My “summer holiday” in 1978 was a First Class Eastern Region Railrover and I had stocked up with 35mm transparency film for the week ahead. Or so I thought because when it came to processing the week’s photography I realised that one roll of film was in fact a colour print film!!! Class 307 four car unit 121 is the lead unit of 2F88, 08.02 Liverpool Street to Witham approaching Romford on the 30th May 1978.

Unit History
Thirty two Class 307 four car units were built at Eastleigh Works between 1954 and 1956 for Great Eastern services. When first built the operated at 1,500V dc, being collected by a cross-arm pantograph located above the cab on the Motor Brake Second Open (MBSO) vehicle. In the early 1960s the overhead lines were converted to 25,000V ac and the units electrical equipment was modified with the addition of a transformer and rectifier unit and the guards brake compartment moved from the motor coach to one of the Driving Trailer coaches. During 1983-1984 the fleet was refurbished which involved replacing all compartments with open saloons, and the fitting of gangways between vehicles within a unit. The units were withdrawn from Great Eastern services by 1991, however five units remained in service until 1993 on Leeds – Doncaster services. In the early 1990s a need was identified for driving trailers to operate with a locomotive on parcels trains. It was decided to convert the vehicles from redundant Class 307 Driving Trailers and forty vehicles were rebuilt between 1994-1996. Unit 121 did not feature in this, on withdrawal it was used in a series of crash tests on the Old Dolby test track and then broken up.

Tags:   30th May Praktica LTL

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