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 should resume after 17 February. Image self-uploads can still be done if anyone has images to add.
January 31st
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Colne Valley and Stour Valley Lines; Manchester - Blackburn; Keighley - Oxenhope; Craigendoran - Arrochar; and Aberdare - Cardiff area.
January 24th
New in the document archive are the Standard Examination Schedules from Issue 1 of Standard Examination, the 1970s version of maintenance instructions. Also, a destination blind from an AC Cars railbus allocated to Swindon.
January 17th
A new drivers manual has been added, Standard Preparation and Disposal Duties for Torque Converter sets.
January 10th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Thetford - Swaffham; Manchester - Skipton via Bury; Leeds / Bradford - Skipton via Ilkley; Edinburgh - Kingsknowe; and Swansea - Whitland - Milford Haven.
January 3rd
A 1966 booklet Workshop Overhaul Procedure - Carriages (3.4mb PDF) has been added, the final page defines what was involved in C1-C6 DMU overhauls at the time.
December 27th
A new drivers manual has been added, a revised edition for Wickham Railbuses.
December 20th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: Ipswich - Felixstowe; Harrow - Belmont; Huddersfield - Sheffield; Edinburgh - Fife Circle; and Barry Island - Treherbert.
December 13th
A 1965 booklet Documentation for the Shopping of Passenger and Non-Passenger Carrying Coaching Vehicles and Electric and Diesel Multiple Units has been added (DMU pages only, 1.2mb PDF).
December 6th
A late 1950s LMR Stoke & Manchester Division destination blind has been added, as has a Remedial Action booklet (0.5mb PDF) to the Fault Finding page.
Latest Images:
A blurry view I took from passing train of the collision site of the January 28th 1985 side on crash. Steve Bramley.
Steve Bramley.
Steve Bramley.
Ex-Tyseley class 122 unit M55003 arrives at Falmouth to form the 15.34 to Truro 04.04.88. Trevor Tremethick.
This a photo of a Class 101 at Heworth Station I think taken in the early 1980's when visiting Newcastle to see the new Metro system. Unfortunately I don't have any records of the date or time. Peter Crichton.
On This Day:
A Class 124 unit passing Cudworth with a Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly train diverted from the Hope valley line 11th February 1984. Keith Long.
M51632 and M59625 in Crickwood depot in February 1966, one of a series of images taken in the aftermath of a fire at Napsbury on 9 Ferbuary 1966. This is London Midland Region negative DL3852. British Railways.
A hybrid DMU (set T412, presumably Class 115 51867 closest) and another suburban DMU in Gravelly Hill on 11 February 1989. Two units on Birmingham Cross-City workings pass in the station. Alistair Ness.
Class 127 DMU 51597 + 51642 after arriving at Barking on 11-2-84 with the 12-15 ex-Gospel Oak, they will next form the 13.00 to Gospel Oak. On Tour With the Class 13 Army.
Class 117 set L400 (presumably 51374 + 59484 + 51332) at Paddington on 11th February 1987. Ian Buck.