Driving Brake Standard Open

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DBSO 9710 at Norwich station on 31st January 2004. This was the final DBSO to retain InterCity livery.

DBSO 9701 arriving at Colchester station on 12th June 2003. This vehicles carries Anglia Railways turquoise livery.

DBSO 9710 in 'one' livery at Norwich on 21st April 2004

A Driving Brake Standard Open or DBSO is type of specially converted railway carriage. Fourteen such vehicles, numbered 9701 to 9714, were converted from Mk. 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.

[edit] Operations

The vehicles 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, nos. 9711-9714 were converted in the period 1985-1986. The fourteenth DBSO, no. 9714 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 to work London Liverpool Street-Norwich services on the newly electrified Great Eastern Main Line. The Mk. 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.

Following privatisation of the British Rail, the London-Norwich route became part of the Anglia Railways franchise. From 1997 onwards, a new livery of turquoise with a white stripe was introduced onto all Anglia stock. However, rake AR01, containing DBSO 9710 retained its old InterCity livery.

In April 2004, the Anglia franchise became part of the new 'one' franchise. The thirteen surviving DBSOs were still in service, although they were gradually replaced by Driving Van Trailers (DVT) cascaded from Virgin Trains. One DBSO, no. 9710, has had the new 'one' Anglia livery applied by means of adhesive vinyls, whilst retaining the InterCity livery underneath.

However, many of the new Mark 3 sets being received by Anglia were not originally accompanied by DVTs. For this reason a small number of DBSOs were retained until enough DVTs had been received. The last DBSOs were withdrawn from mainline service in December 2006. Some vehicles will probably see further use by charter operators, with no. 9713 already moving to Crewe for assessment by Riviera Trains. Two others, nos. 9704 and 9709 moved for storage with FM Rail, but since this company's collapse have been moved for secure storage. In addition, one unspecified DBSO has been reserved for preservation by the Railway Heritage Committee.

In February 2007, Network Rail took delivery of four DBSOs, nos. 9702, 9703, 9708 and 9714. These will be converted to alow test-trains to run in push-pull mode, therefore eliminating the need to operate two locomotives (one at each end of the train).

[edit] Fleet details

Full details of the DBSO fleet are given below: