British Rail Class 118

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British Rail Class 118
BR class 118 DMU Nos. 51302+59469+51317 in British Telecom advertising livery
In service	1960-1994
Manufacturer	Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company
Number built	15 sets (45 cars)
Number preserved	1 car (DMS 51321)
Formation	3-car sets: DMBS-TCL-DMS
Capacity	DMBS: 65 second TCL: 24 first, 50 second DMS: 89 second
Operator(s)	British Rail
Line(s) served	Western Region
Specifications
Car length	64 ft 6 in (19.66 m)
Width	9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
Maximum speed	70 mph (113 km/h)
Weight	Power cars: 36 long tons 0 cwt (80,600 lb or 36.6 t), Trailer cars: 30 long tons 0 cwt (67,200 lb or 30.5 t)
Prime mover(s)	Two BUT engines per power car
Power output	150 hp (112 kW) per engine
Safety system(s)	AWS
Multiple working	■ Blue Square

The British Rail Class 118 diesel multiple units were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company (BRCW) and introduced from 1960. It was a licence-built version of the British Rail Class 116.^[1]

History[]

BR Derby was inundated with orders for the Class 116, so the work was put out to tender. All Class 118s were built in Birmingham by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company.^[2]

Originally allocated to the Western Region, the 118 was extensively used in Devon and Cornwall. They were stabled at Laira depot. The 118s survived in service in the region until 1994 when they were replaced by Class 156s.^{[citation needed]}

In its final days, vehicles were allocated to Tyseley depot in Birmingham, and were all withdrawn by the end of 1994. Like most first generation DMUs they were originally BR Green, then plain blue, and finally blue and grey, with a few receiving Network SouthEast livery. One set was painted in all over yellow with advertisements for British Telecom.^[3]

A normal formation was three vehicles- a Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) which had two BUT engines (Later fitted with Leyland), a driving compartment(cab), 65 second class seats, guards accommodation and luggage/parcels space, a Trailer Composite Lavatory (TCL) which had no engines or driving compartment, but had 22 first class seats, 48 second class seats and a lavatory, and a Driving Motor Second (DMS), which like the DMBS had two engines and a driver's cab, and contained 89 second class seats. Having the 'blue square' multiple working system allowed them to run in formations containing up to 12 cars with most of BR's other DMUs.

Two vehicles were converted to sandite use.^[4]

Orders[]

Preservation[]

Only one Class 118 vehicle, DMS Number 51321, has been preserved and is at the Battlefield Line. This vehicle has been paired with class 116 DMBS 51131, also based on the railway.

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[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 118.

• Battlefield Line website