British Railways

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...

, later British Rail, used a list of power classifications in order to categorise its main line diesel locomotive fleet. This list depended on the power output of the locomotive, and classes are listed below. A common misconception is that the first digit of the class number shows the type. This is usually correct (e.g. a Class 47 is a Type 4) but occasionally incorrect (e.g. a Class 31 is a Type 2).

Type 1

Locomotives classed as Type 1 were of 1,000bhp or below.

• Class 14
  British Rail Class 14
  The British Rail Class 14 is a type of small diesel-hydraulic locomotive built in the mid-1960s. Twenty-six of these 0-6-0 locomotives were ordered in January 1963, to be built at British Railways Swindon Works. The anticipated work for this class was yard shunting, trip work and short distance...
  
  
• Class 15
  British Rail Class 15
  The British Rail Class 15 diesel locomotives, 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.- Design history :...
  
  
• 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....
  
  
• 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 ....
  
  
• 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...
  
  
• Certain members of Class 21
  British Rail Class 21
  The British Rail Class 21 was a type of Type 2 diesel-electric locomotive built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow for British Railways in 1958-1960....
  
  
• Certain members of Class 22
  British Rail Class 22
  The British Rail Class 22 or "Baby Warship" was a class of diesel-hydraulic locomotives designed for the Western Region of British Railways and built by the North British Locomotive Company. They were very similar in appearance to the Class 21 diesel-electrics...
  
  

Type 2

Locomotives classed as Type 2 produced between 1,001bhp and 1,499bhp.

• Certain members of Class 21
  British Rail Class 21
  The British Rail Class 21 was a type of Type 2 diesel-electric locomotive built by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow for British Railways in 1958-1960....
  
  
• Certain members of Class 22
  British Rail Class 22
  The British Rail Class 22 or "Baby Warship" was a class of diesel-hydraulic locomotives designed for the Western Region of British Railways and built by the North British Locomotive Company. They were very similar in appearance to the Class 21 diesel-electrics...
  
  
• Class 23
  British Rail Class 23
  The British Rail Class 23 were a class of ten Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives built by the English Electric Company in 1959. The power unit used was a Napier Deltic T9-29 9-cylinder engine of driving an EE generator, which powered the four traction motors...
  
  
• Class 24
  British Rail Class 24
  The British Rail Class 24 diesel locomotives, also known as the Sulzer Type 2, were built from 1958 to 1961. One hundred and fifty-one of these locomotives were built at Derby, Crewe and Darlington, the first twenty of them as part of the British Rail 1955 Modernisation Plan. This class was used as...
  
  
• Class 25
  British Rail Class 25
  The British Rail Class 25 diesel locomotives were also known as Sulzer Type 2 and nicknamed Rats, as it was alleged they could be seen everywhere in Britain, and hence were "as common as rats"...
  
  
• Class 26
  British Rail Class 26
  The British Rail Class 26 diesel locomotives, also known as the BRCW Type 2, were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company at Smethwick in 1958-59. Forty seven examples were built, and the last were withdrawn from service in 1993...
  
  
• Class 27
  British Rail Class 27
  British Rail's Class 27 comprised 69 diesel locomotives built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company during 1961 and 1962. They were a development of the earlier Class 26; both were originally classified as the BRCW Type 2.- Usage :...
  
  
• Class 28
  British Rail Class 28
  The British Rail Class 28 diesel locomotives, or 'Metrovicks' as they were popularly known, were built as part of the British Railways 1955 Modernisation Plan. The locomotives had a Co-Bo wheel arrangement – unique in British Railways practice though not uncommon in other countries, notably Japan...
  
  
• Class 29
  British Rail Class 29
  The British Rail Class 29 were a class of 20 diesel-electric Bo'Bo' locomotives produced by the re-engining of the British Rail Class 21 units. The units were designed for both passenger and freight trains...
  
  
• Class 30/31
  British Rail Class 31
  The British Rail Class 31 diesel locomotives, also known as the Brush Type 2 and originally as Class 30, were built by Brush Traction from 1957-62.- Description :...
  
  

Type 3

Locomotives classed as Type 3 produced between 1,500bhp and 1,999bhp.

• Class 33
  British Rail Class 33
  The British Rail Class 33 also known as the BRCW Type 3 or Crompton is a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives ordered in 1957 and built for the Southern Region of British Railways between 1960 and 1962....
  
  
• Class 35
  British Rail Class 35
  The British Rail Class 35 is a class of mixed-traffic B-B diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission. Because of their Mekydro-design hydraulic transmission units, the locomotives became known as the Hymeks....
  
  
• Class 37
  British Rail Class 37
  The British Rail Class 37 is a diesel-electric locomotive. Also known as the English Electric Type 3, the Class was ordered as part of the British Rail modernisation plan....
  
  

Type 4

Locomotives classed as Type 4 produced between 2,000bhp and 2,999bhp.

• Class 40
  British Rail Class 40
  The British Rail Class 40 is a type of British railway diesel locomotive. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet...
  
  
• Class 41
  British Rail Class 41
  There have been two distinct types of British Rail locomotive that are referred to as Class 41.*The Prototype 'Warship Class' locomotives, which in fact were never assigned a TOPS classification.*The Prototype High Speed Train power cars...
  
  
• Class 42
  British Rail Class 42
  British Railways' Type 4 Warship class diesel-hydraulic locomotives were introduced in 1958. It was apparent at that time that the largest centre of expertise on diesel-hydraulic locomotives was in Germany...
  
  
• Class 43
  British Rail Class 43 (Warship Class)
  The British Rail Class 43 diesel-hydraulic locomotives were built by the North British Locomotive Company from 1960–1962.-Classification:...
  
  
• Class 44
  British Rail Class 44
  The British Rail Class 44 or Sulzer Type 4 diesel locomotives were built by British Railways' Derby Works between 1959 to 1960. They were named after British mountains, and consequently nicknamed Peaks.-Description:...
  
  
• Class 45
  British Rail Class 45
  The British Rail Class 45 also known as the Sulzer Type 4 diesel locomotives were built by British Rail at their Derby and Crewe Works between 1960 and 1962...
  
  
• Class 46
  British Rail Class 46
  The British Rail Class 46 is a class of diesel locomotive. They were built from 1961-1963 at British Railways' Derby Works and were initially numbered D138-D193. With the arrival of TOPS they were renumbered to Class 46. Fifty-six locomotives were built...
  
  
• 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...
  
  
• Class 48
  British Rail Class 48
  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...
  
  
• Class 50
  British Rail Class 50
  The British Rail Class 50 is a diesel locomotive built from 1967-68 by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry Works in Newton-le-Willows. Fifty of these locomotives were built to haul express passenger trains on the, then non-electrified, section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe,...
  
  
• 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...
  
  
• Class 53
  British Rail Class 53
  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 and was never duplicated.- History :The Falcon project began in 1959 to design a new, lightweight...
  
  

Type 5

Locomotives classed as Type 5 produced 3,000bhp or more.

• Class 55
  British Rail Class 55
  The British Rail Class 55 is a class of diesel locomotive built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric. They were designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between and Edinburgh. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic, which...
  
  
• Class 56
  British Rail Class 56
  The British Rail Class 56 is a type of diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight work. It is a Type 5 locomotive, with a Ruston-Paxman power unit developing 3,250 bhp , and has a Co-Co wheel arrangement...
  
  
• Class 57
  British Rail Class 57
  The Class 57 diesel locomotives were introduced by Brush Traction between 1997-2004. They are rebuilds, with reconditioned EMD engines, of former Class 47 locomotives, originally introduced in 1964-5.- Description :...
  
  
• Class 58
  British Rail Class 58
  The British Rail Class 58 is a class of Co-Co diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight. Introduced in 1983, they followed American practice of modularisation. From new they were painted in grey Railfreight Sector livery, instead of BR blue...
  
  
• Class 59
  British Rail Class 59
  The Class 59 Co-Co diesel locomotives were built and introduced between 1985 and 1995 by Electro-Motive Division of General Motors for private British companies, initially Foster Yeoman...
  
  
• Class 60
  British Rail Class 60
  The British Rail Class 60 is a class of Co-Co heavy freight diesel-electric locomotives built by Brush Traction. They are nicknamed Tugs by Rail Enthusiasts.-History:...
  
  
• Class 66
  British Rail Class 66
  The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies...
  
  
• Class 67
  British Rail Class 67
  The Class 67 locomotives are a class of Bo'Bo' diesel electric mainline locomotives which were built for the English, Welsh and Scottish Railway between 1999 to 2000 by Alstom at Meinfesa in Valencia, Spain with drive components from General Motors Diesel.Rail enthusiasts have nicknamed the class...
  
  
• Class 70
  British Rail Class 70 (diesel)
  The General Electric PowerHaul is a type of six axle Co-Co mainline freight locomotive manufactured by General Electric in Erie, Pennsylvania, and also assembled under licence by Tulomsas of Turkey and to be produced by UGL Limited in Australia....