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:
Two Class 120 DMUs are seen at Manchester Victoria circa mid-1985. John Horne.
A Class 108 twin, M51424 closest, is seen at Manchester Victoria circa mid-1985. John Horne.
Class 120 DMBS M53739 in Manchester Victoria with a Blackpool service circa mid-1985. John Horne.
Class 120 centre car M59261 between M53695 and M53739 in Manchester Victoria on a Blackpool service circa mid-1985. John Horne.
Class 120 DMSL M53695 in Manchester Victoria with a Blackpool service circa mid-1985. Behind is M59261. John Horne.
On This Day:
Class 122 55012, set number 122 112, is seen on display at Laira open day on 15.09.1991. These bubble cars had not long been transferred from Tyseley, and 55012 would be further transferred to LoadHaul as a route learner. Andy Cole.
The Branch Line Society "South Wales Wanderer No 4" tour is seen at Abertillery on 15 September 1979. The train is formed of a Gloucester RC&W Co cross-country set 51071 + 59432 + 51101 built in 1959. Jeremy Chapter.
Class 116 two-car set N651 is formed of 53109 and 53078 when seen in Manchester Victoria on September 15th, 1988. Behind is a Met-Camm / Class 108 hybrid. Rex Holt.
Kilwinning on the afternoon of 15/9/86 with a mixed cl.101/104 set (53210/59090/53598) leaving on the 16.09 to Glasgow (15.45 ex-Ayr). Note the mix of liveries on this Ayr set, which, typically for this time, is a real mish-mash of whatever the depot could cobble together. So, the leading DMBS in blue and grey is recently arrived from Hull, the... Leonard Rogers.
A close-up of BRCW Class 104 Driving Motor Brake Second 53532, that along with its partner 53487, had been fire damaged, both cars awaiting their fate in the sidings alongside Newton Heath Depot on September 15th 1990. The Shell TTA tank wagons in the background indicate that the depot was then receiving its supplies of diesel fuel by rail. Martyn Hilbert.