British Rail Classes 101 and 102

The British Rail Classes 101 and 102 were diesel-mechanical multiple units built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham from 1956 to 1959, following a series of prototype units. They became some of the most successful and longest-lived of the first generation DMUs, second in longevity only to the Class 121, with the final five units withdrawn on 24 December 2003. Built as steam gave way to diesel power under the 1955 Modernisation Plan, they used a steel chassis with an aluminium body to save weight. They ran as two, three or four car units, powered by 11.3 litre BUT six cylinder diesel engines, with a top speed of 70 mph. Demand was so high that at one point four cars a week were produced.