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 4th
Another log book kept by Llandudno Junction depot staff has been added covering 25 February to 2 May 1989. It is in two parts: 25 February - 30 March (10mb pdf); and 31 March - 2 May (10mb pdf).
April 27th
Self-Changing Gears has been added to the suppliers section, and the BUT Spare Parts catalogue for Self-Changing Gears added.
April 20th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: London - Welwyn Garden City; Newcastle - Darlington via Hartlepool; Glasgow - Barrhead; Lapworth - Wellington; and five new timetables added to Manchester - Buxton.
April 13th
Another log book kept by Llandudno Junction depot staff has been added covering 23 December 1988 to 24 February 1989. It is in two parts: 23 December - 24 January (10mb pdf); 25 January - 24 February (10mb pdf).
April 6th
Some pdfs of Western Region staff booklets have been added: two operating staff instructions, one for DMUs and one for the Diesel Pullmans; also for the Diesel Pullmans are instructions for the Auxiliary Power Units; and issues two and three of BUMF! (Better Understanding of Maintenance Facts, produced by Reading Depot) - can now be found on the Training Manual page.
March 30th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Cleethorpes - New Holland Pier; Shrewsbury - Wolverhampton; Edinburgh Inner Circle; and Plymouth - Gunnislake. Also four Working Timetables for May 1973 have been added to 1 - Darlington - Bishop Auckland; 2 - Darlington - Saltburn and Middlesburgh - Whitby; 3 - Newcastle - Hexham, Newcastle - Carlisle and the Alston Branch; 4 - Newcastle - South Shields and Newcastle - Sunderland.
March 23rd
Another log book kept by Llandudno Junction depot staff has been added covering 23 August to 22 December 1988. It is in four parts: 23 August - 22 September (11mb pdf); 23 September - 24 October (11mb pdf); 25 October - 24 November (11mb pdf); and 25 November - 22 December (11mb pdf).
March 16th
The remaining pages relating the asbestos content for vehicles circa 1984 have been added, these are for: Class 107s, Class 108s, Class 111s, Class 114s, Class 115s, Class 116s, Class 117s, Class 118s, Class 121s, Class 122s, and Class 127s.
March 9th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Ipswich - Lowestoft; Birmingham - Four Oaks; Leeds - Harrogate; Cumbernauld - Springburn; and Swansea - Carmarthen.
Latest Images:
E52083 at York. 20.01.81 Nicholas Youngman Collection.
Set 117306 at Edinburgh Waverley. 05.07.95 Nicholas Youngman Collection.
Set T402 (51851 + 59614 + 59658 + 51146) Seen at Ely North Junction taking the Ely West Curve with 10.14 Great Yarmouth to Birmingham New Street in place of a loco hauled service. 29.05.93 Nicholas Youngman.
Set 960011 (997859) passing Manea seen from a signal post. 02.01.01 Nicholas Youngman.
DB975005 at York. 17/12/77. Nicholas Youngman Collection.
On This Day:
A Swindon Works image (negative 5CR 72) showing the interior of brand new Cross-Country DMBC 50697 on 9 May 1957. This is the second class saloon, taken from the centre of the vehicle looking to the rear and the tool box is on the outer wall of the guards van, the corridor past the van is to the left. British Railways.
An Express Parcels Class 101 DMU (E51441 closest) is seen at the North end of Platform 8 at York on the 9th of May 1987. The KDH Archive.
A two car Chester allocated Derby Lightweight dmu CH261 (or CH251?), approaches New Mills South Junction whilst working a Sheffield - Manchester Piccadilly stopping service, over the Hope Valley line. 9th May 1989. At the front seems to be 51906. Andrew J Crowther.
This picture is dated 9 May 1987 and sbows 55994 topping the GWR-liveried Class 117 (51368 + 59520 + 51410) at Kidderminster while working a service to Birmingham New Street. It looks as if the warm and sunny weekend had brought out a large number of insects judging by the fatalities apparent on the yellow end... Peter Tandy.
Set 120 533 (53700/59289/53682) leaves Waverley station, Edinburgh, on 9/5/87 forming the 16.35 to Kirkcaldy. Leonard Rogers.