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
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.
March 7th
Some new operation/timetable pages have been started: London - Hertford North; Bedford - Hitchin; Huddersfield - Wakefield; Glasgow - Cathcart Circle; and Cardiff - Bristol.
February 28th
New in the document archive are the Standard Examination Job Descriptions from Issue 1 of Standard Examination.
February 21st
A couple of Eastern Region items have been added: an article on Harold Smith and Albion Engines by Nigel Tilly; and a folder for the Day Tourer ticket.
Latest Images:
Stathclyde PTE liveried class 107 set 444 at the limit of BR operations at Oakley Colliery on the former Dunfermline - Alloa direct line on the Grice of Fife railtour Crinan Dunbar.
Strathclyde PTE liveried class 107 set 444 at Dunfermline Queen Margarets on the Grice of Fife railtour Crinan Dunbar.
Strathclyde PTE liveried class 107 set 444 on the Grice of Fife railtour at Markinch - about to go onto the Auchmuty Mills branch Crinan Dunbar.
Class 101 on special duty at Rosyth for the Navy Day in June 1984 Crinan Dunbar.
Strathclyde PTE 107 set at Dunfermline Upper on the 'Grice of Fife' railtour Crinan Dunbar.
On This Day:
The driver of class 101 DMU set C801 (presumably 51446 + 51517) is just about the change ends after arrival at Pembroke Dock on 22/04/85 with train 2B00 the 05.50 from Whitland. As the first train of the day down the branch it will return as the 07.12 to Swansea. Adrian Nicholls.
The grounded body of Class 104 power car M50486 at Newton Heath on 22 April 1979. It had been withdrawn earlier that year. The power car to the right gives a good view of the exhaust arrangement. Brian Daniels.
53873 at Birmingham New Street on 22/04/87. Steve Jones.
Test Coach Iris 975010 at Littleport on the 22nd April 1991. Nicholas Youngman.
A depot full of DMUs. Tyseley on Sunday 22 April 1984 contains many a 116s, some 101s, and 105 and 120. In the foreground is Allen Rowland's yard, a busy scrap merchant, the now closed yard had a regular train service as part of British Steel. Geoff Dowling.