This is the original Derby 'Lightweight' of which 97 were built by BR workshops at Derby between 1954 and 1956. They were pioneering units which sped up the retirement of steam locomotives by taking over branch line, cross country and suburban routes. They had the comfort of a city bus and were not to be ridden in for long journeys. As newer units came on stream, they were withdrawn, the last unit disappearing in 1969 and too early to be designated a class number under TOPS.

They saw extensive use across the country, including the West Riding of Yorkshire, Cumbria, East London, West Midlands, South Midlands, East Anglia and Lincolnshire. Some units passed into departmental service and a 2-car unit has been preserved at the Midland Railway Centre at Butterley.

The excellent Bachmann model was released in 2011 and DMBS and DTC cars have been modelled and have 8-pin DCC decoder sockets fitted. The recently released sample seen here (32-151A) is in BR green with speed whiskers. The cars are numbered M79145 and M79665.