Oh lovely, a couiple of Class 3s.
Now perhaps you can tell me, class 3s and 4s (and maybe even later classes too) had funnels but class 1s and 2s didn't. Why is that do you know? Why did funnels suddenly come into use on the class 3s?

James,

I have now found the photo I was looking for of 10000 on the Press Run, which was probably its first public passenger train, on 15th January 1948. Master Builders of Steam by H.A.V. Bullied.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

The "chimney" on the 03s and the 04s houses the exhaust pipe. They were very much a diesel on a steam type chassis. We have to oil round the coupling rods at the beginning of the day, just like a steam engine, it is a "total loss" system. If we take one down to Duffield from Wirksworth, which is eight and a half miles we top up the oil before we start back. It is up hill all the way back to Wirksworth.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

Thanks John, that explains it. Fascinating stuff. "Chimney" of course not "funnel". But Chimney still sounds strange when referring to a vehicle and not a building.

As far as I know, the class number does NOT relate to the order of introduction, so Class 01 was not the first class of shunter built. [many types of shunter were withdrawn before the class system was introduced in the mid 1960s]

Ah ha..the plot thickens. But I would still assume that a class 01 is older than a class 03...or is that an incorrect assumption?

The TOPs numbering system eg Class 03, Class 20, Class 50 etc, which you refer to, was introduced in about 1972, long after the last of the classes you mention were built, and does not necessarily follow chronologically.

Many of the early diesels were built in small batches and didn't last very long. many of the shunter classes 01-14 were sold into industry. After the colapse of Rail Frieght in the 1960's there were too many shunters anyway and BR had plenty of reliable 03s,04s and 08s (with 09 & 10 varients). The rest were sold or scrapped. Some diesel classes lasted little longer than the steam engines they were supposed to replace!

Building dates for the various shunter classes were as follows:

01 - 1956; 02 - 1960-61; 03 - 1957-62; 04 - 1952 - 1962; 05 - 1955-61; 06 - 1958-60; 07 - 1962; 08 1952-1962; 09 - 1959-62; 10 1955-62 & 14 1964-65.

The Class 14s were designed for trip working which had virtually disappeared befor the last one was built! Many of the class were bought by ther NCB and British Steel and 16 of the class have made it into preservation (out of a clss of 56!)

Hope this begins to sort it all out for you.

Best wishes,

John H-T.

I think the first regular(ish) diesel locomotive hauled passenger service in the UK was on the North Sunderland Light Railway, who used the Armstrong-Whitworth 0-4-0, "Lady Armstrong", from 1934.

Thank you very much John. That is really helpful. You are a mine of useful information, of course I'd expect nothing less from a man of your seniority.

That early? Wow, I had no idea. Thanks.