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 20th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: London - Welwyn Garden City; Newcastle - Darlington via Hartlepool; Glasgow - Barrhead; Lapworth - Wellington; and five new timetables added to Manchester - Buxton.
April 13th
Another log book kept by Llandudno Junction depot staff has been added covering 23 December 1988 to 24 February 1989. It is in two parts: 23 December - 24 January (10mb pdf); 25 January - 24 February (10mb pdf).
April 6th
Some pdfs of Western Region staff booklets have been added: two operating staff instructions, one for DMUs and one for the Diesel Pullmans; also for the Diesel Pullmans are instructions for the Auxiliary Power Units; and issues two and three of BUMF! (Better Understanding of Maintenance Facts, produced by Reading Depot) - can now be found on the Training Manual page.
March 30th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Cleethorpes - New Holland Pier; Shrewsbury - Wolverhampton; Edinburgh Inner Circle; and Plymouth - Gunnislake. Also four Working Timetables for May 1973 have been added to 1 - Darlington - Bishop Auckland; 2 - Darlington - Saltburn and Middlesburgh - Whitby; 3 - Newcastle - Hexham, Newcastle - Carlisle and the Alston Branch; 4 - Newcastle - South Shields and Newcastle - Sunderland.
March 23rd
Another log book kept by Llandudno Junction depot staff has been added covering 23 August to 22 December 1988. It is in four parts: 23 August - 22 September (11mb pdf); 23 September - 24 October (11mb pdf); 25 October - 24 November (11mb pdf); and 25 November - 22 December (11mb pdf).
March 16th
The remaining pages relating the asbestos content for vehicles circa 1984 have been added, these are for: Class 107s, Class 108s, Class 111s, Class 114s, Class 115s, Class 116s, Class 117s, Class 118s, Class 121s, Class 122s, and Class 127s.
March 9th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Ipswich - Lowestoft; Birmingham - Four Oaks; Leeds - Harrogate; Cumbernauld - Springburn; and Swansea - Carmarthen.
March 2nd
Another log book kept by Llandudno Junction depot staff has been added covering 13 May to 22 August 1988. It is in three parts: 13 May - 13 June (12mb pdf); 14 June - 16 July (11mb pdf); and 17 July - 22 August (12mb pdf). Also BR maintenance records for 50619 and 56492 courtesy of the Dean Forest DMU Group.
February 24th
Some pages relating the asbestos content for vehicles circa 1984 have been added for Class 101s, Class 110s and Class 119s.
Latest Images:
A Swindon Cross-Country DMU ready to depart from Taunton for Minehead on 5 December 1970. The service only had a few weeks to go before it was discontinued. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A two-car Class 101 DMU, E51246 closest, stabled at Sheffield circa 1976. Stuart Mackay Collection.
E51301 + 56433 / 51298 + 56431 on the RCTS "Great Northern Outer Suburban" at Royston on 8 January 1978 Stuart Mackay Collection.
Two Class 126 DMUs depart from Newton-on-Ayr station heading to Glasgow Central on 26 May 1979. Stuart Mackay Collection.
Class 119 DMU set P592 (51101 and presumably 59432 + 51071) passing Torquay signal box while working a Newton Abbot - Paignton service on on 10 June 1980. Stuart Mackay Collection.
On This Day:
The view across the station throat at Norwich on April 27th 1980. In the foreground Class 104 Driving Motor Composite Lavatory (DMCL) E56187 was stabled between duties at the head of a long rake of DMU sets, whilst station pilot 03084 and its attendant runner truck were positioning a rake of Mk.1 coaches into the station. Martyn Hilbert.
A train from Windsor arrives at Slough on the 27th April 1974 headed by 56285. Hamish Stevenson.
A tidy looking Gloucester Class 100 Driving Motor Brake Second E51124 was stood in the bay platform at Ipswich, having arrived at the rear of a service from Lowestoft on April 27th 1980. Its partner is a Class 105 DTC, and there is blue/grey set behind. Martyn Hilbert.
This is the sort of shot that's nearly impossible to take with modern rolling stock. DMU set C354 (presumably 50847 + 59040 + 50900) is leaving the single line section south of Abercynon with the 15.50 Merthyr-Barry Island, while C301 (presumably 51149 + 59446 + 51136) waits with the 15.05 from Barry Island to Merthyr. Some interesting reflections. April 27, 1974. Tom Burnham.
At 6pm on a fine Spring evening, a Cravens Class 105 two-car DMU formed of E56418 & E51295 had just arrived at Ipswich on a service from Lowestoft on April 27th 1980. Martyn Hilbert.