Class 47s – where are they now?

FOR almost four decades, the Brush-Sulzer Class 47 was the most common locomotive on the British rail network, their ubiquity leading to several uncomplimentary nicknames and a general lack of passion for the type within enthusiast circles.

Their popularity increased from the 1980s, however, as they gained new liveries, older traction disappeared, and a huge number of namings personalised what had been a homogeneous fleet of almost identical machines. This accelerated as retirements increased over the next two decades, and today they are almost just as likely to get the ‘gen groups’ buzzing as a Class 37. Well, almost.

With 113 examples still around, including the EMD-repowered Class 57s, that is far too many to cover in one article, so this first part will look at the railway company-owned fleet. Part two will cover preserved and main line registered heritage locos, while a future instalment will take a look at the rebuilt ‘Bodysnatchers’.

BR OVERVIEW

Between September 1962 and February 1967, some 512 examples left the workshops of Brush Traction, Loughborough, and British Railways at Crewe, and they were allocated to all regions except the Southern. Their development was unusual in that Brush was designated the principle contractor for what was effectively a revised version of the BRCW/AEI/Sulzer ‘Lion’ prototype No. D0260 – although construction of the first ‘47s’ began before No. D0260 had entered traffic.

Designed to be the ‘Standard’ Type 4 (2,000-2,999 horsepower range), the locos took over from first generation Type 4s such as the EE’s Class 40s and BR ‘Peaks’ Class 45/46s on express services, and supplemented the Western Region hydraulic fleet. Although the bulk were based at London Midland and Eastern sheds, they could be seen almost everywhere in the country, from Scotland to the South, and on almost any kind of service.

Considered reliable, the major issue the class suffered was the leakage of coolant, principally from hoses, pipe connections and around the cylinder liners and heads. Various fixes have been tried over the years, but it has never been solved completely. There were also problems with the steam generators, which were prone to failure, and with corrosion around the base of the cab and on the underslung fuel and boiler water tanks.

“The full fleet of