LIKE THE GWR BEFORE IT, THE WESTERN REGION SEEMED DETERMINED TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY FROM EVERYONE ELSE! 

TRANSITION FROM STEAM  

 
During the transition from steam, the spotting fraternity was made up of countless thousands of youngsters, who, by virtue of their youth, had no way of knowing what had gone before, therefore the end of steam mattered little to them. Train spotters on the Western Region were luckier than most, however, because no matter what one's opinions we then had towards the soulless appearance of the new diesels, the WR’s Type 4 ’Warships’ and ’Westerns’ must rank as being one of the most handsome designs to appear on BR. Their impressive bodyline gave them an altogether aristocratic look surpassed only by that of the stylish GWR ‘Kings’ and ‘Castle’ classes they replaced.

But as mentioned elsewhere on this site the changeover from steam to diesel-hydraulic traction happened with undue haste! When the BTC abandoned the pilot scheme plan in 1959, several orders were placed with manufacturers for diesel-hydraulic traction before the new designs had been fully evaluated in service conditions. As a consequence, forty five 'Hymek' Bo-Bo Type 3 diesel-hydraulics were ordered from the Beyer Peacock Works at Gorton without a single prototype being constructed. The same thing happened with the 'Western' class Co-Cos when the BTC ordered no fewer than 74 in October 1959, whereas the first three members of the 'Warship' class, albeit a belated addition to the pilot scheme orders, was introduced to traffic in 1958, the first - No D800 Sir Brian Robertson  being delivered to the WR in July. 

(Above) The five 2,000hp A1A-A1A diesel-hydraulic locomotives Nos D600-D604 destined for the Western Region, were constructed by the North British Locomotive (NBL) works at Glasgow. The locomotives were given names of famous warships in alphabetical order: Active, Ark Royal, Bulldog, Conquest and Cossack. No D600 Active commenced revenue-earning service on 21st April 1958 working two return trips daily between Plymouth and Penzance. By 1961, the new D800-series 'Warship' locomotives became available to the operating department, and the D600s were displaced from principal duties on the West of England main line and assigned to less demanding duties working Cornish china clay traffic. By 1966 poor availability and high running costs prevented further use of this non-standard class and Nos D600-1 were sold to Dai Woodhams of Barry whilst D602, D603-4 met their fate at Cashmore's of Newport. Sporting the standard BR green livery with a blue/grey stripe running the length of the body between the cabs, No D604 Cossak looks in fine fettle at Plymouth Laira depot



























(Below) The new ‘Warship’ class was an innovative design inspired by the Deutsche Bundesbahn V200 series incorporating the use of a stressed skin construction which enabled a high power/weight ratio to be achieved. The first 33 locomotives (and final five) were built at Swindon, whereas Nos D833-D865 were constructed by the North British Locomotive Company, Glasgow. The newly-built NBL Company’s Type 4 diesel-hydraulic 'Warships' destined for the Western Region ran via the WCML from the company’s Glasgow works. Here, diesel-hydraulic Bo-Bo Warship No D855 Triumph heads through Wigan with NBL diesel-hydraulic No D6324 in tow. Photo ©  JR Carter

(Above) The NBL batch Class 43 ‘Warships’ differed from their Swindon-built Maybach-powered Class 42 cousins in having the NBL/MAN engine and Voith transmission as used in the earlier D600 series. The entire ‘Warship’ class was named after Royal Navy ships in strict alphabetical order, the NBL batch carrying names beginning with the letters 'P' to 'Z' - D833 Panther to D865 Zenith, while the last in the fleet, No D870, a Swindon-built machine, was named Zulu. Here No D841 Roebuck stands in the yard at Swindon following a general overhaul in May 1965. The shot beneath shows 'Western' class No D1072 Western Glory  positively gleaming in its smart maroon livery. Photos © PR Batty and JR Carter

(Below) In 1959, BR abandoned the pilot scheme orders, therefore the ‘Western’ class was introduced without the benefit of full prototype trials, yet no fewer than 74 locomotives were ordered - 35 to be built at Swindon and 39 at Crewe, but as it turned out, Crewe also constructed the last five of Swindon's allocation. Still in workshop primer, ‘Westerns’ Nos D1055 Western Advocate and D1056 Western Sultan are shunted into the paintshop yard at Crewe by Class 3F No 47597. Photo © JR Carter

(Above) The BR Brunswick green livery and bodyside stripe show up well in this shot of ‘Warship’ class No D851 Temeraire heading a WR train out of Crewe in July 1962. Before the British Rail Board imposed its dull overall blue livery on locomotives, the stylish Westerns appeared in shades of green, chromatic blue, golden ochre and maroon. The class was desi gned by Swindon to fulfil the WR operating department’s need for a more powerful Type 4 than the lightweight 2,200hp Bo-Bo D800 ‘Warships’ which struggled with the heavier WR trains and required assistance over the south Devon banks of Dainton, Hemmerdon and Rattery between Newton Abbott and Plymouth. At 2,700hp, the Co-Co Westerns were powerful enough to handle the heaviest trains single-handed throughout. Here, No D1005 Western Venturer is seen at Shrewsbury in July 1962. The locomotive was allocated to Laira depot (83D) on June 18th that same year, and survived in traffic until November 16th 1976. Photos ©  D Pickup 

(Below) The second BR emblem (1956-1967) had the British lion rising from a crown holding a driving wheel in its front paws, and was used on steam locomotive tender sides and the new diesel locomotive fleet. A variation of the British Lion and crown totem was cast in polished aluminum for the WR's prototype 'Western' class No D1000 Western Enterprise, which is seen here in the company of diesel-hydraulic ‘Warship’ class D807 Caradoc at Plymouth Laira. We are now in the post-1961 BR period, after the British Rail Board (BRB) was formed, and the diesel fleet has acquired the obligatory yellow warning panel on the nose end (as stipulated by the BRB’s Accident Prevention Service) though the effectiveness of the panels are somewhat marred by the centre position of the four-character headcode panels on the nose end which restricted their size.

(Above-Below) Following the hasty abandonment of the pilot scheme, in which large orders had been placed for predominantly Type 2 diesel locomotives of between 1,000 and 1,365 engine horsepower, BR recognised the need for a more powerful Type 3 of around 1,750hp, which saw the beginning of the diesel-hydraulic 'Hymek' era on the Western Region and the introduction of the EE Co machines (later TOPS Class 35 and 37 respectively). The first of the Beyer-Peacock 1,700hp Type 3s was handed over to the Western Region at a ceremony held at Paddington on May 16th 1961. Here, the two-tone green livery, white cab window surround and raised metal cabside number, show up well on the doyen of the class, No D7500, whereas the sister member behind it looks in a less than clean condition at Weymouth depot. (Below) A line up of Hymeks await their next turn of duty at Swindon shed in June 1964. Photos copyright A John collection. 

 To be continued...