The

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

Class 107

diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

s were built by the

Derby Works The Derby Works comprised a number of British manufacturing facilities designing and building locomotives and rolling stock in Derby, England. The first of these was a group of three maintenance sheds opened around 1840 behind Derby station. Th ...

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

and were introduced in 1960. The class looked similar to the later Class 108 units, but were heavier - having been built out of steel.

Usage

The Class 107s were initially built for suburban workings on the south side of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and the Class remained in BR's Scottish Region for its service life. When new, a number were used on Dundee/Arbroath services. In later years, they were used almost exclusively on services radiating from Glasgow Central to such destinations as Barrhead, East Kilbride, and Kilmacolm, and - prior to electrification - on Glasgow/Ayrshire services (especially Largs). Most were withdrawn from service by 1991. Many of the units went into departmental use after being withdrawn from passenger use. The class suffered from a structural problem, however, which could result in the bodies separating from the chassis under heavy braking.

Orders

Originally, there were no fixed set formations, but eventually, sets were numbered as 107425-449 in DMBS order (the DMCLs & TSLs were formed into the sets at random). Renumbered to 107725-749 in 1988 to avoid confusion of set numbers with new 156 units which also had 4xx numbers. Renumbered again to 107025-049 about 1990 to avoid similar confusion with new class 158s numbered in 7xx series.

Other technical details

* Coupling Code: Blue Square * Transmission: Standard mechanical For coupling codes see

British United Traction British United Traction (BUT) was a manufacturer of railway equipment and trolleybuses. It was established in 1946 as a joint venture between AEC and Leyland. History British United Traction was established in 1946 when AEC and Leyland am ...

Preservation

Several examples of the class have entered preservation.

References

Notes

Sources

*Motive Power Recognition: 3 DMUs. Colin J. Marsden *British Railway Pictorial: First Generation DMUs. Kevin Robertson *British Rail Fleet Survey 8: Diesel Multiple Units- The First Generation. Brian Haresnape *A Pictorial Record of British Railways Diesel Multiple Units. Brian Golding

External links

Class 107 Derby 3-car DMUs on Railcar.co.uk

Mikes Trains
{{British Rail DMU 107 Train-related introductions in 1960