Class Locomotives

Mainly covering the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, this collection of images offers a fascinating survey of one of the iconic locomotives of twentieth-century Britain: the Class 40. A common sight in Scotland and the north of England in the latter part of the century, the Class 40 continues to capture the imagination of railway enthusiasts everywhere. Used to haul both heavy freight and passenger trains, this book captures a locomotive at the peak of its powers, with previously unpublished images showing Class 40s both at work and rest.The vast majority of the photographs in this book were taken by the late Keith Holt. He was brought up in West Yorkshire and, like many youngsters at that time, developed an interest in railways as he cycled around the West Riding to visit places of interest. He always took photographs, including many of the iconic Class 40 locomotives. This book serves as a fitting tribute to his longstanding interest in the railways, and reflects the varied work carried out by the Class 40.

In 1987 British Rail decided it needed a new class of AC electric locomotive for use on the West Coast Main Line. The idea was that this class would help eliminate the Class 85 locomotives and would be used on both freight and passenger workings. Fifty members of the class were built at Crewe Works, alongside the Class 91 locomotives that were built for the East Coast Main Line. The Class 90s were designed to be able to work with a Mk 3 DVT, which also eliminated the need to run round at terminal stations. The first twenty-five members were delivered in InterCity Swallow livery, the following eleven in InterCity Mainline livery, allowing them to be used on passenger and freight workings, with the final fourteen members delivered in Railfreight Speedlink livery being predominantly freight locomotives. Most of the class are still in use today, with fifteen still used on passenger workings out of Norwich and the remainder in use with DB Cargo or Freightliner. This book tells the story of the Class 90s.

The Class 47 was built between 1962 and 67 as the Brush Type 4 by both Brush Traction and British Railways Crewe works, eventually numbering 512 examples. The Class soon was to be seen working all types of trains across the network; although it was not without its problems, the most major resulting in the derating of the engine to 2580 bhp. Today, a small number of 47s remain in mainline service although generally on relatively light duties compared to that which they once worked, and further examples have entered preservation. By the 1990s and the privatisation of British Rail, considerable numbers were being withdrawn as life expired and many of those remaining were becoming increasingly unreliable. In 1997 the newly formed operator Freightliner decided to begin to address the problem by rebuilding twelve locos with secondhand General Motors engines (the Sulzer power unit being one of the biggest weaknesses) and alternators. The body and running gear remained the same and the locomotives were classified as 57. These were very successful, and remain in service today with DRS and West Coast Railways. Ross Taylor explores the history of these two fascinating classes through his compilations of excellent photography and annotation.

English Electric Class 20 locomotives once operated over virtually the entire rail network of Scotland. They were introduced to the Highlands in the late 1950s and are probably best remembered for working local freight traffic or working in pairs pulling coal trains in the Central belt. This book covers Class 20s from the BR era up to recent freight operations, and many locations across the country are featured. With a wealth of previously unpublished images, this book will delight Scottish rail enthusiasts both young and old.

Since their introduction in the 1950s, the Class 08, the most common type of British Rail shunter, has been found in almost every area of the UK. These machines carried out the shuntings and movements around stations and yards, with most depots carrying an allocation. A number have survived into preservation, but at one time more than 200 could be found in Scotland. This book covers 08s from the BR era through privatisation and beyond, and features a range of different locations around Scotland. With a wealth of previously unpublished images, this book will delight Scottish rail enthusiasts both young and old.

The Class 56 heavy freight locos were first introduced in the late 1970s. The first batch was built in Romania, followed by a second batch built in the UK. Featured here are photos from 1980 to 2017 that include most locos of the class and cover all parts of England and Wales where they worked. Coal, steel, petroleum, stone, engineers and mixed freight workings are covered, as well as some passenger trains. Liveries included are BR blue, large logo blue, early Railfreight greys, Railfreight Sectors (coal, steel and stone), Transrail, Loadhaul, EWS, DCR and Colas, plus some odd one-off liveries. This book shows the progression of the class through the years as they have moved between different areas.

When British Rail decided to electrify the West Coast Main Line north of Crewe towards Scotland, a new class of electric locomotive was needed to work these services. Thirty-six members of Class 87 were built at Crewe Works from 1973 onwards and were an instant success. The first thirty-five members were standard locomotives; however, the final member was fitted with an experimental thyristor control system and was reclassified as Class 87/1. All thirty-six members of the class received names and were a regular sight on the West Coast for decades. All were initially used on passenger work, but they could also be found on freight workings, being fitted with multiple working equipment from new. The whole class stayed on West Coast workings throughout the BR era and into privatisation, with all members, except for No. 87101, passing to Virgin Trains. The sole Class 87/1 passed to the Railfreight sector of BR and would eventually find its way into EWS ownership; it was scrapped in 2002. When their work on the West Coast was at an end, twenty-one members of the class found further use in Bulgaria and three would be preserved, with the remainder being scrapped.

Thirty Class 67 locomotives were ordered by EWS for use on parcels traffic to help replace the Class 47s that they had inherited. They were built in Spain, by Alstom at their Valencia factory, with the first locomotive appearing in the UK in 1999. These locos performed faultlessly on the parcels work until the contract was lost. This allowed the class to spread further, and they have found a good use on hire to passenger operators, and also on charter traffic. All are still in use, most with DB Cargo and two having been sold to Colas. Also built in Spain, the Class 68 locomotives were ordered by Direct Rail Services in 2012, with the first loco arriving in 2014. Thirty-four have so far been ordered so far, and are used on a variety of freight and also passenger workings, finding regular use with ScotRail and Chiltern. They will also soon be used by TransPennine Express. This book shows the diversity of these two mainline classes.

The Class 08/09 was to become the main diesel shunter of the British Railways era. Just over a thousand of the two classes were built from 1952 onwards at five different British Rail workshops over a ten-year period. Just about every corner of the UK would be home to one or more of these shunting locomotives. They were ideal for yard and depot shunting, and also acted as station pilots at nearly every major station. The main difference between the two classes was that the Class 09 had a different maximum speed, and most were also fitted with extra air pipes to work with Southern Region EMUs. With the constriction of UK freight workings, a lot of yards were taken out of use, and the trip workings that these locomotives performed soon ceased. With the advent of multiple unit trains, the need for them as station pilots also ceased. A large majority of the two classes have been withdrawn and scrapped, but a fair number still survive, doing what they were built for over fifty years ago. A large number have also entered preservation, and the classes have carried a multitude of different liveries over the years.

Class 50s are probably among the best-loved diesel locomotives that have run on British Rail. Fifty of these powerful, English Electric-powered locomotives were built by EE at their Vulcan foundry from 1967 onwards. They were ordered to work express passenger workings on the northern end of the West Coast Main Line before the advent of electrification.They performed these duties until the first members of the class were transferred away to the Western Region in 1974. Here they eliminated the Class 52s from both passenger and also freight workings. All fifty locomotives eventually also found their way to the Western Region, and then from 1979 all members of the class visited Doncaster Works for a full refurbishment, which included repainting into large logo livery.The first member of the class was withdrawn in 1987; by this time the class were split between Network South East and the Civil Engineers department. A large number of the class received Network South East livery before the final members of the class were withdrawn in 1994. Quite a sizeable number found their way into preservation, but unfortunately some were scrapped despite having already been saved for preservation.The Class 50's fascinating history is explored in this volume through Andrew Cole's wonderful collection of images, which includes a shot of every single member of this popular class.

The Class 58s were introduced in 1983, and were a significant departure from normal build standards. The fifty members were built by BREL at Doncaster Works, and were built to a modular design: BR had one eye on the export market with this class of loco. They were fitted with a Ruston Paxman 12RK3ACT prime mover, which proved very suitable for their main use on merry-go-round coal traffic. The only problem the class encountered was with wheelslip. No. 58050 was to become the last locomotive to be built at Doncaster, as no export orders were received for the class. All fifty of the class passed to mainline, and a few members received the blue livery before passing to EWS. This was a class of loco that was withdrawn from service in the UK far too early, as the Canadian-built Class 66s replaced them. Only one member has been physically preserved, but in this book Andrew Cole pays tribute to the whole class with an array of period photographs and technically detailed captions.

This class of AC electric locomotive comprised 100 members, built from 1965 onwards. The first forty locos were built by British Rail at their Doncaster Works, and the other sixty were built by English Electric at their Vulcan Works. They were built for West Coast services, which had been electrified from London, and would eventually run all the way to Glasgow. They were delivered in Electric Blue livery, complete with cast lion and wheel. They were originally known as the AL6 Class but, under TOPS, became the Class 86s. They were originally numbered in the Class 86/0 series and the Class 86/2 number series, with the 86/2s used on passenger workings due to them being fitted with improved suspension, allowing them to run at 100 mph. Three of the Class 86/2s were used as test beds for the Class 87 development, being fitted with different bogies and becoming the Class 86/1 series. The class has also found passenger workings on the Great Eastern route from London to Norwich, eventually being replaced by Class 90s. They have also been useful engines on freight workings, with quite a few still in use with Freightliner. Compiled with attention to detail and enthusiasm, Class 86 Locomotives tells the story of these locos in a comprehensive collection of photographs and annotation.

Well-proportioned, versatile, aesthetic, durable – the English Electric Class 37, the great survivor of the modernisation-plan diesel fleet, deserves all of these accolades and more. Never as celebrated as the Deltics, never as idolised as the Westerns, always intended to be a workhorse; this is the locomotive that has, in many ways, surpassed its more illustrious peers as an example of all that is best in motive power design and engineering.This pictorial collection contains nearly 200 photographs of one of the best loved of diesel types, compiled by Andrew Walker with contributions from other photographers who, like him, have always been drawn to these great British locomotives. The Class 37s always roamed far and wide over the national network, and this book covers locations ranging from the Scottish Highlands to South Wales, showing the 37s on freight and passenger duties, at depots and in works.Showcasing images from the 1970s through to the present day, the book provides detailed captions with in-depth technical specifications and information on the individual locos, their history and operation in traffic, and features many of the class variants and their liveries over the decades.

This is a pictorial tribute to the Class 20 locomotive. 228 of these single-cab locos were built from 1957 onwards by English Electric and Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns. They were part of the BR modernisation plan to replace steam. There are two different front-end designs, the first carry headcode discs on the cab-front and nose end, while the rest carry headcode boxes on both ends. They were mostly used on the Midland, Eastern and Scottish region, but did venture further afield. Withdrawals started in the early 1980s, with most being taken out of traffic by the mid-1990s. Fifteen were sold on to DRS, who rebuilt them as Class 20/3, and most of these locos are still in service. Hunslet Barclay also operated six for use on weed-killing trains, but these were also later sold to DRS. Quite a number were preserved, and there are also a number in industrial service. Some are still main-line registered, the main contract being the delivery of London Underground stock. The Class 20s were a success story from the beginning, and despite only being single-cabbed, they were regularly to be found running in pairs, making them far more efficient.

This is a pictorial tribute to the British Rail workhorse, the Class 31. Over 260 of these locos were built by Brush at Loughborough from 1958 onwards, and they would work on most regions for the next forty years, with a few examples still working today. Working both passenger and freight trains, they were a success, although their original Mirrlees engines would be replaced with English Electric power units in the late 1960s. They have worn many different liveries, with most being portrayed in this book. Unfortunately most have now gone for scrap, however quite a number have been preserved and can still be seen running on their preserved lines up and down the country. This book acts as a personal recollection of a favourite class of loco. For those fortunate enough to have experienced the Class 31 locos in their prime, this book will offer a pleasing trip down memory lane. For those new to the class, it will highlight what you may have missed.

The Class 43 locos were first constructed from 1975 onwards at Crewe Works. At the time, the design was revolutionary, and it would go on to become the most iconic of British Rail locomotives. Their sleek design would become world famous and, when introduced, they were known as the High Speed Train, or HST, due to their top speed of 125 mph. 197 power cars were built, with the last into traffic in 1982. When built they were all fitted with the distinctive Paxman Valenta engine, but they have all been replaced with either Paxman VP185, or MTU engines. They have operated over all the former British Rail regions, although they were scarce on the Southern. The main operators currently are Great Western, East Midlands Trains, Virgin Trains East Coast, Grand Central and Cross Country Trains. The Great Western and East Coast trains already have their replacements on order, and it remains to be seen how long they will remain in service. Just three power cars have been scrapped, and only then following high-profile accidents; a testament to how well the design would stand the test of time. Class 43 Locomotives pays tribute to this iconic class in a comprehensive series of photographs alongside detailed captions and annotation.