British Rail Class 118

British Rail Class 118
BR class 118 DMU in British Telecom advertising livery
In service	1960-1994
Manufacturer	Birmingham Railway Carriage and 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	British Rail
Line 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	Two BUT engines per power car
Power output	150 hp (112 kW) per engine
Safety system	AWS
Multiple working	■ Blue Square

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

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.

In its final days, vehicles were allocated to Tyseley depot in Birmingham, and were all withdrawn by the end of 1994.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.

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