Derby Lightweights on the East Suffolk Line early 1960s

I was thinking about my early memories of railways the other day. I'm old enough to remember steam locomotives on BR - but to me as a small boy they were frightening, noisy and dirty black monsters. When I was a bit older, about 10, in the mid 60's, I was surprised to see they still had some steam locos using Waterloo. Again they were dirty black monsters, but rather odd looking (later discovered they were Q1 type). Nowadays, when steam locos are polished and colourful, it's difficult to imagine that for many of us who witnessed BR steam only in its final years, memories are of filthy, sooty, black steam locos.

But what captured my heart train-wise were the 2-car diesel multiple units being used on the East Suffolk line in the early 60's. I loved the way you could sit at the front and see the track ahead and how you could watch the driver. I was fascinated that they changed gear as they accelerated, just like a car or bus. There were two types in use - The familiar Metro-Cammell ones that later became the class 101** and the distinctive Derby Lightweights, with their huge 6-piece windscreens and funny wipers. I preferred the Derby types.

Occasionally two sets were coupled together to make up 4 cars - sometimes one Met-Cam and one Derby set. I even remember seeing one 2-car set comprising one Met-Cam car and one Derby car and so were never given a TOPS classification.

When I first encountered these railcars, as they used to be known, they were a lighter green than the usual BR green, more like Southern Region green. They had the cream V on the front and cream lining. After a year or two the 'V's were replaced with yellow warning panels and soon after the railcars were repainted in standard BR green.

Occasionally a Cravens set would appear on the East Suffolk. They were all standard BR dark green, as far as I can remember.

Before long the railcars were repainted again, into BR blue with yellow ends. The Derby Lightweights disappeared. Eventually the Metro-Cammels disappeared too and all the railcars were Cravens ones in blue and yellow.

**In fact my recent researches suggest that these were Metro-Cammell 'lightweight' DMUs, which looked just like 101's, but with alloy bodywork as with the Derby ones. They had yellow diamond coupling code and I believe they were all withdrawn and scrapped the same time as the Derby ones and so never received a TOPS class number.