The British Rail Class 44 or Sulzer Type 4diesel locomotives were built by British Railways' Derby Works between 1959 and 1960, intended for express passenger services. They were originally numbered D1-D10 and named after British mountains, and, along with the similar Class 45 and 46 locomotives, they became known as Peaks.
In part inspired by LMS prototypes 10000 and 10001, and by Southern Railway 10201-10203, the Class 44 diesels were some of the first big diesels commissioned for the British Rail modernisation project and were the precursors to the Class 45 and Class 46 locomotives of similar design. They were originally designed to have a Co-Co wheel arrangement, but it proved impossible to keep below the 20 long tons (20,000 kg) axle loading limit imposed by the British Railways Civil Engineer. A 1-Co bogie design originally used on the Southern Railway 10201 was used instead.[1]
Construction began in the summer of 1958, although the first example was not completed until April 1959. The ten locomotives were originally allocated to Camden motive power depot and used on the West Coast Main Line, although also often seen on the Midland Main Line.[2] However, with the advent of large numbers of Class 45 locomotives the 10 Class 44 locomotives were transferred to Toton.[3]
They were geared for 90 mph running, although D2 was experimentally geared to run faster than this and was also fitted temporarily with the first intercooled 2,500 bhp B model of the engine. In 1962 it managed 110 mph with three-coach test trains on the West Coast Main Line. This was not intended as a high-speed trial of the Peaks, but to study the condition of the line, before electrification and sustained high-speed running over it.[5]
By 1960, the next batch of Peaks, D11 and the class 45s, were in production. These had lowered motor gearing from 62/17 to 57/22 which reduced the tractive effort, but also reduced traction motor rpm at speed and so reduced the risk of flashover.[4] In 1961, the same gearing change was applied to the class 44s, reducing their continuous tractive effort from 41,000 to 29,000 lbf.[6]
Teething troubles
D1 Scafell Pike at Stafford on the WCML working a passenger train, 14 April 1960
The class suffered 'a considerable amount of early "teething trouble"' during the early 1960s.[7] The bogies suffered from frame fractures. The vacuum exhausters gave trouble, as did the auxiliary motor, the original batteries supplied were also inadequate and soon became exhausted. The main problem with the exhausters was that they were mounted in the centre of the engine room and so had to be lifted through the roof by crane, taking 8–12 hours to change.[8] The truss girder used for the body sides meant that there was no access through the sides of the bodywork.[9] Considerable trouble was experienced with the water tanks for the steam heating boilers due to fractures.[8]
Once the class 45 units were available, the locomotives were re-assigned to Toton and freight duties, and the steam heating boilers were removed.
D5 Cross Fell at Long Eaton with a train of 16 tonne mineral wagons, May 1962
Operations
The class worked regularly over the West Coast Main Line for a couple of years prior to its electrification, and also between London St Pancras and Manchester Central. Once they were consigned to Freight services, they mostly operated in the East Midlands, all being allocated to Toton until withdrawal.
Renumbering, withdrawal and preservation
The class was renumbered 44 001-010 with the adoption of the Total Operations Processing System in the early 1970s. Withdrawal of the whole class took place between 1976 and 1980.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 44.
Harris, Roger (1985). The Allocation History of BR Diesels and Electrics (2nd ed.). Bromsgrove: Roger Harris.
Marsden, Colin J.; Fenn, Graham B. (1988). British Rail Main Line Diesel Locomotives. Sparkford: Haynes. pp. 184–187. ISBN9780860933182. OCLC 17916362.
Vehicle Diagram Book No. 100 for Main Line Diesel Locomotives(PDF). Barrowmore MRG. Derby: British Railways Board. October 1984. pp. 24, 37, 105 (per pdf).
Jacob, Michael (October 1982). "Water, water everywhere...". Rail Enthusiast. EMAP National Publications. pp. 28–31. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
Kerry, Mike (November 1986). "Spectacular Stuff!". Rail Enthusiast. No. 62. EMAP National Publications. pp. 36–39. ISSN 0262-561X. OCLC 49957965.
british, rail, class, sulzer, type, diesel, locomotives, were, built, british, railways, derby, works, between, 1959, 1960, intended, express, passenger, services, they, were, originally, numbered, named, after, british, mountains, along, with, similar, class,. The British Rail Class 44 or Sulzer Type 4 diesel locomotives were built by British Railways Derby Works between 1959 and 1960 intended for express passenger services They were originally numbered D1 D10 and named after British mountains and along with the similar Class 45 and 46 locomotives they became known as Peaks Derby Type 4British Rail Class 4444 010 Tryfan heads a freight train on the Birmingham Peterborough line in Leicestershire April 1976 Type and originPower typeDiesel electricBuilderBritish Railways Derby WorksBuild date1959 1960Total produced10SpecificationsConfiguration UIC 1 Co Co1 Commonwealth1Co Co1Gauge4 ft 8 1 2 in 1 435 mm standard gaugeWheel diameter3 ft 9 in 1 143 m Minimum curve5 chains 100 m Wheelbase59 ft 8 in 18 19 m Length67 ft 11 in 20 70 m Width8 ft 10 1 2 in 2 71 m Height12 ft 10 in 3 91 m Loco weight133 long tons 135 t 149 short tons Fuel capacity840 imp gal 3 800 l 1 010 US gal Prime moverSulzer 12LDA28 AEngine typeDieselGeneratorCrompton Parkinson GC426 A1Traction motorsSix Crompton Parkinson C171 B1MU working Blue StarTrain heatingSteamTrain brakesVacuumPerformance figuresMaximum speed90 mph 145 km h Power outputEngine 2 300 bhp 1 715 kW At rail 1 800 hp 1 342 kW Tractive effortMaximum 50 000 lbf 222 kN Brakeforce63 long tons force 628 kN CareerOperatorsBritish RailwaysNumbersD1 D10 later 44 001 44 010NicknamesPeakAxle load classRoute availability 7Withdrawn1976 1980DispositionTwo preserved remainder scrapped Contents 1 Overview 2 Powertrain 3 Teething troubles 4 Operations 5 Renumbering withdrawal and preservation 6 Fleet details 7 References 8 Further readingOverview EditIn part inspired by LMS prototypes 10000 and 10001 and by Southern Railway 10201 10203 the Class 44 diesels were some of the first big diesels commissioned for the British Rail modernisation project and were the precursors to the Class 45 and Class 46 locomotives of similar design They were originally designed to have a Co Co wheel arrangement but it proved impossible to keep below the 20 long tons 20 000 kg axle loading limit imposed by the British Railways Civil Engineer A 1 Co bogie design originally used on the Southern Railway 10201 was used instead 1 Construction began in the summer of 1958 although the first example was not completed until April 1959 The ten locomotives were originally allocated to Camden motive power depot and used on the West Coast Main Line although also often seen on the Midland Main Line 2 However with the advent of large numbers of Class 45 locomotives the 10 Class 44 locomotives were transferred to Toton 3 Powertrain EditA 2 300 bhp Sulzer 12LDA28 A diesel engine drove a Crompton Parkinson GC426 A1 main generator which supplied power to six Crompton Parkinson C171 B1 traction motors 4 When initially put into service the locomotives were fitted with multiple working They were geared for 90 mph running although D2 was experimentally geared to run faster than this and was also fitted temporarily with the first intercooled 2 500 bhp B model of the engine In 1962 it managed 110 mph with three coach test trains on the West Coast Main Line This was not intended as a high speed trial of the Peaks but to study the condition of the line before electrification and sustained high speed running over it 5 By 1960 the next batch of Peaks D11 and the class 45s were in production These had lowered motor gearing from 62 17 to 57 22 which reduced the tractive effort but also reduced traction motor rpm at speed and so reduced the risk of flashover 4 In 1961 the same gearing change was applied to the class 44s reducing their continuous tractive effort from 41 000 to 29 000 lbf 6 Teething troubles Edit D1 Scafell Pike at Stafford on the WCML working a passenger train 14 April 1960 The class suffered a considerable amount of early teething trouble during the early 1960s 7 The bogies suffered from frame fractures The vacuum exhausters gave trouble as did the auxiliary motor the original batteries supplied were also inadequate and soon became exhausted The main problem with the exhausters was that they were mounted in the centre of the engine room and so had to be lifted through the roof by crane taking 8 12 hours to change 8 The truss girder used for the body sides meant that there was no access through the sides of the bodywork 9 Considerable trouble was experienced with the water tanks for the steam heating boilers due to fractures 8 Once the class 45 units were available the locomotives were re assigned to Toton and freight duties and the steam heating boilers were removed D5 Cross Fell at Long Eaton with a train of 16 tonne mineral wagons May 1962Operations EditThe class worked regularly over the West Coast Main Line for a couple of years prior to its electrification and also between London St Pancras and Manchester Central Once they were consigned to Freight services they mostly operated in the East Midlands all being allocated to Toton until withdrawal Renumbering withdrawal and preservation EditThe class was renumbered 44 001 010 with the adoption of the Total Operations Processing System in the early 1970s Withdrawal of the whole class took place between 1976 and 1980 Table of withdrawals Year Quantity inservice atstart of year Quantitywithdrawn Locomotive numbers Notes1976 10 2 44001 031977 8 2 44006 101978 6 1 440051979 5 2 44002 091980 3 3 44004 07 08 44004 and 44008 are preserved Two locomotives have survived to preservation Number s Current in bold Name Livery Location Image NotesD4 44 004 Great Gable BR Blue Midland Railway Butterley Owning group Peak Locomotive CompanyD8 44 008 Penyghent BR Green Peak Rail Privately ownedFleet details EditNumbers Name Withdrawn Disposal detailsPre TOPS TOPSD1 44 001 Scafell Pike October 1976 Scrapped at Derby Works February 1977 D2 44 002 Helvellyn February 1979 Scrapped at Derby Works October 1979 D3 44 003 Skiddaw July 1976 Scrapped at Derby Works August 1976 D4 44 004 Great Gable November 1980 Preserved at Midland Railway ButterleyD5 44 005 Cross Fell April 1978 Scrapped at Derby Works November 1978 D6 44 006 Whernside January 1977 Scrapped at Derby Works February 1978 D7 44 007 Ingleborough November 1980 Scrapped at Derby Works November 1981 D8 44 008 Penyghent November 1980 Preserved at Peak Rail Matlock DerbyshireD9 44 009 Snowdon March 1979 Scrapped at Derby Works July 1980 D10 44 010 Tryfan May 1977 Scrapped at Derby Works July 1978 References Edit Brian Webb 1978 Sulzer Locomotives of British Rail Newton Abbott David and Charles p 29 ISBN 0 7153 7514 8 Webb 1978 35 5 British Railways Locoshed Book 1974 edition Shepperton Ian Allan 1974 p 30 ISBN 0 7110 0558 3 a b class 44 D1 44001 Scafell Pike BR Sulzer Type 4 Derbysulzers com Retrieved 24 July 2012 Webb 1978 p 32 Diagram Book MT 25 British Railways 1974 A review of motive power changes British Railways 1960 62 Locomotive Stock Book 1963 Railway Correspondence and Travel Society 1963 p 6 a b Webb 1978 p 31 Webb 1978 p 29 Further reading Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to British Rail Class 44 Harris Roger 1985 The Allocation History of BR Diesels and Electrics 2nd ed Bromsgrove Roger Harris Marsden Colin J Fenn Graham B 1988 British Rail Main Line Diesel Locomotives Sparkford Haynes pp 184 187 ISBN 9780860933182 OCLC 17916362 Vehicle Diagram Book No 100 for Main Line Diesel Locomotives PDF Barrowmore MRG Derby British Railways Board October 1984 pp 24 37 105 per pdf Jacob Michael October 1982 Water water everywhere Rail Enthusiast EMAP National Publications pp 28 31 ISSN 0262 561X OCLC 49957965 Kerry Mike November 1986 Spectacular Stuff Rail Enthusiast No 62 EMAP National Publications pp 36 39 ISSN 0262 561X OCLC 49957965 Webb Brian 1978 Sulzer Diesel Locomotives of British Rail David amp Charles ISBN 0715375148 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title British Rail Class 44 amp oldid 1101415596, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
