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[[File: DMU_20141207.jpg|thumb|300px|right| The DMU operating as a four car unit.]]
==BR Class 108 General Information==
The BR Class 108 diesel multiple units (DMU) were built by BR at Derby between 1958 and 1961. They are mainly of aluminium construction, with steel cab ends. Typically they were operated in 2, 3, or 4 car sets. A total of 333 cars were built, comprising<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_108 BR Class 108 on Wikipedia]</ref>:
{| class="wikitable"
! Car type!! Description !! Number built !! Seating capacity as built !! SVR Examples
|-
| Driving Motor Brake Second (DMBS) || Powered driving car || 152 || 52 second class || M50933 (formerly M53933<ref name="prc"/>), M51941, M51935 (scrapped)
|}
Withdrawal of the class from service began in 1990. Unlike some other early models of DMU, the class 108 did not contain asbestos, making them suitable for preservation on heritage railways.
==DMU Group vehicles==
The DMU on the SVR's DMU is owned and operated by [[The DMU Group (West Midlands)]]. The DMU Group operates five cars which can be used as separate 3three-car and 2two-car units, although historically they have regularly been combined to form a 5five-car unit for purposes such as the summer Scenic Cruises. From time to time maintenance requirements have also resulted in operation as a 4four-car unit as pictured above.
The first 2 two powered driving cars, '''DMBS 51941''' and '''DMCL 52064''' were both withdrawn from BR service in November 1990.<ref name=OurUnits>[https://www.svr-dmu.org.uk/1_3_our-units.html DMU Group 'Our Units']</ref> They were acquired by the embryonic DMU Group and both arrived on the SVR by rail from Doncaster via Tyseley on 30 March 1991, initially on a two-year loan. Having been re-liveried into original green livery, the 2two-car set was formally commissioned on 13 October 1991. After a return trip from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth, the MD of Regional Railways presented the key to officers of the DMU Group.<ref>SVR News 102</ref>
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Unpowered centre car '''TBSL 59250''' was withdrawn from BR service in July 1991. It arrived on the SVR on the 7 June 1992 and , after being repainted into green livery, it entered service in that November of that year to form a 3three-car unit.<ref name=OurUnits/> The centre car includes the Group's main bar facility, called 'The Travelling Tavern', which was fitted in 2009. It was refitted in 2024.
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51941 visited Worcester open day in May 1993.<ref name="prc">[http://preserved.railcar.co.uk preserved.railcar.co.uk]</ref>
The Group then acquired a fifth car, unpowered '''DTCL 56208''', giving an additional 65 seats capacity. 56208 was withdrawn from BR service in March 1993 and was first preserved at the Caerphilly Railway Centre. Following the closure of the centre it was transferred to DMUthe SVR, arriving on 21 December1996December 1996. The vehicle was repainted into BR green and entered service in July 1997. 56208 was normally operated as trailer car for 51935 in a 2two-car set, although it can run with either of the group's (DMBS) power cars.<ref name=OurUnits/>
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In 2004, all five cars took part in the [[Railcar50]] event, participating in a 12-car special which was the longest DMU formation ever to operate in preservation.<ref name="prc"/>.
M51935 was extensively damaged by fire in April 2008 in what was believed to be an arson attack. The Group acquired '''DMBS 50933''' as a replacement. 50933 had been preserved by a private individual in 1993 at Peak Rail and purchased by the Dean Forest DMU Group in 2008 when the Peak Rail fleet was disbanded. However it was effectively surplus to their requirements and arrived on the SVR, initially on loan. After 51935 was confirmed as beyond economic repair, 50933 was sold to the DMU Group, becoming a permanent resident. Following an extensive mechanical overhaul, 50933 entered regular service in July 2009. 51935 subsequently left the SVR to be broken for spares elsewhere.<ref name=OurUnits/>
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By June 2019 all five vehicles were out of service due to considerable repairs needed on some of the bogies and brakegear, and the SVR mandating the units could not run. The DMUs had suffered from a lack of maintenance and paperwork had been an issue.<ref>SVR Company Limited AGM minutes 16 July 2022</ref> The repairs required the units to go to either the [[Carriage Repair Works|carriage repair works]] or [[Diesel Depot|diesel depot]] as the group lacked the resources and manpower to lift the vehicles.<ref>[https://dmuwmbsb.wordpress.com/2019/06/05/2019-maintenance-statement/ DMU Blue Square blog, 5 June 2019] (Retrieved 9 November 2020)</ref><ref>SVR News207</ref> In the event repairs fell initially to the carriage repair team on 52064, where it was held up by other work and [[2020 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic|COVID-19 restrictions]].
Eventually, a two -car unit of 50933 and 52064 became available for traffic in November 2020, working [[Christmas services| Santa Staff trains]].<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/895472313877202 SVR Diesels Official Facebook, 8 November 2020] (Retrieved 9 November 2020)</ref> However 50933 was not deemed suitable for any passenger services without further mechanical work and the fleet returned to store.<ref name="prc"/>
In 2022 the owning group commissioned a third-party engineer to produce a report detailing repairs and maintenance work required in order to return the DMU to traffic on the SVR. Chief among the work necessary was overhaul of the bogies. The group determined that an external contractor would carry out further bogie overhauls, with the intention of initially returning 52064 and 51941 to traffic as a twin power car set.<ref>[https://www.svrlive.com/bloct22 Branch Lines October 2022]</ref> As a result, 51941 was placed on accommodation bogies and its own sent for contract overhaul at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway workshops, while the car had repairs to the roof and remedial works to the rather tired paintwork at Kidderminster Carriage Shed.<ref>[https://www.svr-dmu.org.uk/ The DMU Group (West Midlands) website] (Retrieved 23 June 2023)</ref> The two-car set returned to traffic in December 2023.
In February 2024 centre car E59250 was also returned to traffic to make a three car DMU. This was stationed at [[Bridgnorth]], rather than its normal base at [[Bewdley]], to provide a daily service starting at the north end of the line during half term operations while work was in progress on the second phase of the [[Bridgnorth MPD|Bridgnorth yard relay]].
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The DMU Group's other two cars require further work before they can re-enter service and the Group has launched a fundraising campaign to help with this. Details can be found on the Groups Group's [https://www.svr-dmu.org.uk/1_10_restoration-fund.html Restoration Fund page] (external link).
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