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 1st
Added to the exam page is the document Maintenance on Diesel Railcars by C&W Examiners. Circa late 1950s, this also gives a breakdown of the inter-departmental responsibilites for DMU maintenance.
October 25th
A page on the Met-Camm buffet cars has been added.
October 18th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: North Walsham - Mundesley-on-Sea; Manchester - Hunts Cross; Bradford / Leeds - Keighley; Glasgow - Girvan; and Axminster - Lyme Regis.
October 11th
Added is a Westinghouse Manual titled Engine & Transmission Control Equipment for Rolls Royce Engined BR Railcars (18.1mb pdf), dated March 1958 — this is presumably for the Class 125 DMUs.
October 4th
Added to the Bogie page is a 1975 report on Bogie Fractures (3.4mb pdf).
September 27th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Norwich / Cromer - Melton Constable; Manchester - Blackpool; Scarborough - Whitby - Middlesbrough; Glasgow / Hamilton - Strathaven / Coalburn; and West Drayton - Staines West.
September 20th
An Exam Schedule from March 1965 has been added (6.5mb pdf).
September 13th
Some Western Region issues of Traction Bulletins have been added.
September 6th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Peterborough - Cambridge; Aylesbury - Princes Risborough; Glasgow - Carlisle; and Reading - Tonbridge.
Latest Images:
A Met-Camm DMU in Alston station in September 1965 with the shuttle to Haltwhistle. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A Gloucester parcel car with a parcel carriage on the rear is seen at Brindle Heath in May 1968. The 3" numbers on the DMU are sadly unreadable, the vehicle has "cut" buffers. Apart from the fire in the background, there is also well advanced demolition work. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A Cravens Class 105 DMU, thought to be in Ribblehead station, circa mid-1970s. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A Class 119 DMU led by M51101 is seen at English Bridge Junction, Shrewsbury, in October 1977. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A Class 110 about to pass an HST with power cars 43089 + 43083, heading to York at Barlby, just north of Selby on the ECML before the Selby diversion opened. The trackbed is now the A19. The mixed livery suggests early 1980s. Stuart Mackay Collection.
On This Day:
975023 at Stockport. Note the windscreen wiper on the center window. The text after the BR Arrow was its unofficial name, 'Thunderbird'. Paul Moxon.
Class 119 set L575 (51060 and presumably 59419 + 51088) is seen at Redhill on 6th November 1988. Ian Buck.
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.
L211 - Class 101 DMBC 53155 and Class 121 DTS 54287 - at Reading on 6/11/91 with two cars from a 117 set and a bubble car. Sparegang.
55034 on the Windsor shuttle at Slough on the 6th November 1978. Ian Buck.