DBSO
| British Rail DBSO | |
|---|---|
Anglia Railways DBSO 9701 at Colchester station in June 2003
|
|
| In service | 1979–present |
| Manufacturer | |
| Family name | British Rail Mark 2 |
| Number built | 14 rebuilt |
| Number scrapped | 1 |
| Fleet numbers | 9701–9714 |
| Operator(s) | |
| Specifications | |
| Car length | 66 ft 0 in (20.12 m) |
| Width | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
| Height | 12 ft 9 1⁄2 in (3.899 m) |
| Maximum speed | 100 mph (160 km/h) |
| Weight | 33 long tons (33.5 t; 37.0 short tons) |
| Braking system(s) | Air |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
A Driving Brake Standard Open (DBSO) is a type of railway carriage, converted to operate as a control car (Not to be confused with DVTs as used in InterCity 225 sets). Fourteen such vehicles, numbered 9701 to 9714, were converted from Mark 2F Brake Standard Open (standard class coaches with brake van) carriages. Modifications included adding a driving cab and TDM equipment to allow a locomotive to be driven remotely. Using a system known as push-pull, the driver in the DBSO can drive the locomotive, even though it is at the rear of the train.
The vehicles were converted in two batches. Numbers 9701–9710 were converted in 1979 for use on the newly introduced Glasgow-Edinburgh InterCity ScotRail push-pull service with specially modified Class 47/7 locomotives. A further four, 9711–9714, were converted in 1985/86. The fourteenth was a replacement for no. 9706, which was derailed and damaged beyond repair in the Polmont rail crash after it hit a cow.
When first introduced, the DBSO fleet had half-cabs and retained their end gangways. They were later rebuilt to have full-width cabs, with the removal of the end gangways.
In the late 1980s, with the introduction of Class 158 diesel multiple units on the Glasgow-Edinburgh corridor, the DBSO fleet was transferred en-masse, and converted to use the TDM system used by the AC electric locomotives used on the London Liverpool Street to Norwich services on the newly electrified Great Eastern Main Line. The Mark 2E/2F coaching stock used on the route was based at Norwich Crown Point and rakes were marshalled into semi-permanent formations (numbered AR01-AR13). Traction was provided by Class 86/2 electric locomotives.
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Wikipedia