LMS Route: Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street

LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Saltley Shed: mrsalt1599

A pair of Brush Traction Co-Co diesel-electric locomotives, D1108 and D1516, create a lot of clag over Saltley on 17th July 1968. developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British mainline diesel locomotive. Despite the construction of two demonstration locomotives (D0260 'Lion', produced by AEI and BRC&W using a Sulzer engine) and D0280 'Falcon', built by Brush Traction using Maybach engines), the need for a large number of locomotives quickly was deemed paramount, and the pilot build of what would become Class 47 began before the prototypes could be comprehensively assessed. This initial build of twenty locomotives (No D1500 to No D1519) were mechanically different from the remainder of the type and would be withdrawn earlier. However, based on these and the success of 'Lion', an order for two-hundred and seventy locomotives was made, which was later revised upwards a number of times to reach the final total of 512.

back