BR Class 210
The British Rail Class 210 was a type of diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) built in 1982 by British Rail Engineering Limited's Derby Litchurch Lane Works. The class was intended to be a modern replacement for the ageing 'first generation' types in use on the Southern Region of British Railways (classes 201 to 207) but the prototypes built did not manage to secure production for the class and were withdrawn in the 1980s.
The class were externally very similar to the first batch of Class 317 EMUs, but half of the forward carriage was taken up by the engine room. Power was provided by an above-floor diesel engine driving a generator to power traction motors on the axles. A single engine was fitted at one end of the train, and the trains operated in a push-pull configuration. As part of the testing, each unit was fitted with a different diesel engine - the 3-car unit received a 1,125 bhp Paxman RP type engine, while the 4-car set had a 1,140 bhp MTU TC type.
A total of seven individual vehicles were built, which were formed into two trains, 210 001 (four-car set) and 210 002 (three-car set). Set 210 001 was an outer-suburban version, with first- and second-class seating, toilets and a luggage van. Set 210 002 was an inner-suburban version provided with high-density second-class seating only. The vehicles were initially given numbers in the DMU series (5xxxx) but quickly renumbered into the DEMU series (6xxxx).