British Rail Class 28
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| British Rail Class 28 | |
 D5719, Blackpool North MPD, 25 July 1965. The three-axled No. 1 end is closer to the camera. |
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| Builder: | Metropolitan Vickers Bowesfield Works, Stockton-on-Tees. |
|---|---|
| Introduced: | 1958 |
| Early numbers: | D5700-D5719 |
| Engine: | Crossley HST Vee 8 |
| Transmission: | Diesel Electric |
| Wheel layout: | Co-Bo |
| Wheel diameter: | 39.5 in (1,003 mm) |
| Minimum curve: | 3.5 chains (70 m) |
| Brakes: | Vacuum |
| Wheelbase: | 42 ft 9 in (13.0 m) |
| Length: | 56 ft 7.5 in (17.3 m) |
| Width: | 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m) |
| Height: | 12 ft 1.5 in (3.7 m) |
| Weight: | 97 long tons (99 t) |
| Maximum speed: | 75 mph (121 km/h) |
| Engine power: | 1,200 bhp (895 kW) |
| Maximum TE: | 50,000 lbf (222 kN) |
| Heating type: | Steam |
| Fuel capacity: | 510 imp gal (2,300 l) |
The British Rail Class 28 (Metropolitan-Vickers Type 2) diesel locomotives, or 'Metrovicks' as they were popularly known, were built as part of the British Railways Modernisation plan. With low-speed Crossley 8-cylinder HST Vee8 two stroke engines, they represented an experiment in two stroke versus four stroke engines for diesel-electric traction.
The engines had exhaust pulse pressure charging and developed 1,200 horsepower (895 kW) at 625 rpm. There were no valves, and inlet and exhaust were via ports in the cylinder walls. The same engine was originally fitted in the Irish A Class and the WAGR X class
Almost from the beginning the Metrovick's Crossley engines were problematic. They suffered frequent failures and by 1961 the entire class was handed back to the manufacturer for remedial work on the engines and to cure problems with cab windows falling out while running. The engines were also extremely noisy and prone to unacceptable levels of exhaust fumes.
The locomotives had a Co-Bo wheel arrangement (a 6-wheel bogie at one end, a 4-wheel bogie at the other) – unique in British Railways practice though quite common in other countries, notably Japan and the USA. This affected their route availability, due to the different axle loading at each end of the loco, and made maintenance more complicated.
All 20 were initially allocated to the Midland Division of BR's London Midland Region, where they were often used in pairs on the overnight London-Glasgow "Condor" express freight service. Later they were transferred to the Barrow-in-Furness area prior to withdrawal after only 11 years at work and in service.
Despite the locomotives being otherwise reliable the Crossley engines were still giving problems and British Rail considered replacing the engines, as was done with the Class 31 diesels. Instead, the entire class was withdrawn from service during 1967-1968, and all but one were scrapped by the end of 1969. A single locomotive, D5705, survived by historical accident as a technical services engine and then a train heating unit, before being preserved in 1980. It is currently on the East Lancashire Railway.
[edit] In fiction
The Class 28 was the basis for BoCo, a character in The Railway Series of children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry and the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.
[edit] Models
The Class 28 has been made as a 00 gauge model in several forms, including a ready-to-run version by Hornby Dublo and a kit by Silver Fox Models.
[edit] External links
- Co-Bo World
- Silver Fox Models (Class 28) – includes brief history of class and photo of model in rail blue livery
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