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
November 2nd
Added to the manuals section is a Rolls Royce maintenance manual (48mb PDF) covering the equipment supplied for a variety of types such as the 112/3s and 125s.
October 26th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Cleethorpes - Barton-on-Humber; Kentish Town - Barking; Newcastle - Alnwick; Dundee - Arbroath; and Yatton - Clevedon.
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.
Latest Images:
A Park Royal Railbus, presumably on a Larbert-Alloa service, leaves the Scottish Central at Alloa Junction (between Larbert and Stirling) to take the line towards the swing bridge over the River Forth. Date unknown, but thought to be around the time passenger service ended in January 1968. Photograph by the late Ed Nicoll and uploaded with the kind... Ed Nicoll.
A Met Camm DMBS waits at the rear of a train from Holyhead to Llandudno in 1981. Tony Walmsley.
In the wet summer of 1979 I photographed declassified DMCL E56399 at Newcastle Central on a North Tyneside circular service. 56399 was based at Heaton from July 1978 until May 1985 being renumbered 54399 in April 1983. Note the Tyne and Wear county symbol to the left of the cab door. Tony Walmsley.
101685 is seen at Blaenau Ffestiniog in 1998. The unit is in two car formation made up of 53164 and 53160. Tony Walmsley.
Met Camm DMBS 51177 leads unit CH357 into Manchester Piccadilly in 1990. The unit is a triple, with a Derby class 108 centre car (presumably 59390) and another Class 101 DMBS, presumably 53250. Tony Walmsley.
On This Day:
The 09:10 Alderley Edge - Warrington Central is seen at Irlam, 51428 leading 54062. 6th November 1993. Gazza Prescott.
975023 at Stockport. Note the windscreen wiper on the center window. The text after the BR Arrow was its unofficial name, 'Thunderbird'. Paul Moxon.
Sc 53158 leads set 101 303 departing Glasgow Central on 6-11-84. Spannerman37025.
At Aylesbury on the 6th November 2004 was Pressed Steel bubble 977873, the former 55022, freshly painted into Blue / Grey. It carries the text "Chiltern Railways - Serving Stratford from December 12th" on the side. Roger Marks.
Class 117 set number L412 (presumably with DMBS 51347 nearest the camera) leaves Paddington with a service for Maidenhead on 6 November, 1991. Glen Batten.