GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Handsworth & Smethwick: gwrhs1593

A pair of British Railways Class 40 locomotives, D235 and D216 'Campania' are seen passing Handsworth junction on 30th May 1965. Whilst the former GWR route to London carried the majority of the diverted traffic during the electrification of the West Coast Main Line, other traffic bound for the North West of England were also routed north of Snow Hill. The above two locomotives are at the head of the 12:35pm Snow Hill to Blackpool service. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet. Despite their initial success, by the time the last examples were entering service they were already being replaced on some top-link duties by more powerful locomotives. As they were slowly relegated from express passenger uses, the type found work on secondary passenger and freight services where they worked for many years, the final locomotives being retired from regular service in 1985.

back