The British Rail Class 108

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 BR Derby from 1958 to 1961, with a final production quantity of 333 vehicles.

Overview

The 108 was formed as a 2, 3, or 4 car unit. Its aluminium body led the type to be classed a lightweight unit. These units stayed in regular service until 1990, when they began to be withdrawn from traffic. They were replaced on regional services by the new '' Sprinter'' derivative units, or by ''Turbo'' units on services around London. The final units lasted in traffic until October 1993, although many saw further use in departmental service, as sandite or route-learner units. Good condition on withdrawal and lack of

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

has ensured that many of this class are now used on preserved railway lines.

Orders

Accidents and incidents

*On 19 October 1987, the Glanrhyd Bridge over the River Towy at

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

was washed away by floodwater, a passenger train operated by a Class 108 unit fell into the river. Four people were killed. *On 22 August 1990, a three-car Class 108 unit overran a signal and was in a head-on collision with a two-car Class 108 unit at Hyde Junction, Greater Manchester. Twenty-eight people were injured. The accident report noted the poor structural condition of the Class 108 vehicles compared to the Class 101 vehicle involved in the accident and called for the class to be withdrawn 'as early as practicable'

Preservation

Many vehicles have been preserved on

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

s. None are currently certified for use on the main line - although the Swanage Railway's set was hauled from the railway to Eastleigh and back, for overhaul - and is believed to be the first class 108 to have been seen on main lines for a very long time.

References

General references

*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 108 Derby 2,3 & 4-car DMUs - on Railcar.co.ukLlangollen Railcar Group - owners of preserved DMUs on Llangollen Railway.The Railcar AssociationThe DMU Group (West Midlands)
{{British Rail DMU 108 Train-related introductions in 1958