Class 33 (Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company 1,550hp Type 3 Diesel-Electric)

The Class 33 was built for British Rail's Southern Region in the early 1960s as the region's main diesel locomotive. It was based on the earlier Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon locomotives, the Classes 26 and 27 though benefited from the lack of a need for gangway connections so had a much neater cab design [1]. It was also more powerful than the earlier locomotives being a true Type 3 (over 1, 500hp).

D6515 arrives into Kidderminster Town

They were originally intended mostly for freight work but, with good foresight by Southern Region, they were fitted with electric train heating only - indeed the lack of a need to carry a boiler for steam heat had allowed a more powerful diesel to be fitted in the same body shell as the earlier locomotives [2]. They were often to be found on passenger services on the Kent Coast and to Bournemouth and elsewhere.

Information
Number built:	98
Built:	1960-62
Builder:	Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company
Engine:	Sulzer 8LDA28 diesel
Power:	1, 550 hp (1, 156 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	Bo-Bo

Most Class 33s were in the standard 33/0 sub-class, however a number were also fitted for push-pull operations as 33/1 and operated with the 4-TC (Class 438) [3] though could also work with any Southern Region Electro-Pneumatically controlled multiple units and locomotives. 

A batch of locomotives was also reduced in width by 178mm for operation on the Hastings Line with its restricted clearances as the 33/2. Sadly the expense and effort in modifying the design for what turned out to be a small batch of locomotives is said to have contributed to BRCW's bankruptcy in the mid-1960s.



Nowadays a handful of the locomotives, known as Cromptons by enthusiasts after the Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment installed in them, remain in mainline use with the West Coast Railway Company however twenty-nine have been preserved covering all three sub-types.

33 103 in BR Blue at Wirksworth

The difference a repaint makes! 33 103 at Wirksworth again but in BR engineers grey

33 108 and a Class 14 at Kidderminster Town

Side view of D6515

33 035 at Kidderminster Town

[1] Brian Haresnape, Production Diesel-Electrics Types 1-3 (Ian Allan, 1983) p. 58
[2] David Brown, Southern Electric Vol 2 (Capital Transport, 2010) p. 215
[3] John Vaughan, Diesels on the Southern (Ian Allan, 1980) p. 33

Ghana Railways 1851 Class

These locomotives were built by English Electric / AEI Traction for Ghana Railways. The locomotives were very similar to the British Rail Class 37 though had hood type cabs. These locomotives formed the mainstay of the Ghana Railways locomotive fleet for many years.

Being delivered [1]

Information
Number built:	16
Built:	1969-70
Builder:	English Electric / AEI Traction
Motor:	EE 12CSVT Mk II diesel
Power:	1, 850 hp (1, 380 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	Co-Co

However, by 1999 only two remained in service. The last survived in storage between 2003 and 2007 before it was finally scrapped.

[1] Board of Trade Journal, December 1969 p. 1734

Class 360 Desiro

The Class 360 is part of the Desiro family of electric multiple units though unlike their Desiro cousins such as the Class 450 they do not have end unit gangways (though some test units were built with these, later removed [1]). The main batch of these EMUs, the Class 360/1, was built to replace the Class 312 on services out of London Liverpool Street to Clacton-on-Sea, Ipswich and Colchester originally for First Great Eastern but later operated by Greater Anglia.

EMR 360 103 at Corby

Information
Number built:	109 (25 4 or 5 car sets)
Built:	2002-05
Builder:	Siemens
Engine:	1TB2016-0GB02 three-phase traction motors (25kV AC OHLE)
Power:	1, 341 hp (1, 000 kW)
Formation:	360/1: Driving Motor Composite Open (DMCO) +Pantograph Trailer Standard Open (PTSO)+ Trailer Standard Open (TSO)+DMCO 360/2: Driving Motor Standard Open (DMSO) +PTSO+TSO+TSO+DMSO

Another batch (360/2) of 5-car sets was operated by Heathrow Connect on London Paddington - Heathrow stopping services. One was also operated by Heathrow Express on the Heathrow Central -Terminal 4 shuttle. These Heathrow Express units were replaced by the Class 345 in 2020. Greater Anglia's units were replaced by Class 720s around the same time.

The majority (the 360/1 fleet of 21 sets) of the fleet is now operated by East Midlands Railway on the newly electrified Midland Main Line route to Corby. Three other sets are to be used for infrastructure test and development purposes. Two have been scrapped.

Back in Heathrow Express days, 360 205 at Old Oak Common, this unit has been scrapped

360 103 at Kettering

Another view of 360 103

Aboard an EMR 360

360 104 at Corby

[1] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 275

Bradford City Tramways Worm-drive Car

By the 1920s Bradford City Tramways was facing increasing competition from the motor bus. To compete with this new threat an experimental tram was designed and built, the first by the company's own workshops, for quiet operation and to operate at higher speeds than earlier trams. The single decker tram was fully enclosed with a central door. The tram had two bogies, each with it's own motor. The English Electric series-wound motors were designed to reduce the hum associated with earlier motors and were connected to the axles via a worm drive.

The tram in operation [1]

Information
Number built:	1
Built:	1926
Builder:	BCT Thornbury Depot
Motor:	2 English Electric electric motors (DC OHLE)
Power:	126 hp (670 kW) / 1, 350hp (1, 005kW)
Formation:	(175/0) DMSL (Driving Motor Standard Lavatory)+DMSL (175/1) DMSL+MSL (Motor Standard Lavatory)+DMSL

Although the tram was a smooth runner with a good performance it's Achilles heel was it's size, it could seat only thirty four passengers which made it unsuitable for use in peak hours [2]. The tram only served for five years and was scrapped in 1931.

[1] "British car designed for quiet operation", Electric Railway Journal Vol. 60 No. 19 (May 7 1927) p. 817

[2] R.W. Rush, British Electric Tramcar Design (Oxford Publishing, 1976) p. 107

Class 450 Desiro

The Class 450 is part of the Desiro family of EMU and DC electric third rail units that otherwise are very similar to the AC overhead electric Class 350. One hundred and twenty seven sets were built for South West Trains replacing life expired "slam door" VEP and CIG stock [1]. Although they can only be used on third-rail routes they do have space for the retro-fitting of a pantograph if needed in the future. 

SWR 450 111 at Aldershot

Information
Number built:	508 (127 4-car sets)
Built:	2002-7
Builder:	Siemens Transportation
Motor:	4 1TB2016 0GB02 three-phase traction motors (750V DC third rail)
Power:	2, 682 hp (2, 000 kW)
Formation:	Driving Motor Standard Open (DMSO)+Trailer Composite Open (TCO)+Trailer Standard Open (TSO)+Driving Motor Standard Open (DMSO)

The original fleet is known as the Class 450/0 and can carry 242 standard class and twenty four first class passengers, first and some standard class seating is 2+2 with other standard class seating being 2+3.

Twenty eight sets were modified for higher capacity (facilitated by removing first class seats and altering the internal layout) for the London Waterloo-Windsor route [2] in 2008-9 as Class 450/5. First class seating was restored to these units as they were replaced by Class 458/5s on the route from 2013 and the 450/5s rejoined the main fleet.



Originally SWT were to receive a mixed fleet of 450/0s and 450/2s, which were to be five car sets for inner suburban routes, however the idea was dropped due to problems with platform lengths and therefore all Class 450s are four car sets. All sets remain in service with South West Trains' successor South Western Railway who took over operations in the late Summer of 2017 [3]. 

450 015 at Worplesdon

450 055 at Bentley

450 003 at Bagshot

450 003 again, this time at Camberley

450 040 at Martins Heron

[1] John Balmforth, South West Trains (Ian Allan, 2011) p. 62
[2] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 349
[3] Modern Railways (May 2017) p. 24

Class 303 (Pressed Steel ScR Glasgow Suburban Services) AM3

These electric multiple units were introduced for the newly electrified North Clyde and Cathcart Circle lines in Strathclyde. They were later used on other lines in the Glasgow area. The near identical Class 311 was also built later in the 1960s, though by Craven. Together they were known as the Glasgow Blue Trains due to them being in Caledonian Blue livery, though this was replaced by standard BR blue in the 1970s.

AM3 at Westerton [1]

Information
Number built:	273 (91 3-car sets)
Built:	1959-61
Builder:	Pressed Steel
Motor:	4 MV155 traction motors (25kV/6.25kV AC OHLE)
Power:	829 hp (618 kW)
Formation:	DTS (Driving Trailer Second) +MBSO (Motor Brake Second Open) +BDTS (Battery Driving Trailer Second)

The Class 303 was based on the Mark 1 coach and had Metropolitan-Vickers electrical equipment. After some initial teething troubles including an explosion aboard one in 1960 due to an overheating transformer that injured some passengers [2], the Class 303 became the main electric multiple unit in the Glasgow area until the 1980s. Although some withdrawals had already taken place over half of the class were refurbished in the 1980s. Some later were transferred to north west England for awhile. 

However, the Class 303 remained in service in Scotland until the final withdrawal in 2002. One set has been preserved.

[1] Norman Simmons, "Railway review", Airfix Magazine (December 1964) p. 108

[2] Alex Swain, Overhead-line Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1990) p. 34