British Rail Class 210

British Rail Class 210
Class 210 001 at Reading for a service to Didcot Parkway on 30 May 1982
In service	1981–1987
Manufacturer	BREL Derby Works
Family name	BR Second Generation (Mark 3)
Number built	2
Formation	4 cars (210 001) 3 cars (210 002)
Capacity	254 (210 001) 203 (210 002)
Operator(s)	British Rail
Specifications
Maximum speed	90 mph (140 km/h)
Prime mover(s)	1 x MTU 12V396 TC11 (210 002) 1 x Paxman 6RP200L (210 001)

The British Rail Class 210 was a type of diesel-electric multiple unit (DEMU) built in the early 1980s. 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Railways (classes 201 to 207) but the prototypes built did not manage to secure production for the class and they were withdrawn in the 1980s.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, 210001 (four-car set) and 210002 (three-car set). Set 210001 was an outer-suburban version, with first- and second-class seating, toilets and a luggage van. Set 210002 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).

Sets 210001 and 210002 operated in various parts of the country on trial (as did the prototype railbuses, both the single cars and the Class 140 set). From 1983 to 1985 they operated in the London area of the Western Region: 210001 was based at Reading DMU Depot and operated between Paddington, Reading and Oxford, while 210002 was based at Southall Depot and operated between Paddington and Slough.