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 7th
A Training / Fault Finding booklet has been added from the London Midland Region dated April 1967.
October 31st
Added to the headcode pages are the Scottish Region pages from June 1965.
October 24th
Two new operation/timetable pages have been started: Walsall - Dudley; and Glasgow - Ardrossan.
October 10th
Two documents on electrical systems have been added to the Training Manual section, one on Auxiliary Circuits (1.5mb PDF), and one on Alternators (3.3mb PDF).
October 3rd
Added to the headcode pages are four more sections from Western Region working timetables.
September 5th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Sheffield - Doncaster; Birmingham New Street - Wolverhampton High Level; Leeds - Barnsley; Glasgow - Hamilton Circle; and Paignton - Exmouth.
August 29th
A look at the Rocket 150 DMU Shuttles for the 1980 event at Rainhill.
August 22nd
Added to the headcode pages are some of those used on the Western Region.
August 15th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: March - Wisbech - Kings Lynn; Liverpool - Gateacre; Leeds - Bradford Forster Square; Edinburgh - Dunbar; and West Drayton - Uxbridge.
August 8th
Added to the document archive is a 1964 Scottish Region Fault Finding booklet.
Latest Images:
Lunch break at Bathgate Upper for participants on the BLS Forth Clyde rail tour on 27/08/1977. John Clark.
A Met-Camm DMU on an excursion in Rothbury station in Northumberland on 25 June 1961. The station had closed to passengers in 1952 but remained open for freight until 1963. Image taken by DC Sanderson. Stuart Mackay Collection.
No details came with this slide, showing Stratford allocated Class 104 DMCL E50543 attached to a Class 101 DMU at an unknown location.. The destination blind displays Excursion, circa early/mid-1970s. Stuart Mackay Collection.
B800 at Carne Point, Fowey, with the Lea Valley Railway Club 'The Royal Duchy' railtour on 30 April 1977. Stuart Mackay Collection.
Class 107 DMU set 139 (recorded on the slide as 51993 59801 52024) in Kilmacolm station in May 1979. Stuart Mackay Collection.
On This Day:
Three two coach Class 115/108 units (51679 + 54259 / 51657 + 54224 / 54499 + 51652) are seen here at Claydon LN&E Junction on 10 November 1990 with the second Aylesbury to Milton Keynes shopper specials of 1990. The train had travelled via Quainton Road and Calvert and was about to pass Claydon Loop on the way to Bletchley and its destination.... Peter Tandy.
Class 105 56146/50390 leave Lidlington station with the 11.10 Bletchley - Bedford service 10th October 1979. Olympus OM1 + yellow filter (darkens blues lightens yellows). Geoff Dowling.
Winter light at Bamber Bridge on November 10th 1985, with a two-car BRCW Class 104 DMU formed of cars M53466 & M53511 with a Preston to Colne service. The set was finally withdrawn from Newton Heath Depot in 1989 and scrapped by Berry's of Leicester in 1990. Martyn Hilbert.
Met-Camm set B801 - presumably 51517 + 59547 + 51446 - heads out of Castle Cary with a Weymouth service on the 10th November 1979. Steve Davies Collection.
The 11.20 Plymouth to Gunnislake service is approaching its destination on the 10th of November 1971, formed of a two-car Class 118 DMU. The KDH Archive.