British Type 3 Diesel Locomotives: Classes 33, 35, 37 and upgraded 31

By David Cable

The Type 3 Diesel Locomotive album comprises over 200, mainly unpublished, full sized colour photographs of four classes of British engines, developed in the earlier years of the Modernisation Plan.The Type 3 included four classes of locomotive of medium power output, which undertook a wide range of duties from Main line and local passenger services, various freight duties and departmental work. Several are still in use on the national network, and can be seen in various parts of the countryThe Book has been compiled by David Cable, who has authored a range of very successful colour albums for Pen and Sword Books Ltd. The photos illustrate the many duties and colour schemes of the classes in a variety of locations and colour schemes of the classes in a variety of locations, using largely unpublished photographs from his extensive collection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781473899704

David Cable

David Cable was born in 1929, and lives in Hartley Wintney, Hampshire. He has had an interest in trains since the age of three, which developed into an interest in train photography in 1947. David is the author of many photo albums, covering modern traction in the UK since the 1960s, as well as volumes based on his visits to the other countries over the last 40 years. He has visited countries throughout Europe, North America and Australia, as well as some Far Eastern countries and Morocco.

Book preview

BRITISHTYPE 3 DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES

Introduction

The British Railways designation Type 3 covered diesel locomotives in the horse power range from 1500-1999. It encompassed TOPS classes 33, 35 and 37. However, for the purposes of this book, the power range has been stretched slightly down to 1470 HP, so as to include the class 31.

The type 3s were all very much mixed traffic locomotives, each being produced by a different manufacturer, and encompassing three different wheel arrangements. Their appearances were each distinctive one from another. Two designs were exclusively allocated to a particular region. Developed in conjunction with the British Railways Modernisation Plan, they have, and in many cases, some have continued to perform their duties over a 50-year period, a testament to their original design and manufacture.

Class 31

Built by Brush Traction in the period 1957-1962, the class numbered 263 units. They were carried on two three axle bogies, with and A-1-A configuration, the centre axle being an idler, the outer pair being powered.

Originally powered by Mirrlees diesel engines of 1250 and 1365 HP (and at that stage described as class 30 under TOPS), which proved to be unsatisfactory, from 1965 the class was fitted with English Electric engines as used in the class 37, but de-rated to 1470 HP to suit the capacity of the electrical systems in the locomotives.

The class was initially allocated to the Eastern Region, particularly East Anglia, where their bogies provided low axle loads (RA5/6) suited to the branch lines in that area. Subsequently, as more were built, they became common on the Western and London Midland regions.

The class was basically split into two. The original class 31/0, devoid of a headcode panel, and the class 31/1 were used on a variety of local passenger, parcels and freight duties. The class 31/4 was fitted with electric train heating equipment; the 31/5 comprised class 31/4s with the ETH isolated for freight and departmental duties.

Apart from British Rail, the class 31s were operated by EWS, Fragonset/FM Rail and Network Rail. A few have been preserved on Heritage systems.

The class has carried a wide range of colour schemes:

BR Green with light grey stripes

BR Blue

BR Blue with grey body stripe

BR Blue with Silver Roof

Railfreight Grey

Railfreight Red Stripe

Railfreight 3-tone Grey RFD decals (31160)

Coal Sector decals

Construction Sector decals

Petroleum Sector decals

Transrail Departmental Dutch Grey and Yellow

Mainline Regional Railways

Blue with wrap round yellow ends etc (31413)

RTC Red & White

Network Rail Blue & Lime Green

Yellow

Black

Yellow Infrastructure (31116)

EWS (31466)

Fragonset

Wessex Trains Maroon (31601)

In addition, two class 31s carried experimental sea blue and golden ochre colours in the 1960s, pre-TOPS numbers D5578, and D5570 respectively.

A few of the class have carried names including those of preserved railway systems, but otherwise of no consistency.

Class 33

This class was built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon company (BRCW) in the early 1960s. A Bo-Bo configured Sulzer engined 1550 HP design, with a maximum speed of 85 mph, the 98 members of the class were nicknamed Cromptons due to their electrical equipment being of Crompton Parkinson origin.

The design of the locos reflected the BRCW in-house styling of their type 2 cousins, the classes 26 and 27, but no end doors were ever fitted.

The class was allocated exclusively to the former Southern Region lines, and could be seen throughout that system, apart from west of Meldon. They also undertook some duties in the Western Region. Their main areas of activity were initially working SE area boat trains, but as more came into service, they were particularly associated with passenger services on the ex-LSW lines from Waterloo to Salisbury and Exeter, and to Weymouth (see below).

Freight workings were primarily on the SE and LSW areas, the ex LBSC Central section, being fully electrified with relatively little industry, mainly seeing them on departmental workings. Intermogul services to and from Southampton container terminals were also part of their remit earlier on, as were the oil trains from Fawley refinery.

The class was sub-divided into three groups. The 33/0 was the standard design as originally built. Class 33/1 was developed for push-pull