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British Rail Class 128
M55989 Post Office motor parcels van at Manchester Victoria, 1982
In service	1959–1990
Manufacturer	Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company
Order no.	30551 (55991-55996) 30552 (55987-55990)
Family name	First generation
Replaced	Steam locomotives and carriages
Constructed	1959-1960
Entered service	1959
Scrapped	1971-1991
Number built	10
Number scrapped	All
Formation	Single car: DMPMV
Diagram	DX501 or BR643 DX502 or BR644
Fleet numbers	55987-55996
Capacity	Luggage space only
Operators	British Rail
Depots	CA Cambridge CH Chester NH Newton Heath RG Reading TY Tyseley
Lines served	Western Region (1960-1988) London Midland Region Eastern Region (1988-1990)
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel
Car length	64 ft 6+1⁄8 in (19.663 m) (over body)
Width	9 ft (2.7 m) (over body at waist)
Height	12 ft 8+1⁄4 in (3.867 m) (over vents)
Floor height	4 ft 3+7⁄16 in (1.307 m)
Doors	Slam for cab, sliding for luggage
Wheelbase	46 ft 6 in (14.17 m) (bogie centres) 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) (bogies)
Maximum speed	70 mph (110 km/h)
Weight	41.5 tonnes (40.8 long tons; 45.7 short tons) (Diagram DX501) 40.5 tonnes (39.9 long tons; 44.6 short tons) (Diagram DX502)
Prime mover(s)	2 × 230 hp (170 kW) Leyland Albion RE901
Engine type	Diesel
Cylinder count	6 (horizontal)
Power output	460 hp (340 kW)
Transmission	Mechanical
HVAC	Oil burning air heater
UIC classification	Bo'Bo'
Bogies	Derby
Braking system(s)	Vacuum
Safety system(s)	AWS
Coupling system	Screw
Multiple working	■ Blue Square
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

The British Rail Class 128 was a class of diesel multiple unit, built for British Rail. Introduced in 1959, ten of the class were built by Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, each with two 230 hp British United Traction - Albion engines. The class was built specifically for parcels, fitted out with parcel racks and bike storage at each end, and did not feature any passenger accommodation. The last members of the class were withdrawn in 1990 and broken up the following year, and none were preserved.

Numbering

Livery

• British Rail Green Livery, 1967
• British Rail Blue livery, 1982
• Royal Mail Livery, 1990

Operation

Introduced in 1959, the Class 128s were given the TOPS classification DXV in 1973. By 1978, the initial unit M55987 had been withdrawn, and four of the six units originally intended for use on the Western Region had moved to the Midland Region.

Models

Heljan have produced a 00 scale model in British Railways all over green, Rail Blue and Royal Mail Post Office Red liveries, although these only represent the later version with corridor connection. By 2021 these models were no longer in production.

In 2018, Revolution Trains announced that they are to produce six different variants of the Class 128 in N gauge covering BR green, Rail Blue and RES Red liveries.

References

1. Longworth 2015, p. 366
2. ^ Fox 1987, p. 40
3. ^ "Class 128". The Railway Centre. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. ^ Vehicle Diagram Book No. 220 for Diesel Multiple Unit Trains (Railcars) (PDF). Derby: British Railways Board. 1982. DX501, DX502. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2016 – via Barrowmore MRG.
5. "Class 128 Gloucester RC&W Parcel DMU Cars: Numbering". Railcar.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
6. ^ Mallaband & Bowles 1978, p. 50.
7. ^ "Class 128 Gloucester RC&W Parcel DMU Cars: Description". Railcar.co.uk. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
8. Ian Allan ABC of British Railways locomotives, winter 1962/3 edition, page 289
9. Jack Morgan (19 June 2018). "Bargain Heljan Class 128 DPUs". Hattons Model Railways. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
10. "Category: Class 128". Revolution Trains. 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.

Sources

• Mallaband, Peter; Bowles, L.J. (1978). Coaching Stock of British Railways (4th ed.). Rugeley: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-44-4.
• Fox, Peter (1987). Multiple Unit Pocket Book. British Railways Pocket Book No.2 (Summer/Autumn 1987 ed.). Platform 5 Publishing Ltd. ISBN 0906579740. OCLC 613347580.
• Longworth, Hugh (2015). British Railways Electric Multiple Units to 1975. Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 9780860936688. OCLC 923205678.

Further reading

• Leigh, Chris (May 2013). "Pass the Parcels". Model Rail. No. 182. Peterborough: Bauer. pp. 80–81. ISSN 1369-5118. OCLC 173324502.

External links

• Class info from railcar.co.uk

• British Rail diesel multiple units
• Gloucester multiple units
• Non-passenger multiple units
• Train-related introductions in 1959