BR Swindon Type 1 0-6-0 Diesel-Hydraulic Locomotives - Class 14: Their Life in Industry

The Western Region of BR identified a need for 400 Type 1 diesel locomotives in 1957 but it was 1964 before the first was introduced. Swindon created a cheap no-frills Type 1, 65% of the cost of the Bo-Bo alternative, to fit the trip-freight niche. By 1963, the original requirement had been reduced, and 56 locomotives were constructed in 1964/65. However, traffic losses resulted in the class becoming redundant by 1969. Fortunately, a demand for high-powered diesels on larger industrial railway systems saw the bulk of the locomotives finding useful employment for a further twenty years.

Format: Hardback
Length: 296 pages
Publication date: 08 June 2022
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

In 1957, the Western Region of British Rail (BR) identified a pressing need for 400 Type 1 diesel locomotives to handle short-haul freight duties. However, it took until 1964 for the first of these locomotives to be introduced. While General-purpose Type 1s were being delivered elsewhere, WR management considered them too expensive for their specific requirements. Consequently, Swindon shifted its focus to developing a cost-effective and no-frills Type 1. The Swindon 0-6-0, which cost 65% of the price of the Bo-Bo alternative, proved to be a better fit for the trip-freight niche.

Since the privatization of road-haulage in 1957, the wagon-load sector of BR had experienced significant decline. While the 1962 Transport Act relieved BR from its financially burdensome public-service obligations, the damage had already been done. The 1963 Beeching Plan aimed to close unprofitable routes and associated services, further exacerbating the situation. By 1963, the original requirement for 400 Type 1s had been drastically reduced. Only fifty-six locomotives were constructed in 1964/65, and due to continued traffic losses, the entire class became redundant by 1969.

However, fate intervened in the form of a demand for high-powered diesels on larger industrial railway systems. Fortunately, most of the withdrawn Type 1 locomotives found new employment for a further twenty years, extending their useful lives. This companion book to Their Life on British Railways offers an in-depth appraisal of their post-BR industry careers for the forty-eight locomotives that successfully transitioned after their withdrawal in 1968/69.

Weight: 1464g
Dimension: 259 x 249 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399019170