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
January 3rd
A 1966 booklet Workshop Overhaul Procedure - Carriages (3.4mb PDF) has been added, the final page defines what was involved in C1-C6 DMU overhauls at the time.
December 27th
A new drivers manual has been added, a revised edition for Wickham Railbuses.
December 20th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Ipswich - Felixstowe; Harrow - Belmont; Huddersfield - Sheffield; Edinburgh - Fife Circle; and Barry Island - Treherbert.
December 13th
A 1965 booklet Documentation for the Shopping of Passenger and Non-Passenger Carrying Coaching Vehicles and Electric and Diesel Multiple Units has been added (DMU pages only, 1.2mb PDF).
December 6th
A late 1950s LMR Stoke & Manchester Division destination blind has been added, as has a Remedial Action booklet (0.5mb PDF) to the Fault Finding page.
November 29th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Kings Lynn - Hunstanton; Luton - London; Bradford - Ilkley; Glasgow - Wemyss Bay; and Truro - Falmouth.
November 22nd
One of the chapters from the Vehicle Maintenance Instructions (VMI) has been added to the exams page, looking at the winterization of DMUs.
November 15th
A page on Derby Lightweights in North Wales has been added.
November 8th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Grantham - Lincoln; Manchester - Southport; Hull - Beverley; Perth - Blair Atholl; and Didcot - Newbury.
Latest Images:
Class 121 T014 / 55034 stops at Worcester Shrub Hill about 12.50 on the 7th May 1991 working the 10.48 Cardiff Central to Birmingham New Street and about 20 minutes late! It was hoped not too many passengers wanted to crowd onto the single bubble car!! Class 116 set C392 with driver is waiting to follow T014 into platform 1. There are two parcel vans in the bay platform ready for loading. Dave Gommersall.
T014 / 55034 stops in platform 2 at Worcester Shrub Hill at 14.40 on the 7th May 1991 working the 14.00 Birmingham New Street to Cardiff Central. Unsurprisingly the bubble car seems well loaded!! My notes say this working was booked for a Sprinter! Dave Gommersall.
53986 and 54221 waits in platform 1a at Sheffield Station with an unrecorded working, whilst 150 210 is about to leave platform 1b with the 09.10 to Leeds via Barnsley. The date was the 2nd April 1991. Dave Gommersall.
Class 116 set C395 (presumably 51153 + 51140) leaves Radyr Station just after 12 noon on the 27th March 1991 with an unrecorded working. Some railway workers appear to have left the unit. Dave Gommersall.
Class 116 DMU set C395 stops at Radyr Station about 12 noon on the 27th March 1991 with an unrecorded working. The semaphores at Radyr Station just had to be photographed, and through the haze the massive Radyr Yard can be seen in the distance! Dave Gommersall.
On This Day:
Ten years to the day from the end of through passenger services on the Woodhead route, a special excursion from Sheffield passes Penistone Goods on its way to Manchester on Saturday 5th January 1980. Organised by the South Yorkshire Transport Society, the tour, formed of two Class 114s and entitled "The Woodhead Wanderer" ran via... Andrew Walker.
54227 on top of M54501(L), M54269(R), C.F.Booths, Rotherham 5-1-92. Kevin Dowd.
110's at Sheffield 5th Jan 1987. 51846 is far right prior to working 15:44 Huddersfield service. Lee Senior.
On 5 January 1983 the final two Class 126 units are seen in Kilmacolm station with a Glasgow Central service. DMSL SC51026 closest, the others being 51017, 51036, 51043, 59404 and 59411. The branch closed a few days a later and the Class 126s were withdrawn by the end of the month. Brian Daniels.
Two Class 126 DMUs in Kilmacolm station with a Glasgow Central service on 5 January 1983 a few days before services were withdrawn. DMSL SC51026 is closest (the others are 51017 51036 51043 59404 and 59411). Brian Daniels.