GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton

Leamington Spa - BR Locomotives: gwrls2026

An unidentified English Electric Type 1 diesel locomotive heads an up unfitted freight through Leamington in July 1966. Unusually for British designs, the locomotive had a single cab. This caused serious problems with visibility when travelling nose first, though in these circumstances the driver's view is comparable to that on the steam locomotives that the Class 20s replaced. Between 1957 and 1968, two hundred and twenty-eight locomotives of the class were built by the English Electric Company. Such a large number was ordered in part because of the failure of other early designs of diesel locomotives in the same power range. The locomotives were originally numbered between D8000 to D8199 and D8300 to D8327. Later classified under TOPS as Class 20, they are known by railway enthusiasts as 'Choppers', because of the distinctive beat of the diesel engine resembling the sound of a helicopter when under load. Designed around relatively basic technology, the 73 tonne locomotives produce 1,000 horsepower and can operate at up to 75 mph. Designed to work light mixed freight traffic, they were not fitted with train heating facilities. Locomotives up to D8127 were fitted with disc indicators in the style of the steam era. When headcodes were introduced in 1960 the locomotive's design was changed to incorporate headcode boxes as seen above. Although older locomotives were not retrofitted with headcode boxes, a few of the earlier batch acquired headcode boxes as a result of repairs.

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