DIESEL LOCOMOTIVES AT BLAENAVON

Updated 28 May 06
Updated 20 Aug 06
New entry 25 Sep 06
New entry 21 July 07
New entry 14 Aug 07
New Entry 23 Mar 08

The railway has a fascinating variety of eight ex-industrial diesel locomotives, five natives of the South Wales area, and all retired from an arduous life in either the coal or the steel industry, plus 37216, and 73128 retired from the national network.

	Class 73/1 Electro-diesel No.73128 Locomotive details:- Builder: English Electric Co Ltd. Built:1966 at Vulcan Foundry. Wheel Arrangement: Bo-Bo Power unit: Third rail electric yielding 1600hp or diesel 4SRKT, Mk2 engine yielding 600hp Transmission: Electric Traction motors - 4xEE546-1B These are primarily electric locomotives, and were designed to work normally on the Southern Region third rail electrified lines. However in order for them to work into those few areas where the third-rail had not been laid, they were also fitted with relatively small diesel engine and generator sets. The first six of this class were built at Eastleigh in 1962, when they were called class JA, but so successful were they that many more were ordered from English Electric at Newton-le-Willows. These were called class JB. In the later TOPS scheme they were referred to as class 73/0 and class 73/1 respectively.. It once carried the nameplates 'OVS BULLEID OBE’ but currently works with nameplates ‘Silver Jubili / Jiwbili Arian’. It is finished in original EW&S cream and red. 73128, which is on hire for two years, at least, arrived on 12 March 2008.
	Ruston 0-4-0DM ‘Gower Princess’ Locomotive details:- Type: 48DS Builder: Ruston & Hornsby Ltd, Lincoln Built: About 1941, works No. 200793 Wheel Arrangement: 0-4-0DM Weight: Tractive effort: Power unit: Ruston 48hp diesel engine Transmission: Mechanical This tiny 4-wheel shunter, arrived on 9 August 2007 from the Swansea Vale Railway, and has proved very useful in shunting single wagons around the yard – and even up the main line
	English Electric Type 3 (TOPS Class 37) No.37216 Locomotive details:- Builder: English Electric Co Ltd. Built:1963 at Vulcan Foundry. Wheel Arrangement: Co-Co Weight: 105 Tons Tractive effort:45,000 Power unit: English Electric supercharged 12CSVT diesel engine delivering 1750 hp at 850rpm to an EE type 822/10G main generator. Transmission: Electric Traction motors: 6xEE538-A, axle hung, nose suspended Driving wheels:3ft 7ins Maximum speed: 80mph Our first permanently resident main-line diesel loco, privately owned, and which arrived 20 July 2007. Too large and powerful for everyday work on the line, and reserved for special events, it will become every day traction when the line is extended to Blaenavon (High Level) by the beginning of 2010, and the necessary run-round loops are installed.
37216 (as D6916) was delivered to Landore Swansea on 02/01/64, moving to Cardiff in the September, back to Landore in February 65 before departing for Healey Mills on the Eastern region in October 1967. The locomotives proved themselves to be strong and reliable performers and eventually worked to all points of the rail network from Penzance to Wick and even more recently abroad. During the 1980s many were refurbished to extend there life and usefulness. This included a complete engine refurbishment, replacement of the electrical system and changes to auxiliary equipment. 37216 wasn’t picked for refurbishment and carried on hard at work, primarily in East Anglia. In 1992 however 37216 was plucked from obscurity and repainted into a heritage green livery and given the name Great Eastern In the run up to privatisation 37216 was allocated to the Mainline train company and repainted in their aircraft blue with silver trimmings livery which it carried on arrival at Blaenavon. In October 2003, 37216 was placed into tactical reserve and stored pending use if required but this never happened and in May 2007 was sold for scrap being moved from Motherwell (Glasgow)  to EMR Kingsbury in June.  A month later it was purchased privately and bought to Blaenavon. photo: Mark Henderson
	English Electric 0-6-0DH, No.104 ‘Llanwern’ Locomotive details:- Builder: English Electric Co Ltd. Built:1968, rebuilt 1971, works no.D1249. Wheel Arrangement: 0-6-0 Power unit: turbocharged 550hp Dorman V8 Transmission: Hydraulic ‘Llanwern’ is a diesel hydraulic shunting engine, built for, and donated to us by British Steel, after working at Llanwern steelworks. It was fitted shortly after arrival with a vacuum brake system so that it could work our passenger trains. It is our principal motive power when steam power is unavailable, and the heavy throb of its engine, when working up the bank is a familiar sound to residents living in nearby Garn yr Erw photo: Mark Henderson
	English Electric 0-6-0DH, No.106 Locomotive details:- Builder: English Electric Co Ltd. Built:1968, rebuilt 1971, works no.D1226. Wheel Arrangement: 0-6-0 Power unit: turbocharged 550hp Dorman V8 Transmission: Hydraulic No.106 is clearly a stablemate to Llanwern, and was also donated by British Steel in 1991, and, although carrying a higher fleet number, carries a lower works number, and is believed to be the first of this ‘class’. As such the side valances are different in detail, but in all other respects she appears identical. It was intended that she be kept to provide spares for Llanwern, since she had badly worn wheels, and a suspect engine. However, so reliable has Llanwern been that 106 remains untouched. Should a benefactor come riding over the mountain with £10,000 in his pocket, 106 can have her wheels fixed. The idea of 104 and 106, working together, expending 1100hp, and pushing a heavy train up the bank is a thrilling one – what a sight – and sound – that would be!
	Hunslet 0-8-0DH, No.170 ‘Ebbw’ Locomotive details:- Builder: Hunslet Engine Company, Leeds. Built:1971, works no.D7063. Wheel Arrangement: 0-8-0 Power units: twin supercharged straight 6 Cummins NT388s, each of 400 hp Transmission: Hydraulic Another British Steel locomotive, one of a delivery of four 80-ton locomotives delivered to Ebbw Vale steelworks in the early seventies. Now the only survivor, and one of only two 0-8-0 diesel locomotives remaining, the other being a much smaller Sentinel on the Avon Valley Railway. Now privately owned, she is painted in 'Hymek' colours (a spoof on her works number D7063, but retains her original British Steel fleet number, 170. She is fitted with a pair of Cummins NT388 engines, developing a total of 800hp. The No1 engine has recently been completely rebuilt. Her massive size and weight means she sees little work, and is rarely seen in action outside galas. photo: Mark Henderson
	Rolls-Royce Sentinel 0-4-0DM, No.1 ‘Panteg’ Locomotive Details:- Builder: Sentinel Ltd., Shrewsbury. Built; 1961, works no.10083 Wheel Arrangement : 0-4-0 Power unit:: supercharged straight 6 Rolls Royce Transmission: mechanical, chain drive, This loco was built at the Shrewsbury Works of the Sentinel Company and it spent its working life at the Stainless Works of the British Steel Company at Panteg near Pontypool. The diesel is powered by a supercharged Rolls Royce engine via torque converters and self change gearbox with chain drive to the wheels. The internal rail system at the works was closed down during l988 and the British Steel Company donated the loco to the Railway. Two similar diesels that also worked at Panteg have gone into preservation at the Dean Forest Railway. The loco, which was overhauled in 2004, has seen much work on Permanent Way trains. Pictures of Panteg’s 2004 overhaul are at http://hudswell.fotopic.net/c380327.html
	John Fowler 0-6-0DM No.RT1 Locomotive Details:- Builder: John Fowler & Co. Ltd., Leeds. Built: 1938, works no.JF22497. Wheel Arrangement: 0-6-0DM. Power unit: l50 hp 6-cyl. Fowler Sanders This diesel was supplied to the Richard Thomas Steelworks at Ebbw Vale by the John Fowler Company of Hunslet, Leeds in 1938. This locomotive is laid out with a mid-body cab and it has a 150 hp engine mounted on an 0-6-0 chassis. Although there are examples of 0-4-0 Fowler diesels throughout Britain, RT1 is thought to be the only working example of an 0-6-0 version. This locomotive saw its last industrial service at the British Steel Company’s tinplate works at Abercarn, Gwent. When delivered to Blaenavon the shunter was in blue livery but has since been repainted in its original colour of green with yellow lining out. Early on in the railway’s history she was involved on works duties on the line here, and also saw a small amount of use on the passenger trains. She has recently been transferred from the Company to one of its members, and is undergoing extensive overhaul at present, and looks considerably brighter now than in the photograph.
	Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0DM, Shell-BP No.14 Locomotive Details:- Builder: Hudswell Clarke & Co., Leeds. Built: 1938, works no.D615. Wheel Arrangement: 0-6-0DM. Power unit: Maclaren-Benz150 hp Built for: Shell-BP (and still carrying the legend ‘Shell-Mex No.14 on arrival in June 2004), she was previously at the Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway from whom she was purchased by a group of PBR members. She was built to work in a flammable vapour environment, and all her electrical gear and lamps are of sealed construction. Now restored to her original green, she makes occasional appearances, but, in deference to her age and condition she is rarely asked to undertake heavy work. photo: Alistair Grieve
	Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0DH, NCB DL16 Locomotive Details:- Builder: Hudswell Clarke & Co., Leeds. Built: 1967, works no.D1387. Wheel Arrangement: 0-6-0 Power unit: 300hp turbocharged Cummins This loco was supplied to the National Coal Board, at Bolsover Colliery, Derbyshire in 1967. Here she worked here until the early nineties, when she was transferred, surplus to requirements to the Shropshire Collection. Here she remained until purchased by the Somerset and Dorset Locomotive Company in year 2000. At Yeovil Junction she performed as works shunter, until the S&DLCo loco collection had been dispersed by sale. She was then purchased by a group of PBR members, and arrived on site in December 2004. Nicely turned out in a relatively sombre green, she has become a reliable performer round the yard, and is often seen during stock moves or on P Way trains photo: Mark Henderson
	Wickham 6947 Not really a locomotive, and certainly not a diesel loco, since it now has a petrol engine,. Nevertheless, its owner wanted it included in this register, and we felt obliged to include it for the same of completeness. The photo shows the Wickham before restoration began. Carrying the British Railways number PWM 3962, and previously numbered B36W, this little fellow was station at Plymouth (WR) for most of its working life. It was purchased from the Bluebell Railway in 1989, by a consortium of members; it is now owned nominally by just one. Restoration started on 16 May 2004, though several years have been spent trying to find a suitable engine/gearbox combination for the unit. Success was achieved in the middle of 2006, so we await completion quite soon. The vehicle has already been restored to a high cosmetic standard, so we hope it won’t be long before it’s out and about. Photo: Jon Goss