Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
Encyclopedia
The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, occasionally referred to as the Tyne Valley Line, is a railway line in northern England. The 60 miles (96.6 km) line was built in the 1830s, and links the city of Newcastle upon Tyne
in Tyne and Wear
with in Cumbria
. Formal opening took place on 18 June 1838.
The line follows the course of the River Tyne through Northumberland
. Five stations and two viaduct
s on the route are listed structures.
Passenger services on the Tyne Valley Line are operated by Northern Rail
and First ScotRail
. The line is also heavily used for freight, and is an important diversionary route during East Coast Main Line
closures.
on 22 May 1829. The line was built in sections from 1834 onwards. The first section (Hexham -Blaydon) opened in March 1835 but services were then suspended until May after a local landowner objected to the use of locomotives (specifically prohibited by the Act of Parliament). The entire route between Carlisle London Road railway station
and Redheugh in Gateshead was formally opened to passengers on 18 June 1838. A temporary Tyne bridge was built at Scotswood to allow trains to reach a terminus in Newcastle - this opened on 21 October 1839. N&CR trains first used Newcastle Central railway station on 1 January 1851.
The N&CR was absorbed into the North Eastern Railway
on 17 July 1862. From 1864, trains ran to Carlisle Citadel station, and the old London Road station was closed. In 1870, the temporary bridge at Scotswood was removed, and a new iron Scotswood Bridge was built to replace it.
On 4 October 1982, British Rail
closed the Scotswood Bridge
, which had become uneconomic to maintain. Tyne Valley trains from Newcastle were diverted to use the present route, crossing the King Edward VII Bridge
south-west of Newcastle Central Station, and running via Dunston
to Blaydon
, on a line which was upgraded to carry passenger traffic.
Former stations on the line include , , Greenhead
and Gilsland
.
works at Elswick
, before crossing the Tyne at Scotswood
and rejoining its current route along the south bank from Blaydon. Since 1982, after leaving Newcastle, the line crosses the River Tyne
on the King Edward VII Bridge
and then diverges from the southbound East Coast Main Line
passing west through Gateshead
, with stations at Dunston
, the MetroCentre
and Blaydon
.
Past Ryton, the line enters Northumberland
and passes station. The station house at Wylam was built in 1835, and is Grade II* listed. The line continues along the south bank of the Tyne, with other stops in Northumberland being Prudhoe
, , Riding Mill
, , , , and .
In Cumbria, the Tyne Valley line serves the Brampton
and stations. The line then joins up with the Settle-Carlisle Railway
just before reaching Carlisle Citadel station
.
, Lemington
, Heddon-on-the-Wall
and North Wylam, before crossing the River Tyne
via the Wylam Railway Bridge
and joining the N&CR again at the West Wylam Junction. The line followed the course of a waggonway between North Wylam and Lemington Staithes which had been in operation since 1748 and was used for taking coal
from the collieries in Wylam
and Walbottle
to a part of the river which could be accessed by Keel boats.
On 16 June 1871 Parliament gave permission for the line to be built. Construction of the new line began in April 1872. On 12 July 1875 the line between Scotswood and Newburn was opened. It was operated by North Eastern Railway
on behalf of SN&WR. On 13 May 1876 the line between Newburn and North Wylam opened. In October 1876 the final section of the branch between North Wylam and the West Wylam Junction opened.
During the 1950s and 1960s the North Wylam loop fell under the Beeching Axe
. On 15 September 1958 the Newburn, Lemington and Heddon-on-the-Wall stations closed to passengers. Heddon-on-the-Wall also closed to goods on that day. On 4 January 1960 Lemington Station closed to goods trains. Newburn Station also closed to goods traffic on 24 April 1965. Scotswood closed to goods trains two days later. Between 1965 and 1966 this line carried all rail traffic between Newcastle and Carlisle while a section of the main line between Scotswood and Blaydon was closed. Scotswood closed to passengers on 1 May 1967. The last closure on the line was Wylam North Station, which closed on 11 March 1968. The track between Newburn and Wylam Railway Bridge was removed in 1975 and the course was landscaped and made into a public bridleway. The track between Scotswood and Newburn remained to take rail traffic to and from Stella North Power Station and the Ever Ready factory in Newburn but the track was removed shortly after the Ever Ready factory closed in 1992.
"Pacers", Class 156
"Super Sprinters" which were introduced in the late 1980s and on rare occasions Class 158s
which were introduced in the early 90s. Prior to this, Metro-Cammell Class 101
units were used.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
in Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
with in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
. Formal opening took place on 18 June 1838.
The line follows the course of the River Tyne through Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. Five stations and two viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
s on the route are listed structures.
Passenger services on the Tyne Valley Line are operated by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
and First ScotRail
First ScotRail
ScotRail Railways Ltd. is the FirstGroup-owned train operating company running domestic passenger trains within Scotland, northern England and the cross-border Caledonian Sleeper service to London using the brand ScotRail which is the property of the Scottish Government...
. The line is also heavily used for freight, and is an important diversionary route during East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
closures.
History
The railway was built by the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Company, the requisite Act of Parliament gaining Royal AssentRoyal Assent
The granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
on 22 May 1829. The line was built in sections from 1834 onwards. The first section (Hexham -Blaydon) opened in March 1835 but services were then suspended until May after a local landowner objected to the use of locomotives (specifically prohibited by the Act of Parliament). The entire route between Carlisle London Road railway station
Carlisle London Road railway station
Carlisle London Road railway station was the first to open in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. It was built as a terminus of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway and opened in 1836, when trains could only run as far as Greenhead; not until 1838 was it possible to travel by rail all the way to...
and Redheugh in Gateshead was formally opened to passengers on 18 June 1838. A temporary Tyne bridge was built at Scotswood to allow trains to reach a terminus in Newcastle - this opened on 21 October 1839. N&CR trains first used Newcastle Central railway station on 1 January 1851.
The N&CR was absorbed into the North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
on 17 July 1862. From 1864, trains ran to Carlisle Citadel station, and the old London Road station was closed. In 1870, the temporary bridge at Scotswood was removed, and a new iron Scotswood Bridge was built to replace it.
On 4 October 1982, 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...
closed the Scotswood Bridge
Scotswood Railway Bridge
The Scotswood Railway Bridge is a disused railway bridge crossing the River Tyne in North East England, formerly part of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, carrying the main line between the Scotswood and Blaydon stations.-History:...
, which had become uneconomic to maintain. Tyne Valley trains from Newcastle were diverted to use the present route, crossing the King Edward VII Bridge
King Edward VII Bridge
The King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England.-History:...
south-west of Newcastle Central Station, and running via Dunston
Dunston, Tyne and Wear
Dunston was originally an independent village on the south bank of the River Tyne. It has now been absorbed into the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead in the English county of Tyne and Wear...
to Blaydon
Blaydon
Blaydon-on-Tyne is a town in the North East of England in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. The former urban district, however, extends much further, its fourteen and a half square miles constituting the largest administrative district, after Newcastle, on Tyneside...
, on a line which was upgraded to carry passenger traffic.
Former stations on the line include , , Greenhead
Greenhead, Northumberland
Greenhead is a village in Northumberland, England. The village is on the Military Road , about from Chollerford, from Haltwhistle and from Brampton, Cumbria along the A69 road. The A69 road bypasses the village, but until the 1980s all vehicular traffic passed through the village. The village...
and Gilsland
Gilsland
Gilsland is a village in northern England about west of Hexham, and about east of Carlisle, which straddles the border between Cumbria and Northumberland...
.
Route
After leaving Newcastle Central the line originally ran along the north bank of the Tyne for around 4 miles (6.4 km), serving the Sir W G Armstrong & CoArmstrong Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. Headquartered in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth engaged in the construction of armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles, and aircraft.-History:In 1847,...
works at Elswick
Elswick, Tyne and Wear
Elswick is a ward of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in the western part of the city, bordering the river Tyne. One of the earliest references to the coal mining industry of the north east occurs in 1330, when it was recorded that the Prior of Tynemouth let a colliery, called Heygrove, at...
, before crossing the Tyne at Scotswood
Scotswood Railway Bridge
The Scotswood Railway Bridge is a disused railway bridge crossing the River Tyne in North East England, formerly part of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway, carrying the main line between the Scotswood and Blaydon stations.-History:...
and rejoining its current route along the south bank from Blaydon. Since 1982, after leaving Newcastle, the line crosses the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
on the King Edward VII Bridge
King Edward VII Bridge
The King Edward VII Bridge is a railway bridge spanning the River Tyne between Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, in North East England.-History:...
and then diverges from the southbound East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
passing west through Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...
, with stations at Dunston
Dunston railway station
Dunston railway station serves Dunston, an area of Gateshead, in Tyne and Wear, northern England. It is located on the Tyne Valley Line which runs from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle....
, the MetroCentre
MetroCentre railway station
MetroCentre railway station is a railway station that serves the MetroCentre shopping and leisure complex in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. It is located on the Tyne Valley Line from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, and is managed by Northern Rail....
and Blaydon
Blaydon
Blaydon-on-Tyne is a town in the North East of England in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. The former urban district, however, extends much further, its fourteen and a half square miles constituting the largest administrative district, after Newcastle, on Tyneside...
.
Past Ryton, the line enters Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
and passes station. The station house at Wylam was built in 1835, and is Grade II* listed. The line continues along the south bank of the Tyne, with other stops in Northumberland being Prudhoe
Prudhoe railway station
Prudhoe railway station is a railway station which serves the town of Prudhoe in Northumberland, England. It is located on the Tyne Valley Line west of Newcastle towards Carlisle, and ismanaged by Northern Rail who provide most passenger train services....
, , Riding Mill
Riding Mill railway station
Riding Mill railway station is a railway station which serves the village of Riding Mill in Northumberland, England. It is located on the Tyne Valley Line which runs from Newcastle upon Tyne to Carlisle, and is managed by Northern Rail who provide all passenger train services...
, , , , and .
In Cumbria, the Tyne Valley line serves the Brampton
Brampton (Cumbria) railway station
Brampton railway station is on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway in northern England, serving the town of Brampton. The station is located about a mile southeast of the town, near the village of Milton. Staff were removed from the station in 1967, with the main buildings demolished in stages...
and stations. The line then joins up with the Settle-Carlisle Railway
Settle-Carlisle Railway
The Settle–Carlisle Line is a long main railway line in northern England. It is also known as the Settle and Carlisle. It is a part of the National Rail network and was constructed in the 1870s...
just before reaching Carlisle Citadel station
Carlisle railway station
Carlisle railway station, also known as Carlisle Citadel station, is a railway station whichserves the Cumbrian City of Carlisle, England, and is a major station on the West Coast Main Line, lying south of Glasgow Central, and north of London Euston...
.
Scotswood, Newburn & Wylam Railway
The Scotswood, Newburn & Wylam Railway (SN&WR) or The North Wylam Loop was a 6.5 miles (10.5 km) long double track branch line constructed for colliery and passenger traffic. The line diverged from the original N&CR at Scotswood, ran along the north bank of the Tyne, with stations at NewburnNewburn
Newburn is a semi rural village, parish, electoral ward and former urban district in western Tyne and Wear, North East England. Situated on the banks of the River Tyne, it is built rising up the valley from the river...
, Lemington
Lemington
Lemington is a housing area and electoral ward of Newcastle upon Tyne in North East England.-History:Lemington has a strong industrial history. It is famous for its brick glassworks cone, built in 1787...
, Heddon-on-the-Wall
Heddon-on-the-Wall
Heddon-on-the-Wall is a village just outside Throckley, Northumberland, England, located on Hadrian's Wall. Heddon-on-the-Wall is roughly nine miles west of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne...
and North Wylam, before crossing the River Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
via the Wylam Railway Bridge
Wylam Railway Bridge
Wylam Railway Bridge, also known locally as Points Bridge, Half-moon Bridge, Hagg Bank Bridge, Bird Cage Bridge, or The Tin Bridge, is a footbridge and former railway bridge crossing the River Tyne at Hagg Bank, approximately west of Wylam in Northumberland, England.- History :The bridge was...
and joining the N&CR again at the West Wylam Junction. The line followed the course of a waggonway between North Wylam and Lemington Staithes which had been in operation since 1748 and was used for taking coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
from the collieries in Wylam
Wylam
Wylam is a small village about west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is located in the county of Northumberland.It is famous for the being the birthplace of George Stephenson, one of the early rail pioneers. George Stephenson's Birthplace is his cottage that can be found on the north bank of the...
and Walbottle
Walbottle
Walbottle is a village in Tyne and Wear. It is a western suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne. The village name, recorded in 1176 as "Walbotl", is derived from the Old English botl on the Roman Wall...
to a part of the river which could be accessed by Keel boats.
On 16 June 1871 Parliament gave permission for the line to be built. Construction of the new line began in April 1872. On 12 July 1875 the line between Scotswood and Newburn was opened. It was operated by North Eastern Railway
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
on behalf of SN&WR. On 13 May 1876 the line between Newburn and North Wylam opened. In October 1876 the final section of the branch between North Wylam and the West Wylam Junction opened.
During the 1950s and 1960s the North Wylam loop fell under the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. On 15 September 1958 the Newburn, Lemington and Heddon-on-the-Wall stations closed to passengers. Heddon-on-the-Wall also closed to goods on that day. On 4 January 1960 Lemington Station closed to goods trains. Newburn Station also closed to goods traffic on 24 April 1965. Scotswood closed to goods trains two days later. Between 1965 and 1966 this line carried all rail traffic between Newcastle and Carlisle while a section of the main line between Scotswood and Blaydon was closed. Scotswood closed to passengers on 1 May 1967. The last closure on the line was Wylam North Station, which closed on 11 March 1968. The track between Newburn and Wylam Railway Bridge was removed in 1975 and the course was landscaped and made into a public bridleway. The track between Scotswood and Newburn remained to take rail traffic to and from Stella North Power Station and the Ever Ready factory in Newburn but the track was removed shortly after the Ever Ready factory closed in 1992.
Branch lines
Originally the railway had four passenger branch lines leading off it:- The Border Counties RailwayBorder Counties RailwayThe Border Counties Railway was a railway line in Northumberland, England, with a small section in Roxburghshire, in the Borders region of Scotland. The railway was incorporated in 1854; and was absorbed by the North British Railway on 13 August 1860...
branched off just west of HexhamHexhamHexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
and passed through KielderKielderKielder can refer to a number of locations in Northumberland, England:* Kielder, Northumberland a village* Kielder Water a reservoir* Kielder Forest...
and the North Tyne Valley, before joining up with the Scottish rail network near HawickHawickHawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
. It was also linked to the Wansbeck Valley Railway, which ran from Reedsmouth to MorpethMorpeth, NorthumberlandMorpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...
and connected to the branch line from RothburyRothburyRothbury is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is located on the River Coquet, northwest of Morpeth and north-northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne...
. The Border Counties line closed to passengers in 1956, and to all traffic in 1958 (five years before the Beeching AxeBeeching AxeThe Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
), although a small section of track between Reedsmouth and Bellingham was retained, accessed from the Wansbeck line, until the latter shut in the mid sixties. Much of the trackbed is now lost beneath Kielder Reservoir, although the disused Kielder ViaductKielder ViaductKielder Viaduct consists of seven semi-circular masonry skew arches and was built in 1862 to carry the North British Railway across marshy land, which following flooding to create Kielder Water, became the place where Deadwater Burn joins Bakethin Reservoir...
remains a prominent local landmark. - The AllendaleAllendale, NorthumberlandAllendale is a large village in south west Northumberland, England. Allendale is within the - the second largest of the 40 AONBs in England and Wales...
branch came off near the village of Haydon Bridge and was primarily used to carry minerals from mines and quarries around Allendale and the village of LangleyLangley, NorthumberlandLangley, or more correctly Langley-on-Tyne, is a small village in Northumberland, England, located to the west of Hexham.The village is on the A686 about south of Haydon Bridge...
. It was never popular, with passenger services ending in the 1930s, and the line closed completely in 1953. - The AlstonAlston, CumbriaAlston is a small town in Cumbria, England on the River South Tyne. It is one of the highest elevation towns in the country, at about 1,000 feet above sea level.-Geography:...
branch covered 17 miles (27.4 km) from the town of HaltwhistleHaltwhistleHaltwhistle is a small town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, situated east of Brampton, near Hadrian's Wall, and the villages of Plenmeller, Rowfoot and Melkridge...
. This branch provided a passenger service and also, in the early days, served the hundreds of lead mines in the upper South Tyne Valley. It included the monumental Lambley Viaduct and was the last of the branch lines to close in 1976. Part of the Alston end has been turned into a narrow gaugeNarrow gaugeA narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
heritage railwayHeritage railwaythumb|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...
, the South Tynedale RailwaySouth Tynedale RailwayThe South Tynedale Railway is a heritage railway in England and is England's highest narrow gauge railway. The route runs from Alston in Cumbria to Kirkhaugh in Northumberland via the South Tyne Viaduct, the Gilderdale Viaduct and the Whitley Viaduct...
. - There was a short branch (closed to passengers in 1923) from Brampton stationBrampton (Cumbria) railway stationBrampton railway station is on the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway in northern England, serving the town of Brampton. The station is located about a mile southeast of the town, near the village of Milton. Staff were removed from the station in 1967, with the main buildings demolished in stages...
into the town of BramptonBrampton, Carlisle, CumbriaBrampton is a small market town and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England about 9 miles east of Carlisle and 2 miles south of Hadrian's Wall. It is situated off the A69 road which bypasses it...
. The junction of this railway (Brampton Junction) also linked to Lord Carlisle's Railway, a primarily industrial branch line pre-dating the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway itself, which also linked into the Alston branch at Lambley.
Rolling stock
The line is not an electrified route. Passenger services are operated by diesel multiple units, typically Class 142British Rail Class 142
The British Rail Class 142 is a class of Pacer diesel multiple units used in the United Kingdom. 96 units were built by BREL in Derby between 1985 and 1987. They were a development of the earlier Class 141 which were introduced in 1984....
"Pacers", Class 156
British Rail Class 156
The British Rail Class 156 Super Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train . 114 of these units were built from 1987 to 1989 by Metro-Cammell at its Washwood Heath Works in Birmingham...
"Super Sprinters" which were introduced in the late 1980s and on rare occasions Class 158s
British Rail Class 158
British Rail Class 158 Express Sprinter is a diesel multiple-unit train, built for British Rail between 1989 and 1992 by BREL at its Derby Works. They were built to replace many locomotive-hauled passenger trains, and allowed cascading of existing Sprinter units to replace elderly 'heritage' DMUs...
which were introduced in the early 90s. Prior to this, Metro-Cammell Class 101
British Rail Class 101
The British Rail Class 101 diesel multiple units were built by Metro-Cammell at Washwood Heath in Birmingham from 1956 to 1959, following construction of a series of prototype units. This class proved to be the most successful and longest-lived of all BR's First Generation DMUs, with the final five...
units were used.