LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Rugby to Leamington
LMS Route: Rugby to Tamworth
LMS Route: Rugby to Leicester
LMS Route: Rugby to Market Harborough

Rugby Station: lnwrrm2996

English Electric Type 4 Diesel Locomotive 1Co-Co1 D232 stands at Rugby with a down express during Easter 1960. Built by English Electric's Vulcan Foundry works in September 1959, D232 was to remain in service until February 1981 when it was withdrawn from D09 Manchester Division to be scrapped by Swindon works. The Class were built by English Electric from 1958 to 1962 and eventually numbered some two hundred locomotives. Direct comparisons on the Great Eastern mainline showed that when well driven, they offered little advantage over the 'Britannia Class' steam locomotives, and therefore the Eastern Region declined to accept further machines as they deemed them unsuitable to replace the Pacific steam locomotives on the East Coast Main Line preferring to hold on until the 'Deltic', (Class 55) diesel locomotives were delivered. The London Midland Region was only too pleased as the Eastern Region's decision released additional locomotives to replace their ageing steam fleet. The class managing Camden bank, just north of Euston, with apparent ease. The West Coast Main Line had been starved of investment for many years and the poor track and general lower speeds - when compared to the East Coast route - suited the class as the need to hold trains at speed for long periods simply did not exist and it better exploited their fairly rapid acceleration. They were for a time the pride of British Rail's early diesel fleet. Despite their initial success, by the time the last examples were entering service they were already being replaced on some top-link duties by more powerful locomotives. As they were slowly relegated from express passenger uses, the type found work on secondary passenger and freight services where they worked for many years, the final locomotives being retired from regular service in 1985.

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