British Rail Class 108

The British Rail

British Rail

British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...

 Class 108 diesel multiple unit

Diesel multiple unit

A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

s were built by BR Derby

Derby Carriage and Wagon Works

Derby Carriage and Wagon Works was built by the Midland Railway in Derby, England. The plant has been through many changes of ownership and is currently owned by Bombardier Transportation, a subsidiary of Bombardier Inc. of Canada. As of 2011 it is the only remaining passenger rolling stock...

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

These units stayed in regular service until 1990, when they began to be withdrawn from traffic.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"

British Rail Class 165

The British Rail Class 165 Turbo is a fleet of suburban diesel multiple units , originally specified by and built for British Rail, the then United Kingdom state owned railway operator. They were built by BREL at York Works between 1990 and 1992...

 units on services around London. The final units lasted in traffic until October 1993, although many saw further use in departmental service, as sandite

Sandite

Sandite is a substance used on railways in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands to combat leaves on the line, which can cause train wheels to slip and become damaged with flat spots...

 or route-learner units. Good condition and lack of asbestos

Asbestos

Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...

 has ensured that many of this class have been saved for preservation.
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 line metals for a very long time.

Orders

Lot No.	Car type	Qty	Fleet No.	Notes
30406	Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS)	26	50599–50624
30407	Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS)	5	50625–50629
30408	Driving Motor Composite with lavatory (DMCL)	17	50630–50646
30409	Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL)	21	56190–56210
30410	Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL)	5	56211–56215
30411	Trailer Second with lavatory (TSL)	6	59380–59385
30412	Trailer Brake Second with lavatory (TBSL)	6	59245–59250
30460	Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS)	12	50924–50935
30461	Driving Motor Composite with lavatory (DMCL)	12	51561–51572
30465	Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS)	50	50938–50987
30466	Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL)	50	56221–56270
30493	Trailer Second with lavatory (TSL)	5	59386–59390
30498	Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS)	9	51416–51424
30499	Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL)	9	56271–56279
30601	Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS)	50	51901–51950
30602	Driving Trailer Composite with lavatory (DTCL)	21	56484–56504
30660	Driving Motor Composite with lavatory (DMCL)	29	52037–52065

Preservation

Many vehicles have been preserved on heritage railway

Heritage railway

thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...

s.

Vehicles Numbers			Set Number	Location	Comments
50599	-	-	L490	Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Ecclesbourne Valley Railway The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is a long heritage railway in Derbyshire, the headquarters of the railway centre around Wirksworth station and services operate between Wirksworth and Duffield and Wirksworth and Ravenstor...	50599 was the first built vehicle of the class and moved to Wirksworth 16/03/10.
-	-	56491	L490	Keith and Dufftown Railway Keith and Dufftown Railway The Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from Keith Town railway station, Keith to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown via Drummuir ....	56491 is now at the Keith and Dufftown Railway
50619	-	56492	B962	Dean Forest Railway Dean Forest Railway The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and...	50619 is now in service as the 3rd car when it is needed. 56492 in regular traffic.
50928	-	51565	S948	Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Keighley and Worth Valley Railway The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a long branch line that served mills and villages in the Worth Valley and is now a heritage railway line in West Yorkshire, England. It runs from Keighley to Oxenhope. It connects to the national rail network line at Keighley railway station...	-
50971	-	51571	-	Kent and East Sussex Railway Kent and East Sussex Railway The Kent & East Sussex Railway refers to both an historical private railway company in Kent and Sussex in England, as well as a heritage railway currently running on part of the route of the historical company.-Historical Company:-Background:...	-
50982	-	52054	LO275	Bodmin & Wenford Railway	-
51562	-	51922	S941	East Lancashire Railway East Lancashire Railway The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...	51562 was the 1000th vehicle built by BR at Derby.
51566	59387	53933	T072	Dean Forest Railway Dean Forest Railway The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and...	53933 is now at the Severn Valley Railway replacing 51935, on loan from the DFR. Other vechiles being overhauled.
51567	-	53627	LO615	Peak Rail Peak Rail Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales....	Used as a sandite unit after withdrawal from normal service.
51568	-	52053	T066	Keith and Dufftown Railway Keith and Dufftown Railway The Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from Keith Town railway station, Keith to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown via Drummuir ....	-
51907	-	54490	LO262	Llangollen Railway Llangollen Railway The Llangollen Railway is a volunteer-run preserved railway in Denbighshire, Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Carrog; at long, it is the longest preserved standard gauge line in Wales and operates daily in Summer as well as weekends throughout the Winter months using a wide variety of...	-
51909	-	56271	L231	Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust operates a railway museum at Midsomer Norton railway station and plans to run passenger trains south towards Chilcompton in the near future. It should not be confused with the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust at Washford railway station. The Midsomer...	-
51914	-	56495	L232	Dean Forest Railway Dean Forest Railway The Dean Forest Railway is a long heritage railway that runs between Lydney and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The route was part of the Severn and Wye Railway which ran from Lydney to Cinderford. The society that operates the line started steam locomotive operations in 1971, and...	56465 has been sold off, 51914 remains in traffic at the DFR.
51919	-	52048	T940	Barry EWS Depot Vale of Glamorgan Railway The Barry Tourist Railway is a railway developed to attract visitors to Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales...	-
51933	-	56504	LO618	Swanage Railway Swanage Railway The Swanage Railway is a long heritage railway in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The railway follows the route of the Purbeck branch line between Norden railway station, Corfe Castle railway station, Harman's Cross railway station, Herston Halt railway station and Swanage...	56504 was the last built vehicle of the class.
51935	-	56208	T077	Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...	51935 was gutted internally by fire in 05/08 and was scrapped and replaced by another vehicle.
51937	-	54484	LO905	Peak Rail Peak Rail Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales....	-
51941	59250	52064	T069	Severn Valley Railway Severn Valley Railway The Severn Valley Railway is a heritage railway in Shropshire and Worcestershire, England. The line runs along the Severn Valley from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, following the course of the River Severn for much of its route...	Only surviving operational three-car unit. As of Spring 2011, 51941 is Out of Service due to having bodywork repairs/repaint
51950	-	52062	T070	Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire/Warwickshire Borders that has reopened the closed railway line between Laverton Halt and Cheltenham Racecourse railway stations in Gloucestershire/Worcestershire., it currently...	-
52061	-	53982	C921	Swansea Vale Railway Swansea Vale Railway |-|colspan="2" width="320"|-History:First opened in 1816 as a tramroad for conveying coal from Scott's Pit, near Birchgrove, to wharves on the River Tawe nearly four miles to the south, the Swansea Vale route grew to become a feeder railway for several mines and metal-working industries in the...	-
53628	-	54223	L212	Keith and Dufftown Railway Keith and Dufftown Railway The Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from Keith Town railway station, Keith to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown via Drummuir ....	53628 was the final vehicle of the class used in BR service.
53645	-	53926	T061	Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre The Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre is a heritage centre based at Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, the terminus of the northern section of the Great Central Railway . The site includes locomotive and rolling stock workshops , as well as cafeteria and shops...	-
54279	-	-	L212	Vale of Glamorgan Railway Vale of Glamorgan Railway The Barry Tourist Railway is a railway developed to attract visitors to Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales...	-
56207	59245	-	-	Appleby Frodingham Railway Appleby Frodingham Railway The Appleby Frodingham Railway Preservation Society is based at Scunthorpe in North Lincolnshire. The society owns locomotives and rolling stock but not the railway it runs on. The name comes from the Appleby-Frodingham Steel Company, now simply known as Scunthorpe Works...	Used as locomotive-hauled stock.
52044	-	50632		Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway The Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway in South Wales, running trains between a halt platform opposite the Whistle Stop public house southwards to the town of Blaenavon via a two-platform station at the site of former colliery furnace.The line is the highest...
	-	56224		Keith and Dufftown Railway Keith and Dufftown Railway The Keith and Dufftown Railway is a heritage railway in Scotland, running for from Keith Town railway station, Keith to Dufftown railway station, Dufftown via Drummuir ....

External links

• Llangollen Railcar Group - owners of preserved DMUs on Llangollen Railway.
• The Railcar Association
• The DMU Group (West Midlands)