British Rail Class 42
British Railways' (BR) Type 4 "Warship" class diesel-hydraulic locomotives were introduced in 1958. It was apparent at that time that the largest centre of expertise on diesel-hydraulic locomotives was in Germany. The Western Region of British Railways (in view of post-World War II sensibilities) negotiated a licence with German manufacturers to scale down the German Federal Railway's "V200" design to suit the smaller loading gauge of the British network, and to allow British manufacturers to construct the new design. The resultant design bears a close resemblance both cosmetically and in the engineering employed. They were divided into two batches: examples built at BR's Swindon works were numbered in the series D800 to D832 and from D866 to D870, had a maximum tractive effort of 52,400 pounds force and are the British Rail Class 42 of this article. 33 others, D833-865, were constructed by the North British Locomotive Company and became British Rail Class 43. They were allocated to Bristol Bath Road, Plymouth Laira, Newton Abbot and Old Oak Common.
| British Rail Class 42 “Warship” | |
| |
| British Rail Class 42 No. D832 | |
| Power type | Diesel-hydraulic |
|---|---|
| Builder | British Railways’ Swindon Works |
| Build date | 1958–1961 |
| Total production | 38 |
| Configuration | B-B |
| UIC classification | B'B' |
| Gauge | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track gauge/data' not found. |
| Wheel diameter | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value). |
| Minimum curve | 4.5 chains (91 m) |
| Wheelbase | 48 ft 3 in (14.71 m) |
| Length | 60 ft 0 in (18.29 m) |
| Width | 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) |
| Height | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 452: attempt to index field 'titles' (a nil value). |
| Locomotive weight | Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Fuel capacity | 800 imp gal (3,600 l; 960 US gal) |
| Prime mover | Maybach MD650, 2 off |
| Transmission | Hydraulic |
| Multiple working | ◆ White Diamond |
| Top speed | 90 mph (145 km/h) |
| Power output | Engines: 1,000 hp (746 kW) × 2 |
| Tractive effort | Maximum: Lua error in Module:Convert at line 1850: attempt to index local 'en_value' (a nil value). |
| Train heating | Steam generator |
| Train brakes | Vacuum |
| Career | British Railways |
| Number | D800–D832, D866–D870 |
| Axle load class | Route availability 7 (RA 6 from 1969) |
| Retired | 1968–1972 |
British Rail Class 42 Media
Deutsche Bundesbahn V 200 class of 1953, on which the "Warship" was based
D829 'Magpie' waits at Paddington in 1961
A "Warship" and a BR Class 5 4-6-0 at London Waterloo, 1967
By the end of 1972, all the Class 42s had been withdrawn from service. Here, D824 sits at Swindon Works, a couple of months before being scrapped.
D821 Greyhound sits outside Kidderminster Depot in May 2023 having just been refurbished
D818 Glory at Swindon Works in 1985, shortly before its destruction
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