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
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.
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:
Hybrid set T038, assumed to be comprised of 53838 + 51808, waits at the temporary station constructed at Coalbrookedale for visitors to the historical attractions in the area and Ironbridge. Trains ran on Sundays in the summer and as far as I know the scheme was in operation from 1987 - 1990. John Clark.
A class 108 DMU sits at Wrexham Central station on 13/04/1969. Shortly afterwards the site was rationalised with all track removed other than a single line and the buildings were demolished. In 1998 the station was resited some 400 yards west John Clark.
A 3 car 101 heads off from Drem to North Berwick with a train from Edinburgh on an unrecorded date in 1978. John Clark.
101 188 pauses for a photostop at Renfrew Fulbar Street station ( closed June 1967 ) on 27/08/1977 with the BLS Forth and Clyde Wanderer railtour. John Clark.
101 686 leaves Whifflet on an unrecorded date in 1995 with a working to Glasgow Central. The line was electrified in 2014. John Clark.
On This Day:
Derby built 1960 Class 108 DMBS M51927, is high on the jacks inside its home depot on the occasion of the Tyseley open day on 4th October 1987. Once a Buxton allocated unit with its trade mark white roof and on the 108's black window surround, now Tyseley's unit T212 with its West Midlands logo but interesting the Buxton BX490 set plate is still displayed in the window. Andrew J Crowther.
A Leeds Neville Hill Depot allocated Class 108 with Driving Trailer Second Lavatory (TRSL) E54195 leading, was stood at Parbold with a Southport to Manchester Victoria service on October 4th 1986. The rear car has West Yorkshire PTE 'MetroTrain' branding, and judging by the destination blind the unit had been 'borrowed' at Manchester for the trip to the seaside and back. Martyn Hilbert.
A Cravens twin-set from North Woolwich on arrival at Camden Road, making a connection here with the North London Line. 4 October 1979. Kevin Lane.
Class 128 DMPV 55995 at Stafford on 04/10/87. Roddy MacPhee.
A Class 111 DMU (E50270 + E59100 + E50280) on an LCGB tour in Cromer station on 4 October 1970. Stuart Mackay Collection.