51134 Class 116 Driving Motor Brake Second (Scrapped)

Last Location

Swansea Vale Railway

Location History

Private Site: Coed Bach (Wales) Sep 93-Jan 96

Current Status

Scrapped at Ammanford Metal Recycling April 2009

Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway Jan 96-Sep 00

Last Livery

BR Blue & Grey

Swansea Vale Railway Sep 00-Mar 09

Partner Vehicle(s)

51147

Record Last Updated

8 August 2020

Preservation Modifications
None

Preservation Information
51134 was latterly part of set C392 running in the Cardiff area. Preserved with partner 51147 in 1993 by the Llanelli & District Railway Society, the set was initially stored at a private site before being placed on loan to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway for five seasons where it is believed the vehicles saw some use.

In 2000 the set was returned to the society's base at Six Pit on the Swansea Vale Railway. 51134 began to deteriorate and was withdrawn from service. It is not known if the vehicle ever operated in passenger service whilst at Swansea.

During the 2000's the railway struggled to keep on top of a long series of vandal attacks, the situation made worse by the lack of undercover accommodation and security. 51134 did not escape the attacks, with smashed windows and consequent water ingress being typical examples. While volunteers concentrated on keeping the operational Class 116 set reasonable, 51134 continued to deteriorate.

In June 2008 the railway was hit by a serious arson attack and all seven of the DMU vehicles on the railway were damaged to varying degrees, ranging from light external damage to fully gutted shells. Following this incident, the railway later ceased operations and agreed to close the site and relocate the salvageable assets to the nearby Gwili Railway.

51134 was considered the least damaged of the fleet, and it was planned the vehicle would be saved and moved to the Gwili Railway where it could be a spare powercar for the Class 117 set already based on the railway.

However it was later decided that the vehicle was too far gone, so in Spring 2009 the vehicle was dispatched to Ammanford Metal Recycling where it was scrapped. 51134 was not unique, but its demise left only two Class 116 DMBS vehicles left in preservation.

51134 coupled to 51147 in the sidings at Toddington. Little work has been done to the vehicle since being preserved, the interior being essentially unchanged and the exterior still bearing BR Blue & Grey, 1996. Kevin Jarvis

A close up view of the later "Tren y Cwm" branding applied to 51134 during its days at Cardiff, 1996. Kevin Jarvis