British Rail Class 116

Infobox DMU
name = British Rail Class 116


imagesize = 240px
background = #0033cc
caption = Set T326, formed of vehicles 51131 and 51321, at Arley on the Severn Valley Railway on 15 October 2004, whilst taking part in the Railcar 50 event. This unit is painted in BR Blue/Grey livery, and is preserved on the Battlefield Line Railway.
Manufacturer = BR Derby
Operator = British Rail
Formation = 2 cars per trainset
Built =1957-1961
LinesServed =
InService = 1961-1990
CarLength = 64 ft 0 in
CarWidth = 9 ft 3 in
CarHeight = 12 ft 4 1/2 in
Weight = 38 tons 10 cwt
Capacity =
MaxSpeed = 70 mph (112 km/h)
Gauge =
Traction =
Engine =
SafetySystem= |The British Rail Class 116 diesel multiple units were built by BR Derby from 1957 to 1961.

Regular use

These units stayed in regular service until 1990, when they began to be withdrawn from traffic.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 Class 323 electric multiple units on services around Birmingham. The final units lasted in traffic until 1995, although a few saw further use in departmental service, as sandite or route-learner units. Several of this class have been saved for preservation.

Parcels use

Three units were converted to carry parcels traffic and reclassified as Class 130, though the individual coaches were not renumbered. The units involved were:
* 50819 + 50872
* 50862 + 50915
* 51137 + 51150To provide extra capacity, they worked with modified General Utility Vans (GUV) as centre trailers.

Preservation

Several vehicles have been preserved on heritage railways.

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

* [http://www.railcar.co.uk/his110-119/116intro.htm History of the Class 116s]