A recently repainted Buffet car 60756 from unit 1036 is seen at Eastligh after an overhaul in April 1975
Image by David John Mant
Hastings Buffet Cars
The final seven Hastings units were slightly different to the rest of the fleet as they were fitted with buffet cars and were consequently given the classification of 6B; later to became Class 203.
The idea was to have a buffet operating on many of the fast services out of Charing Cross, but as this was a DEMU with no inter carriage corridors, there was one slight flaw in the plan.How could people in the non buffet unit pass through the train to reach the buffet?
There were seven buffet carriages in total, fitted into units 1031-1037, but they were placed in the units out of numerical sequence because they were built at Eastleigh and fitted out at Lancing.
The first of the withdrawals came in January 1964 when 60750 from 1032 and 60755 from 1031 were taken out of service. These went on to departmental service. The remaining five soldiered on until 1980, when they were also withdrawn.
Class 203/6B Hastings TRB Data
Vehicle Unit Enter Service Withdrawn
60750 1032 04/58 01/64
60751 1033 04/58 03/80
60752 1035 05/58 10/80
60753 1037 05/58 10/80
60754 1034 04/58 10/80
60755 1031 03/58 01/64
60756 1036 05/58 10/80
The 20th of May 1980 sees 60752 in 1035 at Charing Cross
Image by Chris Head
Here is 60750 from unit 1032 at Mitcheldever Sidings eight years after withdrawal in 1972, this vehicle went on to become and experimental vehicle for the APT project and fortunately is now preserved
For more information on the vehicles departmental career click here.
Image by David John Mant
Here is 60752 from unit 1035 seen at Tonbridge. Image by Mike Pannell
60752 from unit 1035 is seen from a passing train in 1979
Image by Simon Stoddard
One veiw you rarely see of units is from above. This image,caught by Tony Watson at Tunbridge Wells, is believed to be 60754.
60753 from 1037 is seen at London Bridge sometime in the 70's. Image by Mike Pannell
On 20 July 1981, five withdrawn former 6B unit buffet cars (60751-4/6) and what looks like a Mark 1 TSO are seen in the Down Yard at Basingstoke towering over the Victory Roundabout. They were stored here pending transfer to Snailwell for scrapping.
Image by Jeremy Chapter
One veiw you rarely see of units is from above. This image,caught by Tony Watson at Tunbridge Wells, is believed to be 60754.
This shot shows the Buffet 60576 in unit 1036 along side 2H 1121 at Crowhurst in the 1960's.
Image from the Mike Pannell Collection
Withdrawn Vehicles
A very rare shot of the interior of a Buffet Car, This is 60753 from 1037 and was Taken by John Atkinson on 25th November 1980 and was the last time John rode in a Hastings Buffet
A recently repainted 1036 along with a shabby 1006 heads across Hungerford Bridge away from Charing Cross On 10th October 1979
Image By John Atkinson
Close-up of 60753 (1037) at Waterloo East 11-1-80. Eleven months later this coach was withdrawn.
Image by John Atkinson
Withdrawn Vehicles
60754 from unit 1034 is seen passing Stonegate Jcn. Image by Tony Watson
Here is a couple if images taken by John Dedman taken in January 1981 at Basingstoke, showing four withdrawn Buffet Cars waiting to go for scrap.
Its hard to identify them but the top image closest to the camera is 60754 from unit 1034.
Here is a couple of shots by John Atkinson showing the Buffet Cars in the original units
Above is 1036 looks a bit travel stained as it stands at Tonbridge 2-5-79 with an early evening Hastings to Charing Cross train.
Below is 1037 which was the last to be overhauled as a 6B as such, seen here looking smart as it runs into Waterloo East 11-1-80.
One unique feature the buffet cars had was the gangway doors.
They were of a double leaf powered design and automatically slid open when a sensor was triggered
These are some images taken from the contepary magazines of the time
After the Buffet's were removed the units became 5L's this image by Andy Grant shows the labelling to the front of 1037