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
May 9th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Colchester / Wivenhoe - Brightlingsea; Lancaster - Barrow-in-Furness; Hull - Brough; Edinburgh - Hawick - Carlisle; and Plymouth - Paignton.
May 2nd
Four Class 101 General Arrangement drawings have been added.
April 25th
Added to the headcode pages are five more summaries of those used on the North Eastern Region (Sections G - L) in 1961.
April 18th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Upminster-Tilbury; Buxton - Millers Dale; Leeds - Doncaster; Rutherglen - Possil / Dalmuir; and Cardiff Queen Street - Cardiff Bay.
April 11th
New in the document archive are the Job Descriptions from Issue 2 of Standard Examination, the 1970s version of maintenance instructions.
April 4th
Added to the headcode pages are some summaries of those used on the North Eastern Region. Also a destination blind, this one thought to be from Accrington.
March 28th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Hatfield - Dunstable; Preston - Ormskirk; Leeds - Scarborough; Dundee - Leuchars Jct - St Andrews; and Paddington - Ealing Broadway - Greenford.
March 21st
New in the document archive are the Standard Examination Schedules from Issue 2 of Standard Examination, the 1970s version of maintenance instructions.
March 14th
A new section has been started on headcodes, with some summaries of those used on the Scottish Region.
Latest Images:
An Eastern Region publicity image (negative RX 236) showing a Cravens DMU in Brightlingsea station. British Railways.
A Class 124 DMU on 1E99, the 13:10 Liverpool - Hull, at Lea Green on 11 March 1978. Stuart Mackay Collection.
117 308 (presumably 51371 + 59509 + 51413) departs from Inverkeithing station towards Waverley with what is likely a Fife Circle service, sometimes in the 1993-1999 period. Stuart Mackay Collection.
An Eastern Region Cravens twin, location unknown, circa 1968. There are a number of people lineside, many on the wrong side of the fence, which suggests that maybe a special is due. The junction signal has had the arms removed. Stuart Mackay Collection.
A Cravens DMU formed of E51286 + E56444 in Ulceby station with an Immingham Docks service at 8.36am on Tuesday 18 May 1965. Stuart Mackay Collection.
On This Day:
The MRS (Monmouthshire Railway Society) Caerwent Cannonball II railtour is seen at the BR limit of ownership on the Uskmouth branch on 12 May 1990. The train was formed of a 2-car class 118 and 3-car class 116/108 hybrid DMU's with 51136 seen closest here. The MRS were usually able to reach the end of such lines with their tours but in 1990... Adrian Nicholls.
A two-car Met-Camm DMU in Cockshute depot on 12 May 1979 alongside some Class 25s, 042 closest. Brian Daniels.
Met-Camm E78709 at Sheffield on May 12, 1988. John Carter.
Class 101 set L220 (54405 + 51207) at Littleport with 2H62, the Cambridge to Kings Lynn, on 12.05.90. Nicholas Youngman.
The Monmouthshire Railway Society were renowned for their South Wales DMU tours which often had an ambitious itinerary but also reached the ends of the more unusual freight lines in the area as well. The railtour seen here is the "Caerwent Cannonball II" on May 12, 1990 which was formed of set C397 which had three brake vans, Class 116... Adrian Nicholls.