Class 56 Profile

British Rail Engineering Ltd. and Brush Electrical Type 5

During the early 1970s there was a proposal for a high powered fast freight locomotive. The proposal was for a Co-Co wheel arrangement with power supplied by two Ruston-Paxton diesel engines. However, this proposal was abandoned and it was not until the mid-1970s that a heavy class 5 freight loco was introduced due to a projected increase in freight traffic on British Railways.
The BRB requested tenders and Brush Electrical Machines of Loughborough received the order, initially for 60 locomotives. The design was based on the proven Class 47 locomotive along with experience gained from the prototype type 5 HS4000 Kestrel.
Brush, however, did not have the facilities for construction of the locos and so the initial batch of 30 were built at the Electroputere Works in Craiovain, Romania, the remainder being built by BREL. All 60 bogies for the initial order were of Romanian construction, which subsequently caused problems as they were found to be defective. The first loco entered service in February 1977, although deliveries from Romania had begun in August 1976! This delay was due to the locos not meeting BR's minimum requirements resulting in a great deal of time and money being spent rectifying faulty workmanship as well as design defects. Apart from the bogies other problems included:

Corrosion of bearings due to inadequate protection during transit
Leaking traction motor gearboxes
Inadequate tightening of bolts
Defective welding
Loose tyres
The average time taken to get these locos into traffic was four and a half months, all being eventually accepted.
Design defects were corrected as they became apparent and built into the locos still being constructed. Apart from the bogies and cabs, the British and Romanian locos were identical along with their relative poor availability. The bogies fitted are of the CP2 type which look cluttered when compared with later bogies. Flexicoil springs provide secondary springing between the main body and bogie frames. The body structure is monocoque and based on the design used successfully on the Class 47.
When built, it was accepted that the Class 56 were only an interim design, its purpose being to deal with the immediate freight haulage problems. However, engine problems plagued the locos during their early life. Leakage of engine coolant and oil from the hydraulic system presented major problems, but bad design and inadequate quality control caused most of the difficulties.
They were initially used on coal merry-go-round trains and based at Toton and Shirebrook depots. When the full order was completed some locos were allocated to the Western Region for use on iron ore trains in South Wales - based at Cardiff, and stone trains eminating from the Somerset quarries - based at Westbury.
They are now due for mid-life overhauls. 16 locos, mainly from the Romanian batch, have been withdrawn. Despite their total involvement on heavy freight trains, including the movement of coal between pit and power station, they occasionally stray onto passenger work. They have often been called on to assist failed trains including HST sets, and weekend engineering operations gave rise to their use on diverted WCML traffic.
They locomotives still perform well in the 1990s, but it is a pity that so many were constructed straight from the drawing board, lessons gained from the rushed procurement of diesel locos under the British Railways 1955 Modernisation Plan., not being learned!
BUILT:
56001-56030 - 1976-77 by Brush (subcontracted to Electroputere, Craiova, Romania)
56031-56115 - 1977-83 by British Rail Engineering Ltd Doncaster Works
56116-56135 - 1983-84 by British Rail Engineering Ltd Crewe Works
Total Built 135.
ENGINE: Ruxton-Paxman 3,250hp.
NUMBER SERIES: Between 56001-56135.
PREVIOUS NUMBERS: NIL.
TRANSMISSION: 6 TM73-62 Brush Traction Motors.
MAX SPEED: 80mph.
TRACTIVE EFFORT: 61,800lb.
WEIGHT: 125 tonnes.
WHEEL ARRANGEMENT: Co-Co 3'9" dia.
FLEET STRENGTH: 119 (8 November 1998)

PC TOPS Current Locomotive Motive Power Details - Class 56

Loco Name Details - Class 56 (some locos carried more than one name)

Data taken from the PC TOPS Locomotive Database System by Milburn Associates



  NUMBER   NAME                                                  DATE NAMED

  56001    Whatley                                               29/10/1987
  56006    Ferrybridge C Power Station                             /  /    
  56012    Maltby Colliery                                       30/06/1989
  56028    West Burton Power Station                             30/09/1988
  56030    Eggborough Power Station                              30/09/1989
  56031    Merehead                                              01/09/1983
  56032    Sir De Morgannwg/County of South Glamorgan            31/08/1983
  56033    Shotton Paper Mill                                    18/12/1995
  56034    Castell Ogwr/Ogmore Castle                            31/05/1985
  56035    Taff Merthyr                                          01/07/1981
  56037    Richard Trevithick                                    01/07/1981
  56038    Westerm Mail                                          01/06/1981
  56039    ABP Port of Hull                                      19/07/1994
  56040    Oystermouth                                           28/02/1982
  56040    Oystermouth                                           30/11/1991
  56044    Cardiff Canton                                        09/08/1991
  56044    Cardiff Canton Quality Assured                        31/12/1992
  56050    British Steel Teesside                                30/09/1996
  56051    Isle of Grain                                         30/06/1993
  56052    The Cardiff Rod Mill                                  01/05/1997
  56053    Sir Morgannwg Ganol/County of Mid Glamorgan           17/03/1986
  56054    British Steel Llanwern                                31/05/1993
  56057    British Fuels                                         27/06/1996
  56060    The Cardiff Rod Mill                                  01/12/1992
  56062    Mountsorrel                                           21/03/1989
  56063    Bardon Hill                                           06/10/1986
  56069    Thornaby TMD                                          30/06/1993
  56069    Wolverhampton Steel Terminal                          22/07/1998
  56073    Tremorfa Steel Works                                  14/03/1993
  56074    Kellingley Colliery                                   01/06/1982
  56075    West Yorkshire Enterprise                             01/06/1985
  56075    West Yorkshire Enterprise                             31/05/1989
  56076    Blyth Power                                           06/09/1982
  56076    British Steel Trostre                                 31/05/1993
  56077    Thorpe Marsh Power Station                            04/09/1990
  56080    Selby Coalfield                                       31/10/1989
  56086    The Magistrates' Association                          04/10/1995
  56087    ABP Port of Hull                                      31/08/1997
  56089    Ferrybridge C Power Station                           01/09/1991
  56091    Castle Donington Power Station                        30/06/1988
  56091    Stanton                                               29/08/1998
  56093    The Institution of Mining Engineers                   30/11/1989
  56094    Eggborough Power Station                              30/04/1993
  56095    Harworth Colliery                                     29/10/1987
  56099    Fiddlers Ferry Power Station                          31/07/1989
  56101    Mutual Improvement                                    30/04/1990
  56102    Scunthorpe Steel Centenary                            19/03/1990
  56103    Stora                                                 18/07/1997
  56110    Croft                                                 06/09/1992
  56112    Stainless Pioneer                                       /  /    
  56114    Maltby Colliery                                       01/07/1992
  56117    Wilton Coalpower                                      01/09/1992
  56122    Wilton-Coalpower                                      14/04/1988
  56123    Drax Power Station                                    11/05/1988
  56124    Blue Circle Cement                                    31/10/1983
  56128    West Burton Power Station                             28/02/1993
  56130    Wardley Opencast                                      06/11/1990
  56131    Ellington Colliery                                    20/08/1987
  56132    Fina Energy                                           01/10/1986
  56133    Crewe Locomotive Works                                30/06/1984
  56134    Blyth Power                                           31/10/1986
  56135    Port of Tyne Authority                                30/11/1985

Unless stated otherwise Photographs in this section are © copyright of Milburn Associates. Permission to use these images in railway society newsletters, etc., can be obtained by e-mailing the Thin Controller.

[JPEG Image of 56079 size 30K]

Class 56 56079 in Transrail Livery at Carlisle

[JPEG Image of 56084 size 22K]

Class 56 56084 in Load Haul Livery at Carlisle - Side-on View

[JPEG Image of 56096 size 26K]

Class 56 56096 in English Scottish & Welsh Railway Livery approaches Carlisle Station on a northbound empty coal train.

Last revised: 8 November 1998