List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes

Last updated January 16, 2024

This is a list of British Rail diesel multiple-unit train classes.

Pre-nationalisation designs

First Generation

Early BR DMUs (79xxx series)

Manufacturer	Engines (per motor car)	Transmission	Type	Built	Quantity (sets)	Withdrawn	Notes	Scrapped
BR Derby 'Lightweight'	2 × Leyland 125 bhp (93 kW) or 2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)	hydraulic (2 car) or mechanical (single car)	low density	1954-1959	217 vehicles	1967-1969	7 vehicles survived in departmental stock until 1977-1994	215
Metro-Cammell 'Lightweight'	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)	mechanical	low density	1955-1956	36 sets	1967-1969	79047 + 79053 survived in departmental stock until 1981.	All
AC Cars Railbuses	1 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)		railbus	1958	5	1968		3 (1 in preservation)
Bristol-ECW Railbuses	1 × Gardner 112 bhp (84 kW)				2	1966		All
Park Royal Railbuses	1 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)				5	1966-1968		All
Waggon and Maschinenbau Railbuses	1 × Büssing 150 bhp (112 kW)				5	1966-1967		1
Wickham Railbuses	1 × Meadows 105 bhp (78 kW)				6	1966	Elliot Track Recorder survived in departmental use until 1997	5

TOPS classes

Class	Manufacturer	Engines (per motor car)	Transmission	Type	Built	Quantity (sets)	Withdrawn	Notes	Scrapped
Class 100	Gloucester RC&W	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)	mechanical	low density	1957–1958	40 sets (80 cars)	1969–1988	56315 used by Fisons as a Weedkiller Vehicle until 1988	About 79 (3 in preservation)
Class 101	Metro-Cammell	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)			1956–1960	527 sets	1957 (1) 1978–2003	2 survived in departmental stock until 2009–2012	About 502 (9 in preservation)
Class 102	Metro-Cammell	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1956–1960	106 sets	1957 (1) 1978–2003	2 survived in departmental stock until 2009–2012	About 502 (9 in preservation)
Class 103	Park Royal	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)			1957	20 sets (40 cars)	1972–1983	3 vehicles survived in departmental stock until 1985-1990	About 19 (3 in preservation)
Class 104	Birmingham RC&W	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1957–1959	302 cars	1980–1995		About 63
Class 105	Cravens	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)			1956–1959	302 cars	1976–1988	6 vehicles survived in departmental stock until 1989–1990.	About 300
Class 106	Cravens	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1956–1959	302 cars	1976–1988	6 vehicles survived in departmental stock until 1989–1990.	About 300
Class 107	BR Derby 'Heavyweight'	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)			1960	26 sets (78 cars)	1973 (1) 1983–1992	6 vehicles survived in sandite use until 1995	About 19 sets (66 cars)
Class 108	BR Derby 'Heavyweight'	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1958–1961	333 cars	1964 (1) 1974 (1) 1990–1993		About 138
Class 109	D Wickham & Co	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1957–1958	5 sets	1971		4
Class 110	Birmingham RC&W 'Calder Valley'	2 × Rolls-Royce C6NFLH 180 bhp (134 kW)			1961–1962	30 sets	1963 (3) 1971–1972 (3) 1983 (3) 1986–1991		About 28 sets (85 vehicles)
Class 111	Metro-Cammell	2 × Rolls-Royce C6NFLH 180 bhp (134 kW)			1957–1960	23 train sets	1989	Last unpowered car went in 2000	About 23 (50 vehicles)
Class 112	Cravens	1 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238 bhp (177 kW)			1959–1960	25 sets (50 cars)	1968–1969		All
Class 113	Cravens	1 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238 bhp (177 kW)	hydraulic		1959–1960	25 sets (50 cars)	1968–1969		All
Class 114	BR Derby 'Heavyweight'	2 × Leyland 230 bhp (172 kW)	mechanical		1956–1957 (entered service 1960)	50 sets (100 cars)	1962 (1) 1965 (1) 1967 (prototype) 1970–1971 (6) 1984 (2) 1986–1992	54904 and 55929 survived as an ATP Test Unit (ADB 977775/6) until 2004.	About 48 sets (95 vehicles)
Class 115	BR Derby 'Suburban'	2 × Albion 230 bhp (172 kW)		high density	1960	41 four-car sets	1991–1994		About 30 sets (149 vehicles; 3 in preservation)
Class 116	BR Derby 'Suburban'	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1957–1961	310 cars	1961 (1) 1983 (32) 1987–1995	2 converted to Class 130	About (304 vehicles; 5 in preservation)
Class 117	Pressed Steel 'Suburban'				1959–1961	123 cars	1993–2000		30
Class 118	Birmingham RC&W 'Suburban'				1960	15 sets (45 cars)	1994		About 14 sets (44 cars)
Class 119	Gloucester RC&W 'Cross-Country'			cross country	1958	84 cars	1992–1995		About 28 sets (81 cars)
Class 120	BR Swindon 'Cross-Country'	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)		cross country	1958	194 cars	1989		About 64 sets (193 cars)
Class 121	Pressed Steel 'Bubble Car'	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)		high density	1960–1961	26	1978 (2) 1991–2017	Last first-generation DMU in service, 55022 still in departmental use	12 (2 in preservation)
Class 122	Gloucester RC&W 'Bubble Car'	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)		high density	1959	29	1979–1995	4 survived in departmental stock until 1998–2011.	8
Class 123	BR Swindon 'Intercity'	2 × Albion 230 bhp (172 kW)		intercity	1963	40 (Ten 4-car units)	1984	Buffets withdrawn in 1970 and a DMBS and DMSK withdrawn in 1977 and 1979 respectively.	All
Class 124	BR Swindon 'Trans-Pennine'	2 × Albion 230 bhp (172 kW)	mechanical	intercity	1960	Eight 6-car sets, plus 3 spare cars	1972 (3) 1975 1979–1984
Class 125	BR Derby 'Lea Valley'	2 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238 bhp (177 kW)	hydraulic	high density	1958	20 three-car sets	1971 (1) 1976–1977	59458/66 survived as fire test vehicles 975993/4 until 1986–1988.
Class 126	BR Swindon 'Intercity'	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)	mechanical	intercity	1959	22	1970 (1) 1973 (3) 1979–1982		About 21 (62 cars; 3 in preservation)
Class 127	BR Derby 'Bed-Pan'	2 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238 bhp (177 kW)	hydraulic	high density	1959	30 sets (120 vehicles)	1964 (1) 1966 (1) 1968 (1) 1972 (1) 1975–1977 (8) 1982–1993	22 rebuilt in 1985	About 27 vehicles (112 vehicles; 3 in preservation)
Class 128	Gloucester RC&W 'Parcels'	2 × Albion 230 bhp (172 kW)	mechanical	parcels	1959–1960	10	1971 (1) 1979–1980 (2) 1982 (2) 1990		All
Class 129	Cravens 'Parcels'	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1955 (entered service 1958)	3	1972–1973	M55997 survived in departmental stock until 1986
Class 130	Parcels conversion from Class 116	2 × Leyland 150 bhp (112 kW)			1957–1961 (converted 1969)	2	1972	Parcels conversion from Class 116
Class 131	Parcels conversion from Class 122	2 × AEC 150 bhp (112 kW)			1959 (converted 1966, 1969 and 1971)	3	1976	Parcels conversion from Class 122

Second generation

Lightweight railcars

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Image
Class 139	Parry People Movers	2008	2 × single cars	still in use

Pacers

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Image	Scrapped
Leyland Prototypes	BREL-Leyland	1978-84	4 × single cars	1978-1997		None
Class 140		1980	1 × 2-car set	1981		None
Class 141		1984	20 × 2-car sets	Britain 1997, Iran 2005		4 (2 in preservation)
Class 142		1985-87	96 × 2-car sets	2019–2021		52
Class 143	Barclay-Alexander	1985-86	25 × 2-car sets	2020		5
Class 144	BREL-Alexander	1986-87	13 × 2-car and 10 × 3-car sets	2020	$Pontefract Baghill 2018.jpg$	1

Sprinters

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
Class 150 Sprinter	BREL	1984–7	135 × 2-car and 2 × 3-car sets	Still in use	1
Class 151	Metro-Cammell	1985	2 × 3-car units	1989	Both
Class 152	N/A	Never built	Proposed single car conversion of Class 156^[1]	Never built	Never built
Class 153 Super Sprinter	BREL-Leyland	1991–2	70 × single cars (Converted from Class 155)	Still in use	None
Class 154	BREL	1985	1 × 3 car unit converted from Class 150	Converted back to Class 150
Class 155 Super Sprinter	BREL-Leyland	1987–8^[2]	42 × 2-car sets 7 × 2-car sets still in original form	Still in use
Class 156 Super Sprinter	Metro-Cammell	1987–9^[3]	114 × 2-car sets^[3]	Still in use
Class 157 Strathclyde Sprinter	N/A	Never built	Proposed Strathclyde PTE Sprinter	Never built	Never built
Class 158 Express Sprinter	BREL	1989–92	165 × 2-car and 17 × 3-car sets	Still in use	None
Class 159 South Western Turbo	BREL	1992–3	22 × 3-car sets	Still in use	None

Turbos

Networker

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Image	Scrapped
Class 165 Networker Turbo	BREL/ABB York	1990–2	49 × 2-car and 26 × 3-car sets		1
Class 166 Networker Turbo Express	BREL/ABB York	1992–3	21 × 3-car sets		None

Turbostar

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built
Class 168 Clubman	Adtranz/Bombardier, Derby	1998–2004	9 × 3-car and 10 × 4-car sets
Class 170 Turbostar	Adtranz/Bombardier, Derby	1998–2005	44 × 2-car and 89 × 3-car sets
Class 171 Turbostar	Bombardier, Derby	2003–04	9 × 2-car and 6 × 4-car sets
Class 172 Turbostar	Bombardier, Derby	2010–11	24 × 2-car and 15 × 3-car

Coradias

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Image
Class 175 Coradia	Alstom, Washwood Heath	1999–2001	11 × 2-car and 16 × 3-car sets
Class 180 Adelante	Alstom, Washwood Heath	2000–01	13 x 5-car sets and 1 x 4-car set (180 110)

Desiro

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Image
Class 185 Desiro	Siemens	2005–06	51 × 3-car sets

Civity

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built
Class 195 Civity	CAF	2017–20	25 × 2-car sets 33 × 3-car sets
Class 196 Civity		2019–	12 x 2-car sets 14 x 4-car sets
Class 197 Civity		2021–	51 x 2-car sets 26 x 3-car sets

Diesel-electric multiple units (DEMUs)

Southern Region DEMUs

Class	SR code	Built	Quantity (sets)	Withdrawn	Scrapped
Class 201	6S	1957-58	7 × 6-car sets	1986	About 5
Class 202	6L	1957-58	9 × 6-car sets	1986	About 8 (46 cars)
Class 203	6B	1958	7 × 6-car sets	1990	5
Class 204	2H/3T	1957	4 × 3-car sets (formed using Class 205 and 206 cars)	1987	About 3 (19 vehicles)
Class 205	2H/3H	1957-62	4 × 2-car and 29 × 3-car sets	1992–2004	About 21
Class 206	3R	1964	6 × 3-car sets (formed using Class 201 and 416 cars)	1979	All
Class 207	3D	1962	19 × 3-car sets	1990–2004	About 16

Second Generation

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Notes	Scrapped
Class 210	BREL, Derby	1982	1 × 3-car and 1 × 4-car set	1987	mostly scrapped, with 1 carriage preserved and 2 carriages converted to Class 455	4 carriages
Class 230 D-Train	Metro-Cammell (original builders) Vivarail (conversion)	2015 (prototype)	1 × 3-car set (prototype) 3 × 2-car 5 × 3-car	still in use	Converted from former London Underground D78 Stock ^[4]	None
Class 231 FLIRT	Stadler	2021-22	11 × 4-car sets	still in use
Class 769 Flex	BREL, York Brush Traction (conversion)	2017	35 × 4-car sets	still in use	Converted from Class 319 EMUs^[5]

Voyager-style express DEMUs

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built
Class 220 Voyager	Bombardier, Bruges, Belgium	2000-01	34 × 4-car sets
Class 221 Super Voyager		2001-02	4 × 4-car and 40 × 5-car sets
Class 222 Meridian/Pioneer		2003–05	4 × 4-car, 7 × 9-car and 17 × 5-car sets

High-speed trains

Class	Manufacturer	Information	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
Class 251	Metro-Cammell	Blue Pullman	1959-1960	2 × 6-car 3 × 8-car	1973	All
Class 252	BREL	Prototype HST	1972	1 × 10-car plus 2 spare coaches	1982	2 vehicles
Class 253		HST	1975–1982	58 × 9-car	still in use^{[lower-greek 1]}	4
Class 254		HST	1975–1982	36 × 10-car	still in use^{[lower-greek 1]}	4
Class 255	BREL	HST Challenger	2002 (planned refurbishment)	14 (planned)	Never built	Never built
Class 800	Hitachi Kudamatsu & Newton Aycliffe	Electro-diesel units designed with both pantograph for OHLE use and internal diesel powerplant for non-electrified lines	2014-2019	46 × 5-car 13 × 9-car	still in use	None
Class 802	Hitachi Kudamatsu & Pistoia		2017-2020	27 x 5-car 7 x 9-car	still in use
Class 805	Hitachi Newton Aycliffe		TBC	13 x 5-car	Not In service Yet
Class 810	Hitachi Newton Aycliffe		TBC	33 × 5-car	Not In service Yet

↑ Driving motors reclassified as Class 43 and trailers as Mark 3 hauled stock

Related Research Articles

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also generally classed as DMUs. Diesel-powered units may be further classified by their transmission type: diesel–mechanical DMMU, diesel–hydraulic DHMU, or diesel–electric DEMU.

A railcar is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach, with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railway companies, such as the Great Western, termed such vehicles "railmotors".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro-Cammell</span> British manufacturer of railway locomotives and rolling stock

Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. The company was purchased by GEC Alsthom in May 1989; the Washwood Heath factory closed in 2005 and was demolished in early 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railbus</span> Lightweight passenger rail vehicle that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus

A railbus is a lightweight passenger railcar that shares many aspects of its construction with a bus, typically having a bus body and four wheels on a fixed base instead of on bogies. Originally designed and developed during the 1930s, railbuses have evolved into larger dimensions with characteristics similar in appearance to a light railcar, with the terms railcar and railbus often used interchangeably. Railbuses designed for use specifically on little-used railway lines were commonly employed in countries such as Germany, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Sweden.

The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple unit passenger 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 108 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1958 to 1961, with a final production quantity of 333 vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 121</span>

The British Rail Class 121 is a single-car double-ended diesel multiple unit. 16 driving motor vehicles were built from 1960, numbered 55020–55035. These were supplemented by ten single-ended trailer vehicles, numbered 56280–56289. They have a top speed of 70 mph, with slam-doors, and vacuum brakes. The driving motor vehicles were nicknamed "Bubble Cars" by some enthusiasts.

The British Rail Class 104 diesel multiple units were built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company from 1957 to 1959.

The British Rail Classes 101 and 102 diesel-mechanical multiple units were built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham, England from 1956 to 1959, following construction of a series of prototype units. These classes proved to be some of the most successful and longest-lived of BR's First Generation DMUs, second in longevity only to the Class 121, with the final five units being withdrawn on 24 December 2003. The oldest set was, by then, just over 47 years old.

The British Rail Class 950 is a diesel multiple unit that was purpose-built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Holgate Road carriage works for the British Rail Research Division for use as a track assessment unit. It is currently operated by Network Rail.

The British Rail Class 143 is a diesel multiple-unit railbus, part of the Pacer family of passenger trains introduced between 1985 and 1986.

The British Rail Class 117 diesel multiple units (DMUs) were built by Pressed Steel from 1959 to 1961. It was a licence-built variant of the British Rail Class 116.

B-B and Bo-Bo are the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and British classifications of wheel arrangement for railway locomotives with four axles in two individual bogies. They are equivalent to the B′B′ and Bo′Bo′ classifications in the UIC system. The arrangement of two, two-axled, bogies is a common wheel arrangement for modern electric and diesel locomotives.

The British Rail Class 155 is a diesel multiple unit passenger train. These DMUs were built by Leyland Bus at Workington between 1987 and 1988 as part of BR's replacement of its ageing first-generation diesel fleet. 42 units were originally built, of which only 7 remain; the other 35 units were converted to Class 153 railcars.

The British Rail Class 124 diesel multiple units were built by BR Swindon Works in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Rail Class 128</span>

The British Rail Class 128 was a class of diesel multiple unit, built for British Rail. Introduced in 1959, ten of the class were built by Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, each with two 230 hp British United Traction - Albion engines. The class was built specifically for parcels, fitted out with parcel racks and bike storage at each end, and did not feature any passenger accommodation. The last members of the class were withdrawn in 1990 and broken up the following year, and none were preserved.

On the UK rail network, multiple working is where two or more traction units are coupled together in such a way that they are all under the control of one driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motor coach (rail)</span> Self-propelled passenger train coach

A motor coach or motorcar is a self-propelled passenger vehicle also capable of hauling a train. With multiple unit train control, one operator can control several "motor coaches", possibly even combined with locomotives, efficiently in the same train, making longer trains possible.

For more than a century, the Swiss locomotive, multiple unit, motor coach and railcar classification system, in either its original or updated forms, has been used to name and classify the rolling stock operated on the railways of Switzerland. It started out as a uniform system for the classification and naming of all rolling stock, powered and unpowered, but had been replaced and amended by the UIC classification of goods wagons.

Diesel multiple units and railcars are trains, usually with passenger accommodation, that do not require a locomotive. Railcars can be single cars, while in multiple units cars are marshalled together with a driving position either end. As of December 2010, 23 percent of the rail passenger cars used on Network Rail are part of a diesel multiple unit.

References

↑ The all-time guide to the UK Traction Classification System Part 3: Diesel Multiple Units ^[usurped] - the Railway Centre
↑ Class 155 Super Sprinters
1 2 Fleet Survey - 156 Super-Sprinter
↑ Rail magazine, Bauer Media, Issue 766, February 2015 ^{[ page needed ]}
↑ "Flex 319s to be Class 769s". Today's Railways (187): 73. July 2017.

External links

Media related to Diesel multiple units, motor coaches and railcars of the United Kingdom at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[6] Driving motors reclassified as Class 43 and trailers as Mark 3 hauled stock

[1] The all-time guide to the UK Traction Classification System Part 3: Diesel Multiple Units ^[usurped] - the Railway Centre

[2] Class 155 Super Sprinters

[class156-3] 1 2 Fleet Survey - 156 Super-Sprinter

[4] Rail magazine, Bauer Media, Issue 766, February 2015 ^{[ page needed ]}

[Class769-5] "Flex 319s to be Class 769s". Today's Railways (187): 73. July 2017.

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[lower-greek 1]

v t e Diesel and alternative fuel multiple units of Great Britain
Pre-TOPS	British United Traction Derby Lightweight Metro-Cammell Lightweight Railbus GWR railcars LMS railcars Pacerailer
First generation	100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131
Second generation	140 141 142 143 144 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 165 166 950
Post-privatisation	139 168 170 171 172 175 180 (II) 185 195 196 197
Diesel-electric	201 202 203 204 205 206 207 210 220 221 222 230 231 251 252 253 254 255
Alternative fuel	600 614
Bi-mode	755 756 768 769 799 800 802 805 810
First generation (Original TOPS)	140 141 142 143 144 145 147 148 149 150 160 161 162 163 164 166 167 168 169 171 172 173 175 176 177 178 179 180 182 183 185 186 188 189 190
Diesel-electric (Original TOPS)	201 /1 /2 /3 202 /1 /2 /3 203 211 /1 /2 /3 212 221 /1 /2 /3 222 /1 /2 223 /1 /2 /3 224 225 251 261
Southern Region designations	2H 3D 3H 3R 3T 4L 6B 6L 6S
Design families	Mark 3-derived A-Train Civity Coradia D-Train Desiro FLIRT HST Networker Pacer PPM Sprinter Turbostar Voyager
British railcars and diesel multiple units Diesel locomotives Electric locomotives Miscellaneous locomotives Diesel multiple units Electric multiple units Departmental multiple units Rolling stock of Network SouthEast