British Rail In The 1980s And 1990s Diesel Locomotives And Dmus

Kenny Barclay documents the diesel locomotives and DMUs in the closing decades of the British Rail era.

This book, a companion to British Rail in the 1980s and 1990s: Diesel Locomotives and DMUs, exhibits a selection of some of his finest photographs from this period.

First introduced in the early 1950s, the diesel multiple-unit represented an attempt to produce a vehicle that would replace steam traction on the countrys branch lines and secondary routes at a time when the railway industry was in desperate need of a cheaper alternative to steam in order to improve the finances of these increasingly unremunerative lines. Initially introduced in areas such as the north west of England, the West Riding of Yorkshire and East Anglia, the arrival of the new and much cleaner Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) undoubtedly helped to stem both the loss of passenger traffic and improve, at least briefly, the economics of the lines over which they operated. Between the early 1950s and the start of the following decade, several thousand of these units were produced by a variety of manufacturers for service nationwide. However, despite the cost savings that these units represented, the financial position of the railways continued to deteriorate with the result that many of the lines for which they were designed were closed in the wake of the Beeching Report. Following refurbishment from the early 1970s onwards, many first generation DMUs were to survive in service until the late 1980s or early 1990s. Indeed a handful can still be found in operation almost 50 years after the first of the type entered service. Although most were scrapped after withdrawal, a significant number of these vehicles have been preserved on the nations heritage railways. In 2005 OPC published Hugh Longworths British Railway Steam Locomotives 1948-1968. This definitive listing of every steam locomotive operated by BR between 1948 and 1968 was one of the most successful railway titles of 2005 and was quickly reprinted on three occasions. Having examined the steam locomotive fleet in detail, Hugh Longworth now turns his attention to all of the first generation DMUs constructed. As with the earlier book, each type is covered in detail with information given about construction, technical specifications, entry into service, withdrawal and its fate. Alongside the detailed tabular material the book also includes some 125 mono illustrations recording the great variety of DMU constructed as part of the programme. Comprehensive in its coverage, this new addition to the OPC list will be sought after by all those modellers, preservationists and historians seeking a detailed reference work on the history of these first generation DMUs.

A collection of photographs of second generation Diesel Multiple Units in action on Britain's railways.

Unpublished photographs celebrating Class 158 and Class 159 DMUs. Examining their varied operations, from Scotland to the south-west and Wales to East Anglia.

After the Second World War, the drive for the modernisation of Britain's railways ushered in a new breed of locomotive: the Diesel. Diesel-powered trains had been around for some time, but faced with a coal crisis and the Clean Air Act in the 1950s, it was seen as a part of the solution for British Rail. This beautifully illustrated book, written by an expert on rail history, charts the rise and decline of Britain's diesel-powered locomotives. It covers a period of great change and experimentation, where the iconic steam engines that had dominated for a century were replaced by a series of modern diesels including the ill-fated 'Westerns' and the more successful 'Deltics'.

Although the first diesel multiple-units (DMUs) first appeared in the 1930s and the first of the Derby lightweight units shortly after Nationalisation, it was the Modernisation Plan of 1955 that resulted in the mass introduction of DMUs on to the British Railways network. The DMU was seen as essential to the future of secondary and branch lines, offering better quality rolling stock than traditionally provided, with lower operating costs. Indeed, the launch of DMU services on many lines did result in a temporary improvement in the performance of the affected routes and by the early 1960s several thousand first-generation DMUs were to be seen in operation over much of the network. However, the Beeching Report was to cast a shadow over the next decade and few new units were introduced between the early 1960s and the late 1970s when the urgent need to replace the increasingly aged first generation units became apparent. However, almost 50 years after the first of the Modernisation Plan units entered service the last of the type remain operational.In the second of Ian Allan Publishing's new 'British Railway Pictorial' series, Kevin Robertson pays tribute to this essential workhorse of the modern railway era. With the aid of over 175 mono illustrations, he examines the genesis of the type, the great variety of examples constructed and the range of services operated. For a whole generation of railway enthusiasts, the DMU was the unsung hero of the railway industry. Whilst it may have lacked the glamour of steam, it provided a reliable standard of service for more than four decades. Now that the majority have been withdrawn, the once familiar sights are no more. This new pictorial portrait, paying tribute to the DMU, will be of interest to the modeller, historian and preservationist alike.

A nostalgic look back at a time of great change on Britain's railways in eastern and southern England.