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:
The staple motive power for local services on the London Division of the Western Region for over 25 years has been the Pressed Steel built Class 117 DMUs. Here, approaching Appleford, with a late afternoon stopping service from Oxford - Reading on 3rd July 1987 is set L404 formed of W51337 + W59489 + W51379. W51337 + W59489 + W51379 were... Nigel Mack.
Running as C801, the rather unusual pairing of W51077 + W51517, a GRC&W class 119 and a Metro-Cam class 101 DMU, run past Sutton Bridge Jn, Shrewsbury on 9th August 1986 whilst in charge of the 1048 Shrewsbury - Swansea service that seems to have a little too much first class seating... W51077 was delivered new to Bristol Marsh Jn shed 82B, in... Nigel Mack.
Running as set CA 59 a 2 car Met-Cam Class 101 unit formed of E51442 + E54073 run past March South Jn signal box as they accelerate away from the March station stop with the 1332 Peterborough - Cambridge service on 27th March 1991. Delivered new to South Gosforth depot with its original partners E59537 + E59538 + E51512 on 15th April 1959,... Nigel Mack.
By the time this picture was taken on 29 May 1987 only 8 of the original 10 Class 121 Driving Trailers remained in service. Here W54280 (L280) leads Pressed Steel Class 117 unit L417, formed of 51354 + 59506 + 51396 away from Acton Main Line whilst in charge of the 0916 Slough - Paddington service. Acton Yard is located just the other side of... Nigel Mack.
A 6 car Class 117 rake, formed of two Tyseley allocated sets starts away from the station stop at Nottingham as they head for Derby with a Summer 1988 Saturday service from Skegness. The trailing set being T313 formed of 51382 + 59492 + 51339. Nigel Mack.
On This Day:
56342, reported to be "the first refurbished Metro Cammell coach on the midland region", seen at Chester depot, 16/5/76. Anthony Griffiths.
M53323 + M53307 depart from Manchester Victoria on 16 May 1986. John Carter.
The Battery Multiple Unit Sc79998 / Sc79999 between duties at Aberdeen. Thought to be taken on 16 May 1964. Stuart Rankin.
A two-car Swindon Cross-Country DMU led by W50655 is seen at Llangunllo / Llangynllo (on the Central Wales Line) with a Llanelly service in mid-May 1966. Michael Mensing.
A Metro-Cammell Class 101 three-car set, with Driving Motor Brake Second M53314 at the rear, was stood at Leyland with a Manchester Victoria to Blackpool North service on May 16th 1986. The unfamiliar sight of a Class 101 was due to the sidelining of almost new Class 142 Pacers, following reliability issues, causing the transfer of still extant and... Martyn Hilbert.