#3333

British Rail Class 104

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company· from 1957· class of two-, three- and four-car diesel multiple units built by BRCW

🚆 multiple unit diesel retired

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. Birmingham RC&W Co 3car Local Pasenger dmu M50431, M59148, M50491 (8263903315): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
2. Class 104 24307217093: https://www.flickr.com/photos/camperdown Hugh Llewellyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
3. Birmingham Carriage and Wagon Co Class 104 M50454 (8062048999): Peter Broster· CC BY 2.0
4. Class 104 and 108 DMUs Longsight Diesel TMD: David Ingham from Bury, Lancashire, England· CC BY-SA 2.0
5. Class 104 at Holgate Junction: David Ingham from Bury, Lancashire, England· CC BY-SA 2.0
6. Class 104 DMU at Swindon heading for the Works on 11 Dec 1980: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
7. Class 104 DMU Cheddleton: kitmasterbloke· CC BY 2.0
8. Class 104 Longsight Diesel TMD (1): David Ingham from Bury, Lancashire, England· CC BY-SA 2.0
9. Class 104 units at Buxton on 23 June 1979 (1): The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
10. Class 104 units at Buxton on 23 June 1979 (2): The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0

Read about it on Wikipedia ↗

what is it?

The British Rail Class 104 diesel multiple units were built by Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company from 1957 to 1959. A product of British Rail's Modernisation Plan of 1954, the 104s were designed for general branch line and commuter routes. The first units ordered were for the London Midland Region, with the majority of the class for use in North West of England.

who runs it

British Rail London Midland Region of British Railways North Eastern Region of British Railways

base stats

speed 113 km/htop speed
power 224 kWpower output
built 302made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 69 years ago, in 1957.
17.4 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 36 years (1957–1993).

multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.

spec sheet

built: 1957
in service from: 1957
retired: 1993
status: retired
number built: 302
kind: multiple unit
traction: diesel
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company
operators: British Rail, London Midland Region of British Railways, North Eastern Region of British Railways
top speed: 113 km/h
power: 224 kW
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
formation: 2 car sets: DMBS-DTCL, 3 car sets: DMBS-TCL-DMCL, 4 cars sets:DMCL-TSL-TBSL-DMCL
length: 17.4 m

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q4970701, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 104 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.