Diesel Locomotives - British Railways Class 47: Books (1/2)

Class 47 and 57 Locomotives

The Class 47 was built between 1962 and 67 as the Brush Type 4 by both Brush Traction and British Railways Crewe works, eventually numbering 512 examples.
The Class soon was to be seen working all types of trains across the network; although it was not without its problems, the most major resulting in the derating of the engine to 2580 bhp.
Today, a small number of 47s remain in mainline service although generally on relatively light duties compared to that which they once worked, and further examples have entered preservation.

By the 1990s and the privatisation of British Rail, considerable numbers were being withdrawn as life expired and many of those remaining were becoming increasingly unreliable.
In 1997 the newly formed operator Freightliner decided to begin to address the problem by rebuilding twelve locos with secondhand General Motors engines (the Sulzer power unit being one of the biggest weaknesses) and alternators. The body and running gear remained the same and the locomotives were classified as 57. These were very successful, and remain in service today with DRS and West Coast Railways.

Ross Taylor explores the history of these two fascinating classes through his compilations of excellent photography and annotation.

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Brush Type 4 to Class 47 - The first 25 Years

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The first Brush Type 4 No D1500 was delivered to British Railways in September 1962, working its first passenger trains on 8 October. This book from Simon Lilley is a pictorial history of their first 20 years in service with a mix of black and white and colour photographs used to illustrate the history of the Class 47s from their very early days to the early 1980s.
All the key developments of the class over these years are captured and explained, including livery changes as green gave way to corporate blue and locomotives were fitted with train air-brakes and electric train heating equipment.

There were many variations within the Class 47 fleet, both big and small, and this book highlights those differences. The wide mix of locations gives a geographical spread across country, and include some locations not normally associated with the locomotives, reflecting their work over the years across the rail network on a wide variety passenger, parcels and freight duties.

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Class 47 Diesel Locomotives (Modern Traction Profiles )

This photographic album showing the class 47 diesel locomotives has been compiled by a well-established author of similar titles, David Cable.
More examples of this class were built than any other design of modern traction. They also carried more varieties of colour schemes than any other type, and these are well portrayed in this volume.

The class 47 was truly the maid of all work on the British Rail system for the forty-odd years since their inception in the early 1960s, and certain members of the class are still in daily use.
All types of traffic from major expresses to coal trains were worked by these engines, and this full colour album illustrates many examples of an engine that could be seen in almost all parts of Great Britain from Inverness to Penzance and Dover to Holyhead.

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Devon And Cornwall: The Class 47 Years - Class 47 - a West Country Symposium

2002 saw a radical change on the railways of Devon and Cornwall as this was the last year of daily locomotive-hauled passenger trains (other than the overnight London sleeper). These remaining workings were in the capable hands of the ubiquitous Class 47 diesel locomotives, which had plied their trade on the rails of the south west for four decades.

"Devon and Cornwall: The Class 47 Years" is a book of two halves: the first documenting their daily work on all manner of trains and lines in the area from 1966 onwards. The second half is a detailed examination of 2002, their last year in frontline passenger service in the West Country with a glimpse of other motive power, all of which is now history and a snapshot in time.
Some 180 colour photographs taken by the author take the reader on a chronological trip with much nostalgia and a host of unrepeatable scenes, which showcase many of the stunning locations to be found in the two counties.

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Class 47s - Inverness to Dover Western Docks

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Following on from "Class 47s: Inverness to Penzance: 1982-85", this volume picks up the story and runs to the end of the summer 1986 timetable. It was a period of change, as the first 47s to be withdrawn started to fall by the wayside in the spring of 1986, since seriously damaged crash victims were no longer likely to be rebuilt. The first non-crash-damaged locos were withdrawn - sacrificed to provide a spares pool for the others.

It was also a time of change with regard to how trains were heated, as steam heat became rare south of Hadrian's Wall. Christmas 1985 was a watershed as the relief trains were now routinely electrically heated, with the latest ETH conversions emerging from Crewe Works from November 1985.
In 1986, regular trips to Scotland were required to sample the delights of steam heat. Further changes came in summer 1986 as InterCity started to operate some routes in Kent, and Dover Western Docks was now on the map.

With over 200 images, this volume provides a visual journey of the Class 47s in 1985-86.

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