British Rail Class 16
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| British Rail Class 16 | |
| Also called: | North British Type 1 |
|---|---|
| Builder: | North British Locomotive Company |
| Introduced: | 1958 |
| Early numbers: | D8400-D8409 |
| TOPS numbers: | Never carried |
| Engine: | Paxman 16YHXL |
| Transmission: | Diesel Electric |
| Wheel layout: | Bo-Bo |
| Wheel diameter: | 3 ft 7 ins (1.1 m) |
| Minimum curve: | 3.5 chains (70 m) |
| Brakes: | Vacuum |
| Brake force: | 31 LTf (310 kN) |
| Wheelbase: | 28 ft 6 in (8.7 m) |
| Length: | 42 ft 6 in (13.0 m) |
| Width: | 8 ft 8.5 in (2.7 m) |
| Height: | 12 ft 8 in (3.9 m) |
| Weight: | 68 long tons (69 t) |
| Maximum speed: | 60 mph (97 km/h) |
| Engine power: | 800 bhp (597 kW) |
| Rail power: | 627 bhp (468 kW) |
| Maximum TE: | 42,000 lbf (187 kN) |
| Heating type: | None; through steam pipe |
| Multiple working: | Red Circle |
| Fuel capacity: | 400 imp gal (1,800 l) |
| Route availability: | 4 |
The North British Type 1 (later known as Class 16) was a type of diesel locomotive ordered under British Railways' 1955 Modernisation Plan. Like other Type 1 designs, they were relatively small locomotives intended primarily for local freight traffic.
The design evolved from an earlier prototype locomotive built by North British, No. 10800. Under British Railways' 'pilot scheme', ten locomotives were ordered for evaluation against rival designs from British Thompson-Houston (Class 15) and English Electric (Class 20). The design shared some similarities with Class 15, both being of the road-switcher layout which was uncommon in the U.K., and both being powered by an 800hp Paxman 16YHXL prime mover.
The ten locomotives (numbered D8400-D8409) were completed at the North British Locomotive Company's Queen's Park Works in Glasgow, between May and September 1958. They were delivered to Devons Road depot on the London Midland Region of British Railways for evaluation against the rival designs, but soon moved to nearby Stratford depot on the Eastern Region, where they stayed for the rest of their lives.
The design was not a success, and no further examples were built. While the Class 15s also suffered problems with the Paxman engines, these were worse on Class 16 because inadequate ventilation resulted in frequent engine seizures. Another problem was coolant contamination of the oil, due to cylinder head failure. They were fitted with a non-standard type of electro-magnetic control equipment (coded "red circle" by BR) which was prone to failure, and they could not operate in multiple with locomotives fitted with the more common electro-pneumatic ("blue star") controls.
Being non-standard and unreliable, the locomotives were an obvious candidate for early withdrawal. They were withdrawn between February and September 1968, and all ten had been cut up for scrap by the end of 1969.
[edit] Technical
- Engine: Paxman 16YHXL
- Cylinder bore: 7 in (178 mm)
- Piston stroke: 7¾ in (197 mm)
- Traction motors: 4 x GEC WT 441, nose suspended, with single reduction gear drive
- Main Generator: GEC WT 881
- Auxiliary Generator: GEC
[edit] Models
No ready-to-run model of the Class 16 is available.
[edit] Sources
- Stevens-Stratten, S.W.; Carter, R.S. (1978). British Rail Main-Line Diesels. Shepperton: Ian Allen Ltd. ISBN 0 7110 0617 2.
- Sugden, S.A.. Diesel & Electric Loco Register (3rd edn). Sheffield: Platform 5. ISBN 1 872524 55 9.
- Grindlay, Jim. British Railways Locomotive Allocations 1948-1968 (Part 6 - Diesel & Electric Locomotives). Troon: Modelmaster Publications. ISBN 978 0 9544264 6 0.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
This United Kingdom railway-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
