British Rail Class 48
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 48 was a diesel locomotive class which consisted of five examples, built at Brush
Falcon Works in Loughborough
and delivered between September 1965 and July 1966. They were part of the British Rail Class 47
order, but differed from their classmates by being fitted with a Sulzer
V12
12LVA24 power unit producing 2650 bhp, as opposed to the standard 12LDA28C twin-bank
twelve-cylinder unit of the remaining fleet.
, on both passenger and freight work. In 1969, they moved to Norwich
depot where they worked on express trains between there and London Liverpool Street
. The 12LVA24 engine, however, was found to be unreliable, and the locomotives spent more time out of service than their standard counterparts. Engine failures were common, and repairs often expensive
, using parts from D1908, withdrawn after a serious accident. It emerged in December 1969. All five locomotives had been so converted by early 1971, and then became standard Class 47s
. The power units were sold to SNCF
and used in their Class A1AA1A 68000
locomotives.
system in the early 1970s. Four of the locomotives were withdrawn from service between December 1990 and January 1991; the sole survivor, 47114, survived until 2002 when it too was sidelined. However, there was to be a further lease of life for 47117 (D1705) when it was bought for preservation by rail enthusiast and pop music producer Pete Waterman
. It is now owned by the Type 1 Locomotive Association and works on the private Great Central Railway
.. There it has been restored to BR two tone green livery with its pre-TOPS number D1705, though of course it retains its Class 47 engine. It has also been named Sparrowhawk in the tradition of Brush Works
policy of naming locomotives after birds of prey (qv Kestrel, Falcon, etc), though it never carried this name in service. The other four locomotives have since been scrapped.
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 48 was a diesel locomotive class which consisted of five examples, built at Brush
Brush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
Falcon Works in Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
and delivered between September 1965 and July 1966. They were part of the British Rail Class 47
British Rail Class 47
The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
order, but differed from their classmates by being fitted with a Sulzer
Sulzer (manufacturer)
Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
V12
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
12LVA24 power unit producing 2650 bhp, as opposed to the standard 12LDA28C twin-bank
U engine
A U engine is a piston engine made up of two separate straight engines joined by gears or chains. It is similar to the H engine which couples two flat engines...
twelve-cylinder unit of the remaining fleet.
In service
The locomotives, numbered in the D1702-D1706 series, mainly worked from Tinsley depot in SheffieldSheffield
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...
, on both passenger and freight work. In 1969, they moved to Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
depot where they worked on express trains between there and London Liverpool Street
Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street railway station, also known as London Liverpool Street or simply Liverpool Street, is both a central London railway terminus and a connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, England...
. The 12LVA24 engine, however, was found to be unreliable, and the locomotives spent more time out of service than their standard counterparts. Engine failures were common, and repairs often expensive
Rebuilding
Eventually it was decided not to continue with the 12LVA24 experiment, and it was decided to remove the engines and fit the standard 12LDA28 engines to the locomotives. D1702 was the first to be so treated at Crewe WorksCrewe Works
Crewe railway works is a British railway engineering facility built in 1840 by the Grand Junction Railway. It is located in the town of Crewe, in the county of Cheshire....
, using parts from D1908, withdrawn after a serious accident. It emerged in December 1969. All five locomotives had been so converted by early 1971, and then became standard Class 47s
British Rail Class 47
The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
. The power units were sold to SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
and used in their Class A1AA1A 68000
SNCF Class A1AA1A 68000
The SNCF Class A1AA1A 68000 is a class of Diesel-electric locomotives of the SNCF. They were built for both passenger and freight service. They were ordered on 7 June 1961, the first entering service on 13 December 1963 at Chalindrey depot. All have now been withdrawn from service, with the...
locomotives.
Further service and preservation
The locomotives continued in service for many years afterwards, and were renumbered 47114-47118 to conform with British Rail's TOPSTOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
system in the early 1970s. Four of the locomotives were withdrawn from service between December 1990 and January 1991; the sole survivor, 47114, survived until 2002 when it too was sidelined. However, there was to be a further lease of life for 47117 (D1705) when it was bought for preservation by rail enthusiast and pop music producer Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
. It is now owned by the Type 1 Locomotive Association and works on the private Great Central Railway
Great 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...
.. There it has been restored to BR two tone green livery with its pre-TOPS number D1705, though of course it retains its Class 47 engine. It has also been named Sparrowhawk in the tradition of Brush Works
Brush Traction
This article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
policy of naming locomotives after birds of prey (qv Kestrel, Falcon, etc), though it never carried this name in service. The other four locomotives have since been scrapped.