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
Holiday time - updates will resume at the end of the month!
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.
August 1st
Added to the headcode pages are three more summaries of those used on the Eastern Region from September 1962. Also a Leeds Neville Hill destination blind from circa mid-1960s.
July 25th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Peterborough - Spalding; Nottingham - Sheffield; Darlington / Barnard Castle - Middleton-in-Teesdale; Fife Coast; and Brixham - Churston.
July 18th
New in the document archive are the Job Desciptions from Issue 3 of Standard Maintenance Instructions, the 1970s version of maintenance instructions.
July 11th
Added to the headcode pages are some of those used on the Eastern Region.
Latest Images:
E51115 + E56448 on a special running into Leiston sometime in 1977. This is thought to be the un-named East Suffolk Travellers' Association railtour that ran on 25 June from Felixstowe. Stuart Mackay Collection.
E51115 + E56448 on a special at Sizewell Siding in 1977. This is thought to be the un-named East Suffolk Travellers' Association railtour that ran on 25 June from Felixstowe. Stuart Mackay Collection.
September 1975 at Twyford station with a Class 121 which, according to my notes, will form the 19.14 to Henley. John Clark.
E51115 + E56448 on a special at Saxmunham in 1977. This is thought to be the un-named East Suffolk Travellers' Association railtour that ran on 25 June from Felixstowe. Stuart Mackay Collection.
101315 (SC51241 closest) in Dundee station, thought to be taken on 20 January 1986. Stuart Mackay Collection.
On This Day:
54247 + 53964 at Whitehaven on the BLS 'Cumbrian Ranger' tour, 3/10/87. Chris Lings.
Class 101 Met-Cam at Penistone on the 3rd October 1987 with a Sheffield-Huddersfield service. E51226 is leading with E51499 on the rear nearest the camera. Kevin Law.
Single unit parcel vans were a common sight sight around Birmingham in 1986 and here is 55995 passing under the impressive station building at Small Heath on 3 October of that year. I don't know where it had been working but it went into Tyseley depot a few moments after this picture was taken. Peter Tandy.
Two unidentified Class 101 sets flank 508 111 at Hooton, 3/10/85. Anthony Griffiths.
A Class 108 DMU seen outside Newton Heath depot, viewed from Thorpes Bridge Junction signal box, Manchester. Saturday 03 October 1987. The depot contains first and second generation DMUs. Ian 10B.