Chiltern Railways to retire heritage Class 121 ‘Bubble Cars’ from Princes Risborough to Aylesbury service

Chiltern Railways Class 121 ‘Bubble Car’ pictured at Princes Risborough.

On Friday 19th May 2017 Chiltern Railways is to retire the single carriage Class 121 ‘Bubble Cars’ that operate on the line between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury.

The Class 121 was first brought into service in Britain in 1960. In 2003 Chiltern Railways purchased two heritage class 121 trains for use on the service from Princes Risborough to Monks Risborough, Little Kimble and Aylesbury, a journey which takes eighteen minutes.

The single carriage trains are recognisable for their small size and open environment allowing customers to see ahead through the front windows of the train. They are also the last remaining type of train in service on Britain’s railways that use vacuum brakes.

An increase in the ongoing maintenance of the classic trains has resulted in the decision to take them out of service.

Following withdrawal from the Chiltern Railways fleet both of the Class 121 trains will be on sale however the number of services running daily across the route will remain unchanged.

Matthew Prosser, Engineering Director at Chiltern Railways said : ‘We will be sad to see these trains go has they are a part of railway history and some customers even make special journeys to travel on them.

However, the changes are necessary due to the age of the vehicles and we will ultimately be providing a more comfortable service for our customers.‘

On the last day of service, Friday 19th May 2017, a small farewell will be held for the Bubble Cars. Details will be announced in due course.

Further information can be found on the Chiltern Railways website.