The British Rail Class 42 Warship diesel-hydraulic locomotives were introduced in 1958. The Western Region of British Railways negotiated a licence with German manufacturers to scale down the German Federal Railway's "V200" design to suit the smaller loading gauge of the British network and construct new locomotives. Each locomotive bore a name: for example D825 was Intrepid. All except D800 and D812 were named after Royal Navy vessels, thus the "Warship diesel" moniker used to refer to the class. The first service route for the class was Paddington–Penzance, either via Swindon and Bristol, or via Newbury and Westbury on the "Berks and Hants" route. This allowed for elimination of steam on the difficult-to-operate railway west of Newton Abbot. Due to practical problems in modernising the class and a decree by BR to withdraw all diesel-hydraulics, the class were withdrawn by the end of 1972. Two have been preserved. |
|
Type of Locomotive |
Diesel-Hydraulic |
Builder |
BR Swindon Works |
Build Dates |
1958 to 1961 |
Total Built |
38 |
Tractive Effort |
48,200 lbf |
Power Output |
2,070 to 2,270 hp |
Top Speed |
90 mph |
Wheel Configuration |
B-B |
Operated By |
British Railways |
Main Duties |
Passenger services |
In Service Until |
1972 |
Surviving Examples |
2 |
Scale | Brand | Image | Construction Type | DCC Capability | Product Code | Product Title | Livery |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale) | ASB Models | RTR/RTUse/Pre-assembled | Not set |
ASB-D604 View |
Class 42 Warship D04 'Cossack' in BR Green | BR green with late crest |