List of British Rail diesel multiple unit classes explained

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

For a historical overview of diesel multiple unit train development in Great Britain, see British railcars and diesel multiple units.

Pre-nationalisation designs

First Generation

Early BR DMUs (79xxx series)

Manufacturer	Engines (per motor car)	Transmission	Type	Built	Quantity (sets)	Withdrawn	Scrapped
	2 × Leyland 125bhp or 2 × AEC 150bhp	hydraulic (2 car) or mechanical (single car)	low density	1954-1959	217 vehicles	1967-1969 1977-1994 (departmental use)	215
	2 × AEC 150bhp	mechanical	low density	1955-1956	36 sets	1967-1969 1981 (departmental use)	All
AC Cars Railbuses	1 × AEC 150bhp		railbus	1958	5	1968	3 (1 in preservation)
Bristol-ECW Railbuses	1 × Gardner 112bhp				2	1966	All
Park Royal Railbuses	1 × AEC 150bhp				5	1966-1968	All
Waggon and Maschinenbau Railbuses	1 × Büssing 150bhp				5	1966-1967	1
Wickham Railbuses	1 × Meadows 105bhp				6	1966 1997 (departmental use)	5

TOPS classes

Manufacturer	Engines (per motor car)	Transmission	Type	Built	Quantity (sets)	Withdrawn	Notes	Scrapped
	2 × AEC 150bhp	mechanical	low density	1957–1958	40 sets (80 cars)	1969–1988		About 79 (3 in preservation)
Metro-Cammell	2 × AEC 150bhp			1956–1960	527 sets	1957 (1) 1978–2003 2009-2012 (departmental use)		About 502 (9 in preservation)
Metro-Cammell	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1956–1960	106 sets	1957 (1) 1978–2003 2009-2012 (departmental use)		About 502 (9 in preservation)
	2 × AEC 150bhp			1957	20 sets (40 cars)	1972–1983 1985-1990 (departmental use)		About 19 (3 in preservation)
	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1957–1959	302 cars	1980–1995		About 63
	2 × AEC 150bhp			1956–1959	302 cars	1976–1988 1989-1990 (departmental use)		About 300
	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1956–1959	302 cars	1976–1988 1989-1990 (departmental use)		About 300
BR Derby 'Heavyweight'	2 × AEC 150bhp			1960	26 sets (78 cars)	1973 (1) 1983–1992 1995 (departmental use)		About 19 sets (66 cars)
BR Derby 'Heavyweight'	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1958–1961	333 cars	1964 (1) 1974 (1) 1990–1993		About 138
	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1957–1958	5 sets	1971		4
Birmingham RC&W 'Calder Valley'	2 × Rolls-Royce C6NFLH 180bhp			1961–1962	30 sets	1963 (3) 1971–1972 (3) 1983 (3) 1986–1991		About 28 sets (85 vehicles)
Metro-Cammell	2 × Rolls-Royce C6NFLH 180bhp			1957–1960	23 train sets	1989	Last unpowered car went in 2000	About 23 (50 vehicles)
Cravens	1 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238bhp			1959–1960	25 sets (50 cars)	1968–1969		All
Cravens	1 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238bhp	hydraulic		1959–1960	25 sets (50 cars)	1968–1969		All
BR Derby 'Heavyweight'	2 × Leyland 230bhp	mechanical		1956–1957 (entered service 1960)	50 sets (100 cars)	1962 (1) 1965 (1) 1967 (prototype) 1970–1971 (6) 2004 (departmental use)		About 48 sets (95 vehicles)
BR Derby 'Suburban'	2 × Albion 230bhp		high density	1960	41 four-car sets	1991–1994		About 30 sets (149 vehicles; 3 in preservation)
BR Derby 'Suburban'	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1957–1961	310 cars	1961 (1) 1983 (32) 1987–1995	2 converted to Class 130	About (304 vehicles; 5 in preservation)
Pressed Steel 'Suburban'				1959–1961	123 cars	1993–2000		30
Birmingham RC&W 'Suburban'				1960	15 sets (45 cars)	1994		About 14 sets (44 cars)
Gloucester RC&W 'Cross-Country'			cross country	1958	84 cars	1992–1995		About 28 sets (81 cars)
BR Swindon 'Cross-Country'	2 × AEC 150bhp		cross country	1958	194 cars	1989		About 64 sets (193 cars)
Pressed Steel 'Bubble Car'	2 × AEC 150bhp		high density	1960–1961	16 (DMBS) 10 (DTS)	1978 (2) 1991–2017	Last first-generation DMU in service, 55022 is still in departmental use.	12 (2 in preservation)
Gloucester RC&W 'Bubble Car'	2 × AEC 150bhp		high density	1959	20 (DMBS) 9 (DTS)	1979–1995 1998-2011 (departmental use)		8
BR Swindon 'Intercity'	2 × Albion 230bhp		intercity	1963	40 (Ten 4-car units)	1984	Buffets withdrawn in 1970 and a DMBS and DMSK withdrawn in 1977 and 1979 respectively.	All
BR Swindon 'Trans-Pennine'	2 × Albion 230bhp	mechanical	intercity	1960	Eight 6-car sets, plus 3 spare cars	1972 (3) 1975 1979–1984
BR Derby 'Lea Valley'	2 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238bhp	hydraulic	high density	1958	20 three-car sets	1971 (1) 1976–1977 1986-1988 (departmental use)
BR Swindon 'Intercity'	2 × AEC 150bhp	mechanical	intercity	1959	22	1970 (1) 1973 (3) 1979–1982		About 21 (62 cars; 3 in preservation)
BR Derby 'Bed-Pan'	2 × Rolls-Royce C8NFLH 238bhp	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)
Gloucester RC&W 'Parcels'	2 × Albion 230bhp	mechanical	parcels	1959–1960	10	1971 (1) 1979–1980 (2) 1982 (2) 1990		All
Cravens 'Parcels'	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1955 (entered service 1958)	3	1972–1973 1986 (departmental use)
Parcels conversion from Class 116	2 × Leyland 150bhp			1957–1961 (converted 1969)	2	1972	Parcels conversion from Class 116
Parcels conversion from Class 122	2 × AEC 150bhp			1959 (converted 1966, 1969 and 1971)	3	1976	Parcels conversion from Class 122

Second generation

Pacers

Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
	1978-84	4 × single cars	1978-1997	None
	1980	1 × 2-car set	1981	None
	1984	20 × 2-car sets	Britain 1997, Iran 2005	4 (2 in preservation)
	1985-87	96 × 2-car sets	2019–2021	52
	1985-86	25 × 2-car sets	2020	5
BREL-Alexander	1986-87	13 × 2-car and 10 × 3-car sets	2020	1

Sprinters

Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
	1984 - 7	135 × 2-car and 2 × 3-car sets	Still in use	2
	1985	2 × 3-car units	1989	Both
N/A	Never built	Proposed single car conversion of Class 156^[1]	Never built	Never built
	1991 - 2	70 × single cars (Converted from Class 155)	Still in use	11
	1985	1 × 3 car unit converted from Class 150	Converted back to Class 150	None
BREL-Leyland	1987 - 8^[2]	42 × 2-car sets 7 × 2-car sets still in original form	Still in use
Metro-Cammell	1987 - 9^[3]	114 × 2-car sets	Still in use
N/A	Never built	Proposed Strathclyde PTE Sprinter	Never built	Never built
	1989 - 92	165 × 2-car and 17 × 3-car sets	Still in use	1
	1992 - 3	22 × 3-car sets	Still in use	2 vehicles

Turbos

Networker

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Image	Scrapped
		1990 - 2	49 × 2-car and 26 × 3-car sets	Still in use		1
		1992 - 3	21 × 3-car sets	Still in use		None

Turbostar

Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
	1998 - 2004	9 × 3-car and 10 × 4-car sets	Still in use	None
	1998 - 2005	44 × 2-car and 89 × 3-car sets
Bombardier, Derby	2003 - 04	9 × 2-car and 6 × 4-car sets
Bombardier, Derby	2010 - 11	24 × 2-car and 15 × 3-car

Coradias

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Image	Scrapped
Class 175 Coradia	Alstom, Washwood Heath	1999 - 2001	11 × 2-car and 16 × 3-car sets	2023		None
Class 180 Adelante	Alstom, Washwood Heath	2000 - 01	13 x 5-car sets and 1 x 4-car set (180 110)	Still in use		None

Civity

Class	Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
Class 195 Civity	CAF	2017 - 20	25 × 2-car sets 33 × 3-car sets	still in use	None
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

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

Second Generation

Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Notes	Scrapped
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
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
	2021-22	11 × 4-car sets	still in use
BREL, York Brush Traction (conversion)	2017	35 × 4-car sets	still in use	Converted from EMUs^[5]

Voyager-style express DEMUs

Manufacturer	Date Built	Number Built	Withdrawn	Scrapped
Bombardier, Bruges, Belgium	2000-01	34 × 4-car sets	still in use	None
	2001-02	4 × 4-car and 40 × 5-car sets
	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	22
Class 254		HST	1975–1982	36 × 10-car	still in use	22
Class 255	BREL	HST Challenger	2002 (planned refurbishment)	14 (planned)	Never built	Never built
Class 800	Hitachi Kudamatsu &<br>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 &<br>Pistoia		2017-2020	27 x 5-car 7 x 9-car	still in use
Class 805	Hitachi Newton Aycliffe		2021-now	13 x 5-car	still in use
Class 810	Hitachi Newton Aycliffe		2021-now	33 × 5-car	Not In service Yet

References

- the Railway Centre
http://www.traintesting.com/Class_155.htm Class 155 Super Sprinters
http://www.users.madasafish.com/~dysgraphyk/156/class156_fleet-list.htm Fleet Survey - 156 Super-Sprinter
Rail magazine, Bauer Media, Issue 766, February 2015
July 2017 . Flex 319s to be Class 769s . Today's Railways . 187 . 73 .