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) [1]
Family name	First generation
Replaced	Steam locomotives and carriages
Constructed	1959-1960 [2]
Entered service	1959 [3]
Scrapped	1971-1991
Number built	10
Number scrapped	All
Formation	Single car: DMPMV [2]
Diagram	DX501 or BR643 DX502 or BR644 [4]
Fleet numbers	55987-55996 [5]
Capacity	Luggage space only [3]
Operators	British Rail
Depots	CA Cambridge CH Chester [6] NH Newton Heath [6] RG Reading [6] TY Tyseley [2]
Lines served	Western Region (1960-1988) London Midland Region Eastern Region (1988-1990)
Specifications
Car body construction	Steel [4]
Car length	64 ft 6+1⁄8 in (19.663 m) (over body) [4]
Width	9 ft (2.7 m) (over body at waist) [4]
Height	12 ft 8+1⁄4 in (3.867 m) (over vents) [4]
Floor height	4 ft 3+7⁄16 in (1.307 m) [4]
Doors	Slam for cab, sliding for luggage [3]
Wheelbase	46 ft 6 in (14.17 m) (bogie centres) 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) (bogies) [4]
Maximum speed	70 mph (110 km/h) [4]
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) [4]
Prime mover(s)	2 × 230 hp (170 kW) Leyland Albion RE901 [4] [7]
Engine type	Diesel
Cylinder count	6 (horizontal) [4]
Power output	460 hp (340 kW) [3]
Transmission	Mechanical [4]
HVAC	Oil burning air heater [4]
UIC classification	Bo'Bo'
Bogies	Derby [7]
Braking system(s)	Vacuum [4]
Safety system(s)	AWS [4]
Coupling system	Screw [4]
Multiple working	■ Blue Square [4]
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. ^[8] 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 The last members of the class were withdrawn in 1990 and broken up the following year, and none were preserved.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 By 1978, the initial unit M55987 had been withdrawn, and four of the six units originally intended for use on the Western Region had moved to the Midland Region. ^[6]

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. ^[9]

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. ^[10]

References

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.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 128.

• Class info from railcar.co.uk