British Rail Class 57
The British Rail Class 57 diesel locomotives were rebuilt by Brush Traction between 1997-2004, as rebuilds with new engines of Class 47 locomotives. They are known as "bodysnatchers", "Snatchers" or "Zombies" to enthusiasts, by virtue of the fact that the shell (body) of the class 47 has been stripped and rewired and engined.
Contents
Description
The Class 57 is a re-engineered locomotive, rebuilt by Brush Traction at Loughborough from redundant Class 47 locomotives. The locomotives are fitted with a refurbished General Motors engine, and a reconditioned alternator, vastly improving reliability and performance. Two variants exist, for freight and passenger operations.
The class has its origins in 1997, when Freightliner ordered an initial six locomotives. In 2000, a prototype locomotive, number 57601, was converted with electric train heating capacities, with a view of obtaining orders from passenger companies.
Fleet Details
| Subclass | No. Built | No. Range | Operators | Loco Nos. | No In Traffic | Withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 57/0 | 12 | 57001-012 | Freightliner | 57001-012 | 12 | - |
| 57/3 | 16 | 57301-316 | Virgin Trains | 57301-316 | 16 | - |
| 57/6 | 5 | 57601-605 | FGW | 57602-605 | 4 | - |
| WCRC | 57601 | 1 | - |
Current operations
Freightliner
In 1997, Freightliner placed an order for an initial six Class 57/0 locomotives. The first of these was released in 1998, and coincided with the unveiling of the new British Racing Green Freightliner livery. After an evaluation period, Freightliner was sufficiently impressed to order a further six locomotives, with plans for an eventual fleet of 25 locomotives. However, in the event, only twelve locomotives were rebuilt, due to the purchase of completely new Class 66 locomotives from General Motors.
The Freightliner fleet sees use over a wide area, serving locations such as Ipswich, Southampton, Birmingham, Cardiff and Leeds. The introduction of the class resulted in the replacement of the Class 47 locomotives on most long-distance intermodal trains.
Freightliner has named all its locomotives, with examples such as 'Freightliner Pioneer' and 'Freightliner Phoenix'.
First Great Western
In 2000, Porterbrook Leasing placed an order for a prototype passenger locomotive fitted with electric train heating. This locomotive, no. 57601, was leased to First Great Western (FGW), who were looking for a replacement for their elderly Class 47 locomotives, which were employed on the "Night Riviera" overnight sleeper and Motorail services from London Paddington to Penzance. After an evaluation period of three years, FGW ordered four production Class 57/6 locomotives from Brush, which were delivered in 2004. These new locomotives displaced the Class 47 locomotives, which were transferred to other operators. As the prototype locomotive was non-standard, it was returned to Porterbrook Leasing, who then sold it to the West Coast Railway Company. The First Great Western (FGW) locomotives have been having reliabilty issues lately, resulting in hiring locomotives from Cotswold Rail.
The FGW fleet is painted in a green livery with a gold bodyside band, with cast name and numberplates. All four locomotives have been named after local castles in Devon and Cornwall, and operate solely on the Night Riviera sleeper service and standby and rescue duties, the Motorail service having been abandoned in 2005.
- 57602 — Restormel Castle
- 57603 — Tintagel Castle
- 57604 — Pendennis Castle
- 57605 — Totnes Castle
Virgin Trains
Under their franchise agreement, Virgin Trains was required to purchase new locomotives to replace its elderly Class 47 locomotives. As a result, an order for sixteen Class 57/3 locomotives was placed with Brush Traction. They are employed as rescue locomotives (so called "Thunderbird" duties), and are used to drag Virgin Train's electric train when engineering works force services to be diverted. They are also used to haul Crewe to Holyhead passenger trains.
Initially, twelve locomotives were ordered. However, this was increased to sixteen to allow the virtual elimination of Class 47 locomotives from stand-by duties. The first twelve locomotives were retro-fitted with special coupling adaptors to allows them to haul a Pendolino unit. The last four locomotives were fitted with the equipment from 'new'.
The Virgin fleet is painted in their red and silver livery, and locomotives are named after characters from the TV series Thunderbirds.
West Coast Railway Company
The West Coast Railway Company (WCRC) owns a single Class 57/6; the prototype passenger locomotive 57601. This is employed on WCRC charter trains, and is painted in the company's maroon livery, to match the coaching stock.
Technical details
| BR Class 57 | ||
|---|---|---|
| TOPS numbers | 57001–57012, 57301–57316, 57601–57605 | |
| Early numbers | Various Class 47 numbers | |
| Builder | Brush Traction or BR Crewe Works, rebuilt by Brush Traction | |
| Introduced | 1964–1965, rebuilt 1997–2004 | |
| Wheel Arrangement | Co-Co | |
| Weight | 120.6 t (57/0 and 57601) 117 t (57/3 and 57602–57605) |
tonnes |
| Height | ft in | m |
| Width | ft in | 2.79 m |
| Length | ft in | 19.38 m |
| Wheel Dia. | ft in | 1143 mm |
| Wheel Base | ft | m |
| Minimum radius | chains | m |
| Maximum speed | 75 mph (57/0) 95 mph (57/3 and 57/6) |
km/h |
| Engine | General Motors 645-12E3 (57/0) General Motors 645-F3B-12 (57/3 and 57/6) | |
| Engine output | 2,500 hp (57/0) 2,750 hp (57/3 and 57/6) |
1,860 kW (57/0) 2,050 kW (57/3 and 57/6) |
| Max. Tractive Effort | 55,000 lbf | 244.5 kN |
| Power at Rail | 2,025 hp | 1,507 kW |
| Brake type | Air | |
| Brake force | 80 tons force (57/0) 60 tons force (57/3 and 57/6) |
kN |
| Route availability | 6 | |
| Fuel Tank | imperial gallons | 5,550 L (57/0) 5,887 L (57/3 and 57/6) |
| Heating type | None (57/0) Electric, index 100 (57/3 and 57602–57605) Electric, index 95 (57601) | |
| Multiple working | Not equipped | |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: British Rail Class 57 |
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| Pre-1955 type: | 10000-10001 - 10100 - 10201-10203 - 10800 | |
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