BR Class 31 31466
| BRBritish Rail or British Railways Class 31 31466 | |
|---|---|
 31466 (Wikimedia Commons) | |
| Built By | Brush Traction |
| Configuration | A1A-A1A |
| Power type | Diesel-electric |
| Status | In service |
| Loco Number | 31466 |
| Other Numbers | D5533, 31115 |
| History | |
| Built | 1959 |
| Type | Class 31 |
| 2001 | Withdrawn and preserved |
| 2021 | Arrived at the SVRSevern Valley Railway on hire |
| Technical | |
| Length | 56ft 9in |
| Weight | 108-115 tons |
Service and preservation
The BRBritish Rail or British Railways Class 31 diesel locomotive was also known as the Brush Type 2The British Railways classification for diesel locomotives of 1001 bhp to 1499 bhp and originally as the Class 30. A total of 263 were built by Brush Traction between 1957 and 1962.[2] This locomotive was originally built as a Class 30 and entered service in June 1959 at Norwich Thorpe MPDMotive Power Depot numbered D5533. In April 1968 it was reclassified from Class 30 to Class 31 sub-type 31/1 (the standard locomotive fitted with steam heating and Blue StarAn electro-magnetic form of multiple working equipment widely used by BR in first generation diesel locomotives and multiple units whereby multiple like-coded vehicles are capable of running under the control of one driver. A blue star coupling code is normally indicated on the front of the vehicle. electro-pneumatic control).[3]
The introduction of TOPS saw the locomotive renumbered as 31115 in January 1973. In March 1985 it was fitted with ETHElectric Train Heating, becoming sub-type 31/4 and receiving its final number of 31466.[3]
By May 1988 the locomotive had served in BRBritish Rail or British Railways's Eastern Region for all but a year. It was then transferred to Crewe Diesel, where it remained for the rest of its service life.[3] Prior to the introduction of the Class 66, English Welsh & Scottish (EWSEnglish, Welsh & Scottish Railway, a rail freight company) took control of the Class 31s from the Mainline Freight and Trainload Freight companies. 31466 was repainted into EWSEnglish, Welsh & Scottish Railway, a rail freight company livery for the Toton TMDTraction Maintenance Depot, also referred to as Diesel Depot open day in May 1998; Wikipedia suggests it was then the only one of the class to be in traffic running in the EWSEnglish, Welsh & Scottish Railway, a rail freight company colours until being withdrawn from service and preserved in February 2001.[2]
31466 is normally resident on the DeanWilliam Dean, Chief Locomotive Engineer of the Great Western Railway 1877-1902 Forest Railway[4].
See also
References
- ↑ SVR On-line Forum
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 BR Class 31 on Wikipedia
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 BRDatabase - 31466
- ↑ Dean Forest Railway, Diesel Locomotives page
Links
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