The handsome ‘Hymeks’
HISTORY, on the face of it, appears a little unkind to the ‘Hymeks’. They were not the longest serving diesel-hydraulic used by British Rail, nor were they as high profile as their larger ‘Warship’ and ‘Western’ cousins, and their main diesel-electric rival is still in service today, more than 45 years after the last ‘Hymek’ was withdrawn.
But these simple statements paint an inaccurate picture. The ‘Hymeks’ were handsome, versatile locomotives, well liked by crews and – despite being in service for just 14 years – were arguably BR’s most successful diesel-hydraulic. In fact, 60 years on from their introduction, their legacy could have been so much better had a series of ‘what-ifs’ gone their way.
BR’s Western Region is well documented for its almost maverick ‘go it alone’ policy, which in the modernisation era saw it opt for diesel-hydraulic technology rather than the diesel-electrics locos chosen by the other regions.
By the end of the 1950s, the WR was already using diesel-hydraulics in the Type 2 (1,001-1,400hp) and Type 4 (2,000-2,999hp) power ranges, and there was a growing need for a mixed traffic machine in the intermediate Type 3 (1,500-1,999hp) range.
So it was that in 1959, the British Transport Commission (BTC) authorised £3.6 million for a fleet of 45 Type 3 diesel-hydraulic locomotives, and the order was won in June that year by Beyer Peacock (Hymek)
