This 0-4-0 shunter was one of a batch of 20 170 bhp diesel hydraulics purchased by BR from the Yorkshire Engine Company of Sheffield in 1960. D2861 was used as the shed pilot at Blackpool North loco depot on 18 February 1968, a duty which 10 years earlier was normally assigned to a former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway 0-6-0 tender locomotive

Knottingley traction maintenance depot provided motive power for coal trains to and from, amongst others, Ferrybridge power station seen in the distant background. Such a gathering of motive power consisting in the main of class 56 locos with 08-782 in the foreground was assembled during the Christmas holiday period on 27 December 1986

A small batch of the BR standard diesel shunters were geared for a higher maximum speed and designated class 09. For most of their early lives they lived on the Southern Region but started to migrate around 1990. 09-015 was at bescot repainted in departmental grey livery on 8 October 1991

The last surviving member of a small class built by Park Royal Vehicles was this vehicle 53355, which formed a hybrid unit with another surprising survivor of the Cravens built 105 class. The unit was based in the Manchester area, and was spotted here in the bay platforms at Victoria on 26 April 1986

This class 100 set had survived intact in departmental use as a track recording unit for the Rail Testing Centre. The unit was looking very smart in this view at Lincoln Central on 2 September 1986

Most of the dmu sets used in East Anglia were made up of a motor car plus driving trailer. This example of a 101 class unit built by Metro-Cammell had also received Network South East livery and was stabled at Cambridge on 17 September 1988

The Metro-Cammell class 101 diesel multiple units were amongst the most numerous as well as the longest surviving of the first generation dmus. However by 1985 spotting a "pure" three car set such as this example seen at Bangor was quite a novelty as by this stage many of the units had been mixed up and many of the centre trailers had been withdrawn

This 101 class unit has the driving trailer in the foreground in this view at Ely on 16 September 1988

The final flourish of the Metro-Cammell built class 101s was in the North West and North Wales. The final survivors were allocated to Longsight in Manchester but could be found on Regional Rail services over a wide area. carrying unit number 101-683 this three car set was entering Blenau Ffestiniog on 31 May 1995

Another shot of three car set 101-683 taekn at Blenau Ffestiniog on 31 May 1995 awaiting departure on a Conway Valley service to Llandudno

Even in the late 1980s Scarborough station still had several platform faces. In the pre-Sprinter and Pacer era two class 101 units are on each side of the nearest platform but a class 142 Pacer unit has crept in to the image on the right

Two coupled class 101 units form a train to Middlesbrough at Whitby on 9 August 1988

One of the very earliest class 104 units was allocated to Glasgow Eastfield and painted in a maroon and white livery for the Scottish Tourist Board. The unit comprised twin motor cars 53424 and 53434 and was caught on camera at Oban being spruced up on 17 April 1987

The Birmingham Rail Carriage & Wagon built class 104 units were mostly associated with the north west of England but in the run up to electrification of the Ayr line, a variety of units found their way up north to help out the resident class 107s normally associated with this line. Vehicle 53505 heads a three car set at Ayr on 22 August 1986

Another example of a hybrid dmu set was this pairing of class 104 and class 108 cars at Blenau Ffestiniog on 1 September 1989

Norwich Crown Point depot hung on to the last surviving Cravens built class 105 unit, and repainted it in original green livery. The unit was waiting departure from Norwich with a service for Great Yarmouth on 16 September 1988

Class 107 was a small class of three car units built at Derby Works on the shorter 57' underframe, and these units worked for their whole lives in Scotland. Unit 107-045 was in Strathclyde livery when seen at Edinburgh Waverley on 6 August 1991

There were several batches of so-called Derby lightweight units which became class 108. This unidentified set were seen at Heysham Harbour on 2 May 1991

The later class 108 vehicles featured the roof mounted headcode box. This two car set in Network South East livery was approaching Ridgmont on the Bletchley to Bedford service on 17 May 1990

The precursor of the BR class 08 diesel shunter was the LMS/English Electric loco which went into production in 1945. One of the survivors in 1967 was BR 12091, built in 1950, and allocated to Newton Heath, where I got this shot on 10 December 1967. The loco is still wearing BR green livery, underneath the grime, and carries the original BR lion astride the wheel totem

The Calder Valley sets built by the Birmingham Rail Carriage and Wagon Company with powerful Rolls Royce engines in 1961 were a considerable improvement on the normal dmus used on many local services, though in later years the centre cars were withdrawn reducing the units to two car sets. The class became 110 under the TOPs scheme, and motor composite 51842 leads this formation at Leeds on 13 April 1985

The first second series dmus were a batch of 63' long units for the Eastern Region built by BR at Derby in 1956. Through most of their lives they were known as Derby Heavyweights and they became class 114 under the TOPs scheme. They outlived some newer units by some years until replaced mostly by class 150 and class 156 Sprinters in the late 1980s

A batch of four car outer suburban sets allocated to services operating out of Marylebone became class 115 under the TOPs scheme. They operated as far north as Banbury where I got this shot of a set leaving for London 25 April 1990. The vehicle nearest the camera is 51671, and the trailer composite in the formation is still in BR blue and grey whilst the rest of the set is in Network South East livery. These units did not have much longer to run and were replaced shortly afterwards by class 165 Chiltern Turbo units

The very last diesel multiple unit in all blue was this class 116 Derby Suburban unit which had migrated to the Manchester area. The leading vehicle is 53920, and the set is standing at platform 14 of Manchester Victoria on 31 October 1987