Best Sounding DMU

[ed1971]

Yes, the once familiar sound of many first generation DMUs with Leyland engines and the Wilson R14 gearbox.

 

[Ash Bridge]

How about Class 105s 'Australian Style'!? One is shown here 7 mins in the video complete with Voith hydraulic transmission. Plenty 'clagg':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n0c0ZCZqn4

Certainly some similarities to the 105's there with that raspy resonant exhaust note, obviously just the familiar mechanical gear change sound missing.

 

[ed1971]

They originally had Wilson gearboxes, but were replaced by Voith units in the early 1970s resulting in sluggish acceleration. They had AEC engines too, but later on some received Mercedes-Benz bus engines.

 

[Mikey C]

DMUs all sound gruff to me, that dull diesel grumble (with clattering on take off), it's the same with diesel cars

The London M class of bus (MCW Metrobus) sounded really musical though, it was the Voith gearbox that did it!

 

[ed1971]

Yes, buses with Voith Diwa gearboxes were very distinctive with their characteristic whistle and made more noise slowing down than accelerating. One of my favourites was the Dennis Dominator with Gardner engine. The Voith whistle is still there on more modern buses, but not as pronounced.

 

[GatwickDepress]

150s. I know I'm never going to fall asleep and miss my stop.

 

[ed1971]

Ha Ha, that is very true!

 

[physics34]

Definitely a DEMU class 205 etc etc. Turbostars can sound good if the cooling fans are roaring away too.
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DMUs all sound gruff to me, that dull diesel grumble (with clattering on take off), it's the same with diesel cars

The London M class of bus (MCW Metrobus) sounded really musical though, it was the Voith gearbox that did it!

Ha ha yeh the M's were very good. Very whiney almost as if there was a cat stuck in the engines. When London DMSs got re-engined in the late 80s they had very vocal iveco engines fitted.
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[RobShipway]

For me it is the Thumper units class 201 - 207, followed by the class 101.

 

[glbotu]

Class 253s and 254s...

Beat me to it.......

 

[theageofthetra]

Hastings Diesels for me.

 

[MK Tom]

That class 124 in the video on page 1 sounds a lot like a 104 to me. I like all first-gen DMU sounds, having grown up with 117s on the Marston Vale I have a particular love for that rattle and chudder.

The throbbing thump of Hastings units is probably the best sound in a DMU though, but it's sort of different because it's essentially a loco engine.

For modern DMUs, the gear-changing acceleration on 172s (and similar on the NIR 4000s) is pretty fun.

 

[hassaanhc]

Yes, buses with Voith Diwa gearboxes were very distinctive with their characteristic whistle and made more noise slowing down than accelerating. One of my favourites was the Dennis Dominator with Gardner engine. The Voith whistle is still there on more modern buses, but not as pronounced.

It is very random on buses from recent years. On the London United TLA class from 2003 the whistle is very quiet, but on the ALX400 Tridents Stagecoach have of the same age it is loud. On idle, acceleration, and braking.

But yes the MCW Metrobus was just a beast
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Apart from the 165/1, other favourites are the 172, the 185 (with the similar engined 180, 220, 221 and 222 coming behind), followed by the older Turbostar variants (168, 170, 171).
I seem to find the 150, 153, 155 and 156 engines quiet when compared to the 158 onwards . I've only made a single journey on a 150 and 153, but when at Norwich recently the 156 I stood next to for a bit was drowned out by the 158 a few platforms away.

 

[RobShipway]

It is very random on buses from recent years. On the London United TLA class from 2003 the whistle is very quiet, but on the ALX400 Tridents Stagecoach have of the same age it is loud. On idle, acceleration, and braking.

But yes the MCW Metrobus was just a beast
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Apart from the 165/1, other favourites are the 172, the 185 (with the similar engined 180, 220, 221 and 222 coming behind), followed by the older Turbostar variants (168, 170, 171).
I seem to find the 150, 153, 155 and 156 engines quiet when compared to the 158 onwards . I've only made a single journey on a 150 and 153, but when at Norwich recently the 156 I stood next to for a bit was drowned out by the 158 a few platforms away.

If we are going to talk buses, surely the roar from the engine within the Routemaster is the best?

 

[RichJF]

Thumpers at speed on the Marshlink

 

[Bungle965]

Dare I say it - Voyagers, particularly when accelerating.

You know i also have to agree on that one!
Sam

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Dare I say it - Voyagers, particularly when accelerating.

I'll agree too, if it's accelerating away from me!

 

[ed1971]

If we are going to talk buses, surely the roar from the engine within the Routemaster is the best?

What make of engine is your favourite in a Routemaster? When new the majority had AECs and a minority Leyland O.600s. Later on Cummins C series and Ivecos were fitted in the early 1990s then some Scanias later. I liked the throaty roar of the Leyland O.600 in Blackpool Transport's Routemasters.

Around the millennium, about 50 Routemasters were re-engineered with a Cummins B series engine close couple to an Allison gearbox. They sounded like a Dennis Dart and were accordingly dubbed 'Dartmasters'

The original Wilson GB32 gearbox sounded very similar to the R14 in first generation DMUs.

My favourite bus sounds besides the Routemaster are Leyland Titan PD2 / PD3s, Gardner powered Dailmler/ Leyland Fleetlines, Britol VRs and REs, and the MCW Metrobus and Dennis Dominator with the Gardner - Voith drive train.

I well remember the Iveco engined DMSs, they sounded like an air raid siren!

 

[satisnek]

Used to enjoy the Reading-based Pressed Steel suburban units farting as they departed! (Something to do with the engine revs hitting a resonance in the exhaust system??)

Thumpers at speed on the Marshlink

From my own experience they were thrashed harder on the Uckfield line

 

[Polarbear]

I always liked the 120's; that exhaust rasp was something you don't get these days! The 210 was pretty darned good as well, being effectively half a HST engine!

 

[LowLevel]

Perkins engined 158s sound pretty good pulling away, they have quite a nice roar (especially somewhere like the Lime Street tunnels).

Just a shame they're all useless, gutless sheds. I recently read a fault report about one being low in power - the response was simply 'this is how Perkins engines are'

 

[ac6000cw]

Of the modern stuff, the 185s are probably my favourite, followed by the 180s (distinctive noises and wonderfully sqeaky brakes) and the 158s.

But the sheer variety of noises, rattles, resonances etc. on any first generation DMU has the modern stuff beaten by a mile for atmosphere...

Meanwhile, for the diesel nuts around here, I suppose you could say this is the sound of a freight 'DMU' - https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/52149306/Below%20the%20Loop%20DMU.mp3 (there are eight locos MU'ed together using three different diesel engine designs - hard to tell if they are all actually under power, but certainly most of them are - 25,000hp+ of noise... )

 

[Harpers Tate]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_110 (Rolls Royce motors).

 

[ac6000cw]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_110 (Rolls Royce motors).

Ah yes - Bradford's (Hammerton Street) finest, grinding up the hill towards Halifax and round the steep and sharp curve towards Leeds from Mill Lane Junction (I lived in Bradford from 1976-1980).

 

[ed1971]

Perkins engined 158s sound pretty good pulling away, they have quite a nice roar (especially somewhere like the Lime Street tunnels).

Just a shame they're all useless, gutless sheds. I recently read a fault report about one being low in power - the response was simply 'this is how Perkins engines are'

The Perkins 'Phaser' 2006-TWH engine is based on the old Rolls Royce 'Eagle' engine. 'Eagles' were fitted to one of the prototype Class 150s.

Something doesn't sound quite right as SYT bought Dennis Dominators and some MCW Metrobuses with Rolls Royce 'Eagles' as they were very good at climbing hills around Sheffield.

Pacer 142084 was once fitted with Perkins engines as an experiment and they sounded much like the Rolls Royce 'Eagle' engine in SYT's Dennis Dominators. I can best describe it as a rather 'hoarse' sound compared to the more usual Gardner 6LXB.

 

[507021]

For me, it's the 155s, 156s and 158s.