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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 16th

Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Lea Valley Lines; Birmingham NS - Leamington Spa; Darlington - Richmond; Glasgow - Oban; and Kemble - Cirencester / Tetbury.

November 9th

Added to the cyclic diagrams page are the workings for the Class 113s allocated to Accrington depot commencing 5 May 1969 (1.7mb PDF).

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.

Latest Images:

101 DMU at Penistone

A two-car Met-Camm DMU departs from Penistone station with Huddersfield on the destination blind on Friday 17 April 1981. David Russon.

123 DMU at Sheffield

E52088 + E59771 + E59237 + E51957 stabled at Sheffield on Friday 17 April 1981. David Russon.

101 DMU at Sheffield

A two-car Class 101 DMU containing E51501 + E51432 waiting to leave for Huddresfield from Sheffield station on Friday 17 April 1981. David Russon.

116 DMU at Derby

A Class 116 DMU at Derby on Thursday 12 March 1981. David Russon.

114 DMU at Derby

A Class 114 DMU formed of E56027 + E50002 in Derby station on Saturday 14 February 1981. David Russon.

View More Recent Images...

On This Day:

101 DMU at Mirfield

Mirfield station on the 20th November 1978, with 51433 and 51498 awaiting departure, probably heading for Wakefield Westgate. Malcolm Clements.

101 DMU at Cambridge

Class 101 set CA22 (presumably 54363 + 53204) is seen with a Cravens parcels unit and on the right is Class 101 set CA03 at Cambridge (at 11:55) on Thursday 20th November 1986. Colin Brooks.

121 DMU at Lyme Regis

A Class 121 at Lyme Regis on the 20th November 1965. Steve Davies Collection.

108 DMU at Bamber Bridge

A Class 108 two-car DMU with Driving Motor Brake Second M53944 at the rear, was stood at Bamber Bridge with a Preston to Colne service on November 20th 1983. In the distance is the bridge constructed in red brick, that takes the M6 Motorway across the East Lancashire route. The structure was the first Motorway over Railway bridge in the UK, this... Martyn Hilbert.

116 DMU at South Tottenham

At South Tottenham on 20th November 1988 is class 116 set L307 (53083 + 53820). Ian Buck.