British Rail Class 20

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

  • English Electric Type 1
  • British Rail Class 20
HNRC
NumbersD8000–D8199, D8300–D8327; later 20 001–20 228
NicknamesChopper[3]
Axle load classRoute availability 5
Withdrawn1976–present
Disposition6 in service, 22 preserved, remainder scrapped or in storage.

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 locomotives were originally numbered D8000–D8199 and D8300–D8327. They are known by railway enthusiasts as "Choppers".[4][5]

Overview

Designed around relatively basic technology, the 73-tonne locomotives produce 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) and can operate at up to 75 mph (121 km/h). Designed to work light mixed freight traffic, they have no train heating facilities. Locomotives up to D8127 were fitted with disc indicators in the style of the steam era;[6] when headcodes were introduced in 1960 the locomotive's design was changed to incorporate headcode boxes. Although older locomotives were not retro-fitted with headcode boxes, a few of the earlier batch acquired headcode boxes as a result of repairs. Unusually for British designs, the locomotive had a single cab. This caused serious problems with visibility when travelling nose first, though in these circumstances the driver's view is comparable to that on the steam locomotives that the Class 20s replaced. It was common, however, to find Class 20s paired together at the nose, with their cabs at opposite ends, ensuring that the driver could quite clearly see the road ahead, and a guard can watch the train from the other locomotive without the need for a brakevan.

Two Class 20s, coupled nose to nose, hauling a freight train in 1986

The Class 20 saw only limited service on passenger trains. A small number were fitted with a through pipe for steam heating, primarily for use in conjunction with a Class 27 locomotive on the West Highland Line. Otherwise their use was limited to summer relief services, particularly to Skegness often under the adopted title of The Jolly Fisherman starting from various places including Burton-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Leicester. Also occasionally other holiday resorts on the east coast of England, occasional duties as a pilot, and short distance diversions of electric-hauled trains over non-electrified lines.[7][page needed]

The shift of light mixed freight to the road network left British Rail with an oversupply of small locomotives. The Class 20s, however, could work in multiple and so handle heavier traffic. Most spent the majority of their working lives coupled nose to nose in pairs to provide a more useful 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) unit and to solve the visibility problems.

Most have now been withdrawn but a few remain with GBRf and other minor and industrial operators. Several that are usually operated singly have been fitted with nose-mounted video cameras as a way of solving the visibility problems.

The Série 1400 locomotives of Portuguese Railways (CP) and the G class locomotives of Midland Railway of Western Australia are based on the BR Class 20s, with the latter units featuring a different cab, based on the Jamaican Railways Class 81.

Operation

British Rail

Distribution of locomotives, March 1974[8]
British Rail Class 20 is located in England
ED
ED
HA
HA
IM
IM
TI
TI
TO
TO
Code Name Quantity
ED Eastfield 49
HA
Haymarket
 19
IM Immingham 7
TI Tinsley 44
TO Toton 109
Total: 228

The first batch of Class 20s were allocated to

coalfield
. This completed the original orders for 128 locos, the last being delivered in August 1962.

With the subsequent order for a further 100 Class 20 locos, deliveries recommenced with D8128 in January 1966. Tests in 1967 using D8179 and D8317 resulted in locos from D8316 being delivered from the manufacturer with the new electronic control system for working

Longannet Power Station sometimes required locos to triple-head trains.[4]

After privatisation

Some Class 20s were used on the construction of the

weedkilling
trains.

The fleet of Class 20/3s owned by Direct Rail Services (DRS) has at times seen frequent work across Britain in pairs (or with Class 37s) on nuclear flask trains, the company's speciality. DRS supplies class 20s for use with the Rail Head Treatment Train in winter. Perhaps the most unusual train hauled by a Class 20 was the

Kensington Olympia station on 17 September 1999,[9] the train was hauled by 20 901, 20 902 and 20 903 throughout, reaching Prague by 20 September[10] and arriving at Pristina station at 10:00 on 25 September.[11]

DRS initially had a fleet of 15 operational Class 20/3 locomotives. Three of these have subsequently been disposed of for scrap, after stripping for spares; a further two have been sold on to Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC). Following the end of the 2019 Sandite season (Rail Head Treatment Trains), all of the remaining DRS Class 20/3 fleet were stood down, awaiting disposal.

In 2005 HNRC acquired a large number of 20/0s and 20/9s from the stored DRS fleet. By May 2008 HNRC had eight operational Class 20s and sixteen in storage; two were on hire at

Corus
Scunthorpe (nos. 81 and 82).

Over a ten-year period, concluding in 2019, a number of class 20s from HNRC were employed to deliver new

West Ruislip
depot, for commissioning. Subsequently, immediately after the completion of deliveries, modification of these units (addition of equipment for automatic signalling) was required and they were returned to Derby in the same manner. Formation of the trains usually consisted of a pair of Class 20s, two barrier wagons, the LU S-Stock set, two barrier wagons and a dead-in-tow pair of Class 20s at the rear.

Sub-classes

Sub-Class Description
20/0 Standard as-built locos.
20/3 (BR) A small fleet of standard Class 20/0s modified for Peak Forest aggregate workings.
20/3 (DRS) DRS-owned/operated locos fitted with modified cab equipment and fully refurbished, with use of electronics and various other modifications. Two of these locomotives, 20 311 and 20 314, were subsequently sold to HNRC.
20/9 Modified from Class 20/0 after withdrawal and sold to Hunslet-Barclay for contract freight use and remote-control trialling. Few technical differences from standard locos. Subsequently, sold to DRS, and latterly to HNRC (of which 20 901/903-906 remain; 20 902 has been scrapped).

Liveries

Two Class 20s working a passenger train
Earles Sidings
in Derbyshire on 31 May 2017.
Harry Needle Railroad Company 20 311 at Derby in 2014
Harry Needle Railroad Company 20 901 in GB Railfreight livery in 2014

British Rail

D8000 was delivered in June 1957 in overall green livery, with grey footplate,[6] red bufferbeams and a grey roof extending down the bodyside to the edge of the roof panels.[12][page needed] The original batch of 10 locos bore the BR crest facing towards the nose on both sides, used yellow sans serif numerals, and had green cab roofs; locos from D8010 had the correct pattern BR crest, white numerals and grey cab roof.[6] This was adjusted after D8103[6] to include a small yellow warning panel, although the precise size and detail of such panels varied somewhat.[4]

In 1966, D8048 was selected by the BR design panel for livery experiments and was painted in the

Rail Blue as the BR livery, D8178 became one of the first locomotives to be delivered in this livery (along with Class 25 D7660 and Class 47 D1953)[13] and all subsequent locomotives were delivered in this livery. Despite this, some locos continued to be returned to traffic in green livery, although often with the later BR "double arrow" logo and data panel;[6] thus 20 141 was the final main line loco to carry BR green livery.[14]

Some locomotives, including 20 227, were repainted in the Railfreight grey livery with red sole bars, yellow ends and large double arrows on the sides.

At least four of the class were painted in the British Rail Telecommunications livery:[15]

  • 20 075 – Sir William Cooke – rebuilt as 20 309 and currently stood down by DRS, awaiting disposal
  • 20 128 – Guglielmo Marconi – rebuilt as 20 307 and has been scrapped
  • 20 131 – Almon B. Strowger – rebuilt as 20 306 and has been scrapped
  • 20 187 – Sir Charles Wheatstone – rebuilt as 20 308 and currently stood down by DRS, awaiting disposal

Privatisation

Barrow Hill Engine Shed
, 9 July 2006

Class 20/3 locomotives operated by DRS have all been painted in DRS Oxford Blue livery, with red bufferbeams and full yellow ends. There have been small variations in the shade of yellow used on these locos, and the penetration of blue from the sides onto the ends.

Class 20 locomotives operated by the

Corus were painted in Corus livery; previously silver but currently a bright yellow with red solebar (No.81 – 20 056). Since the Corus business was bought by the Indian Tata Steel group, some of these locomotives have been repainted into Tata Blue livery (No.82 – 20 066). Two HNRC Class 20s have been painted into GBRf Europorte's
blue and gold livery (20 901 and 20 905), while two other HNRC Class 20s have been painted in the White livery of Hope Construction Materials (now Breedon Cement), with a black solebar (No.2 – 20 168) and a white solebar (No.3 – 20 906).

Four locomotives carried the orange and white livery of the CFD (Compagnie de Chemins de Fer Départementaux) whilst working in France, these were 20 035, 20 063, 20 139 and 20 228.

Two locomotives, numbers 20 142 and 20 189, were briefly (for a matter of months during 2013) painted into a Balfour Beatty blue and white livery but were then returned to a variation of BR blue.

The last built class 20, number 20 227, has been used extensively on the London Underground network. In the mid-2000s it was painted in Metropolitan maroon livery and named "Sir John Betjeman" by the Class 20 Locomotive Society as acknowledgement of this work. It was repainted in a special 'modern taste' LUL-based livery, to mark the London Underground 150 celebrations but has now been repainted, again into Metropolitan maroon, but this time lined, and renamed "Sherlock Holmes". The "Sir John Betjeman" name is now carried by 20 142, which also sports Metropolitan line maroon livery.

Mainline registered class 20s are:[16][page needed]

Sub-Class Description
20/0 20 007, 20 096, 20 107, 20 118, 20 132, 20 142, 20 168, 20 189, 20 205, 20 227
20/3 20 301, 20 302, 20 303, 20 304, 20 305, 20 308, 20 309, 20 311, 20 312, 20 314
20/9 20 901, 20 905, 20 906

Accidents and incidents

In popular culture

For the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, a Class 20 (20 188) on the Nene Valley Railway was made to look like a Russian armoured train with the addition of fake armour.[20]

Preservation

22 English-Electric Type 1 Class 20s are preserved, including the first of the class built, D8000, which is part of the

National Railway Collection at the National Railway Museum in York, North Yorkshire
.

Class 20s in preservation[21]
TOPS number Current number Photo Preserved by Location
20 001 D8001 Class 20 Locomotive Society Epping Ongar Railway
20 007 20 007 Class 20 189 Ltd Mainline operational
20 020 20 020 Scottish Railway Preservation Society Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway
20 031 20 031 Privately owned Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
20 048 20 048 Class 20189 Ltd[22]
Midland Railway, Butterley
20 050 D8000
National Collection
 National Railway Museum
20 057 D8057 Privately Owned Churnet Valley Railway
20 059 D8059 Somerset & Dorset Loco Company Watercress Line
20 069 D8069 Privately owned -
20 098 D8098 Type One Locomotive Company
Great Central Railway, Loughborough
20 137 20137 Privately owned Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
20 142 (Sir John Betjeman) 20 142 Class 20 189 Ltd Mainline operational
20 154 D8154 English Electric Preservation Great Central Railway (Nottingham)
20 166 D8166 HNRC Wensleydale Railway
20 188 D8188 Somerset & Dorset Loco Company Watercress Line
20 189 20 189 Class 20 189 Ltd Mainline operational
20 205 20 205
Class 20 Locomotive Society Mainline operational
20 214 20 214
Privately owned Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway
20 227 20 227
Class 20 Locomotive Society Mainline operational
20 228 2004
Privately owned Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway

A further three engines were preserved but later used for spares, then eventually scrapped. 20 035 was stripped of parts for use on fellow Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway based classmate D8137, and later scrapped at EMR Kingsbury. 20 177 was located at the Severn Valley Railway and became a source of spare parts for D8188 & D8059; with the remains first going to C.F. Booth Ltd., Rotherham and then the cab section to The Cab Yard in south Wales.[23] 20206 was operated on the Mid-Norfolk Railway, but later sold by its owner, stripped of parts and scrapped.

Model railways

In 2008 Hornby Railways launched its first version of the BR Class 20 in OO gauge.[24]

In May 2021 Bachmann Collectors Club announced a limited edition run of two London Transport models of the class 20, No. 20142 Sir John Betjeman and No. 20227 Sherlock Holmes. The models are produced in conjunction with the London Transport Museum,[25]

Notes

  1. ^ 20084 fitted with additional tanks giving a total capacity of 1,040 gallons.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Marsden & Fenn 1988, p. 71
  2. ^ Shipman, Mark (3 July 2004). "Class 20". Locomotive Photo Gallery. Archived from the original on 24 October 2004. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  3. OCLC 49957965
    .
  4. ^
    ISBN 0-85153-419-8
    .
  5. ^ "'At least 20 20s' for Barrow Hill diesel jubilee". The Railway Magazine. July 2007. p. 9.
  6. ^ a b c d e Wells, Monty (November 1982). "Tweak a Twenty". Railway Modeller. Vol. 33, no. 385. Seaton, Devon: Peco Publications & Publicity Ltd. pp. 398–401.
  7. ISBN 0-947773-02-9
    .
  8. ISBN 0-7110-0558-3
    .
  9. ^ "Pickersgill-Kaye sponsor Kosovo train for life". Pickersgill-Kaye Ltd. 27 September 1999. Archived from the original on 4 July 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
  10. ^ "Class 20". The Railway Centre.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ "Train of life in Kosovo". BBC News. BBC. 25 September 1999. Retrieved 20 May 2008.
  12. ISBN 0-7110-0617-2
    .
  13. ^ a b Turner, Graham (2012). "Rail Blue - The Story". Rail Blue. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
  14. ^ Turner, Graham. "The Class 20 Locomotive Fleet". Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  15. ^ BR Telecommunications Ltd; Hallas, Sam; Ward, Chris. "BR Telecommunications Locomotives". samhallas.co.uk (Article). Archived from the original on 16 September 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  16. ^ Snook, William. The UK Railway Datafile 2015.
  17. ^ Department of the Environment (1973). "Railway Accident: Report on the Collision that occurred on 16th December 1971 at Lennon South Junction, Nottingham" (PDF). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office – via Railways Archive.
  18. ^ "North Yorkshire Moors Railway collision: Passenger train and locomotive involved in accident at Grosmont Station". Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Collision at Grosmont". Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
  20. ^ "Sinister Class 20 is new James Bond movie star". Rail. No. 250. 12 April 1995. p. 6.
  21. ^ "Class 20". Preserved Diesels. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
  22. ^ "20048 sold to Class 20189 Ltd". Railways Illustrated. 24 February 2021.
  23. ^ "Collection – The Cab Yard". Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Hornby BR Class 20". Hornby Railways Collector Guide. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  25. ^ "Limited Editions | Bachmann Collectors Club SOUND of the UNDERGROUND". BACHMANN EUROPE NEWS. 6 May 2021. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.

General references

Further reading

External links

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