English Electric Type 2 Bo-Bo 'Baby Deltic' Locomotives: B R Class 23, Design to Destruction

Chapter 1

CLASS INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

The English Electric Company Ltd was formed in 1918 from the merger of Dick, Kerr, and Co. Ltd, Preston, and, Phoenix Dynamo and Manufacturing Co. Ltd, Bradford, the former having already owned Willans & Robinson Ltd of Rugby since 1916. It also purchased the works of Siemens Bros. Ltd, Stafford.

An association between R&W Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and English Electric started in the 1920s when Hawthorne Leslie built a number of electric locomotive mechanical parts for EE for use in locomotives being erected in Preston. In 1933, EE decided to build its first diesel-electric locomotive and the mechanical construction was entrusted to Hawthorn Leslie.

In 1937 Hawthorn Leslie amalgamated with Robert Stephenson & Co. Ltd, Darlington, to become Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn Ltd (RSH), with RSH taking over the locomotive building department of Hawthorn Leslie at its Darlington facility.

English Electric erected locos in Preston and subcontracted work to Vulcan Foundry Ltd (VF), Newton-le-Willows; this arrangement ultimately resulted in the cessation of erecting work at Preston.

In 1942, English Electric took over D. Napier & Son, an aero-engine manufacturer, which, under EE, expanded activities to include marine and railway applications.

RSH and VF formally merged in 1944, and in March 1955 they both merged into English Electric, with the manufacture of EE locomotives then being carried out at both Darlington and Newton-le-Willows. In due course, RSH and VF were fully integrated into the EE Group as the Vulcan and Stephenson works. In terms of locomotive manufacture English Electric were now in a position to provide a fully integrated operation manufacturing engines and electrical gear, together with erection capability.

A decline in orders brought closure of the Darlington works in 1964 with all locomotive construction being concentrated at Newton-le-Willows.

In 1967, English Electric-AEI Traction was formed as a consequence of the merger of English Electric and Associated Electrical Industries (AEI), which already incorporated British Thompson, Houston Ltd and Metropolitan Vickers Ltd, and, in combination constituted the largest and arguably the most experienced rail traction group in the world.

An even larger grouping followed in 1968 when General Electric Co. Ltd (GEC) took over the whole of the EE-AEI group. Severe rationalisation followed which culminated in the elimination of locomotive manufacture at Vulcan Works by 1969/70, with spare capacity in other manufacturers’ works in the GEC group deployed instead.

1.2 ‘Baby Deltic’ Order Placement

The BTC Works & Equipment Committee (W&EC) Meeting Minute 293 (dated 17 November 1954) recorded approval in principle for 160 diesel-electric locomotives at a total estimated cost of £9.28m, 130 for construction by contractors and 30 in BR Workshops.

The breakdown of the locomotives to be built by contractors was forty in the 600-800hp range (Type A), eighty in the 1,000-1,250hp range (Type B) and ten in the 2000-and-over hp range (Type C); locomotives to be built by BR Workshops were split twenty in the 1,000-1,250hp range and ten in the 2000-and-over hp range.

The remaining fourteen locomotives of the so-called ‘Pilot Scheme’ fleet of 174 locomotives were constructed with hydraulic transmissions.

The twenty diesel-electric locomotives in the 2000-and-over hp range were approved by the W&EC on 9 February 1955 (Minute 357/40) and authorised by the BTC on 17 February 1955 (Minute 8/74[o]) at a cost of £1.68m and were included in the 1956 Building Programme. The W&EC Meeting Minute 388/26 (dated 23 March 1955) approved the construction of the remaining 140 diesel-electric locomotives provisionally as part of the 1957 and 1958 Locomotive Building Programmes, at a total estimated cost of £7.60m. Advance authority was given by the BTC on 24 March 1955 (Minute 8/142[i]).

Tenders for the 130 complete locomotives and power equipment for the 30 locomotives to be built in BR Workshops were invited from sixteen contractors, including five overseas companies. Notwithstanding gauge considerations, the tenders received from firms abroad were higher than for comparable British types of locomotives and, therefore, only tenders submitted by the selected British companies were accepted.

The recommended tenders (i.e. those which were considered to best meet requirements) for the 130 complete diesel-electric locomotives to be built by contractors amounted to £8,513,450 and for the thirty power equipment sets for the locomotives to be built in British Workshops, £1,478,600 i.e. a total of £9,992,050 against the originally authorised expenditure of £9,280,000, an increase of £712,050 (7.6%).

With respect to the locomotives in the 1,000-1,250hp category, five contractors were nominated for the supply of the required eighty locomotives, as follows:

It will be noted that a strict least-cost selection process was not applied, the aspect of lowest cost being conditioned by the wish to gain experience with a wide variety of makers and designs. However, the combination of engine builders and electrical contractors recommended was ‘mainly governed by the selection of the lowest combined tender’ where alternatives were available.

A memorandum dated 29 September 1955 submitted by Chief Electrical Engineer, Chief Mechanical Engineer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating and Motive Power Officer, Chief Commercial Officer and Chief Stores Officer to the W&EC recommended acceptance of the tenders for the 160 locomotives at a total cost of £9.992m and the proposed distribution of orders between manufacturers. The W&EC approved the memorandum on 12 October 1955 (Minute 517/16).

An order for ten Type B Bo-Bos was placed by the BTC with English Electric on 16 November 1955. The 1957 Locomotive Building and Condemnation Programmes were presented to the W&EC, via a Memorandum dated 2 December 1955, ready for their meeting on 7 December 1955; W&EC Minute 567 (Supplementary Item No.30) recorded the inclusion of the ten English Electric locomotives and the Building Programme was accepted and submitted to the BTC for authorisation which was duly completed on 15 December 1955 (Minute 8/590).

The excess tender prices for the Type A and B ‘Pilot Scheme’ locomotives over the original March 1955 estimates were authorised as part of the 1957 Building and Condemnation Plans, hidden away amongst other orders for diesel shunters and steam locomotives and residual scrap values for redundant steam locomotives.

An order for the ten Type B locomotives was placed by English Electric on Vulcan Foundry on 23 January 1957 for the mechanical portion of the ‘Baby Deltics’ and locomotive erection under Contract No. CCF0875.

D5900, BR Doncaster Works Official Photograph, 1959. (Grahame Wareham Collection)

1.3 Why the High-Speed Deltic Engine?

At the time when the BTC were inviting the various locomotive manufacturers to offer prospective designs against the pre-defined Pilot Scheme power categories, English Electric did not have a conventional engine which naturally fitted the Type B category. Their 8-cylinder engine design as offered in the Type A locomotives (subsequently D8000-19) was not yet available with charge air cooling and was, therefore, restricted to 1,000hp maximum, and the 12-cylinder engine was too heavy to be accommodated in a locomotive defined as having a maximum weight of 72tons, or, more specifically, 18tons axle-loading.

D. Napier, a subsidiary of English Electric, were looking to widen the market their ‘Deltic’ engines beyond maritime applications and saw railway locomotives as an attractive additional outlet for their 9- and 18-cylinder engines. English Electric had already deployed the Napier ‘Deltic’ engine in the ‘DELTIC’ prototype. The turbo-charged T9 unit, rated at 1,100hp, represented an ideal solution for the BTC Type B power category.

1.4 Drawing the Line at Ten

The ‘Pilot Scheme’ provided six Type B (later Type 2) designs for testing purposes over a three-year period (five from contractors and one from BR Workshops); this quite deliberate objective was intended to ultimately determine a limited number of types for volume production commencing 1961/62 based on operational experience gained.

However, facing deteriorating financial results, the BTC abandoned the three year trial period, and extended and accelerated the introduction of diesel locomotives as fast as British production capacity would allow, believing that dieselisation and the consequent elimination of steam would dramatically improve the position. Minute 9/384 of the BTC Meeting of 26 July 1956 recorded that:

The Commission….. discussed the purchase of additional main line locomotives and agreed that they would be prepared to consider requests for a number of these without further trials, provided that:

1. There is sufficient technical evidence to show that the type of locomotive desired is fully and without doubt able to meet requirements which are comparable to those in the service for which it is intended.

2. The substitution of the diesel locomotives for steam locomotives is economically justified by the manner in which they will be operated.

The dangers of giving up the trial period were made clear by R.C. Bond (Chief Mechanical Engineer) but Sir Brian Robertson (BTC Chairman) insisted that the Board’s decision was adhered to with the specific condition that good reliable locomotives were introduced.

The Commission also insisted that the number of different designs of locomotives should be reduced to an absolute minimum. This, as already mentioned, was one of the key objectives of the ‘Pilot Scheme’ process but it had now become necessary to recommend the smallest possible number of types without any operating experience having been obtained with the locomotives then on order. The only way of achieving this was to base recommendations on engineering judgement, knowledge of various firms’ products, and the operating experience of other railways.

A Memorandum to the Works and Equipment Committee dated 20 September 1956 proposed, under the requirements of BTC Min. 9/384, that fifty-six Type B (1,000-1,250hp) locomotives should be included in the 1958 Locomotive Building Programme i.e. ten to be built in BR Workshops at an estimated cost of £760,000 (D5020-9) and forty-six by contractors at an estimated cost of £3,496,000. This proposal was approved by the W&EC on 26 September 1956 (Minute 750 [Item 26]) and passed on to the Commission for final authorisation. Minute 9/477 of the BTC meeting of 27 September 1956 recorded the necessary authorisation.

A Memorandum to W&EC dated 15 November 1956 proposed that five contractors should be invited to tender for the forty-six locomotives, these being Brush, English Electric, Metropolitan-Vickers, North British Locomotive (NBL), and Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon (BRCW). This list reflected the desire not to proliferate types beyond those already part of the ‘Pilot Scheme’ types. The W&EC approved the shortlist at their meeting on 21 November 1956 (Minute 782 [Item 4]).

Following receipt and analysis of the tenders, a further Memorandum to the W&EC dated 4 April 1957 recommended the placing of orders for the forty-six locomotives with NBL (twenty-eight [D6110-37] and BRCW [eighteen (D5320-D5337]), at a total cost of £3,162,080. Minute 876 (Item No.15) of the W&EC meeting of 10 April 1957 recorded approval for the placing of these contracts. Clearly English Electric were unsuccessful with their bid, but it is unknown if this was based purely on price or whether other issues were also considered. The remaining ten locomotives of the 1958 Building Programme (D5020-D5029) were allocated to be constructed in BR Workshops and deployed Sulzer engines.

A Memorandum to the BTC dated 16 May 1957 acted as a cover note for a Report entitled ‘Modernisation of British Railways: Report on Diesel and Electric Traction and the Passenger Services of the Future’. This report was described as ‘the definitive modernisation plan for traction and passenger traffic’ and effectively updated significant parts of the 1955 Modernisation Plan. It highlighted ‘the very much more rapid introduction of diesel locomotive traction than had first been intended’, envisaging the ordering of a further 1,889 mainline diesel locomotives during the period 1957-62.

The BTC at their meeting on Meeting on 23 May 1957 (Minute 10/212) approved the general concept of the extension and acceleration of introduction of diesel traction as contained in the report, without commitment to the exact pace of extension, stating that:

The Commission would be prepared to go further than they have already gone in regard to ordering diesel main line locomotives, in spite of the risk of unsatisfactory performance in the early stages, if the Regions presented them with a limited number of firm plans for their use in specific areas, containing as clear a justification as possible.

The Commission estimated that ‘The maximum number of diesel main line locomotives likely to be procurable was about 500 in one year, and the Commission would be prepared to include up to this number in their locomotive orders for 1959 to meet the requirements of such schemes.’

The Commission asked that the question of limiting the number of types of main-line diesel locomotives types be specifically addressed, and to advise on what was practicable. The Report ‘Main Line Diesel Locomotives: Limitation of Variety’ (R.C. Bond & S. Warder, 26 July 1957) was produced in response to this request.

At the time of this report, 444 locomotives had been authorised, of which orders had been placed for 230 locomotives or equipment sets i.e. the original 174 Pilot Scheme Locomotives authorised in the 1956 and 1957 Building Programmes and 56 Type 2 locomotives authorised for the 1958 Programme. The remaining 214 authorised locomotives included 116 diesel-hydraulic locomotives for the Western Region and 98 diesel-electrics for the Southern Region.

The two key principles used in the ‘Limitation of Variety’ report governing the selection of locomotive types for ordering beyond those already ordered were reliability and as much standardisation as British production capacity would allow. On the basis of these key considerations, the recommendation was that any diesel-electric locomotive orders placed in the 1959 Building Programme should be limited to the following types (now classified as Types 1 to 4, an expansion of the previous A to C), subject to the phasing of the Regions’ specific requirements and available manufacturing capacity:

English Electric and Sulzer ‘conventional’ engines featured strongly. It was considered that EE had the largest experience and productive capacity of any British manufacturer and had the resources to ensure the delivery of a reliable product, whilst the Sulzer engine was the best known and widely used outside of the USA and was recognised for excellent design and workmanship. Paxman engines were proposed as a reserve type, whilst Crossley and Mirrlees engines were not included in the recommendations list on the basis that both companies were deemed to have less experience of traction requirements than either EE or Sulzer.

Subsequent discussions with industry soon showed, however, that it was not possible to adhere strictly to the recommendations. To meet BR’s heavy demand for Type 2 locomotives and to capitalise on available production capacity, Brush, BRCW and NBL were subsequently awarded orders for more of their Type 2 diesel-electric locomotives.

In reaction to the BTC decision recorded in Meeting Minute 10/212 (23 May 1957), the Regions submitted a range of Area Schemes requiring a total of 782 diesel locomotives, significantly in excess of the suggested 500 for construction during 1959. However, in a Memorandum to the BTC dated 11 September 1957, the W&EC suggested that the Commission approve a 1959 Building Programme of circa 782 diesel locomotives and at the BTC Meeting on 19 September 1957 (Minute 10/400), the Commission approved, in principle, a 1959 Building Programme of the order of 750 to 800 locomotives composed of the types recommended in the ‘Limitation of Variety’ report. It was recognised that this was a large requirement and production capacities may dictate some deferral into 1960. However, a subsequent government-imposed capital investment restriction in late 1957 severely limited the purchase of locomotives for delivery in 1959 and it was, therefore, impossible to take full advantage of building capacity for main-line diesel locomotives in that year.

The revised 1959 Building Programme included eighty-four Type 2 diesel-electric locomotives (plus shunting and electric locomotives); all of these Type 2s were to be built in BR Workshops employing Sulzer engines (subsequently D5030-D5113). The W&EC approved the building of the eighty-four locomotives at their meeting on 22 January 1958 (Minute 1110, Item No.20) and they were authorised by the BTC on 13 February 1958 (Minute 11/53). The remaining diesel locomotive requirements were deferred into 1960 and 1961. Contactors were invited to tender in advance of these later Building Programmes, but exactly which contractors were involved is not known.

The financial situation eased during 1958 and as a consequence there were two Supplements to the 1959 Building Programme, with locomotive types selected on the basis of tenders already received, as follows:

First Supplement (ninety locomotives), including the following Type 2s:

•40 Brush (D5520-D5559) Authorised 26 June 1958.

•20 NBL (D6138-D6157) Authorised 10 July 1958.

Second Supplement (forty-nine locomotives), including twenty-nine Type 2s:

•20 Brush (D5560-D5579) Authorised 20 November 1958.

•9 BRCW (D5338-D5346) Authorised 20 November 1958.

None of the locomotives in the First and Second Supplements featured in the ‘Limitation of Variety’ recommendations but were repeat orders for locomotives of types already in service. The key question is….. was English Electric invited to tender for the 1960/61 Type 2 requirements? And, with competitive quotes, could they have been awarded orders?

In late 1958, a memorandum was produced for discussion at the Chairman’s Conference on Modernisation; this was produced by R.C. Bond (by now BTC Technical Advisor) and entitled ‘Main Line Diesel Locomotives: The Approach to Standardisation’ (dated 10 November 1958). The recommendations concerning the preferred diesel-electric manufacturers for each of the Types 1-4, as detailed in the ‘Limitation of Variety report’, were reiterated. However, this memorandum went a stage further by explicitly listing those designs which it was proposed should be excluded from any future orders i.e.

Notes of the Chairman’s Conference, which took place on 13 November 1958, record that ‘The Chairman … fully agreed with the proposals set out in the Technical Advisor’s paper for the elimination of a number of locomotive types.’ Bond’s memorandum also supported repeat orders for types of locomotives not included in the ‘Limitation of Variety’ recommendations i.e. BTH Type 1, Brush and BRCW Type 2s and English Electric Type 4, to enable financial capital allocations to be used to the full during 1959/60.

A further report covering limitation of variety was produced in 1959 entitled ‘Standardisation of Main Line Diesel Locomotives’ (BR General Staff, 8 June 1959). By this date approximately 150 diesel-electric main line locomotives were in service; however, there was still insufficient experience with the new traction to statistically challenge the logic of the original ‘Limitation of Variety’ report recommendations. This report, once again, explicitly listed the ‘excluded’ types of diesel-electric locomotives. Following on from this report and in a Memorandum to the BTC from the General Staff dated 22 June 1959, the Commission were recommended to:

(a) endorse the principles embodied in the Report on ‘Limitation of Variety’ of main line diesel locomotives (nearly two years after it was published in 26 July, 1957!),

(b) note the further progress currently attained towards standardization ( as described in the report ), and,

(c) approve the proposal to specifically exclude the four specified types from the forthcoming 1960 and 1961 programmes.

The BTC Minutes of the Meeting on 25 June 1959 (Minute 12/253) recorded that the Commission accepted these recommendations with only a few minor caveats. Quite why it took nearly two years to formally ratify the ‘Limitation of Variety’ report is unclear, although it has to be said that the 1957 report, whilst clear about what was included in the list of recommended types, was not explicit about which types should NOT be included.

This lack of clarity, against the backdrop of expanded and accelerated production pressures and combined with manufacturing constraints across the UK, allowed the NBL and Brush Type 2 diesel-electric fleets to be expanded from 10 to 58, and, from 20 to 80 respectively (and ultimately 263 in the latter case). Theoretically these pressures could also have allowed the English Electric Type 2 fleet to expand had their tender for at least some of the 56 Type 2 locomotives included in the 1958 Locomotive Building Programme been financially more attractive, but beyond that the door had been firmly closed.

D5901. Stratford DRS, 21 May 1960. By this time any thought of expanding the ‘Baby Deltic’ fleet beyond the ten ‘Pilot Scheme’ examples had been quashed. (Norman Browne [RCTS Archive])

1.5 Timeline

D5900, with NBL Type 2 D6114, EE Type 4 D212 and BRC&W Type 2 D5326, Doncaster Works (Paint Shop Yard), 22 May 1959. D5900 surrounded by three locomotive types which were ultimately proliferated beyond the ‘Pilot Scheme’ order quantities. All locomotives undergoing acceptance testing. (Grahame Wareham Collection)

Chapter 2

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Following advanced authority for the ‘Pilot Scheme’ locomotives by the BTC in March 1955, contractors were invited to tender for the various Types required. Design details and associated prices were assessed and in September 1955 the English Electric design with the ‘Napier’ engine was accepted as one of the designs to be included in the scheme at a price of £71,400 each, subject to price variation which allowed for inflation (covering wages, raw material costs, etc) between the time of order placement and the contracted locomotive delivery date.

The price actually paid was £79,050 each (based on accounting information quoted within 1968-71 Condemnation documentation).

D5903, King’s Cross, 1960. (Grahame Wareham Collection)

Chapter 3

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

3.1 Overview

The ‘Baby Deltic’ locomotives were built under English Electric contract CCF0875. English Electric was the main contractor for these locomotives and provided the electrical equipment The mechanical portion was built and locomotive erection undertaken by Vulcan Foundry Ltd, Newton-le-Willows, with the order placed on 23 January 1957; the VF-allocated order numbers were 6553 and 6554 of 1957, with the locomotives built in two batches of five The engines were supplied by D. Napier & Son Ltd. Vulcan Foundry and Napier were both part of the English Electric group of companies.

Consistent with other ‘Pilot Scheme’ diesel locomotive contracts