50447 Class 104 Driving Motor Brake Second
Home Railway |
Location History |
Llangollen Railway Apr 93-Present |
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Current Location |
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Current Status |
Stored |
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Current Livery |
BR Green/BR Blue (Plain End) |
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TRA Designation |
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Partner Vehicle(s) |
None |
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Owner |
Kevin Dowd |
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Website |
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Record Last Updated |
1 February 2022 |
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Preservation Modifications |
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Preservation Information 50447 was one of three Class 104 vehicles moved to Llangollenand fellow DMBS 50454 was in better condition so 50447 was turned into a mess room for the group, who did not have any undercover facilities at the time. 50454 was restored to run with the DMCL which was on the line, 50528. Many years passed with 50447 fulfilling its static role, and it was repainted into BR Green on the public side during the late 1990's to make it more presentable to passing trains. In 2011, the vehicle (recently made redundant as a mess room following the aquisition of a replacement coach with better facilities) was assessed for full restoration to operating condition, which was always a long term aim of the group. March saw one of the engines started up for the first time since 1995. 2012 saw the interior slowly cleaned out (in between other jobs) and in April some repairs had been made to the No1 engine which started to run much more sweetly. By the summer most of the missing parts required for the restortion had been obtained. In October the vehicle was moved indoors for the winter for restoration to continue. This work focussed on making the vehicle's roof watertight and involved replacing the life-expired plates which covered the holes in the roof for the original vents. 2013 saw more work on an occational basis. The roof plating was cmpleted and finished off with coat of primer. Some work was completed on the No2 engine so by the end of the year both were operating smoothly. In 2014 the restoration was suspended however some small components such as air pipes were manufactured. During the 2010's the priorities for Llangollen Railcars were forced into review, with the departure of some privately owned vehicles to pastures new requiring new sets to be brought in which required work to bring them up to operational standards. In addition to these demands, existing members of the operational fleet were requiring more serious attention if they were to continue in service. Also, the long term restoration of the group's unique Class 100 set was also set to become a group priority in the medium term. These factors combined led to a descision being made to not continue with 50447's restoration, which would have been a duplicate vehicle to operational 50454 in any case. It was felt the group would be better dedicating resources to more unique vehicles. 50447 continued to serve a useful role as a storage vehicle however, in particular creating space for Class 105 56456's major rebuild to continue at Llangollen. By 2020, with 50447's condition having deteriorated considerably, its viability as a restoration prospect was in doubt. |
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Future Plans |
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M50447 stored down the side of the shed at Pentrefelin, 13/7/21. Aaron Browning |
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50447, showing its blue side at pentrefelin depot, 21/6/15. Chris Moxon |
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50447 having surrendered its drivers window for 50454, 21/6/14. Chris Moxon |
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The roof, freshly painted after stripping and waterproofing which involved the resealing of the roof vent patches, 14/10/13. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447 back inside the workshops for some roof restoration, 17/6/13. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447 on the move again during a shunt at Pentrefelin. All components for the vehicle's restoration have now been obtained, 24/12/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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All of the replacement ventilator cover panels have now been fitted and painted and the roof is being investigated for leaks. Quite a lot of the guttering has come away from the body which has led to water ingress. Where the roof has been inspected it is being scabbled down to bare metal and primed with an acid etch primer which will serve as a key for future paint jobs and will in the meantime serve to protect the roof against further damage. The severe corrosion apparent on the cab end can clearly been seen in this photograph, 29/10/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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With 50447 being in the workshops for its roof job there's been a rare chance this week to get a photo of it, as normally it's hidden behind other vehicles, 22/10/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447 now in the workshop so that work to the roof to make it watertight can be completed. The problem was the ventilator blanking plates which were fitted in BR days. These were too thick and so did not expand and contract at the same rate as the roof. In addition they were held on only by six rivets each and had not been sealed between the roof and the plate, the omission being "corrected" by trying to seal round the outside gap afterwards. This has meant that the coach has, for years, had a number of minor leaks. To cure this new panels of the correct thickness have ben made andinstalled using about 20 self-tappers per plate and using an adhesive/sealer between the plates and the roof to prevent water getting in. Over the weekend 11 out of the 19 were fitted, 15/10/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447 under restoration at Prentrefelin, 24/6/12. Chris Moxon |
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M50447 under restoration at Prentrefelin, 24/6/12. Chris Moxon |
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M50447 under restoration at Prentrefelin, 24/6/12. Chris Moxon |
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M50447 in its usual spot at Pentrefelin, 30/4/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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At Pentrefelin there was a big shunt round in the yard and some vehicles which were buried way behind our stores and messing vehicles were removed. this resulted in the unusual sight of an eight-car DMU towing two Mark 1 coaches as we had to clear the yard out to make some room. During one of the moves long-derelict M50447 was pulled out so that we could get a better view of the secondman's side. Despite the raggy appearance it is not in bad order considering the number of years it has been in open store, 1/7/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447 being started up for the first time since 1995 following several weeks of work by Llangollen Railcars volunteers. The vehicle has been used as a stores and mess coach since 1994 and last ran as a passenger vehicle around 1989. The start up in 1995 was only brief and prior to that the engines last ran in 1990, 20/3/11. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447 stored at Glyndyfrdwy, 29/2/04. Brian Battersby |
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M50447 at Glyndyfrdwy, now repainted into green to make the vehicle more presentable to passing trains. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447, fresly repainted on the drivers side at Glyndyfrdwy, 1/5/99. On tour with the class 13 army |
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M53447 at Glyndyfrdwy being used as a stores vehicle by the railcar group, 28/6/98. Stuart Mackay |
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M53447 in the early days at Glyndyfrdwy, 24/9/94. Robert Chilton |
Interior
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M50447's middle saloon, 27/7/12. Llangollen Railcar Group |
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M50447's guards van, 24/6/12. Chris Moxon |
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Sandwiches at the ready inside M50447 during its time as a mess coach.Llangollen Railcar Group |