The History of First Generation DMUs
The Railcar website provides information on the British Railways first generation DMUs (a.k.a. diesel multiple units / railcars) introduced in the 1950s.
The content of this website
The six key sections of the website are:
- Types - looks at each type of DMU in detail
- Topics - features articles on different aspects of the vehicles and personal recollections
- Technology - describes the technical details of how they work
- Data - various lists of numerical details
- Images - galleries featuring DMUs
- In Print - details the books and other printed materials made available over the years that have relevance
Details of railcars in preservation can be found on The Railcar Association website.
Date on DMUs
Vehicle / Set Data
To view details of a particular vehicle or set enter the number below:
DMU Images Wanted!
Do you have photos of First Generation DMUs? The more images we have the better we can tell the DMU story and make it more useful to visitors. Images can be loaded directly onto the site - just register as a user and upload! Alternatively if you have images on flickr or another website I can do the uploads for you - just let me know.
Scope
This website contains details about the First Generation DMUs. This includes the 4-wheel diesel railbuses, ACV / BUT railcars, the Battery Multiple Unit (BMU) and Blue Pullmans. It covers the period from their introduction to British Railways in the 1950s till their withdrawal and disposal from main-line use, but NOT preservation.
Because of the vast amount of data that this covers and the amount of information I have still to process I cannot include the DEMUs introduced on the Southern Region in the same era, nor Second Generation or later types.
Updates
October 5th
Added to the cyclic diagrams page are the diesel car workings for ScR East Coast Division allocated DMUs in the early 1960s.
September 28th
Two additional sets of driver's instructions have been added: an April 1958 release for the Battery Multiple Unit; and the original June 1959 release for the Class 125s.
September 21st
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Sheffield - Barnsley; Crewe - Derby; Leeds - Huddersfield; Edinburgh - Stirling via Alloa; and Henley - Twyford.
September 14th
Added to the cyclic diagrams page are the diesel car workings for Bury depot commencing 17 June 1957.
September 7th
A PDF file of an Axle Diagrams booklet has been added to the bogie section.
August 31st
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Peterborough - Grimsby Town; Redditch - Four Oaks; Newcastle - North Tyneside Loop; Grangemouth - Falkirk / Larbert; and the three Western Pullmans: The Birmingham Pullman, The Bristol Pullman, and The South Wales Pullman.
August 24th
A new page has been added to the data section for the cyclic diagrams that the units worked, with a new addition of the South Gosforth 4 February 1957 diagrams courtesy of John Whaley.
August 17th
A PDF file of the BUT Spare Parts Catalogue: Leyland Section has been added.
August 10th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Audley End - Bartlow; Oxenholme - Windermere; Leeds - Ilkley; Dundee - Tayport; and Marlow - Maidenhead.
Latest Images:
A Cravens parcel unit, which seems to be M55999, is seen at Watery Lane, Tipton, on 30 July 1960. Michael Mensing.
A Class 110 DMU in Leeds station with the 13:28 to York on 1 November 1975. It was noted as being a four-car set. Michael Mensing.
A BRC&W twin set, M56184 leading, at Kenilworth with a Rugby service on 1 October 1961. Michael Mensing.
A Swindon Cross Country DMU, closest seems at be W50647, with a Cardiff service at Widney Manor in late June 1961. Michael Mensing.
Class 121 W55026 at Hallen Marsh, Bristol, in mid-1985. Michael Mensing.
On This Day:
Mutiple Met-Camms in Saltburn station on the morning of Sunday 15 October 1978. DMCL E50195 is behind the station sign. Alistair Ness.
A Huddersfield to Sheffield three-car unit Class 110 DMU rumbles across the pointwork at Huddersfield Junction, Penistone, on the afternoon of Wednesday 15th October 1980. Note the classic Woodhead-era colour light signal. A staggering amount of infrastructure has gone here since the 1980s. Andrew Walker.
One of the Bletchley allocated class 104 2-Car DMU sets is seen at Bedford St. Johns soon after arrival with stopping service 2C80 the 10.10 from Bletchley on October 15, 1983. The train will then reverse and return as 2A80 11.00 to Bletchley. This one time through station on the former L&NWR route to Cambridge closed on 14/05/1984 when Bletchley... Adrian Nicholls.
Iris II - 977694 + 977693 is seen at Crewe on 15.10.1998 in SERCO livery. Andy Cole.
Class 128 55994 is seen in Royal Mail red livery outside the factory at Tyseley on 15.10.1988. Andy Cole.