Early Diesels in Scotland

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Before any diesel locos appeared, a Simplex Petrol shunting loco (built by Motor Rail, works no. 2037) was acquired by NBR in 1922, starting at Kelso where it remained until 1928. It was transferred south as LNER 8431 (later 8189 and 68189) and spent the next 25 years working at Ware. It survived into BR ownership, numbered 15099, and was withdrawn in 1956.

  • Three LMS-Leyland Diesel Railbus units, 29950/51/52, were based at Hamilton in the 1940s.

  • LMS designed diesel locomotives 10000 & 10001 worked as a pair on the London Euston - Glasgow Central 'Royal Scot' on 1st June 1949. And returned on the Down Royal Scot the following day.
    • In 1957 & 1958 the pair of diesels were again used on the Royal Scot.

  • During the second week of November 1953, two 0-6-0 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built by the North British Locomotive company for service on steeply graded lines on the Mauritius Government Railway, ran trial trips in the Glasgow area.
    • The locomotives worked a goods train over the Kipps Rawyards line, which includes a gradient of 1 in 23, and caries out shunting operations at Cadder Yard. Later in the week, they hauled two special trial passenger trains between Glasgow Central and Lanark and between Glasgow and Edinburgh (Princes Street). (As reported in The Railway Magazine Feb. 1954).
    • The locos were NBL numbers 27220/1, running numbers A1 & A2). They had each had Paxman engine of 625hp and were equipped to run in multiple.


  • Southern designed 10203 worked the up 'Mid Day Scot' on 19th September 1955, the First day of a four week trial running between Glasgow and Euston.
    • In 1957 & 1958 it was in use again on the Royal Scot during the Summer.
    • Southern designed pair 10201+10202 worked the 'Royal Scot' in 1957 & 1958 during the Summer.

  • BR Scottish Region received its first five diesel shunting locos, BR/EE 0-6-0 numbers 13005 to 13009, allocated to Ayr and Hurlford depots from November/December 1952.
    • The next batch of five, 13132-13136 were delivered to Grangemouth in Autumn of 1954.
    • More of the type appeared from December 1955, with locos allocated to depots in the Glasgow area.
  • NBL diesel-hydraulic 0-4-0 shunting loco 11703 to service 29/08/1955, allocated to Dundee.

  • From 15th to 27th June 1953 the prototype ACV Railbus 3-car set was on the Scottish Region working between Ayr and Dalmellington, and Ayr and Kilmarnock.

  • Two sets of 'Yellow-diamond' Metro-Cammel DMUs were loaned by the ER to the ScR for a period of 14 weeks. They arrived at Leith Central on the 13th April 1956.
    • They were placed in service on Monday 11th June to determine the suitability of using DMUs on certain routes. One set (E79056/79272) operated between Waverley and Galashiels. The other set (E79055/79271) worked on the Gleneagles, Crieff and Comrie line.
    • From 23rd July, both sets then operated on the Costorphine, Waverley and North Berwick line for the remaining eight weeks till 15 September 1956, before returning to the ER.



Brush-Mirlees Type 2 D5511 on trial from July to September 1958.
BRC&W-Sulzer Type 2 D5306 on trial (based at Leith Central) from end of October to December 1958.
English-Electric Type 1 D8006 on trial at Aberdeen Kittybrewster in October 1958.

Perhaps the most unusual of the quartet of visiting locos for 1958 trials was a seven year old BR built version of the Southern 0-6-0 diesel shunters, 15229, which spent part of October 1958 working GNoS lines before returning to the Central Belt in early November.

http://www.scot-rail.co.uk/message/105941

NBL built D600 2000hp Warship class, trial runs Glasgow to Dumfries in November 1957.

BTH-Paxman Type 1 D8208 which arrived via Toton for brief spells at Polmadie, Kittybrewster and Thornton Junction in early 1959 before returning to the East End of London.



Metropolitan-Vickers Type 2 'Co-Bo' locos working freight trains into Scotland from March 1959.

Prototype 'DELTIC' on trial from Leith June 1959. (Thread).

D600 on test ยป This is a BR Staff mag photo of North British Warship D600 later named Active at Dumfries on test in 1958. Photo by Deepol01



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Created by Dysgraphyk and last modified by him at 00:07, 27 of August 2024.