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:
The leading car of class 116 set TS520, 53826, has a decent number passengers on board as it waited to depart from Langley Green on 3 October 1986. The large signalbox controlled not only the main line but Rood End Yard which extended quite a distance towards Birmingham and took traffic to and from several rail-connected industrial sites. There... Peter Tandy.
Not the greatest shot of a class 110 DMU but living in Warwickshire there weren't many opportunities for pictures close to home. With car 51834 leading 52072 the dirty two-car set was running through Manchester Exchange on 27 February 1986 with "Special" displayed on the destination panel. Peter Tandy.
A heavily backlit photograph from Manchester Exchange with a class 108 going into Victoria station following a signal check with a service from Blackburn on 27 February 1986. The background was as interesting to me as the train with its mix of residential and industrial properties now, I'm sure, all swept away in favour of modern housing. Peter Tandy.
Class 121 route learner L103 (TDB 975659 ex-55035) was entering Worcester Shrub Hill on 5 June 1986 heading west towards Norton Junction. Peter Tandy.
Class 121 route learner L103 (TDB 975659 ex-55035) was entering Worcester Shrub Hill on 5 June 1986 heading west towards Norton Junction. Peter Tandy.
On This Day:
Long ago at Lambley. A Class 101 arrives at Lambley with a service from Alston to Haltwhistle on Tuesday 15th July 1975. The Alston branch ran through the valley of the river South Tyne between Haltwhistle in Northumberland and Alston in Cumbria. The line closed to all traffic on 3rd May 1976, in what may have been the final act in the implementation of Beeching's cuts. Tom Harper.
Class 105 TDB977126 (ex 56445) York, 15 July 1983. I was pleased to find this Cravens set now in Departmental use stabled in one of the south end bay platforms surrounded by Class 110s on service workings. Alistair Ness.
Two Class 116s (closest is C306 and presumably 53091) departing Barry Dock station with the 16:25 SO Barry Island - Cardiff Queen Street service on 15 July 1984. Stuart Mackay Collection.
On 15/07/1977, a 2-car Class 101 awaits departure from Darlington with 1710 to Bishop Auckland. It is in one of the long-defunct bay platforms at the north end of the platform - services to Bishop Auckland now use platform 4, which is the northbound ECML platform. Graeme Phillips Collection.
Rail blue liveried class 122 route learner no. TDB975540, formerly 55016, sits at Tyseley depot with the GWR chocolate & cream class 117 stabled behind on 15/Jul/1992. 975540 was withdrawn in 1993. Robert Chilton.