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.

Peter J Green first photographed Class 50 diesels in action in 1975, while they were still being transferred from the London Midland to the Western Region of British Rail. But it was in the early 1980s, when they were named and painted in Large Logo livery, that his interest in the class really took off. For Peter, they stood out from most other locomotives that were painted in the rather drab Rail Blue livery. The sound of the locomotives, particularly when running at speed, was also very impressive, producing shouts of '50!' from waiting photographers, even before the train was in sight. The class became a particular target for his railway photography and many of his trips were made with them in mind. They regularly worked trains around his home town of Worcester, so if he did not want to go too far, it was easy to find a satisfactory subject at which to point his camera. Before their withdrawal in the late 1980s and early 1990s, they were used on many railtours, which always provided good photographic opportunities. Today, with many of the class working on heritage railways, and a number of privately owned locomotives registered for main line use, there is still plenty to keep his cameras occupied. A selection of Peter’s best photos of the Class 50 diesels, taken over a period of forty-five years, appear in these pages.

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

"Many of the first generation diesel locomotive designs are now as much a memory as the steam locomotives they were designed to replace and, with the arrival of the Class 66 and Class 67, many of the surviving first-generation diesel classes will also be consigned to history." "This revised edition of British Rail Main Line Diesel Locomotives is the result of many years' research by Colin Marsden, one of Britain's best-known and most highly respected modern traction authors, illustrated by the superb scale drawings by Graham Fenn. There have been a whole host of developments since 1987 when the first edition was published, and the authors have included additional material covering not only the new classes - 66 and 67 but have fully revised the entry for the Class 60 and provided information on the latest Class 47 revision, the Class 57." "With its outline history of every locomotive, selection of fine photographs and 4mm scale drawings, this new edition of a popular classic will be an essential work of reference for railway modellers and modern traction enthusiasts well into the new Millennium."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

An edited photographic history of diesel and electric locomotives containing descriptions and quotes compiled by Geoffrey Kichenside.