British Rail Class 97/6

British Rail class 97/6
Locomotive 97651 at Pitsford and Brampton station on the Northampton & Lamport Railway. Subsequently moved the the Strathspey Railway.
Type and origin Power type Diesel-electric Builder Ruston & Hornsby Serial number 312990, 431758–431761 Build date 1952 (1), 1959 (4) Total produced 5
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0  • UIC C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) Wheel diameter 97650: 3 ft 2+1⁄2 in (0.978 m) 97651-97654: 3 ft 4 in (1.016 m) Loco weight 97650: 28 long tons (28 t) 97651-97654: 30 long tons (30 t) Prime mover Ruston 6VPH RPM range 1,250 rpm (max) Generator BTH RTB6034 Traction motors BTH RTA5041 (nose-suspended), 1 off Loco brake Straight air Train brakes 97650: none 97651–97654: vacuum
Performance figures Power output 165 hp (123 kW) Tractive effort 17,000 lbf (75.6 kN)
Career Axle load class RA 1

The British Rail Class 97/6 0-6-0 diesel shunting locomotives were purpose-built for departmental duties by Ruston & Hornsby at Lincoln in 1953 (97650) or 1959 (97651-654). There are minor technical differences between 97650 and the 1959 batch.

This class of five locomotives is outwardly similar to the Class 04 locomotives built around the same time but, internally, they are quite different. The Class 97/6 is diesel-electric while the Class 04 is diesel-mechanical.

Overview

The fleet was originally numbered PWM650-654 in the Western Region Permanent Way Machines series, but were renumbered into the Class 97 series between 1979-1981. Locomotives were original painted in BR Green livery, which was later superseded by BR Blue and finally Civil Engineering Yellow liveries. They were employed at various locations, including Reading West (97650/653/654), Gloucester / Cardiff Canton (97651) and Plymouth Laira (97652).

Specification

• Diesel engine: Ruston 6VPH of 165 bhp (123kW) at 1,250 rpm
• Transmission: Electric,
  • Main generator: 1 x British Thomson-Houston RTB6034
  • Traction motor: 1 x British Thomson-Houston RTA5041 (nose-suspended)
• Driving wheel diameter,
  • 97650: 3ft 2½in (978 mm)
  • 97651-654: 3ft 4in (1,016 mm)
• Weight,
  • 97650: 28 tons (29 tonnes)
  • 97651-654: 30 tons (31 tonnes)
• Maximum tractive effort: 17,000 lb (75 kN)
• Maximum speed: 20 mph (32 km/h)
• Brake type: Straight air on locomotive, automatic vacuum for train

A special feature of this class is that the electric traction motor can be disengaged from the wheels. This allows the locomotive to be hauled by another locomotive at speeds above 20 mph.

Withdrawal

With the privatisation of British Rail these locomotives were largely made redundant. Three locomotives had already been withdrawn from traffic, and only nos. 97651 and 97654 survived long enough to pass into English, Welsh and Scottish Railway ownership. Number 97654 was sold to an infrastructure company based in Edinburgh, and remained in use until 2005, when it was preserved. Number 97651 was one of the first locomotives sold by EWS into preservation.

Preservation

Three of the five locomotives have been preserved on heritage railways.

• 97650 - Lincolnshire Wolds Railway
• 97651 - Strathspey Railway
• 97654 - Heritage Shunters Trust

Incomplete remains of 97653 [1] were stored at the former Ministry of Defence depot at Long Marston, Warwickshire until taken to Hurst's, Andover for scrap in August 2011. This is the location of the Stratford on Avon and Broadway Railway Society (SBRS) but 97653 was not owned by the SBRS.

Fleet details

Key:	Withdrawn	Preserved	Scrapped

Number(s)		Built	Final livery	Withdrawn	Disposal
97650	PWM650	1953	BR Blue	1987	Preserved
97651	PWM651	1959	CE Yellow	1996	Preserved - Strathspey Railway
97652	PWM652	1959	CE Yellow	1987	Scrapped (1990)
97653	PWM653	1959	CE Yellow	1993	Scrapped (2011)
97654	PWM654	1959	CE Yellow	2005	Preserved

Modelling

An etched brass kit is available from Judith Edge Kits [2]

Sources

• Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, winter 1962/3 edition, page 238
• Locomotive Datafile, page 99, published 1988 by Metro Enterprises, ISBN 0-947773-10-X

External links

• Heritage Shunters Trust - owners of 97654.
• Information and details on TheRailwayCentre.Com website.
• PWM651 info page at Northampton & Lamport Railway
• departmentals.com
• PWM page at Preserved Shunters