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| No 1 D2207 08556 12139 55009 |
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D5032 24061 D7541 D7628 50027 |
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This page gives some brief details of the diesel locomotives that can be
found on the NYMR.
Click the thumbnail pictures to see the full version.
The North York Moors Railway publishes a comprehensive Stock Book,
compiled by Margaret Atkins, which gives full details of all the locomotives,
coaches and goods rolling stock on the line.
The Stock Book can be obtained
from the station shops.
After Rolls Royce had obtained a financial stake in Thomas Hill of
Kilnhurst near Rotherham, its Vanguard factory began in 1960 to build a number
of diesel locomotives. Based on Sentinel steam locomotive chassis dimensions,
this design feature no doubt stemmed from the fact that the firm had a long
association with Sentinel as its sales and service agent. Power was provided by
a standard Rolls Royce engine and twin disc torque converter.
Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills obtained 2 of this design for
its Rise Carr Mill. The works are situated on either side of the Darlington to
Bishop Auckland line, thus the two had to be registered for B.R. running across
that route.
D.S.R.M. 1 was new in 1963 and D.S.R.M. 2 came to the
works after demonstration at Firth Brown in Sheffield and the East Midland Gas
Board at Rotherham. Collectively they replaced a four strong steam shunting
fleet and continued in uneventful service until rail traffic ceased at the
works in 1985. Donated to the N.Y.M.R. along with 2 internal user plate wagons,
they arrived in early 1986. Since then, No. 1 has been the carriage shed
shunter at Pickering and in 1992 it was named 'Ron Rothwell' in
honour of a former head of the C & W department. No. 2 has been the second
shunter at New Bridge Engineers Yard. They are popular and strong locomotives
and both carry D.S.R.M. livery.
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Fifteen of these locomotives were built in
1952 and were turned out in the then standard B.R. all black livery as Nos.
11100-03 and 11105-15. (It is unclear why 11104 is missing from this
sequence! When the new numbering scheme involving a D prefix was
introduced in 1957, they became D2200- 2214.
The locomotives were
widely distributed over the B.R. network: e.g. Crewe, Carlisle, Norwich and
Manchester. Indeed, several were fitted with skirts, virtually to rail level,
so that they could be operated on the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. D2204-6, less
exotically perhaps, shared a home with Q6 0-8-0s for many years in the shed at
West Hartlepool. D2205 later served on Middlesborough Dock, initially on hire
from B.R. but later under the ownership of the Tees and Hartlepool Port
Authority.
The class were equipped with
Gardner engines rated at
204 hip, fluid couplings, and five speed epicyclic gearboxes. Over 300 further
locomotives of similar design were built for BR.
D2200 (ex No. 11108)
served as a Works shunter at Crewe Locomotive Works in its later years and it
was from there that it was withdrawn at the end of 1967. It passed to C.A.E.C.
Howard Ltd of Hemel Hempstead, from whom it was acquired in 1973. From that
date it was used as a shed pilot at Grosmont for several years, occasionally
venturing up the line on light passenger trains. It lay out of use for several
years, its return to traffic hampered by a lack of suitable spare parts.
In 1982 it was overhauled and restored to running order, in B.R.
green, and has since seen steady service. This locomotive is now based at New
Bridge Permanent Way Depot.
Following development work before the Second World War, a satisfactory
design for a reliable shunting locomotive was evolved by English Electric.
While all four main line companies tried versions of the design, the L.M.S.,
under its Chief Mechanical Engineer C.E.Fairburn, a former English Electric
man, invested rather more heavily in the concept. With few modifications, BR.
adopted the L.M.S. design as its standard and built almost 1200 at five
workshops. Their numbers began to dwindle, with the steady reduction of local
freight services and the closure of goods depots, especially under the
‘Beeching Plan’. Two examples have been bought for use on the
N.Y.M.R., one each from B.R. and private industry.
Class 08 No. 08556 was
built at Darlington as D3723. This locomotive was sent initially to Kings Cross
Depot, later becoming station pilot at Marylebone and ending its B.R. days at
Willesden M.P.D. It was given its new number in February 1974, withdrawn in May
1985 but reinstated 2 months later and finally withdrawn in June 1990.
Purchased privately on 15th September 1993, it arrived on the N.Y.M.R. on 23
October that year. It has since seen regular use as Grosmont shed pilot,
venturing to Pickering to be turned in February 1994.
'Class 11’ No. 12139 was built by English Electric in 1948, being
one of three purchased by I.C.I. for use at their Wilton complex and named
'Redcar'. Deemed unsuitable for resale to industrial users
because of technical complexities, 'Redcar' was acquired by Mid
Hants Railway volunteers in August 1982 and used for rebuilding work on that
line, until brought to the N.Y.M.R. the following year. Since then it has been
based at Grosmont and used as shed and station pilot, where its higher power
and braking ability make it much more useful than the smaller shunters for such
duties. It has now been repainted in B.R. style black livery, its name Red car
removed, and numbered 12139 in continuation of the L.M.S. built series to which
it bears a close resemblance. Following various repairs which were completed
early in 1992, the engine was later claimed to be ‘as wonderful as
ever!’.
The 22 Deltics, so called because of their unusual triangular engine
block formation, were introduced in 1961, ruled the East Coast Main Line for
two decades and transformed the services. They replaced 55 steam Pacifics and
each Deltic cost £156,000. The class was subject to a complicated
maintenance contract with the English Electric Company, with every failure
being assessed by a joint panel to determine responsibility.
As the
East Coast line was progressively improved and upgraded with the removal of
speed restrictions, the Deltics were able to exploit their capabilities and,
indeed, it is a remarkable fact that it was not until the arrival of ‘The
Hull Executive’ with its 91.3 mph schedule between Kings Cross and
Retford (the fastest train in Britain), that the Deltics found a train that
began to match their abilities.
D9009 entered traffic at Finsbury Park
depot, London, in July 1961 and was named after the 1949 Ascot Gold Cup winner
in the same month. It led an intensive life on principal services from Kings
Cross until the arrival of High Speed Trains in the late 1970s.
The
impending demise of these legendary locomotives, with their distinctive exhaust
note that never fails to stir the blood of the enthusiasts, led to the
formation of the Deltic Preservation Society in 1977, with a view to
ensuring that the class would not disappear for ever. As part of the fund
raising efforts a Deltic Detour Railtour, hauled by Alycidon from Newcastle to
Carnforth via Leeds, was organized on 14 October 1979. As this locomotive was
the last Deltic to receive Works overhaul it survived on B.R. until the end of
the class’ active service. Its last official B.R. duty was to run from
Peterborough to Newcastle and return, in front of the ‘Deltic Scotsman
Farewell’ as standby locomotive on 2 January 1982.
No. 55009 as
it had become on renumbering in January 1974, cost the Deltic Preservation
Society £6550 but the Society elected to pay an additional £10,000
for the locomotive to retain possession of the air brake equipment. Given
attention at Doncaster Works, it was towed to the N.Y.M.R. on 22 August 1982.
During its time here it has seen occasional service on passenger trains.
It was regularly used on a Saturday diesel diagram before leaving by
rail for Wilton in 1989 (behind 37514) to commence a major overhaul. In 1993
B.R. engineers and D.P.S. officials agreed that the locomotive would be
restored to the demanding standards necessary for running on the main line;
however, the owner still sees the N.Y.M.R as its home base.
These Sulzer-engined locomotives, originally designated Type 2 but later
known as Class 24 were one of the most successful designs introduced under the
1955 B.R. Modernization Plan. They were intended for intermediate duties and
were geared for a maximum speed of 75 mph, making them comparable to Class 4
steam locomotives.
A total of 151, carrying numbers D5000-5150, were
constructed in B.R. workshops at Darlington, Derby and Crewe. D5032 is one of
the Crewe built batch, entering traffic in July 1959 at March, Cambridgeshire.
In common with most B.R. diesel locomotives it was widely travelled, being
allocated to Stratford in January 1960, then to Wifiesden in the same year
before moving to Bletchley in 1961. Thereafter the London Midland Region
reallocated their locomotives on a divisional basis as opposed to a particular
depot. Accordingly D5032 saw service from April 1966 in the London (Western)
Division, then from November 1966 the Birmingham Division, the Stoke Division
from August 1967, finally returning to a
home depot again on 6 May 1973
when it became resident at Crewe Diesel Depot. Two haunts of the 24s were the
routes from Inverness to Kyle of Lochaish and to Wick/Thurso, and Gateshead
where an allocation of 10 were based to haul, double headed, the famed Tyne
Dock to Consett iron ore trains.
Withdrawals started in earnest in
1975. D5032 (by now 24032) was withdrawn on l7July 1976, being sold to a
Stockton scrap dealer less than a week later. Fortunately the N.Y.M.R. was able
to secure the locomotive on long-term loan. It has proved to be a reliable
performer, both on regular passenger trains during the running season and on
engineers trains in the winter, though restricted to the latter duties towards
the end of the 1980s. In 1989 it was withdrawn for bogie and traction motor
overhaul and returned to service at the end of 1990. In 1995 it was given a
replacement turbo-charger from
24061.
D5032 carries the name of
the daughter of a director of T.J.Thomson Ltd, from whom the locomotive is on
loan.
The same type of locomotive as D5032 Helen Turner, No. 24061, the second
Class 24 locomotive to have found a home on the N.Y.M.R., was built at Crewe,
entering traffic as D5061 at March on 15 January, 1960. It moved to Willesden
the following October and Rugby a month later, returning to Willesden in March
1961. From July 1961 to August 1966 it was based at Finsbury Park on the
Eastern Region, moving to Haymarket, Edinburgh, in August 1966. It returned to
the London Midland Region with a move to Longsight in January 1968, moving to
the Stoke Division in September of that year before going to Crewe Diesel Depot
in May 1973.
Withdrawn on 10 August 1975 it went to Derby Works 2
months later and took the number TDB 968007 when it was transferred to
departmental stock. The
following July its number was altered to RDB
968007. It was withdrawn for the second time on 18 December 1978 and
transferred to the Railway Technical Centre, Derby, being renumbered 97201 on
18 August 1979 and named Experiment in June 1980. Withdrawn for the third time
on 4 December 1987, it moved to Vic Berry's Yard at Leicester in July 1988
under its own power.
Purchased for preservation, it moved to the
Midland Railway Centre on 19 July, 1991 and later sold to the 24061
Preservation Group, moving to the North Tyneside Railway on 21 August, 1992.
Upon arrival on the N.Y.M.R. on I June 1994, it was first used at Fen Bog for
filming an advertisement for Kit Kat. It is currently being overhauled and
repainted at Grosmont.
The Class 25 was a development of the Class 24, with an uprated engine
of 1250 hp, different electrics, roof mounted indicator boxes, and larger
windows, but without gangway doors. It was a very’ successful design, 324
being built up to 1967, with the B.R. workshops at Darlington and Derby
producing most and 26 coming from Beyer Peacock in Manchester. In 1987, when
the last working examples were being withdrawn from service, the N.Y.M.R.
decided to tender for one of the locomotives and Jos de Crau agreed to purchase
another. Two examples were selected from those at Vic Berry’s Leicester
yard and asbestos was removed by the contractor before the locomotives were
permitted to leave, moving to Grosmont in January 1988.
D7541 was
built at Derby and initially allocated to Toton Depot on 10 April 1965. It
subsequently moved to
Cricklewood in 1965, Longsight in 1968, Preston in
1971, Springs Branch, Wigan in 1973, Carlisle in 1975 and Crewe in 1986. On 2
October 1986 it hauled the new 89001 from Crewe to Litchurch Lane, Derby, and
it was one of the last to venture far into Western Region territory when it
worked a Bridgwater - Sellafield Nuclear Flask train on 20 January 1987. It was
condemned on 18 March 1987, a day after it took the Crewe Inspection Saloon on
a tour of the Cambrian line. It was then towed to Leicester.
Arriving
on the N.Y.M.R. in blue as 25191, its later B.R. number, it regained its
two-tone green livery in time for the 1992 Diesel Day when it was named The
Diana by Lord Downe’s wife, Diana. Later in the year it attended Thornaby
Open Day. For use in the ‘accident’ episode of ‘Heartbeat’
a miniature snow plough was borrowed from Thornaby.
The power for the Class 25 diesel electric locomotives comes from a
Suizer 6LDA-28B six cylinder power unit developing 1250 hp and each locomotive
has four traction motors, one fitted to each wheel set.
The
locomotive structure is of a twin cabbed design and the driving cab is of the
standard British Rail type with the driver's position on the left and his
assistant's on the right. The between cab layout of the locomotive is divided
into three main compartments. The largest section in the centre houses the main
Sulzer power unit with associated generator. This is flanked by two end
compartments, one containing the radiator group and the other the train-heating
boiler. Most auxiliary equipment such as traction motor blowers, air
compressors and vacuum exhausters are positioned in the main engine
compartment.
The railway workshops commenced building Class 25s in
the autumn of 1957 and in 1965 the final order for the class
was given to
Beyer Peacock of Manchester. Sybilla the second of the B.R. Class 25s to be
based on the N.Y.M.R., is one of the batch built by Beyer Peacock. In October
1965 it went new to Tinsley depot (Sheffield), being transferred to Wath in
April 1966.
It moved to the London Midland Region in August 1967,
being allocated to Bescot in 1973, Longsight in 1974, Cricklewood in 1976,
Crewe in 1983, Carlisle in 1984 and back to Crewe in March 1986. Although
recorded as withdrawn on 15 March 1987, it worked a Bescot/Crewe freight 2 days
later. It had been the last of the class to have a general overhaul, at Derby
in January 1981.
D7628, now named Sybilla at the request of its owner
Jos de Crau, was soon repainted in two tone green on arrival on the N.Y.M.R.
and at the same time lost its B.R. number 25278. It has given regular service
on the N.Y.M.R. and received a repaint in the same two tone green livery in the
winter of 1993/1994.
Developed from the experimental DP2, the 50 locomotives of Class 50 were
built by English Electric in 1967/68 and initially leased to B.R., being
numbered D401-D450 and used, often in pairs, on the West Coast Main Line north
of Crewe. Following electrification from Weaver Junction to Glasgow SouthEast
they were transferred to the Western Region and given names of ships of the
Royal Navy, some of which had earlier been carried by ‘Warship’
locomotives. The first visit of a Class 50 to the N.Y.M.R. was by 50031 Hood in
September 1993.
D427 was completed in June 1968, entering traffic
from Crewe and being displayed at Crewe Open Day on 19 April 1970. It was
transferred to the Western Region in March 1974 going to Bristol (Bath Road)
initially and it is believed to have been the first of its class to reach
Penzance, on 19 March 1974. It moved to Plymouth Laira Depot in May of that
year and was named Lion on 14 April 1978. The locomotive was loaned to Saltley
Depot, Birmingham, for crew training in January 1981. Moving to Old Oak
Common in 1982, it was one of the last four to be overhauled at Doncaster
the following year. It acquired Network SouthEast livery in December 1987. On 9
July 1991 it was taken to Canton Depot, Cardiff, for wheel reprofiling but
withdrawn only 14 days later following a main generator flashover.
When purchased by the 50027 Supporters Group, it was first taken to
the Mid Hants Railway. In 1994, after a protracted journey north which included
visits to the Exeter Railfair, Worcester Open Day, a lengthy stay at Hereford
and an appearance at Crewe Basford Hall Open Day, it was brought to the
N.Y.M.R. for use in high-fire risk conditions having considerably more power
than a 25 an thus able to haul a full passenger train with a steam locomotive
attached, should the need arise. After various test runs it was employed as a
pilot to steam locomotives during a period of high fire risk in August 1995. It
has since worked a number of driver training services and in 1996 operated
additional services on summer Saturdays.
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