list of british rail classes

A wide variety of Locomotives and Multiple units have been operated on Great Britain's railway network. This page lists every locomotive and multiple unit allocated a TOPS classification and all modern traction (e.g. diesel, electric, gas, petrol) stock used on the mainline network since 1948 (i.e British Rail and post-privatisation). It excludes coaching stock, modern traction used prior to 1948 and steam locomotives used prior to 1968. Links to lists of these types can be found at the bottom of the page. British Locomotive and Multiple Unit Numbering and Classification explains in full the numbering and classification system used on this page. In brief, from 1968 British Rail classified its locomotives and multiple units using the TOPS system. Locomotives were given two-digit class numbers, and Multiple units three-digit numbers. Similar types were allocated blocks within the range, e.g. 01-69 for diesel locomotives, 70-79 for DC electric and electro-diesel locomotives, and 80-96 for AC electric and multi-voltage locomotives.

Diesel locomotives

The 1955 diesel locomotive classes are given in brackets where applicable.

Shunters

TOPS Classes

Class 01 (D1/2)
Class 02 (D1/4)
Class 03 (D2/2)
Class 04 (D2/3, D2/4 & D2/13)
Class 05 (D2/8 & D2/9)
Class 06 (D2/6)
Class 07
Class 08 (D3/2)
Class 09
Class 10 (D3/4)
Class 11 (D3/8)
Class 12 (D3/13)
Class 13
Class 14

Pre-TOPS Classes

Class D1/1 (D2950-D2952 / 11500-11502)
Class D1/3 (D2957-D2958 / 11507-11508)
Class D2/1 (D2700-D2707 / 11700-11707)
Class D2/5 (D2400-D2409 / 11177-11186)
Class D2/7 (D2500-D2509 / 11116-20, 11144-48)
Class D2/10 (D2708-D2780)
Class D2/11 (D2999)
Class D2/12 (D2510-D2519)
Class D3/1 (D2900-D2913)
Class D3/3 (D3117-D3126)
Class D3/5 (D3152-D3166)
Class D3/6 (12000-12002)
Class D3/7 (12003-12032)
Class D3/9 (15000-15003)
Class D3/10 (15100)
Class D3/11 (15101-15107)
Class D3/12 (15201-15203)
Class D3/14 (15004)

Pre-1955 Classes

Type 1s

TOPS Classes

Class 15 (D8/1)
Class 16 (D8/2)
Class 17
Class 20 (D10/3)

Pre-1955 Classes

10800

Type 2s

Class 21 (D10/1 & D11/2)
Class 22 (D10/2 & D11/5)
Class 23 (D11/1)
Class 24 (D11/3)
Class 25 (D12/1)
Class 26 (D11/4)
Class 27 (D12/3)
Class 28 (D12/2)
Class 29
Class 30 (D13/1)
Class 31 (D14/1 & D14/2)

Type 3s

TOPS Classes

Class 33 (D15/1 & D15/2)
Class 35 (D17/1)
Class 37 (D17/2)

Pre-TOPS Classes

Class D16/1 (10000-10001)
Class D16/2 (10201-10203)

Type 4s

TOPS Classes

Class 40 (D20/1)
Class 41 (D20/2)
Class 42 (D22/1)
Class 43 (D22/2)
Class 44 (D23/1)
Class 45 (D25/1)
Class 46
Class 47
Class 48
Class 50
Class 52 (D27/1)
Class 53
Class 57

Pre-1955 Classes

10100

Type 5s

Electric Locomotives

DC Electric Locomotives

TOPS Classes

Class 70
Class 71 HA
Class 73 JA or JB
Class 74 HB
Class 76 EM1
Class 77 EM2

Pre-TOPS Classes

Class EB1 (26502-26511)
Class EE1 (26600)
Class ES1 (26500-26501)

AC Electric Locomotives

Miscellaneous Locomotives

Departmental

Steam

Class 98

Gas Turbine

18000
18100

Builders' Demonstrators

These were locomotives built and owned by private firms, but used by British Rail to test them.

Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs)

1st Generation "Heritage" DMUs

TOPS Classes

Class 100 (Gloucester)
Class 101 (Met-Camm)
Class 102 (Met-Camm)
Class 103 (Park Royal)
Class 104 (BRCW)
Class 105 (Cravens)
Class 106 (Cravens)
Class 107 (Derby Heavyweight)
Class 108 (Derby Lightweight)
Class 109 (Wickham)
Class 110 (Calder Valley)
Class 111 (Met-Camm)
Class 112 (Great Northern Suburban)
Class 113 (Great Northern Suburban)
Class 114 (Derby Heavyweight)
Class 115 (Derby Suburban)
Class 116 (Derby Suburban)
Class 117 (Pressed Steel Suburban)
Class 118 (BRCW Suburban)
Class 119 (Gloucester Cross-Country)
Class 120 (Swindon Cross-Country)
Class 121 (Pressed Steel Bubble Car)
Class 122 (Gloucester Bubble Car)
Class 123 (Trans-Pennine)
Class 124 (Trans-Pennine)
Class 125 (Lea Valley)
Class 126 (Swindon InterCity)
Class 127 (Bed-Pan)
Class 128 (Gloucester Parcels)
Class 129 (Cravens Parcels)
Class 130 (Parcels, ex-Class 116)
Class 131 (Parcels, ex-Class 122)

Pre-TOPS Classes

2nd Generation DMUs

Pacers

Sprinters

Class 150 (Sprinter)
Class 151 (Prototype)
Class 152 (Proposed rebuild of Class 151)
Class 153 (Super-Sprinter, ex-Class 155)
Class 154 (Prototype Super-Sprinter)
Class 155 (Super-Sprinter)
Class 156 (Super-Sprinter)
Class 157 (Proposed Super-Sprinter)
Class 158 (Express-Sprinter)
Class 159 (Express-Sprinter)

Turbos

Class 165 (Network Turbo)
Class 166 (Network Express Turbo)
Class 168 (Clubman)
Class 170 (Turbostar)
Class 171 (Turbostar)

Coradias

Class 175 (Coradia)
Class 180 (Adelante)

Diesel Desiro

Class 185 (Desiro)

Diesel-Electric Multiple Units (DEMUs)

These units had electric transmission (as opposed to mechanical or hydraulic).

Southern Region DEMUs

The Southern Region of British Rail, used single letter codes to classify their DEMU classes.

Class 201 (6S)
Class 202 (6L)
Class 203 (6B)
Class 204 (3T)
Class 205 (3H)
Class 206 (3R)
Class 207 (3D)

Western Region Prototype DEMU

Class 210

Voyager-style Express DEMUs

Class 220 (Voyager)
Class 221 (Super Voyager)
Class 222 (Meridian)

High Speed Trains

Class 251 (Blue Pullman)
Class 252 (Prototype High Speed Train)
Class 253 (Western Region High Speed Train)
Class 254 (Eastern Region High Speed Train)
Class 255 (Virgin 'Challenger' High Speed Train)

Electric Multiple Units (EMUs)

British Rail operated a wide variety of electrical multiple units.

AC units operated off 25 kV AC from overhead wires. Where clearances for the overhead wires on the Great Eastern and London, Tilbury & Southend routes were below standard, a reduced voltage of 6.25 kV AC was used. The Midland Railway units used 6.6 kV AC. Under the computer numbering, AC units (including mixed-voltage units that can also work off a DC supply) were given a Class in the range 300-399.

DC units operated off 650-850 V DC from a third rail on the Southern Region and North London, Merseyside and Tyneside networks. The Manchester-Bury line used 1200 V DC from a side contact third rail. The Manchester South Junction & Altrincham and "Woodhead" routes used 1500 V DC from overhead wires. Under the computer numbering, DC units were given a Class in the range 400-599.

AC EMUs and mixed-voltage EMUs

First Generation

Ex-MR Units (Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham)
Class 300 (Proposed Parcels units)
Class AM1 (25kV AC prototype units)
Class 302 AM2 (London-Tilbury-Southend)
Class 303 AM3 (Strathclyde)
Class 304 AM4 (Greater Manchester)
Class 305 AM5 (Chingford, Enfield)
Class 306 AM6 (Shenfield inner-surburban)
Class 307 AM7 (Southend outer-suburban)
Class 308 AM8 (Eastern Region lines)
Class 309 AM9 (Clacton Express)
Class 310 AM10 (Euston outer-suburban)
Class 311 AM11 (Strathclyde)
Class 312 (Great Northern and Great Eastern)

Second Generation

Class 313 (Great Northern and North London)
Class 314 (Strathclyde)
Class 315 (Shenfield inner-suburban)
Class 316 (Prototype units)
Class 317 (Bed-Pan and Great Northern)
Class 318 (Strathclyde)
Class 319 (Thameslink)
Class 320 (Strathclyde)
Class 321 (Great Eastern, Euston & W Yorks Metro outer-suburban)
Class 322 (Stansted Express)
Class 323 (West Midlands & Greater Manchester)
Class 325 (Parcels)
Class 332 (Heathrow Express)
Class 333 (West Yorkshire)
Class 334 (Juniper - Strathclyde)
Class 350 (Desiro - West Coast)
Class 357 (Electrostar - London-Tilbury-Southend)
Class 360 (Desiro - Great Eastern)
Class 365 (Networker Express)
Class 375 (Electrostar)
Class 376 (Electrostar Metro)
Class 377 (Electrostar)

Supertrains

DC EMUs

Southern Region Units

The Southern Railway and its successor, the Southern Region of British Rail, used three letter codes to classify their DC EMU fleets, as shown after the TOPS class numbers. TOPS Classes

Class 401 2Bil
Class 402 2Hal or 2Pan
Class 403 5Bel
Class 404 4Cor
Class 405 4Sub
Class 410 4Bep
Class 411 4Cep
Class 412 4Bep
Class 413 4Cap
Class 414 2Hap
Class 415 4EPB
Class 416 2EPB
Class 418 2Sap
Class 419 MLV
Class 420 4Big
Class 421 4Cig or 3Cop
Class 422 4Big or 8Dig
Class 423 4Vep or 4Vop
Class 424 (Networker Classic Prototype)
Class 427 4Veg
Class 430 4Rep
Class 431 6Rep
Class 432 4Rep
Class 438 4TC
Class 442 5Wes (Wessex Express)
Class 444 5Des (Desiro)
Class 445 4Pep
Class 446 2Pep
Class 447 (Proposed Battersea Bullet)
Class 450 4Des (Desiro)
Class 455
Class 456
Class 457 (Networker Prototype)
Class 458 4Jop (Juniper)
Class 460 8Gat (Gatwick Express)
Class 465 (Networker)
Class 466 (Networker)
Class 480 8Vab
Class 482 (Waterloo & City Line)
Class 483 (Isle of Wight)
Class 485 4Vec
Class 486 3Tis
Class 487 (Waterloo & City Line)
Class 488 (Gatwick Express Trailers)
Class 489 GLV
Class 491 4TC
Class 492 3TC
Class 499 TLV

Pre-TOPS Classes

Other DC Units

The 500 series classes were reserved for those DC EMUs not from the Southern Region. This included the DC lines in North London, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. The DC electric network around Tyneside had been de-electrified by the time TOPS was introduced and the old stock withdrawn or transferred to the Southern Region. TOPS Classes

Class 501 (North London stock)
Class 502 (Liverpool-Southport stock)
Class 503 (Mersey-Wirral stock)
Class 504 (Manchester-Bury stock)
Class 505 (Manchester-Altrincham stock)
Class 506 (Manchester-Hadfield/Glossop stock)
Class 507 (Merseyside stock)
Class 508 (Merseyside stock)

Pre-TOPS Classes

Ex-LNER Units (Tyneside stock)
Ex-LNWR Units (North London stock)
Ex-LYR Units (Manchester-Bury stock)

Battery Electric Multiple Unit

This was a one-off unit, withdrawn before the introduction of TOPS.

79998/79999

Departmental Multiple Units

The 900 series classes were reserved for multiple units in departmental stock, most of which were converted from old passenger units. In broad terms, classes 930-935 were allocated to Southern Region multiple units (ex-200 and 400 series), 936 & 937 to other EMUs (ex-300 and 500 series) and 960 to other DMUs (ex-100 series). In recent years, this has been less rigidly adhered to.

Diesel Multiple Units

Class 901 (Test units, ex-Class 101)
Class 930 (Departmental SR DEMUs)
Class 950 (Purpose-built test unit, similar to Class 150)
Class 951 (Sandite/De-icer units, ex-Classes 201, 203, 205, and 207)
Class 960 (Departmental DMUs)

Multi-Purpose Vehicle (Purpose-built departmental vehicles)

Gas Turbine Multiple Unit

APT-E (Experimental Advanced Passenger Train unit)

Electric Multiple Units

The original use for the Southern Region (SR) classes are included in brackets; these designations have been less rigidly applied in recent years.

Class 910 (Test units, ex-Class 488)
Class 920 (3-Pep Prototype Unit)
Class 930 (SR Sandite and De-icing Units)
Class 931 (SR Route learning and Stores Units)
Class 932 (SR Research and Tractor Units)
Class 933 (SR Mobile Instruction Units)
Class 935 (4Pep Research Units)
Class 936 (Sandite units, ex-Classes 311 and 501)
Class 937 (Sandite units, ex-Classes 302 and 308)
Class 960 (Test units, ex-Classes 309 and 310)