Book - British Railways First Generation DMUs by Hugh Longworth

British Railways First Generation DMUs

Second Revised and Expanded Edition

First widely introduced from the early 1950s onwards, the diesel multiple-unit represented an attempt to produce a vehicle that would replace steam traction on the country's 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. Over 4,000 vehicles were ordered from both BR works and private manufacturers as part of the BR modernisation plan of 1955.

Following refurbishment from the early 1970s onwards, many first generation DMUs were to survive in service until the late 1980s and early 1990s. Although most were scrapped after withdrawal, a significant number of these vehicles have been preserved on the nation's heritage railways.

296 Pages with colour photographs throughout HARDBACK