Locomotives diesel - British Rail Class 52 : livres

Tom Heavyside has put together 67 of his own photographs with a detailed text telling the story of the Class 50s, engines dominant in the Western Region from the late 1960s tot he 1990s.
The Class 50s replaced much-loved steam locomotives so were initially regarded with some resentment by train enthusiasts. However, as the years rolled by these venerable diesels, emblazoned with the the huge BR insignia, were looked on with more and more affection.

In this book they are seen at work at Crewe, Doncaster Works, Wigan, Glasgow, Torquay and Exeter and many more locations up and down the country.

Unusually for a large class of locomotives, all Western Class locomotives had the same prefix which gave them a unique identity. Redesignated as Class 52 in the early 1970s, they were essentially designed by and for the Western Region, which saw hydraulic transmission as the way forward in replacing the 4-6-0 steam locomotives that Swindon had produced.

However, the rest of British Rail went down the road of electric transmission as the mistakes of the wholesale lunge into dieselisation came to fruition, and when BR opted for a standard policy the Western Region was forced to comply.
It was in 1967 that the death warrant for the hydraulics was signed, though it would take more than a decade to finally end the hydraulic era.

Illustrated with full-colour photographs of all 74 of the Western Class locomotives, on a variety of workings that illustrate their versatility, this nostalgic volume gives a portrait of a much-loved, but short-lived, class of locomotive.

The seventy-four Class 52 diesel-hydraulics were built between 1961 and 1964 for British Railways' Western Region as high-powered locomotives to haul inter-city services. Given two-word names that began with 'Western', they inevitably became known as the Westerns.
Although the Westerns could be seen on most routes in the Western Region, they were mostly seen on London to South Wales, London to Birmingham and London to Paignton, Plymouth and Penzance services.

The charismatic and stylish-looking Westerns were among the first diesel locomotives to enjoy a cult following among railway enthusiasts and as the Westerns were withdrawn from service between 1973 and 1977 enthusiasts would congregate to photograph and travel on services hauled by one. Platform ends throughout the Western Region were thronged and few weekends passed without the running of an organised enthusiasts' special. The final, region-wide tour ran on 26 February 1977.

This collection of photographs by Class 52 enthusiast Stephen Dowle was taken during the Westerns' last years in service and shows something of their appeal through the eyes of one enthusiast.