British Rail Class 05
Encyclopedia
The British Rail
Class 05 is a class of 0-6-0
diesel-mechanical
shunters
built by Hunslet Engine Company
from 1955 to 1961. They were used on the Eastern
and Scottish
Regions of British Railways. Initially they were numbered 11136-11176 and, later, D2550-D2619.
The British Rail Class D2/5
built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. also received the TOPS
class number 05.
and 04
but there was one exception. This was D2554 which was transferred to the Isle of Wight
in 1966 to aid the electrification of the Island Line
. Shortly afterwards it was given the TOPS
number 05001. This shunter was the only one to receive a TOPS number. The main reason for this was that all the others were replaced and that it was best suited for the island. It remained in service until about 1985 before being sold to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
, Havenstreet
.
Didcot Railway Centre
has an industrial example (numbered DL26 and built to the same design as a Class 05) preserved after being used by the National Coal Board
in the northeast. The Isle of Wight Steam Railway's own 05001/D2554 can be seen frequently but unfortunately it cannot run passenger trains, due to the Island's unique vintage air braked
rolling stock
.
through a Hunslet patent
friction clutch
. Final drive is via a Hunslet reversing gearbox and jackshaft
.
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...
Class 05 is a class of 0-6-0
0-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...
diesel-mechanical
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...
shunters
Switcher
A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...
built by Hunslet Engine Company
Hunslet Engine Company
The Hunslet Engine Company is a British locomotive-building company founded in 1864 at Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by John Towlerton Leather, a civil engineering contractor, who appointed James Campbell as his Works Manager.In 1871, James Campbell bought the company for...
from 1955 to 1961. They were used on the Eastern
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...
and Scottish
Scottish Region of British Railways
The Scottish Region was one of the six regions created on British Railways and consisted of ex-London, Midland and Scottish Railway and ex-London and North Eastern Railway lines in Scotland...
Regions of British Railways. Initially they were numbered 11136-11176 and, later, D2550-D2619.
The British Rail Class D2/5
British Rail Class D2/5
British Rail Class D2/5 was a locomotive commissioned by British Rail in England. It was a diesel powered locomotive in the pre-TOPS period built by Andrew Barclay with a Gardner engine.-Sources:...
built by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co. also received the TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
class number 05.
Overview
Most were withdrawn early and replaced by classes 03British Rail Class 03
The British Rail Class 03 locomotive is, together with Class 04, one of BR's most successful smaller 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunters. The class, numbering 230 examples, was built by British Railways' Swindon and Doncaster works in 1957-1962 and numbered D2000-D2199 and D2370-D2399...
and 04
British Rail Class 04
The British Rail Class 04 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunting locomotive class was built between 1952 and 1962 and was the basis for the later Class 03 built in the British Railways workshops. The Class 04 locomotives were supplied by the Drewry Car Co., which at the time had no manufacturing...
but there was one exception. This was D2554 which was transferred to the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in 1966 to aid the electrification of the Island Line
Island Line, Isle of Wight
The Island Line is a railway line on the Isle of Wight, running some from Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin down the eastern side of the island. The line was electrified in 1967. Trains connect with passenger ferries to Portsmouth Harbour at Ryde Pier Head, and these ferries in turn connect with the...
. Shortly afterwards it was given the TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
number 05001. This shunter was the only one to receive a TOPS number. The main reason for this was that all the others were replaced and that it was best suited for the island. It remained in service until about 1985 before being sold to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
The Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...
, Havenstreet
Havenstreet
Havenstreet is a village on the Isle of Wight, located about 2 miles southwest of Ryde.The Isle of Wight Steam Railway Museum is in Havenstreet, along with a station. Every year, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway runs a "Santa Express" train from Wootton to Havenstreet, which is a centre of...
.
Didcot Railway Centre
Didcot Railway Centre
Didcot Railway Centre, located in the town of Didcot in the English county of Oxfordshire, is based around the site of a comprehensive "engine shed" which became redundant after the nationalisation of the UK railways, due to the gradual changeover from steam to diesel motive power.-Description:The...
has an industrial example (numbered DL26 and built to the same design as a Class 05) preserved after being used by the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
in the northeast. The Isle of Wight Steam Railway's own 05001/D2554 can be seen frequently but unfortunately it cannot run passenger trains, due to the Island's unique vintage air braked
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...
rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
.
Technical details
The engine is a Gardner 8-cylinder, 4 stroke 8L3 of 204 hp (152 kW) connected to a Hunslet 4-speed gearboxTransmission (mechanics)
A machine consists of a power source and a power transmission system, which provides controlled application of the power. Merriam-Webster defines transmission as: an assembly of parts including the speed-changing gears and the propeller shaft by which the power is transmitted from an engine to a...
through a Hunslet patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
friction clutch
Clutch
A clutch is a mechanical device which provides for the transmission of power from one component to another...
. Final drive is via a Hunslet reversing gearbox and jackshaft
Jackshaft
A jackshaft is a device for turning the wheels of a locomotive. It is essentially an axle with no wheels. Each end of the jackshaft has a crank pin and a counterweight. The driving wheels are then connected by side rods. The name may come from a combination of "jack," a slang term for a locomotive,...
.
Preservation
Four class 05 Diesel Shunters have been preserved:- D2554 "Nuclear Fred" at Isle of Wight Steam RailwayIsle of Wight Steam RailwayThe Isle of Wight Steam Railway is a heritage railway on the Isle of Wight. The railway passes through 5½ miles of unspoiled countryside from to station, passing through the small village of Havenstreet, where the line has a station, headquarters and a depot...
. This engine has, at various times, carried the numbers 11140, 05001 and 97803 - D2578 "Cider Queen", privately preserved
- D2587 by Heritage Shunters TrustHeritage Shunters TrustHeritage Shunters Trust is a trading name of The South Yorkshire Railway Co. Ltd. which was founded in 1989. HST is a railway preservation society and is the only preservation society that solely specialises in the preservation of diesel shunters in the UK...
- D2595 at Ribble Steam RailwayRibble Steam RailwayThe Ribble Steam Railway is a standard gauge preserved railway in Lancashire, in the United Kingdom. It was opened to the public on 17 September 2005, running along Preston Docks,...