British Rail Class 28

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D5719, Blackpool North MPD, 25 July 1965. The three-axled No. 1 end is closer to the camera.

The sole survivor of the class, D5705 at Worksop Open Day on 1 September 1991.

The British Rail Class 28 (originally Metropolitan-Vickers Type 2) diesel locomotives, or 'Metrovicks' as they were popularly known, were built as part of the British Railways Modernisation plan. Built with low-speed Crossley 8-cylinder two stroke engines, they represented an experiment in two stroke versus four stroke engines for diesel-electric traction.

Almost from the beginning the Metrovick's Crossley engines were problematic. The engines suffered chronic failures and by 1961 the entire class of locomotives were being 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 highly unusual Co-Bo wheel arrangement (a 6-wheel bogie at one end, a 4-wheel arrangement at the other). This affected their route availability and complicated maintenance.

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 10 years 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 scrapped in 1968. A single locomotive, D5705, survived by historical accident as a technical services engine and then train heating unit before being preserved in 1980. D5705 is currently located at the East Lancashire Railway.

[edit] Technical details

[edit] In fiction

One of these diesels was the basis for BoCo, a character in The Railway Series of children's books by Rev.W.Awdry. (BoCo also appeared in the spin-off TV series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends.)

[edit] External links

• Co-Bo World