British Railways 10800 | |
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10800 on the down main platform at Rugby | |
Power type | Diesel-electric |
Builder | North British Locomotive Company |
Serial number | 26413 |
Build date | 1950 |
UIC classification | Bo'Bo' |
Gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
Wheel diameter | 3 ft 6 in (1.067 m) |
Minimum curve | 3.75 chains (75 m) |
Wheelbase | 31 ft 0 in (9.45 m) |
Length | 41 ft 10 1⁄2 in (12.76 m) |
Width | 9 ft 2 in (2.79 m) |
Height | 12 ft 9 1⁄2 in (3.90 m) |
Locomotive weight | 69.80 long tons (70.92 t) |
Fuel capacity | 300 imp gal (1,400 l; 360 US gal) |
Coolant capacity | 85 imp gal (390 l; 102 US gal) |
Water capacity | 90 imp gal (410 l; 110 US gal) |
Prime mover | Paxman 16RPHXL Series 2 rebuilt: Maybach MD655 |
Traction motors | 4 BTH 159 |
Cylinder size | 7 × 7 in (178 × 197 mm) 3⁄4 rebuilt: 7 × 1⁄48 in (184 × 222 mm) 3⁄4 |
Transmission | DC generator DC traction motors |
Multiple working | Not fitted |
Top speed | 70 mph (110 km/h) |
Power output | 827 hp (617 kW) rebuilt: 1,400 hp (1,000 kW) |
Tractive effort | 34,500 lbf (153.5 kN) |
Train heating | Clarkson steam generator |
Locomotive brake | Brakeforce: 45 LTf (450 kN) |
Train brakes | Vacuum |
Career | British Railways |
Power class | 3MT; later: Type 1 |
Number | 10800 |
Axle load class | Route availability: 4 |
Retired | August 1959 |
Disposition | Sold Brush Traction, rebuilt into research locomotive Hawk, retired 1968, cannibalised 1972–1976, scrapped 1976. |
British Railways 10800 was a diesel locomotive built by the North British Locomotive Company for British Railways in 1950. It had been ordered by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1946 but did not appear until after the 1948 nationalisation of the railways.
Design was by George Ivatt and the locomotive was intended as a possible replacement for steam locomotives on secondary and branch lines. The single-cab layout (long bonnet forward) gave the driver a poor view of the road ahead but it was no worse than in a steam locomotive so it would have been considered acceptable at the time.
During its brief time on the Southern Region, 10800 gained the nickname 'The Wonder Engine', from the locomotive department's daily query, 'I wonder if it will go today'.[1]
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Due to having been ordered by the LMS before the creation of British Railways (BR), 10800 became the first BR mixed-traffic Diesel-Electric locomotive when it was delivered in 1950. Operationally it was successful enough for BR to order a batch of 54 in 1955[2] although these, destined to be come BR Class 15 and BR Class 16, used the improved YHXL engine.
In 1961 or 1962 (sources differ) No. 10800 was bought by Brush Traction and rebuilt for experiments in a.c. power transmission. Brush named the locomotive "Hawk".
It was used until 1968, and slowly stripped for parts from April 1972, until it was finally scrapped at Brush Traction, Loughborough in 1976.
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British Railways 10100 was an unusual experimental diesel locomotive known informally as The Fell Diesel Locomotive (after Lt. Col. L. F. R. Fell, who was one of the designers). It was the joint production of Davey Paxman & Co, Shell Refining & Marketing Co and Lt-Col L. F .R. Fell, built for them by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway at Derby. Sir Harry Ricardo was also involved. By the time it emerged in 1950, nationalisation had taken place and it carried British Railways livery. The locomotive had six diesel engines, four of them used for traction. There were two auxiliary engines, both of which were 150 hp (110 kW) AEC 6-cylinder units, and these drove the pressure-chargers for the main engines and the purpose of this arrangement was to enable the main engines to deliver very high torque at low crankshaft speed.
The design for 10100, a collaboration between Fell Developments Ltd and H. G. Ivatt of the LMS, aimed to address several of the weaknesses perceived of diesel powered rail traction. Weight was reduced by using several small engines, meaning that both the engines and their supporting structure could be lighter. This was also expected to save time in maintenance as an individual diesel could be exchanged more easily and with lighter equipment.
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) pioneered the use of diesel shunting locomotives in Great Britain. The variety of experimental and production diesel shunters produced by the LMS is summarised below. In each heading, the first number(s) carried are shown first, with subsequent renumbering(s) following the "/".
The initial experimental diesel shunter retained the number of the steam locomotive that it was nominally rebuilt from. However, when the LMS decided to procure a further nine prototype locomotives from a variety of manufacturers, it allocated the number series 7400–7408 to them. It was soon realised that this number range was too limited for the number of production diesel shunters that were anticipated, and a new series commencing at number 7050 was used. Only 7050–7053/7058 carried their original numbers (7400–7403/7408), and they were all renumbered in November/December 1934, some before they had actually entered service.
This was the original experimental shunter, nominally rebuilt from a Midland Railway steam locomotive originally built in September 1892 by the Vulcan Foundry, whose number it inherited (1831), though very little of the steam locomotive was actually re-used. Of itself, it was not very successful, but it did provide useful data for the further development of the diesel shunter design. It was withdrawn from service in September 1939 and converted to a mobile power unit, emerging in its new guise as MPU3 in November 1940. It was scrapped in the 1950s (sources disagree exactly when).