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Locomotives - D5500
Clacton Flier breaks new Ground
On 13th November 1957 the 10:36 hrs London Liverpool Street to Clacton service began its journey without a whiff of steam. In charge was D5500, the first new main line diesel locomotive on British Railways Eastern Region. There was no ceremony to mark the event, but for British Railways and Brush Traction Ltd this was an important day.
D5500 was a product of the 1955 Modernisation Plan, launched by British Railways with the aim of putting them back in profit. The plan aimed to modernise the system and included provision to replace steam with diesel and electric locomotives.
British Railways wished to spend time evaluating the results of the diesel experiment before placing large orders. However, this idea was abandoned under pressure from the Conservative Government and British Railways were forced to place large orders for unproven machines.
Why build D5500?
In 1951 British Railways had pushed ahead with a fleet of new steam locomotives, but by 1955 the argument for coal and steam based on cheap fuel and efficiency was lost. Coal was becoming relatively expensive and the ageing fleet of steam locomotives was becoming difficult to maintain.
Many in government and British Railways saw diesels as the perfect solution because oil was cheap. They thought it would help develop Britain’s industrial base and improve the railway’s image just as the clean air act came into force. D5500 fitted this mould - a simple rugged quick fix for the railway.
D5500 was designed as a ‘maid of all work’, able to pull express trains, local freight and work intensive commuter services. Sadly it could not stop the railway from losing traffic to the roads.
Culture Shock
The introduction of diesels affected both staff and customers on Britain’s railways. Customers noticed cleaner and faster trains on diesel services. Staff found a clean working environment, new facilities and a whole new range of jobs to done. Some workers found this new world soulless and left the industry, but many could not wait to join the diesel revolution.
British Railways found this new technology boosted efficiency and revenue when it worked. But the rush to diesels meant that many staff were untrained and facilities were not ready for the new locomotives. This resulted in failures and damage to the railway’s image.
Despite these teething troubles, the efficiency of the new diesels shone through - no turntables required, ready to work in minutes rather than hours and an ability to work round the clock. Diesels proved so effective they became the workhorses of the post-steam railway.
Vital Statistics
D5500 uses its diesel engine as a power station, generating the electricity needed to feed its four traction motors which in turn make D5500 move. The Crew of D5500 where well catered for with a heated cab plus a cooker for that all-important breakfast.
- Object: Class 31 Diesel Electric locomotive D5500
- Built: 1957
- Builder: Brush Traction Ltd, Loughborough, Leicestershire, England
- Cost: £78,043
- Function: Mixed Traffic
- Weight in running order: 106.7 tons (108.4 tonnes)
- Weight Empty: 98.4 tons (100.0 tonnes)
- Length: 56 feet 9 inches (17.3 metres)
- Width: 8 feet 9 inches (2.7 metres)
- Height Overall: 12 feet 8 inches (3.9 metres)
- Maximum Line Running Speed: 75mph (121 Kmh)
- Withdrawn: 1976
Locomotive inventory number 1978-7000
Photograph reference number NRM_CT_936503