British Rail Class 52

British Rail Class 52
A Class 52 at Old Oak Common TMD in 1976.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-hydraulic Builder Swindon Works (30) Crewe Works (44) Build date 1961–1964 Total produced 74
Specifications Configuration: ​  •  UIC C′C′  • Commonwealth C-C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Wheel diameter 3 ft 7 in (1.092 m) Minimum curve 4.5 chains (300 ft; 91 m) Wheelbase 54 ft 8 in (16.66 m) Length 68 ft 0 in (20.73 m) Width 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) Height 12 ft 11+3⁄4 in (3.96 m) Loco weight 108 long tons (110  t; 121 short tons) Fuel capacity 850 imp gal (3,900 L; 1,020 US gal) Prime mover 2 × Maybach MD655 (64.5 L or 3,940 cu in) Transmission Hydraulic MU working Not fitted Train heating Steam Train brakes Vacuum; later Dual (Air and Vacuum)
Performance figures Maximum speed 90 mph (140 km/h) Power output Engines: 1,350  bhp (1,007 kW) at 1,500 rpm × 2 At rail: 2,000 hp (1,491 kW) Tractive effort Maximum: 66,700  lbf (297  kN) Continuous: 45,200  lbf (201  kN)@ 14.5 mph (23.3 km/h) Brakeforce 50 long tons-force (498  kN)
Career Operators Western Region of British Railways Numbers D1000–D1073 Nicknames Westerns, Wizzos, Thousands. Axle load class Route availability 7 Withdrawn 1973–1977 Disposition 7 preserved, remainder scrapped

The British Rail Class 52 is a class of 74 Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964. All were given two-word names, the first word being "Western" and thus the type became known as Westerns. They were also known as Wizzos and Thousands. ^[1] The final Class 52 locomotives were withdrawn from service in 1977.

Contents

• Historical context
• The Western
• Competition and comfort
• Performance
• Fleet list
• Liveries
• Early liveries
• Corporate scheme
• Incidents
• Withdrawal
• Preservation
• Model railways
• See also
• References
• Sources
• Further reading

Historical context

When switching to diesel traction as part of the Modernisation Plan of the 1950s, British Railways (BR) designed, and commissioned designs for, a large number of locomotive types. At this time BR's regions had a high degree of autonomy, which extended as far as classes of locomotives ordered and even the design criteria for those locomotives. Whilst almost all other diesel locomotives were diesel-electric, the Western Region employed a policy of using diesel-hydraulic traction, originally commissioning three classes of main line locomotives: a type 2 and two type 4s (later designations Class 22, Class 41 and Class 42). With pressure to increase the speed of the transition from steam to diesel, volume orders for the Class 22 and Class 42 (along with a similar design Class 43) followed in 1957, a mere two years after the original orders and well before any idea of performance or reliability could be gained.

At the same time it was realised that all the existing orders (diesel-electric and diesel-hydraulic) were for types 1, 2 and 4; thus orders were placed for 101 Type 3 diesel-hydraulics (later Class 35). However the increasing demands for more powerful locomotives prompted a further order, in 1961, for 74 diesel-hydraulics of 2,700 hp (2,000 kW); so when the first locomotive was outshopped from Swindon Works in December 1961, less than a year after the order was placed, the Westerns were born. ^{[2] [3]}

The theoretical advantage of diesel-hydraulic was simple: it resulted in a lighter locomotive than equivalent diesel-electric transmission. This provided a better power/weight ratio and decreased track wear. Unfortunately, it had several key disadvantages:

• The technology was proven in continental Europe, particularly Germany, but was new to the UK. At the time, it was considered politically unacceptable for the UK government to order railway rolling stock from foreign companies, especially German companies so soon after the Second World War. This resulted in most of the engines and transmissions being manufactured in the United Kingdom under licence from the German manufacturers. ^[4]
• The most robust hydraulic transmissions were only capable of handling engines with power output of around 1,500 hp (1,120 kW); building a more powerful locomotive would involve two diesel engines and two transmissions.
• The transmission had significantly higher power losses than diesel-electric, negating some of the benefits and resulting in considerably higher fuel consumption.^{[ citation needed ]}

Experience showed that the Bristol-Siddeley-Maybach engines were superior to those made by North British Locomotive Company-MAN and although the use of twin engines in the same locomotive was new, the design did not produce any insurmountable problems. In the end the diesel-hydraulic experiment foundered on low fleet numbers, poor maintenance conditions and design issues; not on its German heritage or development of a novel configuration. BR's Swindon Works maintained all the diesel-hydraulic locomotives, and their early demise resulted in a much reduced workload and hastened its eventual closure in 1986.

The Western

With the Hymeks and Warships already in service but proving underpowered for top-link services, BR Western Region needed a high-powered locomotive for these trains – the Western therefore needed two diesel engines to achieve the required power output. In keeping with their policy, a new locomotive with a hydraulic transmission was envisaged. Experience had shown that the Maybach engines in the Hymeks were superior to the earlier Maybach and MAN engines used in the Warships, particularly in power output. Also Maybach were able to offer their 12 MD engines rated at 1,350 bhp (1,010 kW) allied to a Voith transmission; a Mekydro transmission designed to handle such power could not be fitted into the British loading gauge.

Prototypes sited the engines behind the driving cabs but drivers found this too noisy; moving the engines centrally meant making the locomotive heavier, removing some of the design's advantage. In operational use, the dual-engine arrangement turned out to have some advantages: in particular, the Westerns were able to continue operating with a single engine running in situations where more conventional single-engine designs would require rescue by another locomotive.

The most serious continual problem with the class was a mismatch between the Maybach MD655 engines and the Voith L630rV three speed hydraulic transmissions, a design fault. The top gear ratio in the transmission was too high for the torque characteristics of the engine: the result was that a single locomotive could struggle to reach its claimed 90 mph (140 km/h) top speed in the absence of down grades, more so when work-weary and due for overhaul. This factor, the South Devon Banks (a major part of their running grounds) and the deleterious effect on worn-out engines, all contributed against the Westerns continuing in top-line service. With fifty Class 50 locomotives becoming available following completion of the West Coast Main Line electrification, and new High Speed Trains, the speed and comfort increases the Western Region sought could be achieved and the Westerns dispensed with. Towards the end of their careers, the Westerns were all allocated to Laira (Plymouth).

Competition and comfort

Distribution of locomotives,
July 1967 ^[5]

82A 84A
Code	Name	Quantity
82A	Bristol Bath Road	15
84A	Laira	59
Total:		74

Whilst the design was largely successful, the working life of the class was relatively short. Its non-standard design added to its maintenance costs at a time when national British Rail policy was moving away from diesel-hydraulics. When the Westerns were introduced in 1962, the Western Region had 226 diesel-hydraulics and 10 diesel-electrics (excluding shunters); by 1966, the numbers were 345 and 269 respectively. As a result, the early 1970s saw the decision taken to retire all the diesel-hydraulic types. Class 46s and Class 47s took over passengers and heavy freight, Class 31s and Class 37s took over light passengers and freight, and Class 25s covered the lighter duties. Following completion of the electrification of the West Coast Main Line throughout from London to Glasgow, the Class 50s were reallocated to the Western Region; the introduction of High Speed Trains three years later was the final nail in the coffin for the Class 52 Westerns.

In 1968–69, the Westerns received train air brake equipment in addition to their vacuum exhausters, thus significantly extending their working lives, unlike the similar but lower-powered, Warship class. Four of the class (D1017–D1020) did not receive dual brakes, with these locomotives being among the first withdrawals. The vacuum brake equipment was retained and to fit the additional equipment, it was necessary to remove one of the fuel tanks. ^[6] However, as with the Warships, it proved impossible to equip them with electric train heating (ETH, or head-end power in US terminology). The Western Region faced particularly stiff competition for its prime inter-city services in the mid to late 1970s from the M4 motorway and it was generally felt within BR that significant speed and comfort improvements on the prime London Paddington-Bristol route were necessary. The lack of ETH meant the Westerns could not power the newly introduced air-conditioned BR Mark 2d/e/f coaches – a shortcoming that classes 47 and 50, equipped with ETH (the latter from new), did not share. ^[7]

Performance

The highest recorded speed with a Western that O. S. Nock was aware of was 102 mph (164 km/h) when D1068 hauled nine coaches (305 tons gross) down 1 in 1,320 (i.e. virtually level) at Southall. The train averaged exactly 100 mph (161 km/h) for 12.8 miles (20.6 km) between Slough and Ealing whilst hauling a service from Reading to Paddington. ^[8]

However, when it came to drawbar horsepower the Westerns in some respects were less capable than the equivalent diesel electric locomotives. Nock states "whilst the Westerns took their rightful place as fast and powerful locomotives it became evident that they were showing the same deficiency in actual power put forth at the drawbar as the [diesel-hydraulic] Warships had done. The highest output that came to my notice was a sustained 85 mph (137 km/h) hauling 560 tons descending 1 in 1,320, which equates to 1,500 edhp (equivalent drawbar horsepower)". ^[9] A similar result was obtained when Clough & Beckett ^[10] compared the performance of type 4 diesel locomotives (Classes 45/46/47/50/52) hauling trains up the ascent to Whiteball summit. They deliberately chose data to show each class in their best light and included a Western run which produced 1,775 edhp but they still concluded that "without doubt the Westerns get the wooden spoon; certainly not what one would expect from units of 2,700 bhp". The best performer was the Class 50, a 2,700  hp (2,000  kW ) diesel-electric locomotive: on one run this achieved 2,115 edhp.

Despite this apparent limitation, the BR Western Region load-limit book gave the same 550 ton loading figure for both the Class 52 and Class 47 diesels over the South Devon banks between Newton Abbot and Plymouth. The reason for this is that, while the diesel-electric classes could produce high maximum tractive effort for limited periods, diesel hydraulics could produce significantly higher continuous tractive effort. ^[4]

Fleet list

This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  "British Rail Class 52"  –  news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this message )

While the first Western was under construction, proposals for livery and names were prepared by the BR design panel. The D1000 series locomotives were to be named after famous West of England place names; the illustration from the portfolio shows D1000 bearing the name Cheddar Gorge. This was not followed in production, however, and the Westerns were named with general heraldic and regimental terms prefixed with the word "Western" as per the following table.

Of the 74 locomotives built, 7 have survived to preservation.

Image	Number [11]	Name [11]	Built	Liveries	Withdrawn [12]	Disposition	Notes
	D1000	Western Enterprise	BR Swindon 20.12.61	Desert Sand Maroon Rail Blue	02/1974	Scrapped 31.07.74 BREL Swindon
	D1001	Western Pathfinder	BR Swindon 12.02.62	Maroon Rail Blue	10/1976	Scrapped 08.77 BREL Swindon	Originally outshopped without yellow warning panels; the buffer beams being painted yellow instead [13]
	D1002	Western Explorer	BR Swindon 19.03.62	Brunswick Green [14] Maroon Rail Blue	10/1976	Scrapped 08.77 BREL Swindon
	D1003	Western Pioneer	BR Swindon 14.04.62	Brunswick Green [14] Maroon Rail Blue	01/1975	Scrapped 08.77 BREL Swindon
	D1004	Western Crusader	BR Swindon 12.05.62	Brunswick Green [14] Maroon Rail Blue	08/1973	Scrapped 19.09.74 BREL Swindon
	D1005	Western Venturer	BR Swindon 18.06.62	Brunswick Green [14] Maroon Rail Blue	11/1976	Scrapped 17.06.77 BREL Swindon
	D1006	Western Stalwart	BR Swindon 06.07.62	Maroon Rail Blue	04/1975	Scrapped 24.03.77 BREL Swindon
	D1007	Western Talisman	BR Swindon 01.08.62	Maroon Rail Blue	01/1974	Scrapped 24.02.75 BREL Swindon	Was extensively damaged in the Ealing rail disaster of 19 December 1973 and subsequently scrapped.
	D1008	Western Harrier	BR Swindon 04.09.62	Maroon Rail Blue	10/1974	Scrapped 10.10.75 BREL Swindon
	D1009	Western Invader	BR Swindon 24.09.62	Maroon Rail Blue	11/1976	Scrapped 11.78 BREL Swindon
	D1010	Western Campaigner	BR Swindon 15.10.62	Maroon Rail Blue	28/02/77	Preserved by the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group [15]	Standby loco for the Western Tribute Railtour. [16]
	D1011	Western Thunderer	BR Swindon 27.10.62	Maroon Rail Blue	10/1975	Scrapped 12.78 BREL Swindon
	D1012	Western Firebrand	BR Swindon 17.11.62	Maroon Rail Blue	11/1975	Scrapped 04.79 BREL Swindon
	D1013	Western Ranger	BR Swindon 13.12.62	Maroon Rail Blue	28/02/77	Preserved by the Western Locomotive Association	Hauled the Western Tribute Railtour on 26/02/77 (with D1023); the last Western-hauled train on BR. [16]
	D1014	Western Leviathan	BR Swindon 24.12.62	Maroon Rail Blue	08/1974	Scrapped 13.02.75 BREL Swindon
	D1015	Western Champion	BR Swindon 21.01.63	Golden Ochre [14] Maroon Rail Blue	04/01/77	Preserved by the Diesel Traction Group [17]	Hauled the return working of Churchill's funeral train in 1965. [18]
	D1016	Western Gladiator	BR Swindon 16.02.63	Maroon Rail Blue	12/1975	Scrapped 08.77 BREL Swindon
	D1017	Western Warrior	BR Swindon 15.03.63	Maroon Rail Blue	08/1973	Scrapped 12.03.75 BREL Swindon
	D1018	Western Buccaneer	BR Swindon 02.04.63	Maroon Rail Blue	06/1973	Scrapped 20.03.74 BREL Swindon
	D1019	Western Challenger	BR Swindon 02.05.63	Maroon Rail Blue	05/1973	Scrapped 03.10.74 BREL Swindon
	D1020	Western Hero	BR Swindon 21.05.63	Maroon Rail Blue	06/1973	Scrapped 17.04.74 BREL Swindon
	D1021	Western Cavalier	BR Swindon 17.06.63	Maroon Rail Blue	08/1976	Scrapped 02.79 BREL Swindon
	D1022	Western Sentinel	BR Swindon 16.07.63	Maroon Rail Blue	01/1977	Scrapped 12.78 BREL Swindon
	D1023	Western Fusilier	BR Swindon 23.09.63	Maroon Rail Blue	28/02/1977	Preserved as part of the national collection by the NRM	Hauled the Western Tribute Railtour on 26/02/77 (with D1013); the last Western-hauled train on BR. [16]
	D1024	Western Huntsman	BR Swindon 01.10.63	Maroon Rail Blue	11/1973	Scrapped 14.08.74 BREL Swindon
	D1025	Western Guardsman	BR Swindon 01.11.63	Maroon Rail Blue	10/1975	Scrapped 01.79 BREL Swindon
	D1026	Western Centurion	BR Swindon 24.12.63	Maroon Rail Blue	10/1975	Scrapped 06.08.76 BREL Swindon
	D1027	Western Lancer	BR Swindon 28.01.64	Maroon Rail Blue	11/1975	Scrapped 10.06.76 BREL Swindon
	D1028	Western Hussar	BR Swindon 25.02.64	Maroon Rail Blue	10/1976	Scrapped 06.79 BREL Swindon
	D1029	Western Legionaire[ sic ]	BR Swindon 20.04.64	Maroon Rail Blue	11/1974	Scrapped 29.05.75 BREL Swindon	Renamed Western Legionnaire in 1969, the nameplate being cut to allow the additional letter to be inserted. [19]
	D1030	Western Musketeer	BR Crewe 05.12.63	Maroon Chromatic Blue [13] Rail Blue	04/1976	Scrapped 22.09.76 BREL Swindon
	D1031	Western Rifleman	BR Crewe 20.12.63	Maroon Rail Blue	02/1975	Scrapped 06.10.76 BREL Swindon
	D1032	Western Marksman	BR Crewe 31.12.63	Maroon Rail Blue	05/1973	Scrapped 05.12.74 BREL Swindon
	D1033	Western Trooper	BR Crewe 17.01.64	Maroon Rail Blue	09/1976	Scrapped 04.79 BREL Swindon
	D1034	Western Dragoon	BR Crewe 15.04.64	Maroon Rail Blue	10/1975	Scrapped 20.05.77 BREL Swindon
	D1035	Western Yeoman	BR Crewe 17.07.62	Maroon Rail Blue	01/1975	Scrapped 30.09.76 BREL Swindon
	D1036	Western Emperor	BR Crewe 29.08.62	Brunswick Green [14] Rail Blue	11/1976	Scrapped 24.02.77 BREL Swindon
	D1037	Western Empress	BR Crewe 31.08.62	Brunswick Green [14] Maroon Rail Blue	05/1976	Scrapped 16.02.77 BREL Swindon
	D1038	Western Sovereign	BR Crewe 07.09.62	Brunswick Green [14] Maroon Rail Blue	10/1973	Scrapped 20.11.74 BREL Swindon
	D1039	Western King	BR Crewe 07.09.62	Maroon Rail Blue	07/1973	Scrapped 05.09.74 BREL Swindon	One of the few Westerns to have full yellow ends applied to Maroon livery [13]
	D1040	Western Queen	BR Crewe 20.09.62	Maroon Rail Blue	02/1976	Scrapped 11.08.76 BREL Swindon
	D1041	Western Prince	BR Crewe 10.10.62	Maroon Rail Blue	02/1977	Preserved by the Bury Diesel Group
	D1042	Western Princess	BR Crewe 19.10.62	Maroon Rail Blue	07/1973	Scrapped 18.05.74 BREL Swindon
	D1043	Western Duke	BR Crewe 26.10.62	Maroon Rail Blue	04/1976	Scrapped 10.02.77 BREL Swindon
	D1044	Western Duchess	BR Crewe 12.11.62	Maroon Rail Blue	02/1975	Scrapped 10.09.75 BREL Swindon
	D1045	Western Viscount	BR Crewe 16.11.62	Maroon Rail Blue	12/1974	Scrapped 21.08.75 BREL Swindon
	D1046	Western Marquis	BR Crewe 24.12.62	Maroon Rail Blue	12/1975	Scrapped 10.11.76 BREL Swindon
	D1047	Western Lord	BR Crewe 04.02.63	Maroon Rail Blue	02/1976	Scrapped 09.09.76 BREL Swindon
	D1048	Western Lady	BR Crewe 15.12.62	Maroon Rail Blue	02/1977	Preserved
	D1049	Western Monarch	BR Crewe 14.12.62	Maroon Rail Blue	04/1976	Scrapped 03.02.77 BREL Swindon
	D1050	Western Ruler	BR Crewe 01.01.63	Maroon Rail Blue	04/1975	Scrapped 08.04.76 BREL Swindon
	D1051	Western Ambassador	BR Crewe
	D1052	Western Viceroy	BR Crewe
	D1053	Western Patriarch	BR Crewe
	D1054	Western Governor	BR Crewe
	D1055	Western Advocate	BR Crewe
	D1056	Western Sultan	BR Crewe
	D1057	Western Chieftain	BR Crewe
	D1058	Western Nobleman	BR Crewe
	D1059	Western Empire	BR Crewe
	D1060	Western Dominion	BR Crewe
	D1061	Western Envoy	BR Crewe
	D1062	Western Courier	BR Crewe			Preserved
	D1063	Western Monitor	BR Crewe
	D1064	Western Regent	BR Crewe
	D1065	Western Consort	BR Crewe
	D1066	Western Prefect	BR Crewe
	D1067	Western Druid	BR Crewe
	D1068	Western Reliance	BR Crewe
	D1069	Western Vanguard	BR Crewe
	D1070	Western Gauntlet	BR Crewe
	D1071	Western Renown	BR Crewe
	D1072	Western Glory	BR Crewe
	D1073	Western Bulwark	BR Crewe

Although designated Class 52 under the TOPS scheme and all were still in service when TOPS was introduced in 1973, no Western ever carried its "52 0xx" TOPS number. As withdrawal was already planned when the scheme was introduced and because of the cast number plates, it was not considered cost effective to renumber the locomotives. Some class members did run with the "D" of their number painted over – TOPS classification removed the need for locomotives to indicate their energy type in the running number (D = Diesel, E = Electric).

When the display of destination headcodes on the front of trains was dropped in 1976, the instruction was given for them all to be set to "0000". On many Westerns, the headcode was set to display the locomotive's number in contravention of this directive and most surviving members of the class ran like this until they were scrapped. If used for routing, such reporting numbers would be interpreted as a passenger express terminating on the Southern Region. ^[20]

Liveries

Early liveries

When the initial batch of Westerns was being built in 1961–2, British Rail was considering a new unified corporate colour scheme but had not yet made a final decision on what it would be. As a result, some of the early locomotives were painted in experimental liveries: D1000 was rolled out of Swindon Works in November 1961 painted in a light brown livery which became known as Desert Sand. ^[14] Initially the numbers, borne on the left hand cab when viewed from the side, were painted in white but soon individual numbers and letters, looking like they were cast but apparently made of wood, were fitted. This was in turn replaced by the final design of cast nameplate and numberplate; metal with a black background. This livery was later altered by the addition of a small yellow warning panel at each end and a black roof.

The second locomotive, D1001 was delivered in an all-over maroon livery with yellow buffer beams and further locomotives D1002-D1004 in all-over green with small yellow warning panels. ^[14] Remaining deliveries carried the all-over maroon livery, initially without yellow warning panels, but the latter were applied from new after D1010 of the Swindon-built, and D1043 of the Crewe-built locomotives. Exceptions were the first four locomotives built at Crewe, D1035–D1038, which were delivered in green livery with red backgrounds to the nameplates, and D1015, which was outshopped from Swindon in an experimental "golden ochre" livery with small yellow warning panels at each end. ^[14] On one end of this locomotive, the yellow panel was embellished by the addition of a yellow band which extended sideways from each of the top corners round onto the cabside for a short distance, resembling a T shape. The locomotive is not believed to have run in this condition, but was released to traffic in the golden ochre livery with standard small yellow panels.

Corporate scheme

After the adoption of Rail Blue with full yellow ends in 1966 (D1048 was the first of the class painted in this livery in 1966), for some unexplained reason a small batch of locomotives (D1017, D1030, D1036, D1037, D1043, D1047 and D1057) received this variant married to small yellow warning panels; D1030 carried red buffer beams for a short while. All other repaints were with full yellow ends which extended from the body line above the buffer beam up to the base of the window frames, along the sill of the cab-side windows onto the vertical end reveal. The valance above the cab windows on the front was also painted yellow, leaving the window frames in their base aluminium. The drive to repaint the locomotives in Rail Blue was outstripped by the safety directive dictating full yellow ends for all powered vehicles and some locomotives ran for a time with their original maroon bodies and full yellow ends.

The last locomotive to be repainted into Rail Blue was D1046, outshopped from Swindon in May 1971. Some early photographs of the blue livery give it a more metallic shade which is even more evident on the locomotives with small yellow panels. This however is possibly a photographic anomaly with colour film or due to printing techniques.

It is commonly accepted amongst Western enthusiasts in recent years that none of the class or any other British Rail locomotive of the period were ever painted with a metallic paint. However, several publications refer to initial painting in blue as being "chromatic blue" and published images do show a metallic sheen and lighter shade of blue than the standard Rail Blue. ^[21]

Incidents

• 15 August 1963. Knowle and Dorridge rail crash. D1040 Western Queen ^[22] collided with a freight train, crushing the cab and killing the three traincrew. ^[23] The locomotive was repaired and returned to service.
• 11 January 1967. St Annes Bristol rail crash. No. 1071 Western Renown in charge of the diverted 12:00 Paddington to Swansea collided with the rear of the 11:45 Paddington to Bristol hauled by No. 1067 Western Druid. The collision resulted in very severe damage being caused to the leading cab of locomotive No. 1071, but the three men in the cab escaped injury by moving into the centre of the locomotive. Nineteen passengers required first aid or medical treatment but there were no fatalities or serious injuries. The locomotive was repaired and returned to service. ^{[24] [25] [26]}
• 19 December 1973. Ealing rail crash. No. 1007 Western Talisman derailed while hauling an express passenger train, after an unlocked battery box door fell open, broke off and changed points under the locomotive. Ten people were killed. ^[27] The locomotive did not return to service.
• 29 January 1975 (Oxford). No. 1023 Western Fusilier derailed with a London Paddington to Birmingham train whilst approaching the platform. This was due to a failed axle which had split due to the growth of a previously undetected crack. There were no reported injuries and the locomotive was later preserved. ^[28]
• 3 January 1976 (Worcester Tunnel). No. 1055 Western Advocate crashed into a stationary parcels train killing the driver and guard of the Western. ^[29] The locomotive did not return to service.

Withdrawal

Withdrawal of the class began in May 1973 with D1019 Western Challenger and D1032 Western Marksman becoming the first members of the class to be withdrawn. The final five engines in service were withdrawn in February 1977, these five engines would also survive into preservation with D1023 being donated to the National Collection. ^{[30] [31]}

Preservation

Seven locomotives have survived into preservation at heritage railways, four Swindon built & three Crewe built. Two have run on the mainline in preservation with D1015 being passed to operate on the mainline since 2002. ^{[32] [33]} D1062 made a brief appearance in 1980 during the Rocket 150 parade at Rainhill.

D1022 Western Sentinel was a candidate for preservation and was planned to be purchased by the DTG (Diesel Traction Group), but it was scrapped. D1015 Western Champion was purchased for preservation. ^[34]

Number	Image	Name	Builder	Livery	Home Base	Status	Notes
D1010		Western Campaigner	Swindon Works	BR Maroon with yellow bufferbeams	West Somerset Railway	Undergoing Repairs
D1013		Western Ranger	Swindon Works	BR Blue with full yellow	Severn Valley Railway	Undergoing Overhaul	Re-painted at Kidderminster August 2023
D1015		Western Champion	Swindon Works	BR Blue with half yellow	Severn Valley Railway	Operational.	Mainline Certified [35]
D1023		Western Fusilier	Swindon Works	BR Blue with full yellow	Didcot Railway Centre	Static Display	Five year loan from National Railway Museum commenced January 2023 [36]
D1041		Western Prince	Crewe Works	BR Blue with full yellow	East Lancashire Railway	Undergoing Overhaul	Having bodywork repairs undertaken plus a full rewire
D1048		Western Lady	Crewe Works	BR Blue with full yellow	Severn Valley Railway	Under Restoration	Gifted to the Western Locomotive Association October 2023 [37]
D1062		Western Courier	Crewe Works	BR Blue with full yellow	Severn Valley Railway	Operational	Re-painted at Kidderminster April 2017

Model railways

The first model of a Class 52 was produced by Trix to its unusual compromise scale of 3.8mm to 1ft with OO gauge/HO gauge (16.5mm) track. This model, however, was quite crude.

In 1979 Hornby Railways launched its first version of the BR Class 52 (type 4) Western in OO gauge. ^[38]

Lima also produced a model to OO gauge.

A British N gauge model was produced by Graham Farish.

Since then, OO gauge models have been produced by both Heljan, and most recently Dapol, ^[39] whilst an O gauge model has been produced by Heljan. Dapol have also produced a model in British N gauge. The Dapol models were produced from a 3D scan of D1015 Western Champion at Tyseley Locomotive Works in February 2011. ^[40]

See also

• Krauss-Maffei ML 2200 C'C', Renfe Class 340, contemporary twin engined, twin transmission C'C' diesel hydraulic locomotives
• Voith Maxima, modern (2000s) single engined, single transmission high power diesel hydraulic locomotive

Related Research Articles

D0280 Falcon was a single prototype diesel-electric locomotive, built for British Railways in 1961. It was one of a series of three prototypes: Falcon, DP2 and Lion, eventually leading to the Class 47 and Class 50. A requirement was expressed by the BTC at a meeting on 15 January 1960 for new Type 4 designs of Co-Co arrangement, which would be lighter than the earlier 1Co-Co1 locomotives such as the Peak classes, produced under the Pilot Scheme.

The British Rail Class 14 is a type of small diesel-hydraulic locomotive built in the mid-1960s. Twenty-six of these 0-6-0 locomotives were ordered in January 1963, to be built at British Railways' Swindon Works. The anticipated work for this class was trip working movements between local yards and short-distance freight trains. The good all-around visibility from the cab and dual controls also made them capable of being used for shunting duties. The order was expanded from 26 to 56 in mid-1963, before work had started on the first order. They were numbered D9500-D9555.

The British Rail Class 47 or Brush Type 4 is a class of diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Brush's Falcon Works in Loughborough and at British Railways' Crewe Works between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British mainline diesel locomotive.

The British Rail Class 31 diesel locomotives, also known as the Brush Type 2 and previously as Class 30, were built by Brush Traction from 1957 to 1962. They were numbered in two series, D5500-D5699 and D5800-D5862. Construction of the first locomotive was completed in the final week of September 1957, and the handing-over took place on 31 October. The first Class 31 entered service in November 1957, after the launch of the Class 20 locomotive and was one of the Pilot Scheme locomotives ordered by British Railways to replace steam traction.

The British Rail Class 26 diesel locomotives, also known as the BRCW Type 2, were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW) at Smethwick in 1958–59. Forty seven examples were built, and the last were withdrawn from service in 1994. Like their higher-powered sisters, the BRCW Classes 27 and 33, they had all-steel bodies and cab ends with fibreglass cab roofs. They were numbered D5300-D5346.

The British Rail Class 50 is a class of diesel locomotives designed to haul express passenger trains at 100 mph (160 km/h). Built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows between 1967 and 1968, the Class 50s were initially on a 10-year lease from English Electric Leasing, and were employed hauling express passenger trains on the then non-electrified section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Scotland. Initially numbered D400–D449 and known as English Electric Type 4s, the locomotives were purchased outright by British Rail (BR) at the end of the lease and became Class 50 in the TOPS renumbering of 1973.

The British Rail Class 28 diesel-electric locomotives, known variously as 'Metrovicks', 'Crossleys' or 'Co-Bos', were built under the Pilot Scheme for diesel locomotives as part of the British Railways 1955 Modernisation Plan.

The British Rail Class 41 diesel-hydraulic locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow during 1957 and 1958. Although they were withdrawn before TOPS was introduced, British Rail classified them as Class 41. All were named after Royal Navy vessels, hence the nameplates each bore a subtitle "Warship Class".

The British Rail Class 43 diesel-hydraulic locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company (NBL) from 1960 to 1962. They were numbered D833–D865.

The British Rail Class 20, otherwise known as an English Electric Type 1, is a class of diesel-electric locomotive. In total, 228 locomotives in the class were built by English Electric between 1957 and 1968, the large number being in part because of the failure of other early designs in the same power range to provide reliable locomotives.

The British Rail Class 17 was a class of 117 Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built 1962–1965 by Clayton Equipment Company and their sub-contractor Beyer, Peacock & Co., on behalf of British Railways (BR).

The British Rail Class 42 Warship diesel-hydraulic locomotives were introduced in 1958. It was apparent at that time that the largest centre of expertise on diesel-hydraulic locomotives was in West Germany. The Western Region of British Railways negotiated a licence with German manufacturers to scale down the German Federal Railway's "V200" design to suit the smaller loading gauge of the British network, and to allow British manufacturers to construct the new locomotives. The resultant design bears a close resemblance, both cosmetically and in the engineering employed, to the original V200 design. Warship locomotives were divided into two batches: those built at BR's Swindon works were numbered in the series D800-D832 and D866-D870, had a maximum tractive effort of 52,400 pounds-force (233,000 N) and eventually became British Rail Class 42. 33 others, D833–D865, were constructed by the North British Locomotive Company and became British Rail Class 43. They were allocated to Bristol Bath Road, Plymouth Laira, Newton Abbot and Old Oak Common.

The British Rail Class 35 is a class of mixed-traffic B-B diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission. Because of their Mekydro-design hydraulic transmission units, the locomotives became known as the Hymeks. They were numbered D7000-D7100.

The British Rail Class 21 was a type of Type 2 diesel-electric locomotive built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow for British Rail in 1958–1960. They were numbered D6100-D6157. Thirty-eight of the locomotives were withdrawn by August 1968; the rest were rebuilt with bigger engines to become Class 29, although those locos only lasted until 1971.

The British Rail Class 22 or "Baby Warship" was a class of diesel-hydraulic locomotives designed for the Western Region of British Railways and built by the North British Locomotive Company. They were very similar in appearance to the Class 21 diesel-electrics, although shorter in length by almost five feet. The nickname Baby Warship related to the similarity in appearance to the British Rail Class D20/2 or Class 41 Warship Class. The Class 22s were numbered D6300-D6357.

The British Rail Class 23 were a class of ten Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built by the English Electric Company (EE) in 1959. The power unit used was a Napier Deltic T9-29 9-cylinder engine of 1,100 bhp (820 kW) driving an EE generator, which powered the four traction motors. They were numbered from D5900 to D5909.

British Railways Class D16/2 was a class of prototype diesel locomotives built by British Railways at Ashford Works and introduced in 1950–1951, with a third example being introduced in 1954. They had been designed by Oliver Bulleid for the Southern Railway and were authorised in February 1947 but did not appear until after nationalisation. The diesel engine and transmission were supplied by English Electric, but the Bulleid influence was obvious. The box-like body style closely resembled Bulleid's electric locomotives and was quite different from the usual English Electric style, typified by British Rail Class D16/1 which in turn was strongly influenced by contemporary American design.

Laira Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Plymouth, Devon, England. The depot is operated by Great Western Railway (GWR) and is where their fleet of Class 802 InterCity Express Trains and remaining Castle Class trains are overhauled. Other trains visit for daily servicing including some operated by CrossCountry.

The British Rail Class 124 diesel multiple units were built by BR Swindon Works in 1960.

The history of British Rail's corporate liveries is quite complex. Although the organisation was associated with Rail Blue from the mid-1960s to the 1980s, a number of other schemes were also used, especially when it was split into operating units in the mid-1980s.

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 52 .

• Birt, David (1988). The Class 52s: A Tribute to the Westerns. OPC. ISBN   9780860934240. OCLC   315783582.
• Chapman, Chris (2002). Western Glory. Waterfront. ISBN   9780946184996. OCLC   786126155.
• Clarke, David; Jennison, John (2007). Diesels in Depth: Westerns. Ian Allan. ISBN   9780711032507. OCLC   159634206.
• Clough, David N. (2011). Hydraulic vs Electric: The battle for the BR diesel fleet. Ian Allan. ISBN   978-0-7110-3550-8.
• Cross, David (2012). Fifty Years of the Westerns. Ian Allan. ISBN   9780711036581. OCLC   794814820.
• Curtis, Adrian (2001). Western Liveries. A & C Services. ISBN   9780954021313. OCLC   49299854.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2011–2012). Westerns Vols 1/2/3. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2002). Western Dawn. A&C Services.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2000). Cast of Thousands. A&C Services.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2012). Final Salute '77. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2012). Spirit of '76. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2012). Indian Summer '75. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2012). Tracks of my Years. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2012). Teenage Lament '74. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2010–2012). Western Power. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (1996–2012). Classic Diesels & Electrics. Western Legacy Publications.
• Curtis, Adrian N. (2010–2012). Diesel Hydraulics Illustrated. Western Legacy Publications.
• Dowle, Stephen (2015). Class 52 Westerns: The Twilight Years. Amberley Publishing. ISBN   9781445648989. OCLC   919481086.
• Ford, H.L.; Preedy, Norman E. (1976). The Westerns: British Rail Class 52 Diesel Hydraulics. Bradford Barton. ISBN   9780851532738. OCLC   2797567.
• Huntriss, Derek (2003). The Heyday of the Westerns. Ian Allan. ISBN   9780711029811. OCLC   52530865.
• Marsden, Colin J.; Fenn, Graham B. (1988). British Rail Main Line Diesel Locomotives. Sparkford: Haynes. pp. 220–223. ISBN   9780860933182. OCLC   17916362.
• Nicholas, D.; Montgomery, S. (2005). Profile of the Westerns. Ian Allan. ISBN   9780860931164. OCLC   10723140.
• Preedy, Norman (2015). British Railway Diesel Memories: The Western Class 52s. Book Law Publications. ISBN   9781909625457.
• Preedy, Norman E. (1977). Book of the Westerns. Peter Watts. ISBN   9780906025031. OCLC   650233739.
• "Where 'Westerns' went". Rail Enthusiast . EMAP National Publications. February–March 1982. p. 54. ISSN   0262-561X. OCLC   49957965.
• Kelly, Peter (January 1983). "Maybach music!". Rail Enthusiast . EMAP National Publications. pp. 14–17. ISSN   0262-561X. OCLC   49957965.
• "Western Lady". Rail Enthusiast . EMAP National Publications. November 1983. p. 21. ISSN   0262-561X. OCLC   49957965.
• Dunn, Pip; Leigh, Chris; Forsythe, Robert (May 2005). "Western Champions". Model Rail . No. 79. Peterborough: EMAP Active. pp. 18–23. ISSN   1369-5118. OCLC   173324502.
• Green-Hughes, Evan (March 2013). "The 'Western' diesel hydraulics". Hornby Magazine. No. 69. Hersham: Ian Allan Publishing. pp. 108–111. ISSN   1753-2469. OCLC   226087101.