Non-StandardDieselShuntersonBR

NON-STANDARDDIESELSHUNTERSOFBRITISHRAILWAYS

PARTII[TheScottishBuilders]

RodgerBradley

Thefirstofthethirdbatchof204hp0-6-0sfromAndrewBarclaycarryingitsoriginalnumber.Atthetimethisphoto.wastaken,AndrewBarclaywasstillperhapslivingintheshadowoftheNorthBritishLocomotiveCo.,butlatertookoverthegoodwillandassetsoftheformerworldleader.©AndrewBarclay/RodgerP.BradleyCollection

Non-StandardDieselShuntersonBR 2

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Thiscompanyisdoubtlessrememberedmostforitssteamlocomotivesanditsunsuccessful,perhapsfatefulentryintothefieldofdieseltraction,withlocomotivesemployinghydraulictransmissions.Themostobviousoftheselatterbeingthefivemainline‘Warship’classA1A-A1AlocomotivesofNBL’sowndesign,togetherwithmajorcontributionstotheWesternRegion’sown‘Warship’and‘Western’seriesofdiesel-hydraulics.However,NBLwererelativelyquickoffthemarkwithdiesel-hydraulicshunterstoo,deliveringa200hpdesigntoBRin1953.Thecompanyhadalreadygainedafewyearsexperiencebuildingnon-steamlocomotivesforminesandindustrialrailways,soitsentryintotheBRmarketwasnotthatsurprising.

ThefirstlocomotiveswereactuallybuiltforNBLstockfrom16thApril1952,laterbeingsoldtoBR.Theyhousedasix-cylinder200hpPaxmanengine,coupledtoaVoith-NBLtypeL33YUtorqueconverterand,likenumerousothers,thefinaldrivetothewheelswasbymeansofajackshaftandflycranks.Thefirstthreetooktotherailsin1953and1954,carryingnumbers11700-11702,withafurtherfivesoldfromstockin1955/56.ThesewerealllaterrenumberedasD2700-7.Theenginecasingwasarelativelytallstructure,withtheusualfullwidthcab,butcuriously,norecessedshunter’sstepsattheleadingend,unlikethelater,morecommondesigns.

On10thDecember1955BritishRailwaysordered12more0-4-0shuntersfromNorthBritish,astheirordernumberL81,tobepoweredbya225hpNBL-MANtypeW6V17.5/22Aengine,withhydraulictransmissionasintheearlierlocomotives.ThesetwelveweredeliveredbetweenAugustandNovember1957.Inoutwardappearancetheenginecasingwasmuchlower,withamoreslabsidedcab,buthavingwindowsonallfoursides.Theradiatorattheleadingendwasalteredtoo-theoriginallookingratherlikethesnoutofaMercedesBenzcar,withawiremeshgrille,wasreplacedwithasetofverticalshutters.Thecoupledwheelswerethesame3ft6insdiameter,butwithsmallerbalanceweightsandthetotalweightcomingdowntojust30tons.Maximumtractiveeffortforthefirsttwelvewas24,100lbs.

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OrderL93,placedon8/4/1957andorderL102,placedon19/12/1958wereforafurther25and360-4-0s,respectively,tothissamedesignandnumberedD2720-44andD2745-80.TheywerefittedwiththesameNBL-MANpowerunitandVoithtransmission,butthewheelsizewasincreasedto3ft9ins,withthetotalweightgoingupto36tons.Maximumtractiveefforthoweverwaslowerthanthefirstbatch,at20,080lbs.

Bypressurechargingtheoutputofthisdieselenginewasincreasedfrom225bhpto330bhp,couplingthiswiththeVoith-NBLtypeL24Vtransmission,thispowertrainwasinstalledin14more0-4-0shuntersfromtheGlasgowworks.Therewereinfacttwoseparateordersforthese,withthefirst,L88placedon11/12/1956,comprising11locomotives,D2900-10,whilstthesecondorder,L101,forthreeidenticalmachineswasplacedon13/11/1958.Thechassislayoutandexternaldetailswerethesameasthe225hp0-4-0s,thoughnaturally,themaximumtractiveeffortwasincreasedto24,100lbs.

TheoriginalthreelocomotiveswereallocatedtoGooleandtwowerestillatworktherein1964.TheremainderoftheD2700-7batchweresettoworkontheScottishRegion.Similarlythenexttwoorders,coveringenginesnumberedD2708-2780wereallallocatedtoScottishregiondepots,mainlyGlasgowEastfield,StRollox,EdinburghStMargaretsandHaymarket.Inthemid1960soneortwoweresentsouthoftheborder,tobefoundatCrewe.ThemorepowerfulD2900-13serieswereatfirstgiventoLMRdepots,includingMarylebone,TyseleyandEdgeHill,butby1964thefirstsevenhadbeentransferredtoStratford,withtheremaindersplitbetweenRugby,NorthamptonandCreweSouth.

An0-4-0fromtheNorthBritishstable,D2903,alsopairedwiththeNBL-MANengineandhydraulictransmission.ThisshunterwasmuchsmallerthantheBR/EnglishElectricClass080-6-0,butwithanenginedeveloping335bhpwasalmostaspowerful.Heretoo,thelocomotiveisimpeccablyturnedoutinstandardgreen,lined,withthefinalheraldiccrest-but,thelionisfacingthewrongway!©LensofSutton

NorthBritishLocomotiveCo.

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NorthBritishLoco.wasoncethelargestlocomotivebuilderinEurope,butaftertheSecondWorldWaritsfortuneswaneddramatically.Transitionfromsteamtodieseltractionwasultimatelyunsuccessful,butnotbeforetheGlasgowbasedcompanyhadsuppliedavarietyofdieselshunters,mostly0-4-0s.Here,D2726,fromthesecondbatchof0-4-0s,sportingtheNBL-MAN225bhpengineisinalmostpristinecondition.Averymodernlookinglocomotive,butagain,perhapsunluckily,pairedwithahydraulictransmission,itwasnotagreatsuccessinBRservice.(c)LensofSutton

OnlytwooftheNorthBritishbuiltlocomotiveswererescuedforpreservation–unsurprisingly,astheywerenotonthewholeasuccess.Thecompany’schangeofdirectionintodieselandelectrictractionwasequallyunsuccessful;themostcommonlypreservedexamplesofNorthBritishbuiltlocomotivesaresteamtypes.AndrewBarclaySons&CopurchasedthegoodwillandacquiredmuchofthetechnicalexpertisewhenNBLwentintoliquidation,providingsparesandevencompletingsomeofthelastordersforthefamousGlasgowcompany.

InfactsomeofthefirstNorthBritishdesignbarelylastedmonths,when11700,whichlaterbecameD2700wasontrialatDarlington,itwasafailurefromthewordgo,andwasreportedasbeingleftoutofusefor3years,from1953-56,beforeitwasrepairedandserviceable.Lessthan10yearslateritwascutupforscrap.OthersoftheNBLdesignslastedalittlelongerandmanagedtoacquirethehazardwarningstripesontheirbonnetfronts,butnonecarriedaTOPSnumber,ortheubiquitous‘RailBlue’livery.TheywereclassifiedasD2/1(D2700-2707)andD2/10(D2708-2780),withclassD3/1(D2900-13).

Allofthefirstseries,fromD2700-D2780werewithdrawnbetweenMarch1967andFebruary1968,andfinallycutupandscrappedbetweenAugust1967andNovember1968.TheexceptionwasNorthBritish’sveryfirstproduct-D2700(originally11700),whichwaswithdrawninNovember1963,andcutupatDarlingtonWorks12monthslater.

Ofthisgroup–D2767wasrescuedandpreservedontheBo’Ness&KinneilRailway,whilstD2774foundanewhomeontheStrathspeyRailway,bothofwhichwerealsoseenontheEastLancashireRailway,andD27.ThesecondofferingfromNBLfarednobetter,withD2900-13allwithdrawninFebruary1967,andcutupandscrappedbetweenSeptemberandDecember1967.

LeadingDimensions

Non-StandardDieselShuntersonBR 4

Fourorderswereplacedwiththiscompanyfordiesel-hydraulicshuntersofboth0-4-0and0-6-0wheelarrangement.Thefirstofthesewasforabatchof153bhp0-4-0s,numbered11503-6,laterbecomingD2953-6,orderedon25/1/1954theywerebuiltbetweenJanuaryandMarch1956andallocatedtoStratfordontheEasternRegion.Gardnerdieselengineswereonceagainselectedtopowertheselocomotives;the6L3designdrivingtheWilson-Drewrytransmission,withWisemanreversinggearboxandjackshaftdrivetothecoupledwheels.

Althoughtheseshuntershadtheusualsimplecasingovertheengineunit,infrontofthecab,ashortfueltankwascarriedontopofthisbonnet,whichtosomeextentreducedthedriver’sforwardvision.Aladderattachedtothelefthandside,fromthefootplating,gaveaccesstothetankfillerconnection.Theexhaustwasbroughtbackalongtheroofofthebonnetandattachedtotheverticalfrontfaceofthefueltank.

ThefirstBarclay0-4-0swerelightmachines,tippingthescalesatamere23tons,theywerecarriedon3ft7inswheelsandprovidedamaximumtractiveeffortof12,750lbs.Nos.D2954/55weregivenTOPSnumbers01001/2,with01001remaininginserviceatHolyheadBreakwaterin1981.

InNovember1954asecondorderfromBritishRailwaysresultedintheappearanceof100-6-0locomotivesfromKilmarnockwiththesametransmission.,butthistimetheywerepairedwiththe204hpGardner8L3engine.Theywereinitiallynumbered11177-11186,laterbecomingD2400-9.Externallytheywerealmostidenticalwiththefirstorder,havingthesamestyleofenginecasingwithfueltanksmountedontop,fullwidthcabandtheexhaustroutedalongtheenginecasingtobefixedtothefrontofthefueltank.Areductioninthesizeofthecoupledwheelsto3ft6inswasmade,withtheweightgoingupto32tonsandthemaximumtractiveeffortto15,340lbs.

Thefirsttwo0-6-0sappearedinJuly1956andwereallocatedtoKingsCross,withtheremaindersuppliedbetweenSeptember1956andFebruary1957,allofwhichweresenttoLincoln.Eighteenyearslater,D2400-9werestillatworkinEastAnglia,atLincolnandColwick,althoughnonesurvivedlongenoughtobegivenTOPSnumbers.ThefinaltwoordersforAndrewBarclaylocomotiveswereplacedon15thApril1957and24thDecember1958,for350-4-0s,withthethenvirtuallystandardGardner204hp8L3engineandVulcan-Wilson-Drewrytransmission.TheseordersalsoincludedonelocomotiveforBRservicestock,latertransferredtotherunningdepartmentforashorttime,toreplaceD2956whenitwaswithdrawnfromtrafficinJuly1966.Infact,thisservicelocomotive,numbered81wasre-allocatedthenumberD2956,althoughinthisguiseitonlylasteduntilNovember1967beforeittoowaswithdrawn.D2410-D2444werebuiltbetweenJuly1958andNovember1960andwereallocatedentirelytotheScottishRegion,sharedinthemainbetweenInverness,Kittybrewster(Aberdeen),Motherwell,Hamilton,Corkerhill(Glasgow)andAyr.Slightdifferencesintheappearanceoftheselastlocomotivesincludedacabwhichextendedbacktotherearbufferbeam,atfullheight.Theearlierdesignshadashorterlengthcabatjustbelowwindow,orwaistheight,witharearwardprojectionhousingsomeofthecontrols.Thesideaccessladderatthefueltankwasrelocatedtotheradiatorend/noseoftheenginecasing,althoughtheexhauststackwasstillattachedtothefrontfaceofthetankasbefore.Coupledwheeldiameterwas3ft7ins,withatotalweightof35tonsandamaximumtractiveeffortof20,000lbswasavailable.

AndrewBarclay,Sons&Co.

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Theselocomotiveswerereclassifiedin1968as;D2953-6,Class01;D2400-9,Class09andD2410-44,Class06.MentionhasalreadybeenmadeofthesurvivalofClass010-4-0No.01001,aliasD2954,althoughitwasfinallycutupinthesummerof1982.OftheClass06locomotives,tenwererenumberedin1973as06001/2(D2413/14),06003-6(D2420-3),06007(D2426),06008(D2437),06009(D2440)and06010(D2444).TheClass06locomotiveswereallvirtuallyextinctbythemid1980s,withthethreeallocatedtotheScottishRegionwithdrawninearly1982,oneofthelongestsurvivorsbeing06002whichwasstabledatReadingontheWesternRegion

Asinglelocomotivesurvives,number06003(formerlyD2420).ItwasthesecondlastlocomotiveoftheclassinservicewhenitwaswithdrawninFebruary1981.Itwaswithdrawnagainin1984,andsoldtoBooth'sscrapyardinRotherham,beforeitsfinalbythelocalSouthYorkshireRailwaybasedatMeadowhallinSheffield.LaterD2420wasownedbyHNRCandvisitedseverallocationsbeforebeenstoredattheMuseumofScienceandIndustry,LiverpoolRoad,Manchester,andin2013wasmovedintotheHeritageShuntersTrust'sCollectionatPeakRail,Rowsley.

OntheEastLancsRailway,AndrewBarclay’sD2956hasalsobeenpreserved,andmanagedtobeallocatedaTOPSnumberbeforebeingwithdrawnasClass01,number01003.

-oOo-

LeadingDimensions

AndrewBarclay0-4-0atMarkinchonhometerritory-justprovingthatsomeofthesesmallershunters-andnotjustthe

BR/Drewrytypes-actuallycarriedrailblue,doublearrowlogoandhazardwarningstripes!OriginallycarryingD2421,thiswasthe0-4-0versionoftheearlierorderfor0-6-0swiththeGardner8L3engine.Comparethiswiththephoto.ofNo.11186-

thereareanumberofsimilarities-buttherearextensionofthecabbackplateismissing.(c)RPBradleyCollection

Non-StandardDieselShuntersonBR

Non-StandardDieselShuntersonBR

01002and01001(withdrawn,attherear)insidetheshedatHolyheadBreakwateron19August1980©Johndarm-Ownwork,CCBY-SA3.0,https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9517761

FormerlyD2420,andrenumbered06003intheTOPSscheme–theonlypreservedClass06

©ByPaulMiller,https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4246599