- Diesel multiple unit power car (Driving Motor Brake Second), originally part of a 4-car set
- Twin Rolls-Royce C8NFLH horizontal 8-cylinder engines, giving 238bhp each
- Hydraulic transmission
- Maximum speed of 70mph
Built by British Railways at Derby Works in 1959 (works plate: BR Derby, Lot No. 30521), the Class 127 was one of 30 four-car sets constructed for the intensive commuter service between London St Pancras and Bedford, which earned the type its “Bed-Pan” nickname. Only six vehicles of the class survived into preservation, making 51616 one of a small handful of survivors.
51616 spent many years based at the Great Central Railway, where she was restored to a high standard and returned to service in August 2013. She carries the name Alf Benney, after a former driver, displayed on a small nameplate by the cab door, and is still turned out in BR maroon with her original reporting number 2H57 on the headcode blind. She transferred to Helston Railway in 2020, where the Helston Railway Preservation Company has been working to bring her into passenger service, offering visitors improved views of the surrounding Cornish scenery.
