British Rail Class 07
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 07 diesel locomotive
is an off-centre cab dock shunter
used in Southampton Docks, to replace SR USA Class
steam locomotive
s. It is a 0-6-0
diesel-electric shunter built by Ruston & Hornsby in 1962. They were originally numbered D2985-D2998 and later given the TOPS
numbers 07001(D2985)-07013(D2997), D2998.
workshops, were made by road. This is in contrast to other shunter classes that would commonly have had their side-rods removed and traction motors isolated and would then form part of a train heading in the appropriate direction. Class 08s
were commonly moved in this fashion at up to 35 mi/h – overnight wagon-load trains being utilised if possible.
For operation at Southampton Docks the Class was based in the former steam shed in the Old Docks near the River Itchen, work being carried out there by a fitter sent from Eastleigh.
The members of the class that had TOPS
numbering applied were also equipped with high-level air brake pipes, allowing them to move Southern Region
Electric Multiple Unit
s, and three locomotives were used at Bournemouth EMU depot for a period. This was not their principal work, but they were often employed around their home-depot on general shunting duties. They were relatively fast for shunters and it was envisaged that they would be used to trip local traffic to/from Southampton docks. Accordingly they were equipped, from new, with mainline headcode marker lights (six for the SR). In practice they were seldom used for this because of the hot axlebox problem, which also affected the possibility of the class working away from either Southapton Docks or Eastleigh
.
Numbers 2988, 2992 and 2998 were withdrawn from BR service without bearing TOPS numbers, and were cut up at Eastleigh works; 2988 in 1973, 2992 and 2998 in 1976. 2991, which was allocated the number 07007, was also withdrawn from capital stock before bearing its TOPS number, but remained in use at Eastleigh Works. Of the locos to bear TOPS numbers, 07003 and 07009 were withdrawn in 1976, and sold to P Wood of Queenborough, Kent; 07009 was exported to Italy, and 07003 was sold to British Industrial Sand at Oakmoor, being subsequently scrapped in 1985. 07010 was sold directly into preservation, and the remaining locos were sold for industrial use during 1976 and 1977: 07001 to Staveley Limeworks, Buxton; 07002/6/12 to Powell Duffryn, Kidwelly (where 07002 and 07006 were scrapped in the 1980s); 07013 to Dow Chemicals, King's Lynn.
by the end of 1977. Several were bought for industrial use and have subsequently passed into preservation. One locomotive, no. 07001, is mainline registered and is owned by Harry Needle Railroad Company
(HNRC). All surviving locomotives are listed below.
Locomotive (air
) and train (vacuum
) brakes were fitted from new. Air train braking was added later, in some cases with high-level air brake pipes for use with Southern Region
electric multiple units. Originally the class had radio communication sets fitted for use at Southampton Docks, the aerial located on the top right hand corner of the engine bonnet. These were removed when operation at the docks ceased.
TV Series, in the form of Salty the Dockyard Diesel.
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
Class 07 diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
is an off-centre cab dock shunter
Dock shunter
A Dock shunter, or "Dock tank", is a locomotive used for shunting wagons in the vicinity of docks. It is usually of 0-4-0 or 0-6-0 wheel arrangement and has a short wheelbase and large buffers...
used in Southampton Docks, to replace SR USA Class
SR USA Class
The SR USA class were ex-United States Army Transportation Corps S100 Class steam locomotives purchased by the Southern Railway after the end of the Second World War.- Construction history :...
steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s. It is a 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
diesel-electric shunter built by Ruston & Hornsby in 1962. They were originally numbered D2985-D2998 and later given the TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
numbers 07001(D2985)-07013(D2997), D2998.
Operation
This class was notorious for having the axleboxes run hot when travelling at high speed. This was initially encountered during delivery of the first locomotive, and subsequent deliveries were made by road. A later trial move of one Class 07 to Selhurst depot for tyre profiling also resulted in overheating axlebox problems and all subsequent moves of any distance, particularly those to BRELBREL
British Rail Engineering Limited , was the railway systems engineering division of British Rail, until the design and building of trains in the UK was privatised in 1993. On 31 October 1969, the company was incorporated as British Rail Engineering Limited.-Main products:The vast majority of BREL's...
workshops, were made by road. This is in contrast to other shunter classes that would commonly have had their side-rods removed and traction motors isolated and would then form part of a train heading in the appropriate direction. Class 08s
British Rail Class 08
The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
were commonly moved in this fashion at up to 35 mi/h – overnight wagon-load trains being utilised if possible.
For operation at Southampton Docks the Class was based in the former steam shed in the Old Docks near the River Itchen, work being carried out there by a fitter sent from Eastleigh.
The members of the class that had TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
numbering applied were also equipped with high-level air brake pipes, allowing them to move Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
Electric Multiple Unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
s, and three locomotives were used at Bournemouth EMU depot for a period. This was not their principal work, but they were often employed around their home-depot on general shunting duties. They were relatively fast for shunters and it was envisaged that they would be used to trip local traffic to/from Southampton docks. Accordingly they were equipped, from new, with mainline headcode marker lights (six for the SR). In practice they were seldom used for this because of the hot axlebox problem, which also affected the possibility of the class working away from either Southapton Docks or Eastleigh
Eastleigh Works
Eastleigh Works is a locomotive, carriage and wagon building and repair facility in the town of Eastleigh in the county of Hampshire in England.-History under the LSWR:...
.
Numbers 2988, 2992 and 2998 were withdrawn from BR service without bearing TOPS numbers, and were cut up at Eastleigh works; 2988 in 1973, 2992 and 2998 in 1976. 2991, which was allocated the number 07007, was also withdrawn from capital stock before bearing its TOPS number, but remained in use at Eastleigh Works. Of the locos to bear TOPS numbers, 07003 and 07009 were withdrawn in 1976, and sold to P Wood of Queenborough, Kent; 07009 was exported to Italy, and 07003 was sold to British Industrial Sand at Oakmoor, being subsequently scrapped in 1985. 07010 was sold directly into preservation, and the remaining locos were sold for industrial use during 1976 and 1977: 07001 to Staveley Limeworks, Buxton; 07002/6/12 to Powell Duffryn, Kidwelly (where 07002 and 07006 were scrapped in the 1980s); 07013 to Dow Chemicals, King's Lynn.
Post-BR use
The locomotives were short-lived and this class had been withdrawn by British RailBritish Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
by the end of 1977. Several were bought for industrial use and have subsequently passed into preservation. One locomotive, no. 07001, is mainline registered and is owned by Harry Needle Railroad Company
Harry Needle Railroad Company
The Harry Needle Railroad Company is a railway spot-hire company, based at Barrow Hill Engine Shed in Derbyshire. The company is also a scrap dealer and has dismantled many railway vehicles, either on site, or at the European Metal Recycling scrapyard in...
(HNRC). All surviving locomotives are listed below.
- 07001 - Owned by HNRC based at Barrow HillBarrow Hill Engine ShedBarrow Hill Roundhouse & Railway Centre, until 1948 known as Staveley Roundhouse & Train Centre, is a former Midland Railway roundhouse in Barrow Hill, near Staveley and Chesterfield, Derbyshire .-History:...
, and currently in use at Salford. - 07005 - Preserved at the Great Central RailwayGreat Central Railway (preserved)The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and...
- 07007 - In use by Knights Rail Services Ltd at Eastleigh Works. Mainline registered in April 2008. Currently painted in Rail Blue livery.
- 07010 - Preserved on Avon Valley RailwayAvon Valley RailwayThe Avon Valley Railway is a three-mile-long heritage railway based at Bitton station in South Gloucestershire, England, not far from Bristol and is run by a local group: The Avon Valley Railway Company Ltd. The railway follows the Avon Valley south-east from Oldland Common, through Bitton and...
in BR Green livery as D2994. Currently operational. - 07011 - Privately owned at St Leonards-on-SeaSt Leonards-on-SeaSt Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
. Rail Blue livery. - 07012 - Preserved at Barrow HillBarrow Hill Engine ShedBarrow Hill Roundhouse & Railway Centre, until 1948 known as Staveley Roundhouse & Train Centre, is a former Midland Railway roundhouse in Barrow Hill, near Staveley and Chesterfield, Derbyshire .-History:...
. - 07013 - Preserved by Heritage Shunters TrustHeritage Shunters TrustHeritage Shunters Trust is a trading name of The South Yorkshire Railway Co. Ltd. which was founded in 1989. HST is a railway preservation society and is the only preservation society that solely specialises in the preservation of diesel shunters in the UK...
at Peak RailPeak RailPeak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales....
. Externally restored in Rail Blue livery, but engine missing. (Now at Barrow Hill)
Technical details
- Engine: Ruston/PaxmanPaxman (engines)Paxman is a major British brand of diesel engines. Ownership has changed on a number of occasions since the company's formation in 1865, and now the brand is owned by MAN SE, as part of MAN Diesel & Turbo. At its peak, the Paxman works covered 23 acres and employed over 2,000 people. Engine...
6 cylinder, 4-stroke, 6RPHL - Main Generator: AEI RTB6652
- Traction motor: AEI RTA6652, spigot mounted on a double reduction, axle-hung, final drive gearbox
Locomotive (air
Air brake (rail)
An air brake is a conveyance braking system actuated by compressed air. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5, 1872. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell...
) and train (vacuum
Vacuum brake
The vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in those countries influenced by British practice. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a brief period of adoption in...
) brakes were fitted from new. Air train braking was added later, in some cases with high-level air brake pipes for use with Southern Region
Southern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
electric multiple units. Originally the class had radio communication sets fitted for use at Southampton Docks, the aerial located on the top right hand corner of the engine bonnet. These were removed when operation at the docks ceased.
Industrial locomotives
The builders classified these locomotives as LSSE and although other locomotives were built for industrial use to this (and the similarly styled LSSH diesel-hydraulic) specification, none had the same engine output, train brakes or other 'mainline' features.In fiction
An example of this class of diesel can be seen on the Thomas the Tank Engine and FriendsThomas the Tank Engine and Friends
Thomas and Friends is a British children's television series, first broadcast on the ITV network in September 1984. Until 2003, it was named Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends. This series was shot on 35mm film...
TV Series, in the form of Salty the Dockyard Diesel.