British Railways Class D16/2 was a class of prototype
diesel locomotives built by
British Railways at
Ashford Works and introduced in 1950–1951, with a third example being introduced in 1954. They had been designed by
Oliver Bulleid for the
Southern Railway and were authorised in February 1947[1] but did not appear until after nationalisation. The
diesel engine and transmission were supplied by
English Electric, but the Bulleid influence was obvious. The box-like body style closely resembled
Bulleid's electric locomotives and was quite different from the usual English Electric style, typified by
British Rail Class D16/1 which in turn was strongly influenced by contemporary American design.[2]
Unusually for pioneer British diesels, 10201 and 10202 were originally specified (prior to alteration of gear ratios to improve tractive effort when operating as
mixed-traffic units) with a top speed of 110 mph (180 km/h) rather than the 90 mph (140 km/h) of 10203,[3] pre-dating the three-figure maximum speeds of the
Deltic and
Class 50 designs by some years.
Percy Bollen's bogie design[4] and the power train of 10203 were taken almost unmodified for the first ten production
British Rail Class 40s but with a more traditional English Electric design of body with prominent noses and louvred side panels.
Number 10203 was outshopped from
Brighton railway works in March 1954, its modified engine giving a power output of 2,000 hp (1,500 kW).[5][6] It was trialled on the Southern Region before joining its sisters on the London Midland, being allocated to
Willesden depot.
All three locomotives were non-standard with regard to spare parts and servicing, and they were withdrawn at the end of 1963. After spending some time on the scrap line at
Derby Litchurch Lane Works, they were eventually scrapped at
Cashmore's at Great Bridge in 1968.
Stephens, Robert (1988). Diesel Pioneers. Atlantic Transport.
ISBN0-906899-29-X.
Further reading
Clough, David N. (2005). "Pre-Nationalisation Prototypes: Southern Railway prototypes Nos 10201–3". Diesel Pioneers.
Ian Allan. pp. 11–19.
ISBN978-0-7110-3067-1.
Clough, David N. (2011). "2: Diesel-Electric Development after 1945". Hydraulic vs Electric: The battle for the BR diesel fleet.
Ian Allan. pp. 19–24.
ISBN978-0-7110-3550-8.
Marsden, Colin J.; Fenn, Graham B. (1988). British Rail Main Line Diesel Locomotives. Sparkford: Haynes. pp. 38–43.
ISBN9780860933182.
OCLC17916362.