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The British Rail Class 47 diesel locomotive also known as a Brush Type Four is a class of British locomotive. It was once the most numerous class, but numbers are now dwindling.
Current operations
Direct Rail Services (DRS)
Direct Rail Services (DRS) has a fleet of four active class 47s, 47237/298/501/802. All are overhauled and painted in DRS' blue livery. Use of these locos is rare, and one has been hired to Virgin Trains on several occasions over the summer of 2005, both for standby duty and, on a couple of weekends, for use on the North Wales Coast Line. Sporadic use sees them deployed on route-learning duties and tripping other locomotives to the Brush Works at Loughborough. Use on freight is unusual.English, Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWS)
EWS inherited locomotives from the Rail Express Systems parcels business, the three trainload companies (Trans-Rail, Mainline Freight and Load-Haul) and freight operator Railfreight Distribution.This operator no longer uses Class 47 locomotives, with the final two withdrawn in June 2004. The last service trains worked by these locomotives for EWS were along the North Wales Coast Line from Crewe to Holyhead.
First Great Western
First Great Western inherited a fleet of Class 47/8 locomotives, which were primarily used to haul the Night Riviera sleeper and Motorail trains. They were employed on day passenger trains from the capital to the West Country at times when there was a low availability of other traction. The fleet consisted of seven locomotives, namely nos. 47811/813/815/816/830/832/846.Locomotives were painted in a green-based livery, which was later embelished with a gold bodyside stripe. Several of the fleet were named after local attractions or place, such as nos. 47813 'SS Great Britain' and 47832 'Tamar'.
From 2001, First Great Western decided to replace the Class 47 fleet with re-engineered Class 57 locomotives. A prototype, no. 57601, was extensively tested by First Great Western, and resulted in an order for four production locomotives, numbered 57602-605. These started to replace the Class 47 fleet from 2003 onwards. Most of the 47's were transferred to other operators, although one, no. 47846 'THOR', was rebuilt to a Class 57. To commemorate the retirement of the Class 47 fleet, the final locomotive, no. 47815 'Abertawe Landore', was specially repainted into its original British Railways two-tone green livery.
The final two locomotives, nos. 47811 and 47815, were retired after working a London-Penzance special train in December 2004.
However, in April 2005, FGW hired no. 47840, to cover for the non-availability of Class 57 locomotives as they underwent modifications. After this too failed while working an empty stock train 47's were briefly hired in from Cotswold Rail to maintain the service with 47813 and 47818 seeing service. All 57's soon returned and the brief revival of 47's on the Night Riviera was ended.
Freightliner
Freightliner were once a very large user of the Class 47, using the locomotives to haul intermodal 'freightliner' trains across the length and breadth of the country. In recent times the class have played much less of a role with Freightliner as the company shifted the diesel traction used on their trains. First a batch of 12 class 57's were converted from 47's. A decision was made to shift the main diesel traction to class 66's from General Motors in Canada. As the new 66's arrived the 47's days were numbered with the majority being withdrawn from service. Deadlines for fitting of TPWS to the fleet also hit the 47's with just a small fleet of the original Freightliner 'no-heat' 47's left. A necessity for class 47's with electric train heat (ETH) however did arise, and some locomotives were hired from Porterbrook leasing. These were 47805, 47812, 47829, 47847 and 47848. When the lease on these locos expanded they passed on to Riviera Trains, leaving a gap in the Freightliner fleet. 47811, 47816, 47830 and 47841 were acquired from Porterbrook to fulfill the continued need for ETH fitted locos. Locomotives still in service as of April 2006 are: 47150, 47811, 47816, 47830 and 47841.Virgin CrossCountry
On 1 August 2003, there were 32 Class 47s in service on Virgin CrossCountry. Since then, they have all been withdrawn from service. Sixteen of them have been converted to Thunderbird Class 57s, named after characters and features from the 1960s TV Show - Thunderbirds. These have been fitted so that they can rescue failed DEMUs and EMUs, as well as being used for diversions on the West Coast Main Line where Class 390 Pendolino EMUs cannot run on non-electrified routes.Spot-Hire Companies
Since privatisation of British Rail, numerous spot-hire companies have arisen to take advantage of the requirement for locomotives at short-notice, rescue locomotives, and locomotives for charter trains.Cotswold Rail
Cotswold Rail first purchased redundant Class 47 locomotives from EWS in 2002. It has since acquired locomotives cascaded from First Great Western and Virgin Trains. Cotswold Rail works closely with 'One' Anglia, to which it provides several locomotives to haul diverted passenger and rescue failed trains. 'One' also use a class 47 to haul the through service from London Liverpool Street to Great Yarmouth on the final leg of the journey between Norwich and the coast. It also hires locomotives to charter operators. Locomotives are painted in either Cotswold Rail's silver livery, or in Anglia/'One' livery for those on hire to 'One' Anglia.The fleet currently comprises seven operational locomotives, nos. 47200/316/714/810/813/818/828, and nos. 47033 and 47365 undergoing repair. There are also several more locomotives in store.
FM Rail
FM Rail (previously Fragonset Railways) operates the largest Class 47 fleet of the spot-hire companies. Fragonset was formed in 1996, and is based at Derby. In the early days the main contract was the hire of locomotives to Virgin Trains. However, since then, Virgin has ceased using locomotive-hauled trains. Therefore Fragonset has diversified into the charter market, and also hires locomotives to freight companies, such as GB Railfreight, at short-notice. Locomotive livery is black, with either a red bodyside stripe, or large 'Fragonset' lettering.The operational fleet currently comprises nos. 47145/355/703/709/712/716/832, with nos. 47053/375/488/701/710/715/780 undergoing repairs. Fragonset also own many stored locomotives, which could be repaired if demand increases. Two of the operational locomotives- 47709 'DIONISOS' and 47712 'ARTEMIS' have recently been repainted in the striking 'Naking Blue' livery and are often seen working with the 'Blue Pullman' charter train for Hertfordshire Railtours (which is owned by FM Rail).
Riviera Trains
Riviera Trains is a small spot-hire company based at Crewe. The fleet has in the past been hired to Arriva Trains Wales for services from Crewe to Holyhead, and laterly Manchester to Holyhead. Locomotives are also used to haul 'Foot-ex' Special trains from Manchester to Cardiff for the benenfit of football and rugby fans travelling to the Millennium Stadium. Locomotive livery is Oxford Blue.As of September 2005, the fleet comprised of ten operational locomotives, nos. 47805/811/812/815/839/843/847/848/853, with 47575/769 undergoing repairs and 47829 out of traffic at Crewe. Of these, 47769/805/812/843/847 and 848 retain Virgin colours, 47811 is in First Great Western livery, 47815 is in British Railways two-tone green, 47829 is in the 'Police car' scheme applied during its Virgin days to highlight route crime, 47839 is in a version of BR blue, 47847 is in BR large-logo livery and 47853 is in the experimental XP64 livery, as applied to this loco during the 1960s.
West Coast Railway Company (WCRC)
The West Coast Railway Company is primarily a charter-train operator based at Carnforth in North-West England. Locomotive livery is maroon with a black bodyside stripe.The fleet currently comprises of nos. 47245, 47826, 47851 and 47854. In April 2005, two former Virgin locomotives, nos. 47826 and 47851, were hired from Porterbrook, and have since been purchased outright.
Preservation
Several locomotives have been preserved on heritage railways. These are listed below. Of note are the first built, no. 47401 'North Eastern', and the Royal Train locomotive, no. 47798 'Prince William'. Locomotive that do not currently carry their names are shown with the name in brackets.
| Numbers carried (Current no. in bold) | Name | Livery | Location | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1107 | 47524 | - | - | - | - | Rail Express Systems | Churnet Valley Railway | - |
| D1500 | 47401 | - | - | - | North Eastern | BR Blue Large Logo | Midland Railway Butterley | First-built locomotive. |
| D1501 | 47402 | - | - | - | Gateshead | BR Blue | East Lancashire Railway | - |
| D1516 | 47417 | - | - | - | - | BR Green | Midland Railway Butterley | - |
| D1566 | 47449 | - | - | - | Orion | BR Green | Llangollen Railway | - |
| D1643 | 47059 | 47631 | 47765 | - | (Ressaldar) | Rail Express Systems | Great Central Railway (Northern) | - |
| D1656 | 47072 | 47609 | 47834 | 47798 | Prince William | Royal Train Purple | National Railway Museum | Royal Train locomotive. |
| D1693 | 47105 | - | - | - | - | BR Blue | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway | - |
| D1705 | 47117 | - | - | - | Sparrowhawk | BR Green | Great Central Railway | Former Class 48 locomotive. |
| D1723 | 47136 | 47540 | 47975 | - | (The Institute of Civil Engineers) | Civil Engineers | Privately-owned | - |
| D1725 | 47490 | 47768 | - | - | (Resonant) | Rail Express Systems | Vale of Glamorgan Railway | - |
| D1760 | 47492 | - | - | - | (The Enterprising Scot) | Rail Express Systems | Privately-owned, Carnforth | - |
| D1842 | 47192 | - | - | - | - | BR Green | Churnet Valley Railway | - |
| D1855 | 47205 | 47395 | - | - | - | Freightliner | Northampton & Lamport Railway | - |
| D1886 | 47367 | - | - | - | - | Freightliner | North Norfolk Railway | - |
| D1895 | 47376 | - | - | - | Freightliner 1995 | Freightliner | Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway | - |
| D1921 | 47244 | 47640 | - | - | (University of Strathclyde) | Parcels Red | Battlefield Railway | On loan from Fragonset. |
| D1933 | 47255 | 47596 | - | - | (Aldeburgh Festival) | Rail Express Systems | Mid-Norfolk Railway | - |
| D1946 | 47503 | 47771 | - | - | (Heaton Traincare Depot) | Rail Express Systems | Colne Valley Railway | -Owned by the Class 47 Preservation Project |
| D1951 | 47507 | 47716 | - | - | - | Rail Express Systems | Dartmoor Railway | On loan from Fragonset. |
| D1970 | 47269 | 47643 | - | - | - | InterCity Executive | Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway | - |
| D1997 | 47295 | - | - | - | - | Trainload Grey | MOD Ashchurch | - |
Fleet Details
| BR Class 47 | ||
|---|---|---|
| TOPS numbers | ||
| Early numbers | D1100–D1111 and D1500–D1999 | |
| Builder | Brush Traction | |
| Introduced | 1962–1967 | |
| Wheel Arrangement | Co-Co | |
| Weight | 111.5–120.6 tons (47/0, 47/2, 47/3) 120.4–125.1 tons (47/4, 47/7) | 113.3–122.5 tonnes 122.3–127.1 tonnes |
| Height | ft in | m |
| Width | 9 ft 2 in | 2.79 m |
| Length | 63 ft 7 in | 19.38 m |
| Wheel Diameter | 3 ft 9 in | 1143 mm |
| Wheel Base | ft | m |
| Minimum radius | chains | m |
| Maximum speed | 95 mph | 153 km/h |
| Engine | Sulzer 12LDA28C | |
| Engine output | 2,580 hp | 1920 kW |
| Max. Tractive Effort | 60,000 lbf | 267 kN |
| Power at Rail | 2,080 hp | 1,550 kW |
| Brake type | Air & vacuum (47/0, 47/3, 47/4, 47/7) Air (47/2) | |
| Brake force | 61 tons force | 608 kN |
| Route availability | 6 or 7 | |
| Fuel Tank | 720 or 1,220 imperial gallons 720 or 1295 imperial gallons | 3,273 or 5,550 litres (47/0, 47/2, 47/3) 3,273 or 5,887 litres (47/4, 47/7) |
| Heating type | Not equipped (47/0, 47/2, 47/3) Electric, index 66 (47/4 and 47/7) | |
| Multiple working | Green Circle | |
DRS = Direct Rail Services
EWS = English, Welsh and Scottish Railway
WCRC = West Coast Railway Company
| Class | No. Built | (Converted*)No. Range | Operators | Loco Nos. | No In Traffic | Withdrawn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 47/0 | 298 | 47001-298 | Cotswold Rail | 47033/200 | 1 | - |
| DRS | 47237/298 | 2 | - | |||
| EWS | 47004/033/053/085/095/125/145/146/186/188/200/211/228/238/245/285/297/298/299 | 0 | 2002 | |||
| Fragonset | 47145 | 1 | - | |||
| Freightliner | 47052/114/150/193/197/212/224/258/270/279/292 | 1 | - | |||
| WCRC | 47245 | 1 | - | |||
| Class 47/3 | 82 | 47300-381 | Cotswold Rail | 47316/365 | 1 | - |
| EWS | 47306/316/326/338/355/368/375 | 0 | 2002 | |||
| Fragonset | 47355/375 | 1 | - | |||
| Freightliner | 47303/309/339/353/358/367/376 | 0 | 2006 | |||
| Class 47/4 | 136 129* | 47401-536 47537-665 | DRS | 47501 | 1 | - |
| EWS | 47492/501/524/536/575/596/624/628/634/635/640 | 0 | 2004 | |||
| Fragonset | 47488/640 | 1 | - | |||
| Riviera Trains | 47575 | 0 | n/a | |||
| Class 47/7a | 17* | 47701-717 | Cotwold Rail | 47714 | 1 | - |
| Fragonset | 47701/703/709/710/712/715/716 | 4 | - | |||
| Virgin Trains | 47702/711 | 0 | 2000 | |||
| Class 47/7b | 50* | 47721-799 | EWS | 47721/725-727/732-734/736-739/742-747/750/756-768/770-793/798/799 | 0 | 2004 |
| Fragonset | 47744/767/780 | 0 | n/a | |||
| Riviera Trains | 47769 | 1 | - | |||
| Virgin Trains | 47722/741/769 | 0 | 2001 | |||
| Class 47/8 | 54* | 47801-854 | Cotswold Rail | 47810/813/818/828 | 4 | - |
| DRS | 47802 | 1 | - | |||
| First Great Western | 47811/813/815/816/830/832/846 (until 2004), 47840 (2005) | 1 | 2005 | |||
| Fragonset | 47832 | 1 | - | |||
| Freightliner | 47805/812/829/843/847/848 (2003-2005), 47811/816/830/841 (2005-) | 4 | - | |||
| GB Railfreight | 47840 | 1 | - | |||
| Riviera Trains | 47805/812/815/829/839/843/847/848/853 | 9 | - | |||
| WCRC | 47826/851/854 | 3 | - | |||
| Virgin Trains | 47805-807/810/812/814/816-818/826-831/839-841/843-845/847-851/853/854 | 0 | 2005 | |||
| Class 47/9 | 7* | 47971-976 | EWS | 47972/976 | 0 | 1998 |
| 47981 | EWS | 47981 | 0 | 1998 | ||
British Rail diesel locomotives | Brush Traction locomotives | Co-Co locomotives
"British Rail Class 47"