British Rail Class 26


The British Rail Class 26 diesel locomotives, also known as the BRCW Type 2, were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company at Smethwick in 1958-59. Forty seven examples were built, and the last were withdrawn from service in 1994. Like their higher-powered sisters, the BRCW Classes 27 and 33, they had all-steel bodies and cab ends with fibreglass cab roofs. They were numbered D5300-D5346.

Origins

The BR Modernisation Plan contained a large requirement for small diesel locomotives in the - range and under BR's 'Pilot Scheme', small batches of locomotives were ordered from numerous different manufacturers for evaluation. BRCW obtained an order for 20 mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotives powered by Sulzer 6LDA28 engines.
The Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company was a rolling stock manufacturer, although they were building diesel multiple units for BR. The first standalone locomotives made by the company were produced in 1956-57 BRCW : 12 diesel locomotives for the Irish railways Córas Iompair Éireann, the order going to BRCW due to capacity problems at CIÉ's own Inchicore Works; a partnership was established between BRCW and the Swiss diesel engine manufacturers Sulzer Brothers at that time.
The Sulzer LDA28 range was found to be particularly suited to BR's needs. In addition to BRCW's Class 26, the 1160 hp 6LDA28 variant was also used in BR's own Class 24 design, while the 1250 hp 6LDA28-B was fitted in the later BRCW Class 27 and BR Class 25.

Work history

The Pilot Scheme batch of twenty locomotives were delivered to Hornsey TMD on the Eastern Region of British Railways between July 1958 and March 1959. They were used on a variety of duties, notably including London commuter services into King's Cross station and were evaluated against designs from the North British Locomotive Company, English Electric, Brush Traction, and British Railways' own works. Their allocation was switched to the new Finsbury Park TMD when it opened in 1960.
Locomotive D5303 was on loan to the Scottish Region from 1958, being operated briefly from Inverness TMD, and Eastfield TMD before moving to Leith Central TMD. This was the precursor to a further twenty seven locomotives of a slightly modified design being delivered to the Scottish Region between April and October 1959. The first two of these locomotives were briefly allocated to Leith Central, but subsequently all of the Scottish batch were based at Haymarket TMD.
By the middle of 1960, evaluation of the various Type 2 designs was complete and it was decided to concentrate all of the Class 26s in Scotland. As a result, the Class 26/0s were transferred to Haymarket, displacing the Class 26/1s to Inverness. Although some transferring of individual locomotives between the two depots occurred, the type was then allocated entirely to Haymarket and Inverness until 1987, apart from the brief allocation of a few locomotives to Kittybrewster TMD and Dundee TMD during 1960.
Like other Scottish Region Type 2s, Class 26 were 'maids of all work' during the 1960s and '70s, and could be found on a wide variety of duties. The Inverness-based examples were particularly associated with the Far North Line and Kyle of Lochalsh Line, as well as operating south of Inverness on the Highland Main Line. One notable duty, shared with locally based Class 24s, was to operate 'The Royal Highlander' Inverness to London Euston sleeping car express as far south as Perth, a demanding turn which required three locomotives working in multiple. The Haymarket engines were latterly more associated with goods traffic, and the first seven locomotives were given slow speed control apparatus in 1967 for use on MGR coal trains to the then new Cockenzie Power Station.
Upon elimination of BR standard-gauge steam traction in 1968, the 'D' number prefix was removed and locomotives D5300-5346 became 5300-5346. In 1974 the TOPS numbering system was implemented and Class 26/0s 5300-5319 were renumbered 26007/1-6/20/08-19, while Class 26/1s 5320-7/9-46 became 26028/1-7/9-46. Number 5328 had been withdrawn in 1972 with accident damage.

The availability of surplus Class 37 and 47 locomotives in the late 1970s and early 1980s displaced the Class 26s from passenger workings and from most goods traffic north of Inverness. However, the type continued to operate goods trains throughout the whole of Scotland, taking over duties previously carried out by Class 25 and 27 locomotives. Most of the class were refurbished in the 1980s to extend their lives, being chosen in preference to the newer Class 25 and 27 due to the better reliability of the Class 26s' lower powered engines.
In May 1987, all of the surviving Class 26s were transferred to Eastfield TMD, except the seven MGR examples which remained at Haymarket until transfer in May 1988. In August 1992, the remaining engines were reallocated to Inverness, although this was essentially a paper exercise as locomotives only returned to their home depot for major maintenance. By this time the service life of the Class 26 locomotives was coming to an end.

Withdrawals

The first withdrawal, 5328, occurred as a result of accident damage in 1972. Although the Class 26s were a useful and reliable type, there was a surplus of small diesel locomotives, so any locomotive suffering significant damage was in danger of withdrawal. A further six locomotives were claimed by minor accidents or engine fires between 1975 and 1984. Apart from these, routine withdrawals commenced with three Class 26/0s in 1977, followed by two 26/0s and two 26/1s in 1985. The surviving 33 locomotives were all refurbished examples, and it had originally been intended to keep them in service until around 2000. However, three were lost to minor accidents/fire damage in 1988-89, and the closure of Ravenscraig steelworks in 1991 resulted in a surplus of locomotives. Routine withdrawal of the refurbished locomotives began in 1990, and the last examples were taken out of service in October 1993.

Liveries

Nine main livery variants were carried by the class whilst in BR service:
Thirteen locomotives have been preserved.
on 31 May 2005. This was one of the final locomotives in traffic, being withdrawn in late 1994.