Gala Dates 2025
Below is a summary of the main DMU Galas which are of primary interest to the movement.
-6th & 7th September - Midland Railway Butterley
-19th-21st September - Great Central Railway Nottingham
(Railcar Association Convention)
-4th & 5th October- Llangollen Railway
-8th & 9th November - East Lancashire Railway
Running Dates 2025
Below is a list of the known DMU running days in the UK as provided by railways and groups which operate DMUs. All information is published in good faith and should be taken as a guide only.
Running days are now listed alphabetically by railway:
Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway
Services in 2025 will be operated by Class 117 3-car set 51363/59510/51405
Saturdays running the yellow timetable,
featuring two (part) round trips Bo'ness - Birkhill - Bo'ness at 11:35 and 13:50:
June - 14th & 28th
July - 5th, 19th & 26th
August - 2nd & 23rd
September - 6th, 13th & 20th
Fridays running the lilac timetable doing three (full) round trips Bo'ness - Manuel - Bo'ness at 10:30, 12:30 & 14:30:
July - 4th, 11th, 18th & 25th
August - 1st, 15th, 22nd, & 29th
Dean Forest Railway
Services in 2025 are planned to be operated by Class 108 2-car set 51914/56492, except on dates marked * where these vehicles will be used and may be supplimented by one or more of 51566 and 59387:
May - 28th
June - 28th & 29th
July - 22nd, 23rd, 29th, 30th
August - 2nd*, 3rd*, 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 25th*, 27th
September - A fish and chip charter, date TBC
October - 29th
East Lancashire Railway
Services are currently operated by Class 104 50455/50517, Class 105 51485/56121, Class 122 55001 & Class 144 144009. A more regularly updated page than this one exists on another site which shows all diesel workings. Look out for DMU's in the listings: elrdiesel.info/locomotive-roster
Llangollen Railway
Services are currently operated by Class 104 50454/50528, Class 108 51933/56504, Class 109 50416/56171 & Class 127/108 51618/56223. The days where railcars are booked out are marked on the railways timetable page.
North Norfolk Railway
2025 services (except in June) will normally be provided by a 2-car set drawn from either Class 101 51192/79263 or Class 101/104 51188/56182. During the month of June most DMU services will be operated by W&M Railbus 79960 which is returning home for one month only! 51228/56352 are only being used on a very select number of days (see below).
Use the Opening Dates page on the NNR website to check DMU running days, services on the timetables are marked "Railcar". Ordinary days which feature DMU's are the Green and Maroon timetable days.
Wednesday 11th June is booked as a 4-car set with 51192/56182+51228/56352
DMU's are not used during many special events, but are booked to feature at Rails & Ales*, Vintage Week, The Golden Years** & Victorian Sundays. (*Rails and Ales will feature both Railbus and a unique 6-car DMU formation, the first one ever operated by the railway) (**Golden Years should see a 4-car formation, the only one booked for 2025)
The Festival on Rails and Fiftieth Finale events are still TBC whether railcars will feature or not. Timetables will be released on the railway's website closer the time.
June 11th, 13th, 14th & 15th will be the finale week for vehicles 51228 & 56352, both of which are being withdrawn for overhaul after these dates.
Your railway or DMU missing? Feel free to submit your running dates.