Class 123 Profile and Models

The British Rail Class 123 was a design of diesel multiple unit built for British Rail in 1963. They were the last first-generation DMUs built for British Railways and were built at Swindon Works, designed like all Swindon units as inter-city sets. Ten of the four-car sets were built and introduced in 1963. The units bear a visible similarity to the British Rail Class 309; however, there is no 'relation' here as the two types were built by different manufacturers for different markets. They were originally intended for use on services from the South Coast to Wales, but only briefly used on services from Portsmouth to Cardiff and Bristol. When introduced they were concentrated on services between Swansea, Cardiff, Birmingham, Derby and Crewe and between Cardiff and Bristol. While still in their original green livery the units were trialled on services between Plymouth and Penzance on the Cornish Main Line as an alternative to loco-hauled services. They were displaced in 1970 to outer suburban services from London Paddington to Oxford and Newbury, without the buffet cars. All were stored in April 1977 but reprieved later that year for services from Hull to Doncaster, Sheffield, Manchester and occasionally to Leeds. All were withdrawn in 1984 and stored at Hull Botanic Gardens TMD.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

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Surviving Examples