British Rail Class 126

The British Rail Class 126 diesel multiple unit was built by BR Swindon Works in 1959/60 to work services from Glasgow to Ayrshire and comprised 22 3-car sets and were a development of the earlier Swindon-built trainsets that had been introduced in 1955 to work the Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Queen St services. These vehicles formed the first Inter City service to be operated by diesel units in Great Britain. The introduction of these early diesel multiple units originated in a British Transport Commission report of 1952 that suggested the trial use of diesel railcars. BR's Swindon Works were chosen to design and build express units for the ex-North British Railway Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street route. Description The cars were of integral steel construction using the bodywork as a stressed member, as opposed to the contemporary Mk1 coach design which relied on the strength of a trussed underframe. The design featured Pullman gangways and buckeye couplings. Each of the two power cars was fitted with two AEC 150 hp underfloor engines with mechanical transmission giving a maximum speed of 70 mph. Initially termed "Inter-urban", this was soon changed to "Inter-City" long before that branding was used for mainline express services. The type was intended for longer distance services and a number of buffet vehicles were included in the orders. One of the buffet vehicles survives in preservation.