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

Offers a portrait of the Second Generation DMUs in Scotland which covers the modern diesel multiple units introduced by BR from 1981.

John Jackson examines second generation Electric Multiple Units. Offering a look at all the classes found in the UK, as well as a look at the country’s electrified lines.

The story of the Manchester trolleybus network is unusual. The city's Transport Department did not want trolleybuses and strenuously resisted their introduction but when forced to do so, gave the city a system of the highest quality. Joint operator Ashton-under-Lyne often found itself swept along in Manchester's wake. In complete contrast, the other transport undertaking involved, the Stalybridge, Hyde, Mossley and Dukinfield Transport and Electricity Board wanted to operate trolleybuses but never managed to do so. The war caused major changes to Manchester's plans, bringing trolleybuses to places that not even their most enthusiastic supporters had envisaged. The vehicle fleet, too, was unusual. The City Council's policy of supporting local industry caused the Transport Department to buy most of its buses from Gorton-based Crossley Motors which employed many local people, as did its much larger parent company, Crossley Brothers Ltd. Ashton followed suit but no other trolleybus operator had a large fleet of Crossleys.The fascinating story is told by respected authors Chris Heaps and Michael Eyre. Illustrated with a wealth of colour and black and white photographs, route maps and comprehensive fleet and service details, it is an enjoyable read which will bring back many memories not only of the trolleybuses but also of the city's streets and suburbs.

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

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.

Explore these rare and previously unpublished photographs documenting the first generation of DMUs in Britain.