British Rail Classes 251 and 261

British Rail Class 251 and 261 Blue Pullman
Blue Pullman at Swansea in 1967
In service	1960–1973
Manufacturer	Metropolitan-Cammell
Number built	5 sets
Number scrapped	5 sets
Formation	6 or 8 cars per set
Capacity	6-car sets: 132 8-car sets: 228
Operator(s)	6-car sets: London Midland Region and Western Region 8-car sets: Western Region
Specifications
Maximum speed	90 mph (145 km/h)
Weight	6-car sets: 299 long tons (335 short tons; 304 t) 8-car sets: 364 long tons (408 short tons; 370 t)
Prime mover(s)	NBL/MAN V12 Supercharged (×2)
Power output	1,000 hp (750 kW) (×2)
Transmission	traction motors: 199 hp (148 kW) (×8)
UIC classification	6-car sets: 2'Bo'+Bo'2'+2'2'+2'2'+2'Bo'+Bo'2' 8-car sets: 2'Bo'+Bo'2'+2'2'+2'2'+2'2'+2'2'+2'Bo'+Bo'2'

The Blue Pullmans were luxury trains used from 1960 to 1973 by British Railways, the first Pullman diesel-electric multiple units, incorporating several novel features.

Named after their Nanking blue livery, the trains were conceived under the 1955 Modernisation Plan to create luxury diesel express trains aimed at competing with the motor car and the emerging domestic air travel market. Although not entirely successful – they were seen as underpowered, unreliable, and ultimately not economically viable – they demonstrated the possibility of fixed-formation multiple-unit inter-city train services, and inspired the development of the Inter City 125, which resembles them in having an integral power car at each end of the train.

There were two versions, built by Metro Cammell in Birmingham: two first-class six-car sets for the London Midland Region (LMR), and three two-class eight-car sets for the Western Region (WR). They were initially operated by the luxury train operator the Pullman Car Company, which the British Transport Commission (BTC) had recently acquired. Shortly after their introduction, in 1962, Pullman was nationalised, and operation was incorporated into the British Railways network. Originally given the last Pullman vehicle numbers, towards the end of their operational life the trains gained the British Rail TOPS classification of Class 251 (motor cars) and Class 261 (kitchen and parlour cars), although they never carried these numbers.

The WR sets operated from London Paddington to Birmingham and Wolverhampton, and to Bristol, Cardiff, and Swansea. The LMR sets operated the Midland Pullman between London St Pancras and Manchester Central, a journey it accomplished in a record 3 hours 15 minutes with a maximum speed of 90 mph. The Midland Pullman was withdrawn in 1966 following electrification of the Euston-Manchester line, which brought greatly reduced journey times with which the Midland route could not compete. The LMR sets were then transferred to the WR, where some of the first-class seating was downgraded to form two-class sets.