|
|
|
|
GWR Route: Banbury to Wolverhampton
GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line
Tyseley Station: gwrt1044
Western class diesel-hydraulic locomotives No D1072 is seen
at the head of the 09 10 am Birmingham to Paddington express on 15th Feb 1965.
The order for 74 locomotives was placed by the British Transport Commission in
September 1959 just prior to the completion of the final design. Construction
was to be split between Swindon, who were to build the first 35 'Westerns', and
also Crewe who were to built the last 39. Various problems with the final
design details meant that the first member of the class was not delivered until
December 1961, and so to relieve pressure on Swindon, the decision was taken
that the last 5 of the locomotives due to built there, would be constructed at
Crewe instead. Therefore, Swindon built 'Western' numbers D1000 - 29, while
Crewe built numbers D1035 - 73 and D1030 - 4 in that order.
Initially the class were to be named after West Country
beauty spots and the suggestion was that number D1000 was to become 'Cheddar
Gorge' before this proposal was dropped in favour of the 'Western' names. The
class also became the subject of various livery experiments. The first
'Western', D1000 Western Enterprise, was outshopped in a unique desert sand
livery with wheels, roof panels, bogies and window frames in black. Buffer
beams and front skirts were painted in carmine red. The second 'Western'
locomotive, D1001 Western Pathfinder, was delivered in a maroon livery with
window frames in white while the buffer beams and front skirts were in yellow.
back
|
|
|