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 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.
March 2nd
Another log book kept by Llandudno Junction depot staff has been added covering 13 May to 22 August 1988. It is in three parts: 13 May - 13 June (12mb pdf); 14 June - 16 July (11mb pdf); and 17 July - 22 August (12mb pdf). Also BR maintenance records for 50619 and 56492 courtesy of the Dean Forest DMU Group.
February 24th
Some pages relating the asbestos content for vehicles circa 1984 have been added for Class 101s, Class 110s and Class 119s.
February 17th
Some more operation/timetable pages have been started: Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth; York - Selby - Doncaster; Glasgow - Largs; Slough - Windsor; and new timetables added to Cambridge - Ipswich.
Latest Images:
Class 101 DMU set P825 (presumably 53165 + 59118 + 51246) at Aller with the 9:45 Paignton - Plymouth service on 12 May 1989. Stuart Mackay Collection.
Class 101 set No.861 with 51512 leading forms an evening Paignton-Exmouth service at Exeter St David’s. On the left is Class 122 55003 which had failed in the platform and behind the 101 is 50001 waiting to depart with the 1822 to Waterloo. Jay Hartley.
Class 108 set LO261 with 54496 nearest the camera is attached to the rear of another 108 forming an evening departure from Crewe to Manchester Piccadilly. Jay Hartley.
Class 101 Set LO602 51224 + 53241 at Altrincham. No date but most likely late 1991 or early 1992. Nicholas Youngman Collection.
Class 101/116 Hybrid 53242 with would presume Class 116 53844 seen at Nottingham on 10th May 1990. Nicholas Youngman Collection.
On This Day:
E51956, 51973, 59776, 59767, 51972 and 51955 approaching Neville Hill East with a Hull to Liverpool Lime Street train 18th April 1962. Keith Long.
Two Derby Heavyweight DMUs seen at Firsby, looking north, on 18 April 1970. An image from the Jim Freebury Railway Slide Archive. David Page Collection.
Class 118 set P469 (presumably 51311 + 59480 + 51326) arrives into Liskeard station on April 18, 1981. Steve Davies Collection.
The 13:18 Lichfield TV - Redditch is seen at Barnt Green on 18/4/92 formed of T317 with 51329 closest, presumably with 59481 + 51314. Gazza Prescott.
A class 101 DMU at Llandudno on 18th April 1986. Jonathan Hazan.