British Rail 11001
Encyclopedia
11001 was one of the first British Railways diesel locomotive
s, built in 1949 at British Railways' Ashford Works
. It was designed by O. V. S. Bulleid
when he was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway
. It was powered by a Paxman
RPH Series 1 engine, capable of delivering 500 bhp at 1,250 rpm. It was driven via a Vulcan Sinclair fluid coupling to an SSS (Synchro-Self-Shifting) Powerflow gearbox. The gearbox provided three forward and reverse gears in either high or low range, with top speed ranging from 5 mph (8 km/h) in 1st gear, low range up to 36 mph (58 km/h). It had an 0-6-0 wheel formation.
Its main duties were on branch lines and shunting. It survived until 1959, when it was withdrawn in August and cut up at Ashford Works in December.
Oddly, the locomotive's controls were laid out as in a steam locomotive
, because there were at that time no drivers with experience of driving diesel engines.
Diesel 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, built in 1949 at British Railways' Ashford Works
Ashford railway works
Ashford railway works was in the town of Ashford in the county of Kent in England.-South Eastern Railway:Ashford locomotive works was built by the South Eastern Railway on a new site in 1847, replacing an earlier locomotive repair facility at New Cross in London...
. It was designed by O. V. S. Bulleid
Oliver Bulleid
Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid was a British railway and mechanical engineer best known as the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway between 1937 and the 1948 nationalisation, developing many well-known locomotives.- Early life and Great Northern Railway :He was born in Invercargill,...
when he was Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
. It was powered by a Paxman
Paxman (engines)
Paxman is a major British brand of diesel engines. Ownership has changed on a number of occasions since the company's formation in 1865, and now the brand is owned by MAN SE, as part of MAN Diesel & Turbo. At its peak, the Paxman works covered 23 acres and employed over 2,000 people. Engine...
RPH Series 1 engine, capable of delivering 500 bhp at 1,250 rpm. It was driven via a Vulcan Sinclair fluid coupling to an SSS (Synchro-Self-Shifting) Powerflow gearbox. The gearbox provided three forward and reverse gears in either high or low range, with top speed ranging from 5 mph (8 km/h) in 1st gear, low range up to 36 mph (58 km/h). It had an 0-6-0 wheel formation.
Its main duties were on branch lines and shunting. It survived until 1959, when it was withdrawn in August and cut up at Ashford Works in December.
Oddly, the locomotive's controls were laid out as in a steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
, because there were at that time no drivers with experience of driving diesel engines.