British Rail Class 15
Encyclopedia
The British Rail Class 15 diesel locomotive
s, also known as the BTH Type 1, were designed by British Thomson-Houston
, and built by the Yorkshire Engine Company
and the Clayton Equipment Company
, between 1957 and 1961.
supplied the power units, and Clayton supplied bogies and superstructure, with the frame construction and final assembly taking place at Yorkshire Engine's Sheffield
works. These ten locomotives, numbered D8200–D8209, entered service between November 1957 and November 1958.
The design showed sufficient promise for a repeat order for 34 more locomotives to be placed soon afterwards. These locomotives, numbered D8210–D8243 and built by Clayton at Hatton, Derbyshire
, were delivered between October 1959 and February 1961.
Devons Road depot
in Bow, East London
, where they were evaluated against the contemporary North British Type 1
and English Electric Type 1
designs. Soon, however, the entire class was allocated to depots on the Eastern Region
, where they remained until withdrawal. The second block of ten was originally allocated to March
depot in East Anglia
, however due to the Clean Air Act 1956
the locomotives were quickly re-allocated to East London, allowing the replacement of steam locomotives in that area. Thereafter, the type was allocated exclusively to Stratford
, Finsbury Park
and Ipswich
depots.
, gave the crew poor forward visibility in both directions of travel, although this was initially tolerated as it was no worse than the visibility from a steam locomotive cab. Despite these problems the class were more successful than the contemporary Type 1 locomotives of Class 16
and the later Class 17
.
, and in 1988 to the Mangapps Farm Railway, where it remained until 1993. D8233 then moved to Crewe following an agreement with the Waterman Heritage Trust. Since its initial preservation the locomotive had received little work apart from cosmetic attention. Some work was carried out by the Waterman Heritage Trust, however the locomotive's restoration remained dormant until the end of 2005, when a reformed owning group, alongside the WHT, agreed the time was right to accelerate the locomotive's return to service. With an active plan for work agreed, the locomotive returned to the East Lancashire Railway
in February 2006, where its restoration to working order is now under way.
have produced an OO gauge ready-to-run model in a variety of liveries.
An N gauge kit of a member of the class is available from BH Enterprises, powered by a Graham Farish
Class 20
chassis.
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...
s, also known as the BTH Type 1, were designed by British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston
British Thomson-Houston was a British engineering and heavy industrial company, based at Rugby, Warwickshire, England. They were known primarily for their electrical systems and steam turbines. They were merged with the similar Metropolitan-Vickers company in 1928, but the two maintained their own...
, and built by the Yorkshire Engine Company
Yorkshire Engine Company
The Yorkshire Engine Company was a small independent locomotive manufacturer in Sheffield, England. The Company was formed in 1865 and continued to produce locomotives and carry out general engineering work until 1965...
and the Clayton Equipment Company
Clayton Equipment Company
Clayton Equipment Company Ltd, now known simply as Clayton Equipment Ltd or CEC and CEL, is a locomotive construction company that specialises in locomotives for underground mining operations.-Inception:...
, between 1957 and 1961.
Design history
Following the British Railways Modernisation Plan, ten of the class were ordered for evaluation under the 'pilot scheme'. Like other locomotives designed to the 'Type 1' specification, they were intended for use on local freight and empty coaching stock trains.Construction
The design and manufacture was a collaboration between several companies. BTH (the main contractor) provided electrical equipment, 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...
supplied the power units, and Clayton supplied bogies and superstructure, with the frame construction and final assembly taking place at Yorkshire Engine's Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
works. These ten locomotives, numbered D8200–D8209, entered service between November 1957 and November 1958.
The design showed sufficient promise for a repeat order for 34 more locomotives to be placed soon afterwards. These locomotives, numbered D8210–D8243 and built by Clayton at Hatton, Derbyshire
Hatton, Derbyshire
Hatton is a village in South Derbyshire, England. It is located 6 km north of Burton upon Trent, 20 km west of Derby and 40 km east of Stoke-on-Trent.-Geography:...
, were delivered between October 1959 and February 1961.
Working life
The first ten locomotives were delivered to the London Midland Region'sLondon Midland Region of British Railways
The London Midland Region was one of the six regions created on the formation of the nationalised British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway lines in England and Wales. The region was managed first from buildings adjacent to Euston Station and later from Stanier...
Devons Road depot
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
in Bow, East London
Bow, London
Bow is an area of London, England, United Kingdom in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is a built-up, mostly residential district located east of Charing Cross, and is a part of the East End.-Bridges at Bowe:...
, where they were evaluated against the contemporary North British Type 1
British Rail Class 16
The North British Type 1 was a type of diesel locomotive ordered under British Railways' 1955 Modernisation Plan. Like other Type 1 designs, they were relatively small locomotives intended primarily for local freight traffic....
and English Electric Type 1
British Rail Class 20
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...
designs. Soon, however, the entire class was allocated to depots on the Eastern Region
Eastern Region of British Railways
The Eastern 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...
, where they remained until withdrawal. The second block of ten was originally allocated to March
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...
depot in East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
, however due to the Clean Air Act 1956
Clean Air Act 1956
The Clean Air Act 1956 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed in response to London's Great Smog of 1952. It was in effect until 1964, and sponsored by the Ministry of Housing and Local Government in England and the Department of Health for Scotland.The Act introduced a number of...
the locomotives were quickly re-allocated to East London, allowing the replacement of steam locomotives in that area. Thereafter, the type was allocated exclusively to Stratford
Stratford TMD
Stratford TMD was a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Stratford, London, England, and was also the site of a Railway Works. Originally built in 1847 for the...
, Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park TMD
Finsbury Park TMD was a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in London, England. It was the first purpose built main line diesel locomotive depot opened in this country and it was fully commissioned in April 1960 . It was downgraded in June 1981 and closed in October 1983...
and Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
depots.
Problems
The class were troubled by several reliability problems, notably with the engines which were found to require excessive maintenance. A series of modifications to the pistons, piston rings and maintenance schedules, and fitting cast iron cylinder heads improved the engine reliability considerably, but a complex V16 for only 800bhp and a small class size doomed them with a contracting rail network. The layout, with a single cab positioned part-way down the body like a North American road-switcherRoad switcher
A road switcher is a type of railroad locomotive used for delivering or picking up cars outside of a railroad yard. Since the road switcher must work some distance away from a yard, it needs to be able to operate at road speeds, it must also have high-visibility while it is switching, and it must...
, gave the crew poor forward visibility in both directions of travel, although this was initially tolerated as it was no worse than the visibility from a steam locomotive cab. Despite these problems the class were more successful than the contemporary Type 1 locomotives of Class 16
British Rail Class 16
The North British Type 1 was a type of diesel locomotive ordered under British Railways' 1955 Modernisation Plan. Like other Type 1 designs, they were relatively small locomotives intended primarily for local freight traffic....
and the later Class 17
British Rail Class 17
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., for British Railways ....
.
Withdrawal
With a decline in freight duties in the London area, and as a relatively small and non-standard class, the type was considered surplus to requirements by the late 1960s. All were withdrawn from capital stock between April 1968 and March 1971.Conversion
All but four had been broken up for scrap by the end of 1972. The four that survived were converted into non-powered electric train pre-heating units at Doncaster Works, these duties keeping the locomotives employed for another ten years or more, until they were again made redundant and withdrawn.| Original Number | Departmental number | Location | Withdrawn | Disposal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D8203 | DB968003 | Finsbury Park (FP) | 1981 | cut up Scrap Scrap is a term used to describe recyclable and other materials left over from every manner of product consumption, such as parts of vehicles, building supplies, and surplus materials. Unlike waste, scrap has significant monetary value... 1981 |
| D8233 | DB968001 | Finsbury Park (FP) | 1982 | preserved |
| D8237 | DB968002 | Finsbury Park (FP) | 1982 | cut up 1985 |
| D8243 | DB968000 | Finsbury Park (FP) | 1989 | cut up 1991 |
Preservation
One of the former train heating units, D8233, was purchased for preservation in 1984 and is now the only survivor of the type. It was originally kept at the South Yorkshire Railway in Sheffield, moving in 1986 to the East Lancashire RailwayEast Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
, and in 1988 to the Mangapps Farm Railway, where it remained until 1993. D8233 then moved to Crewe following an agreement with the Waterman Heritage Trust. Since its initial preservation the locomotive had received little work apart from cosmetic attention. Some work was carried out by the Waterman Heritage Trust, however the locomotive's restoration remained dormant until the end of 2005, when a reformed owning group, alongside the WHT, agreed the time was right to accelerate the locomotive's return to service. With an active plan for work agreed, the locomotive returned to the East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway
The East Lancashire Railway is a heritage railway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England.-Overview:After formal closure by British Rail in 1982, the line was reopened on 25 July 1987. The initial service operated between Bury and Ramsbottom, via Summerseat. In 1991 the service was extended...
in February 2006, where its restoration to working order is now under way.
Models
A ready to run model in 00 gauge was available from TechCad design based on a hand finished resin shell and powered by a Mashima motor. It was then available from TechCad as a kit, but TechCad have since ceased trading. Since 2010 HeljanHeljan
Heljan A/S is a Danish model railway company based in Søndersø. Originally specialising in decorations and accessories for model railways, it has now also developed a substantial range of rolling stock. It has diversified into modelling the British scene, and since 2002 have released several OO...
have produced an OO gauge ready-to-run model in a variety of liveries.
An N gauge kit of a member of the class is available from BH Enterprises, powered by a Graham Farish
Graham Farish
Graham Farish is a company that produces large quantities of British outline model railway equipment in N gauge.-History:The Poole, Dorset based manufacturer of radio parts and kits entered the model railway business in the late 1940s, after the need for radio sets reduced post World War II...
Class 20
British Rail Class 20
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...
chassis.