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
April 4th
Added to the headcode pages are some summaries of those used on the North Eastern Region. Also a destination blind, this one thought to be from Accrington.
March 28th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Hatfield - Dunstable; Preston - Ormskirk; Leeds - Scarborough; Dundee - Leuchars Jct - St Andrews; and Paddington - Ealing Broadway - Greenford.
March 21st
New in the document archive are the Standard Examination Schedules from Issue 2 of Standard Examination, the 1970s version of maintenance instructions.
March 14th
A new section has been started on headcodes, with some summaries of those used on the Scottish Region.
March 7th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: London - Hertford North; Bedford - Hitchin; Huddersfield - Wakefield; Glasgow - Cathcart Circle; and Cardiff - Bristol.
February 28th
New in the document archive are the Standard Examination Job Descriptions from Issue 1 of Standard Examination.
February 21st
A couple of Eastern Region items have been added: an article on Harold Smith and Albion Engines by Nigel Tilly; and a folder for the Day Tourer ticket.
Latest Images:
SC51524 leads a three-car Met-Camm into Inverkeithing station, Glasgow Queen Street on the destination blind, circa early 1960s. The board in the left cab window reads D1 Mon. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A Class 101 and a Class 105 form the 18:57 Carlisle - Newcastle service awaiting departure time in Carlisle on 27 August 1977. Closest is E56397, a long time ScR vehicle that had been transferred to South Gosforth three months prior. It has the Scottish style of painted window frames, unlike its partner. Stuart Mackay Collection.
DMU set C902 (presumably 51910 + 59570 + 53941) leaving Barry station with the 17:50 Barry Island - Rhymney service on 24 May 1987. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A Met-Camm Lightweight DMU, probably somewhere in East Anglia circa mid-1960s. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A pair of Cravens power cars with a BRC&W TCL on Cambridge depot, circa 1967. Behind is another Cravens set. Stuart Mackay Collection.
On This Day:
A class 108 DMU (E50617 leading) on a Bradford service at Leeds station on 10th April 1974. Bob Belcher.
About to go over the crest of the 1 in 60 bank at Disley down to Hazel Grove, is Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon 1959 built Class 128 parcels unit M55994 as it leads the 17.15 Buxton-Manchester Piccadilly service, which was worked by class 104 unit. 10th April 1985. Andrew J Crowther.
E51955 leads a Trans-Pennine DMU at Stalybridge on 10 April 1979. Stuart Mackay Collection.
Cravens 51277 at Stockton on 10/4/77. Jerry Glover.
British Telecom liveried set P460 (51317 + 59469 + 51302) is seen at Great Malvern on the 10th April 1988, working the 10:17 Hereford - Oxford. Stewy Kemp.