British Rail Class 53
Encyclopedia
British Rail
assigned Class 53 to the single Brush Traction
-built prototype locomotive Falcon. While not in any sense a failure, the design was the victim of advances in locomotive
technology (specifically, the power obtainable from single low-speed diesel engine
s) and was never duplicated.
s. No single lightweight diesel engine was powerful enough, so the Falcon project used twin German
-designed Maybach
MD655 engines like those in the Class 52
'Western' diesel-hydraulic locomotives of the Western Region. These drove Brush generators
and traction motor
s, rather than the hydraulic transmission of the 'Westerns'
.
The prototype, wearing a livery of lime green and chestnut brown and bearing the number D0280 after its Brush project number 280, emerged from Brush's Loughborough
works in September 1961. Initial testing took place on the Eastern Region
, based at Finsbury Park, and the London Midland Region
, following which it was transferred to the Western Region for power-unit performance testing. Returning to Brush in March 1962, it received cast 'Falcon' nameplate
s during an overhaul and upgrade lasting over a year.
Returning to British Railways in 1963, Falcon spent six months working out of Darnall shed, Sheffield
, on passenger and freight diagrams, after which its testing was completed. Another year out of service followed, the locomotive returning in British Railways in two-tone green with half yellow ends and intended for active service. There was, now, no chance of Falcon being the forerunner of a line of production locomotives. Advances in diesel engine technology made it obsolete almost from the beginning, with the development of larger and reasonably lightweight single powerplants. Brush Traction's own single-engined Type 4 design, to become the BR Class 47
, became the successful contender with 512 locomotives eventually produced. Falcon was an evolutionary dead end - a functional locomotive, worth keeping in service, but there were never going to be more.
From 1965 onwards the locomotive, still owned by Brush, was under contract with British Railways so that operation and repair would be handled by them, with only major repairs being handed back to the builder. Allocated to Bristol Bath Road
alongside the Class 52 'Western' fleet, the locomotive worked Paddington
-Bristol diagrams with them. In 1970, British Rail approached Brush Traction with a proposal to buy the (by now practically worthless) locomotive for its scrap value; this was accepted by Brush, and the loco underwent a rebuild at BREL Swindon
, emerging in corporate Rail Blue with full yellow ends and bearing the new number 1200. Vacuum braking
and steam heating
equipment was removed and air braking
was installed. In this form, Falcon was first allocated to Bristol Bath Road again working alongside Class 52s and later to Newport
Ebbw Junction for use on iron ore trains.
In 1975, the locomotive was deemed uneconomic to operate due to its non-standard status and despite efforts to preserve it, Falcon was broken up in May 1976 at Cashmores of Newport. The story goes that the sale contract between Brush and British Rail forbade the locomotive to be resold for future operation by anyone else.
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...
assigned Class 53 to the single Brush Traction
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.-...
-built prototype locomotive Falcon. While not in any sense a failure, the design was the victim of advances in locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
technology (specifically, the power obtainable from single low-speed diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s) and was never duplicated.
History
The Falcon project began in 1959 to design a new, lightweight diesel-electric Type 4 locomotive for a British Railways' requirement for second generation diesel locomotiveDiesel 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. No single lightweight diesel engine was powerful enough, so the Falcon project used twin German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-designed Maybach
Maybach
Maybach-Motorenbau GmbH is a German luxury car manufacturer. It was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach and his son. The company was originally a subsidiary of Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH and was itself known as Luftfahrzeug-Motorenbau GmbH until 1912.Today, the ultra-luxury car brand is owned by...
MD655 engines like those in the Class 52
British Rail Class 52
British Rail assigned Class 52 to the class of 74 large Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964...
'Western' diesel-hydraulic locomotives of the Western Region. These drove Brush generators
Electrical generator
In electricity generation, an electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. A generator forces electric charge to flow through an external electrical circuit. It is analogous to a water pump, which causes water to flow...
and traction motor
Traction motor
Traction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s, rather than the hydraulic transmission of the 'Westerns'
British Rail Class 52
British Rail assigned Class 52 to the class of 74 large Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964...
.
The prototype, wearing a livery of lime green and chestnut brown and bearing the number D0280 after its Brush project number 280, emerged from Brush's 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...
works in September 1961. Initial testing took place 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...
, based at Finsbury Park, and the London Midland Region
London 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...
, following which it was transferred to the Western Region for power-unit performance testing. Returning to Brush in March 1962, it received cast 'Falcon' nameplate
Nameplate
A nameplate identifies and displays a person or product's name. Name plates are usually shaped as rectangles but are also seen in other shapes, sometimes taking on the shape of someone’s name...
s during an overhaul and upgrade lasting over a year.
Returning to British Railways in 1963, Falcon spent six months working out of Darnall shed, 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...
, on passenger and freight diagrams, after which its testing was completed. Another year out of service followed, the locomotive returning in British Railways in two-tone green with half yellow ends and intended for active service. There was, now, no chance of Falcon being the forerunner of a line of production locomotives. Advances in diesel engine technology made it obsolete almost from the beginning, with the development of larger and reasonably lightweight single powerplants. Brush Traction's own single-engined Type 4 design, to become the BR 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...
, became the successful contender with 512 locomotives eventually produced. Falcon was an evolutionary dead end - a functional locomotive, worth keeping in service, but there were never going to be more.
From 1965 onwards the locomotive, still owned by Brush, was under contract with British Railways so that operation and repair would be handled by them, with only major repairs being handed back to the builder. Allocated to Bristol Bath Road
Bristol Bath Road TMD
Bristol Bath Road TMD was a railway Traction Maintenance Depot situated in Bristol.Originally built for the Bristol and Exeter Railway, it was rebuilt in 1934 by the Great Western Railway. The depot was rebuilt again in the early 1960's as its role changed from maintaining steam locomotives to...
alongside the Class 52 'Western' fleet, the locomotive worked Paddington
Paddington
Paddington is a district within the City of Westminster, in central London, England. Formerly a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965...
-Bristol diagrams with them. In 1970, British Rail approached Brush Traction with a proposal to buy the (by now practically worthless) locomotive for its scrap value; this was accepted by Brush, and the loco underwent a rebuild at BREL Swindon
Swindon Works
Swindon railway works were built by the Great Western Railway in 1841 in Swindon in the English county of Wiltshire.-History:In 1835 Parliament approved the construction of a railway between London and Bristol. Its Chief Engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel.From 1836, Brunel had been buying...
, emerging in corporate Rail Blue with full yellow ends and bearing the new number 1200. Vacuum braking
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...
and steam heating
Steam generator (railroad)
Steam generator is the term used to describe a type of boiler used to produce steam for climate control and potable water heating in railroad passenger cars...
equipment was removed and air braking
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...
was installed. In this form, Falcon was first allocated to Bristol Bath Road again working alongside Class 52s and later to Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
Ebbw Junction for use on iron ore trains.
In 1975, the locomotive was deemed uneconomic to operate due to its non-standard status and despite efforts to preserve it, Falcon was broken up in May 1976 at Cashmores of Newport. The story goes that the sale contract between Brush and British Rail forbade the locomotive to be resold for future operation by anyone else.