgow Central via Shotts. The Swindons were replaced on the Edinburgh - Glasgow route in May 1971 by Class 27 Push-Pull sets, but for a while a Swindon set was kept spare at Waverley to cover failures of the new trains.
By the end of the year most cars had been withdrawn and dumped at Millerhill Yard (right, Tony Wilkins), although a handful of cars were transferred to Ayr to work alongside the later-built, but similar, Inter-City sets (later Class 126). Amazingly, five cars were given an overhaul at Glasgow Works and exported to Liberia for use by a mining company transferring workers. |  |
Following withdrawal of the Swindons, the depot at Leith Central was closed in April 1972 and its remaining allocation transferred to new sidings at the east end of Haymarket depot, seen on the right in September 1986. Alan Rintoul |  |
The Gloucester sets were now considered non-standard and late in 1972 those not already transferred to Norwich were withdrawn although the power cars were quickly reinstated to service. The DTC cars however went for scrap at Wards of Inverkeithing. Electrification of the Hamilton Circle service from Glasgow Central allowed transfer of some Cravens twins to Haymarket to replace the Gloucesters, although it was not uncommon to see Gloucester / Cravens hybrid units. One Gloucester car, DMBS Sc50342 became a celebrity in that it was the last DMU car on the entire BR network to retain green livery, not receiving a coat of rail blue at Glasgow Works until late 1973. The last Gloucester cars left the area during 1975.
From 1976, the ScR wished to rid itself of twin sets and until this could be achieved, three -car sets were made up of DMBS + DTC + DMC, not always of the same build. The last DTC cars were withdrawn or transferred away in 1977 when an influx of ex-ER Metro-Cammell cars arrived. These cars were easily recognised as they retained their aluminium window surrounds while the original ScR cars always had theirs painted over.
DMC 50176 with aluminium window surrounds is paired with a DTC, with a DMBS stuck on the end. Departing Edinburgh Waverley June 1977. Alan Rintoul |  |
By this time BR had still not found a replacement for their ageing DMU fleet and a stop-gap solution for life extension was to refurbish the types which would remain in service for the foreseeable future. The Metro-Cammell cars were the ScR's most numerous type and improvements were made to interior decor, lighting, ventilation and heating systems as well as new exhaust systems and livery.
The prototype refurbished Class 101 cars 51518, 59545 and 51451 are about to enter Inverkeithing from the Edinburgh direction. The branch on the left went to Rosyth Dockyard, which had a service for employees. August 1976. Alan Rintoul |  |
Plain rail blue gave way to an overall white with rail blue waist band, but this proved impossible to keep clean, particularly during the winter months, so from 1978 all refurbished cars appeared in standard coach blue / grey livery. Although the Cravens cars were not included in the refurbishment programme, some cars did receive the blue / grey livery for working with Metro-Cammell cars. For a while in the late 1970s, it was possible to see three-car DMUs with each car in a different livery: Blue / white and blue / blue and grey!
Despite their age and deteriorating passenger comfort, DMUs continued to be used on long-distance journeys. Throughout the 1970s, DMUs from South Gosforth, Darlington and Carlisle would bring school specials from Tyneside, Teeside and Cumbria to Edinburgh with Metro-Cammell and Derby twin and quad sets (see some details here). Later, Cravens and BRCW Class 104s would also appear. There was also a Whitley Bay - Glasgow Queen Street summer Saturday service which was operated by South Gosforth DMUs. Right: a Class 104 in Waverley in July 1978. Alan Rintoul |  |
When 1980 dawned, the unit allocation to Haymarket was made up of Metro-Cammell Class 101s and a few Cravens Class 105 DMBS cars (although these had gone by 1981) and a couple of Gloucester Class 122 single cars which were used to strengthen trains at busy periods. There were also the parcels vans now classified 131s.
The delayed introduction of second-generation DMU stock for the Edinburgh area in 1986/7 caused a migration of redundant DMU cars from south of the border to replace some of the clapped-out stock at Haymarket, although some of the replacements were little if at all better! It was now possible to see Swindon Cross-Country Class 120s, BRCW Class 104s (some of which were repainted into blue / grey) and Derby Class 107 and 108s operating from Haymarket until the new stock arrived.
 | Left: 3-car Class 108 set 383 led by M51566 awaits departure from Waverley in April 1986. Right: Set 522 is formed of two Swindon 120 power cars and a Metro-Cammell centre car, seen at Kingsknowe in August 1986. Both Alan Rintoul |  |
Right: Set 117 314 leaves Haymarket, entering the long tunnel that takes it to Princes St. Gardens and into Waverley. August 1993. Alan Rintoul |  |