British Rail Class 21
Encyclopedia
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.
Since 2007, the Class 21 TOPS
classification has been reused for new Vossloh G1206 locomotives acquired by Euro Cargo Rail
/EWS.
. Repeat orders resulted in a total of 58 of the diesel-electric locomotives being built (numbered D6100–6157). They were delivered between December 1958 and November 1960.
depots at Stratford, Hornsey and Ipswich engine shed
on commuter services into London, where they were evaluated against rival designs from English Electric
, British Railways
, Birmingham RC&W
and Brush
. They were only used in this area for one or two years before all being transferred to the Scottish Region at Glasgow Eastfield.
. They were joined on the Scottish Region by the first 38 locos, which were allocated to Glasgow Eastfield depot, close to the North British factory at Springburn where they had been built. They were used widely across the Scottish Region on a range of work, freight, local passenger and express passenger, the latter sometimes in pairs.
work was required. However, the North British Locomotive Works closed in 1962, by which time the type's principal shortcomings had become plain. In particular there were problems with the coupling between the power unit and the generator. The engines themselves were a MAN
design, but which were built under licence by NBL and of inferior quality to the German originals.
engines to form Class 29
.
, where it languished until 1980 before being broken up. None have survived.
North British Locomotive Company
The North British Locomotive Company was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp Stewart and Company , Neilson, Reid and Company and Dübs and Company , creating the largest locomotive manufacturing company in Europe.Its main factories were...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
for British Railways in 1958-1960.
Since 2007, the Class 21 TOPS
TOPS
Total Operations Processing System, or TOPS, is a computer system for managing the locomotives and rolling stock owned by a rail system...
classification has been reused for new Vossloh G1206 locomotives acquired by Euro Cargo Rail
Euro Cargo Rail
Euro Cargo Rail is a French rail freight operator formed in 2005 as a subsidiary of English, Welsh and Scottish Railway .-History:Euro Cargo Rail was founded in February 2005, in April 2005 EWS InternationalEWS International was the division of EWS responsible for operations through the Channel...
/EWS.
Description
Under the British Railways Modernisation Plan, a batch of ten 1000 hp diesel-electric locomotives were ordered from the North British Locomotive Co. for evaluation under BR's dieselisation pilot scheme. At the same time, six externally similar locomotives employing hydraulic transmission were ordered for comparison, these becoming Class 22British 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...
. Repeat orders resulted in a total of 58 of the diesel-electric locomotives being built (numbered D6100–6157). They were delivered between December 1958 and November 1960.
Eastern Region
The first 38 locomotives entered service in 1958-59 from the Eastern RegionEastern 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...
depots at Stratford, Hornsey and Ipswich engine shed
Ipswich engine shed
Ipswich engine shed was an engine shed located in Ipswich in Suffolk in the UK on the Great Eastern Main Line located just south of Stoke tunnel and the current Ipswich railway station. Locomotives accessed the site from Halifax Junction which was also the junction for the Griffin Wharf branch of...
on commuter services into London, where they were evaluated against rival designs from English Electric
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...
, British Railways
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...
, Birmingham RC&W
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...
and Brush
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 :...
. They were only used in this area for one or two years before all being transferred to the Scottish Region at Glasgow Eastfield.
Scottish Region
The final 20 locomotives had uprated 1100 hp engines and were delivered to Kittybrewster depot on the Scottish RegionScottish 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...
. They were joined on the Scottish Region by the first 38 locos, which were allocated to Glasgow Eastfield depot, close to the North British factory at Springburn where they had been built. They were used widely across the Scottish Region on a range of work, freight, local passenger and express passenger, the latter sometimes in pairs.
Problems
They proved to be unreliable in service, and by the end of 1960 the Eastern Region fleet was transferred to Eastfield depot on the Scottish Region for convenience of return to their manufacturer when warrantyWarranty
In business and legal transactions, a warranty is an assurance by one party to the other party that specific facts or conditions are true or will happen; the other party is permitted to rely on that assurance and seek some type of remedy if it is not true or followed.In real estate transactions, a...
work was required. However, the North British Locomotive Works closed in 1962, by which time the type's principal shortcomings had become plain. In particular there were problems with the coupling between the power unit and the generator. The engines themselves were a MAN
MAN B&W Diesel
MAN Diesel SE was a provider of large-bore diesel engines for marine propulsion systems and power plant applications. MAN Diesel employs over 7,700 staff, primarily in Germany, Denmark, France, the Czech Republic, India and China...
design, but which were built under licence by NBL and of inferior quality to the German originals.
Rebuilding
In an attempt to improve reliability 20 locomotives, (D6100–03, D6106-D6108, D6112–D6114, D6116, D6119, D6121, D6123, D6124, D6129, D6130, D6133, D6134 and D6137), were re-engined between 1963 and 1965 with 1350 hp PaxmanPaxman (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...
engines to form 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...
.
Withdrawal
The remaining 38 locomotives retained their original NBL/MAN engines until they were withdrawn from service between December 1967 and August 1968 and sold for scrap. Most were cut up by Scottish scrap dealers McWilliams of Shettleston or Barnes and Bell of Coatbridge, but locomotive D6122 was sold to Woodham Brothers scrapyard in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, South WalesSouth Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, where it languished until 1980 before being broken up. None have survived.
Sources
- Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, summer 1966 edition