LMS Route: Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street

LMS Route: Birmingham New Street to Tamworth

Saltley Shed: mrsalt1611

British Railways' English Electric Type 3 Co-Co D6811 stands beneath Saltley shed's coaling tower in 1968. As part of the large scale dieselisation brought about by the British Rail modernisation plan a need was identified for a number of type 3 locomotives of power output 1,500 hp. English Electric had already been successful with orders for Type 1 and Type 4 diesels, and had produced locomotives of similar power to that which was required for railways in East Africa. A design based on the exported locomotives was put forward and accepted. The design was for a general purpose locomotive and initially found service in British Rail's Eastern Region. There was no prototype. British Rail first placed an order for 42 Class 37 locomotives in January 1959. The first of these was delivered in November 1960, entering service on 2 December, with the last of this original batch complete by mid-1962, by which time subsequent orders had been placed. The last of the 309 built was delivered to the Western Region on 9 November 1965.

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