371-502A Class 101 2-Car DMU BR Blue

The Class 101 Diesel Multiple Units were the most numerous of all the first generation DMUs and had a long service life, remaining in use for almost half a century, and we’re delighted to present N Scale models of this iconic unit as part of the Graham Farish range.

This two-car unit depicts a Class 101 in BR Blue livery operating in North East England and is typical of much of the fleet during the British Rail era. Each of the two cars is constructed from precision moulded bodyshells with flush glazing and a high level of raised and engraved detailing, from the ventilators and rivets found on the roof to the door furniture and window frames along each bodyside. Each chassis is adorned with all the underframe components you’d see on the prototype, including the engine, transmission, battery boxes and auxiliary gear.

Both vehicles are brought to life with an exquisite livery application, using accurate colours, fonts and logos, and the detail and decoration extends to the interior too, where seating is fitted and painted accordingly, and the cab provides crew seats along with a representation of the control desk.

The bogies are moulded with a high level of relief detail and separate footsteps are added where appropriate, meanwhile metal wheelsets are employed and electrical pickups from every wheel provide power for the directional lights at each cab end. The motorised vehicle is fitted with a powerful three pole motor with flywheel and both cars have a 6 pin DCC decoder socket; in the trailer a function decoder can be used to work the directional lights whereas the powered vehicle has a pre-fitted speaker so a sound decoder could be fitted to add sound to the model, or opt for a SOUND FITTED version which comes with premium DCC decoders pre-fitted to both cars.

 

MODEL FEATURES:

• Graham Farish N Scale
• Era 7
• Pristine BR Blue livery
• 2-Car Unit comprising DMBS No. E50166 and DTCL No. E56051
• Destination Blinds for Hartlepool and Darlington
• Accessory Pack
• NEM Coupling Pockets
• Powerful 3 Pole Motor with Flywheel
• Interior Detailing
• Directional Lighting
• Speaker Fitted
• Equipped with two 6 Pin DCC Decoder Sockets – recommended Decoder 2 x item No. 36-568A
• Length 262mm (over couplings)

 

CLASS 101 DMU HISTORY 

The Class 101 Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) was one of the most numerous and widely used types of all the first generation DMUs. Typically formed into two-, three- or four-car sets, the first examples were introduced in 1956 and more than 600 vehicles, including driving vehicles fitted with a cab at one end and corridor gangway at the other, and intermediate cars with corridor gangways at both ends, were built by Metropolitan Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham. Construction continued until 1959.

Initially allocated to the North Eastern, London Midland and Scottish Regions, the units later saw use on the Eastern and Western Regions, with occasional running into Southern Region territory too. Fitted with the Blue Square control system, the Class 101s could work in multiple with other 101s and numerous other DMUs when additional capacity was required.

During the 1970s BR embarked on a refurbishment programme to provide passengers with an improved travelling environment and the Class 101s were used as a testbed for these works which resulted in the majority of Class 101 vehicles being refurbished over a period of almost ten years.

In later years many sets were given an additional makeover to extend their passenger service life, whilst others found new roles carrying parcels, as route learning units and for sandite operations. Around thirty two-car units were still in traffic at the start of the 21^st century making the Class 101 one of the final first generation DMUs to remain in revenue-earning service.

The type remains popular today, with more than forty vehicles being preserved and these can now be found operating on preserved railways around the UK.