#3523
Blue Pullman
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by Metro-Cammell· from 1960· luxury trains used from 1960 to 1973 by British Railways
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Blue pullman 60099 - swansea - aug 1967: Max Batten· CC BY-SA 2.5
what is it?
The Blue Pullmans were luxury trains used from 1960 to 1973 by British Rail. They were the first Pullman diesel multiple units, incorporating several novel features. Named after their original Nanking blue livery, the trains were conceived under the 1955 Modernisation Plan to create luxury diesel express trains aimed at competing with the motor car and the emerging domestic air travel market.
who runs it
base stats
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 66 years ago, in 1960.
- Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Served for 15 years (1960–1975).
multiple unit: A self-propelled train: motors are spread under the passenger cars, so no separate locomotive.
spec sheet
- built
- 1960
- in service from
- 1960
- retired
- 1975
- status
- retired
- number built
- 5
- kind
- multiple unit
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- Metro-Cammell
- operators
- British Rail
- top speed
- 145 km/h
- power
- —
- formation
- 6 or 8 cars per set
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q3304153, Wikipedia: Blue Pullman (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.