With its network of rural and secondary routes, East Anglia was an obvious place to employ the some of the first generation of Diesel Multiple-Units (DMUs), introduced in the late 1950s.
The DMU was rightly perceived by British Railways as being quicker, cleaner and more attractive to passengers than steam traction. It was also far more cost-effective than steam. The DMUs undoubtedly saved some lines from closure, though many others were soon doomed under the Beeching axe.
It is only now, some 50 years after the first of these units entered service that a true appreciation of their vital importance is being gained. As with other forms of traction, enthusiasts, who initially frowned on the DMUs when they were first introduced, have come to comprehend how vital the development of diesel traction was to the survival of the railway in many parts of the country.
This book explores the activities of these units in East Anglia through some 175 mono illustrations. The photos cover lines in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire as well as Essex, outside the Greater London area.
Softback Book. 282 x 213mm. 80 pages
Approximately 175 black and white photographs
Saxon Court Books, part of Blue Heron Network Ltd, PO Box 235, East Molesey, KT8 1WE
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