THIS year marks the 60th anniversary of the entry into traffic of the BRCW/AEI/Sulzer Type 4 diesel-electric prototype No. D0260, more commonly referred to by its name Lion.
The early 1960s was a time when Britain’s railway manufacturers were buoyant, largely with full order books and looking forward to the prospects of mass orders for new Type 4 diesels to replace the remaining steam locos still in use on express passenger and heavy freight services.
The British Transport Commission, after evaluation of the locomotives produced so far, favoured a Co-Co design (two bogies, each with three powered axles) with an output of around 2750hp (with English Electric and Sulzer as the two most likely engine manufacturers). It confirmed this general requirement on January 15, 1960, and invitations for tender were sent out on May 11. Bids were received from Brush, English Electric, the North British Locomotive Co, and BRCW/AEI/Sulzer.
The bids were reviewed on September 15, with that for Lion quoting a price of £103,202, which the BTC’s technical committee accepted on September 23. The board was said to be impressed with the simple design and that, if necessary, it could have been manufactured in BR’s own workshops. However, if Lion had been chosen for fleet orders, 60% would have been manufactured by BRCW at Smethwick, the remainder by Metro-Cammell and AEI.
The Brush bid (‘Alternative A’, and also Sulzer-powered) was more expensive at £107,250 (with another £3000 for the optional electric train heating) and deemed not to have any significant technical advantages over the BRCW/AEI/Sulzer bid. Brush also submitted a bid at £95,250 (plus ETH add-on) powered by an English Electric 2600hp 16CSVT engine, but this was considered to be not powerful enough.
English Electric itself lodged a bid priced at £107,376, but this was also deemed as
