Yorkshire Engine Company Taurus

Taurus was a diesel-hydraulic locomotive developed by the Yorkshire Engine Company trip freight work and heavy shunting. It had two Rolls Royce diesel engines, only one being used at very slow speeds. Taurus was demonstrated on British Railways in 1961-2 though no orders arised, but in any event the kind of duties a locomotive such as Taurus could be used for were soon to disappear.

Taurus on test [1]

Information
Number built:	2
Built:	1961-63
Builder:	Yorkshire Engine Company
Motor:	2 Rolls Royce C8SFL diesels
Power:	600 hp (450 kW)
Formation:	0-8-0DH

With a glut of ex-BR shunting locomotives entering the market in the late 1960s, the Yorkshire Engine Company found it difficult to sell Taurus to any industrial users. A second Taurus was built however, this was for the Spanish railway operator RENFE and was to 1668mm gauge. No other orders were forthcoming though the Spanish Taurus has survived into preservation.

A similar type built by the Yorkshire Engine Company was the Indus. This was very similar to the Taurus though had a similar gearbox (the differential compound gearbox of Taurus having proved to be problematical - indeed the Spanish Taurus was given the Indus gearbox). Two Indus were built for industrial users and survived into the 1980s.

Taurus under construction [1]

[1] "The Taurus multi-purpose locomotive", International Railway Journal Vol. 1 Issue 5 (1961) p. 16

Class 02 (Yorkshire Engine Co 170hp Diesel-Hydraulic)

Into the 1960s British Rail continued to have a number of goods yards with very tight radius curves which required locomotives (and indeed rolling stock) with short wheel bases. The Class 02 locomotives were built to replace 0-4-0ST "Pug" steam locomotives mostly at dockyards in the Liverpool area [1] but also at other locations in London Midland Region such as Burton-on-Trent [2] and Fleetwood [3].

D2868 at Barrow Hill Roundhouse

Information
Number built:	20
Built:	1960
Builder:	Yorkshire Engine Company
Engine:	Rolls Royce C6 diesel
Power:	170 hp (130 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	0-4-0

These neat little diesel hydraulic locomotives were designed to be similar in size, weight and flexibility to the little steam engines they replaced. An interesting part of their design was that cab access was via a platform at the rear, the only production class of locomotive built for British Rail to have this feature [4].

As with many shunters though they soon were becoming surplus to requirements as the nature of the freight business changed and many marshalling yards closed. Withdrawals began in 1969, though a small number did see service into the early 1970s and carried TOPS numbers. All were withdrawn by 1975, some of these shunters were sold onto further service with industrial users. Seven have been preserved (one with the National Collection) which is a good proportion of what was only a small number built.

D2854 at the Heritage Shunters Trust

02 003 at Barrow Hill

A Class 02 being rebuilt at the Heritage Shunters Trust

D2854 ahead of some fellow shunters

Another view of 02 003

[1] Brian Haresnape, Diesel Shunters (Ian Allan, 1984) p. 63
[2] David Dunn, D for Diesels 10 (Booklaw Publications, 2015) p. 16
[3] David Dunn, D for Diesels 11 (Booklaw Publications, 2016) p. 47
[4] Heritage Shunters Trust Stock List May 2015 p. 2

Port of London Authority Shunters

The London docks, later the Port of London Authority, maintained an extensive railway network with a fleet of steam industrial locomotives. In the early 1960s the remaining steam locomotives were replaced by six new diesel-electric shunters built by the Yorkshire Engine Company [1]. 

Four of the PLA YEC diesels [1]

Information
Number built:	6
Built:	1961
Builder:	Yorkshire Engine Company
Motor:	Rolls Royce C6 diesel
Power:	220 hp (164 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	0-4-0DE

The locomotives remained in service until declining traffic, largely due to containerisation of maritime cargo, led to the closure of the PLA railway network in 1970.

[1] "Steamers pass from the scene", Meccano Magazine (January 1962) p. 12