British Rail Class 57/3

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57304 Gordon Tracy at Crewe on 1 November 2003. This locomotive is in original condition without Dellner coupler.

57307 Lady Penelope (with pink nameplate) dragging Class 87 No. 87019 Association of Community Rail Partnerships through Water Orton on 4 June 2005.

the front of a thunderbird locomotive with the autocoupling folded up into the front revealing the traditional screw coupling

The nameplate of 57301 Scott Tracy.

57303 "Alan Tracy" passing Bagillt, near Flint, on a Manchester to Holyhead service.

The British Rail Class 57/3 is a subclass of the British Rail Class 57 used by Virgin Trains.

Under their franchise agreement, Virgin Trains was required to purchase new locomotives to replace its elderly Class 47 locomotives. As a result, an order for sixteen Class 57/3 locomotives was placed with Brush Traction. They are employed as rescue locomotives (so called "Thunderbird" duties), and are used to drag Virgin Train's electric train when engineering works force services to be diverted. They are also used to haul Crewe to Holyhead passenger trains.

Initially, twelve locomotives were ordered. However, this was increased to sixteen to allow the virtual elimination of Class 47 locomotives from stand-by duties. The first twelve locomotives were retro-fitted with special coupling adaptors to allows them to haul a Pendolino unit. The last four locomotives were fitted with the equipment from new.

The Virgin fleet is painted in their red and silver livery, and locomotives are named after characters from the TV series "Thunderbirds".

[edit] Fleet details

1. ↑  57303 was originally to be rebuilt from 47849. However, this donor locomotive had a damaged underframe, which was only discovered once rebuilding work had started, and so it was replaced by 47705. The part-converted shell of 47849 was later scrapped.This locomotive was in an earlier guise, involved in the Eltham derailment in 1972.
2. ↑  57307 was originally to be rebuilt from 47844. During the initial survey of the locomotive it was found to be unsuitable and was replaced by 47225. The shell of 47844 was moved to Crewe railway works for static display, but was later scrapped on-site.