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
July 11th
Added to the headcode pages are some of those used on the Eastern Region.
July 4th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Firsby - Skegness; Crewe - Chester; Middlesbrough - Guisborough; Edinburgh - Bathgate; and Maerdy - Porth.
June 27th
New in the document archive are the Examination Schedules from Issue 3 of Standard Maintenance Instructions, the 1970s version of maintenance instructions.
June 6th
Added to the headcode pages are five more summaries of those used on the London Midland Region from the Western, Central, and North Western Lines.
May 30th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Long Melford - Bury St Edmunds; Liverpool - Wigan North Western; Monkseaton-Blyth / Newbiggin; Stirling - Dollar - Kinross; and Cardiff - Crewe.
May 23rd
Added to the document archive are the June 1975 amendments for Issue 2 of Standard Examination.
May 16th
Added to the headcode pages are summaries of those used on the London Midland Region Midland Lines in 1961.
Latest Images:
Class 108 DMU set LO282, M53978 and presumably 54485, arrives into Manchester Piccadilly on 26 April 1992. Stuart Mackay.
A Class 107 DMU heads away from Croy station towards Glasgow Queen Street on 19 May 1990. Probably on a service from Dunblane. Stuart Mackay.
101304, 53241 and presumably 59090 + 51224, in Glasgow Queen Street station on 5 May 1990. Dunblane is on the destination blind, and the clock show 16:11. Stuart Mackay.
Test Coach Iris, RDB975010, attached to 37260 at Inverness on the morning of 20 July 1983. There are wires between the two vehicles, the would be noted on the Kyle line later in the day - see image 30183. Stuart Mackay.
A three-car Met-Camm DMU heads south towards Edinburgh, near Jamestown on 13 July 1983. This was between Inverkeithing and North Queensferry stations. Stuart Mackay.
On This Day:
A Class 116 DMU alongside the Worcester and Birmingham canal near Bournville on a service to Birmingham New Street on 14 July 1980. Neil Smith.
LO603 53243 + 51228 + LO605 53171 + 51253 on the 18:25 Llandudno to Chester at Old Colwyn, 14-7-91. Kevin Dowd.
Class 105 DMBS 51269 at the head of a Glasgow Central - Largs service at Paisley Gilmour Street on 14/7/86. It had been transferred from Norwich a few weeks before, the NC set number 51 has been partially peeled from the left cab window. The vehicle is in plain blue livery, the vehicles behind (59069 and 51250) are in blue/grey as evidenced by the open doors. Dennis Taylor.
This formation - 54371, 51220, 51905 and 54488 - arrived at Sheffield on 14/7/88 from the Doncaster direction (led by 54488 & 51905). Judging by the condition of the NSE DMU's It seems that they are ex-works and heading back to their home depot OOC. Wilson Adams.
55006, 53200 and 53638 (122, 101, 108) passing Tavistock Junction with 50 149 in the yard on 14 July 1988. Keith Miller.