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Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by and/or operated on a rail system. It was originally developed by the American-based Southern Pacific Railroad and was widely sold; it is best known in Britain for its use by British Rail (BR) and its successors.
Metro-Cammell, fully the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW) was an English manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, based in Saltley and subsequently Washwood Heath in Birmingham. Bought by GEC Alstom in May 1989, the company was closed in 2005.
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit train. A total of 114 sets were built between 1987 and 1989 for British Rail by Metro-Cammell's Washwood Heath works. They were built to replace elderly first-generation DMUs and locomotive-hauled passenger trains.
The British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit, built specifically for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs. The Class 159 DMUs are almost identical to the Class 158s, having been converted from Class 158 to Class 159 in two batches.
The British Rail Class 153 Super Sprinters are single-coach railcars converted from two-coach Class 155 diesel multiple units. The class was intended for service on rural and branch lines where passenger numbers do not justify longer trains.
The British Rail Class 317 alternating current electric multiple units (EMUs) were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Holgate Road carriage works in two batches, from 1981–82 and 1985-87. They were the first of several classes of British Rail EMU to be based on the all-steel Mark 3 bodyshell, departing from the "PEP"-aluminium design which had spawned the earlier Class 313 to Class 315, Class 507 and Class 508. The Mark 3 bodyshell was also the basis of Class 318, Class 455, and the diesel Class 150.
The British Rail Class 483 electric multiple units were originally built as 1938 tube stock units for London Underground. They were extensively refurbished between 1989 and 1992 by Eastleigh Works, for use on services on the Isle of Wight's Island Line. This was despite having already worked for nearly 50 years on the London Underground. The units replaced the even older and life-expired British Rail Classes 485 and 486 units, which were introduced in 1967, but were originally built as 'Standard' stock units for the London Electric Railway in 1923.
The British Rail Class 442 Wessex Electrics are a class of electric multiple-units introduced in 1988 by Network SouthEast on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth to coincide with the electrification of the line from Bournemouth. Twenty-four five-car units were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Derby Litchurch Lane Works.
The British Rail Class 150 Sprinter is a class of diesel multiple-unit trains built by BREL York from 1984 to 1987. A total of 137 units were produced in three main subclasses, replacing many of the earlier, first-generation "Heritage" DMUs.
The British Rail Class 313 is a dual-voltage electric multiple unit (EMU) train built by BREL York Works between February 1976 and April 1977. They were the first second-generation EMUs to be constructed for British Rail and the first British Rail units with both a pantograph for 25 kV AC overhead lines and shoegear for 750 V DC third rail supply. They were the first units in Britain to have multi-function Tightlock couplers, allowing coupling and the connection of control electric and air supplies to be carried out from the cab.
The British Rail Class 321 alternating current (AC) electric multiple units (EMU) were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's York Works in three batches between 1988 and 1991. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322.
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple-unit passenger trains used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Derby Litchurch Lane Works between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984.
The British Rail Class 455 is an electric multiple-unit passenger train built by BREL York in the early to mid 1980s. They are operated on suburban services in South East England by South Western Railway and Southern.
The British Rail Class 117 diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by Pressed Steel from 1959 to 1961.
The British Rail Class 151 was a prototype class of Diesel multiple unit built by Metro Cammell. Only two 3-car units were built entering service in 1985. They were withdrawn in 1989.
The British Rail Class 124 diesel multiple units were built by BR Swindon Works in 1960.
The Class 123 was a design of Diesel Multiple Unit built for British Rail in 1963. They were built by British Rail at Swindon Works, and designed like all Swindon units as inter-city sets. Ten of the four-car sets were built and introduced in 1963. The units bear a visible similarity to the British Rail Class 309; however, there is no 'relation' here as the two types were built by different manufacturers for different markets.
The Networker is a family of trains which operate on the UK railway system. They were built in the late 1980s and early 1990s by British Rail Engineering Limited. The trains were built for the Network SouthEast sector of British Rail, which is where their name comes from. They are all multiple-unit trains.
The British Rail Class 801 is the electric multiple unit (EMU) variant of the Hitachi Super Express, based on the Hitachi A-train, high-speed trains to be used in the United Kingdom. They are being built by Hitachi from 2017 at Hitachi's purpose built facility at Newton Aycliffe, alongside the related electro-diesel Class 800.
