British Rail Class 14

British Rail Class 14

British Railways D9531 'Ernest' runs round his train at Rawtenstall on the East Lancashire Railway

Type and origin Power type Diesel-hydraulic Builder British Railways’ Swindon Works Order number Swindon Lots 456 and 460 Build date 1964–1965 Total produced 56

Specifications Configuration 0-6-0 UIC class C Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Wheel diameter 4 ft 0 in (1.219 m) Loco weight 48.50 long tons (49.3 t; 54.3 short tons) Prime mover Paxman Ventura 6YJXL Transmission Voith L217U hydraulic Train brakes Vacuum

Performance figures Maximum speed 40 mph (64 km/h) Power output Engine: 650 hp (485 kW) Tractive effort 30,910 lbf (137.5 kN)

Career Operators British Rail British Steel Corporation National Coal Board Numbers D9500–D9555 Nicknames Teddy Bear Axle load class RA 4 Disposition 19 Preserved, 5 Exported, 32 scrapped

The British Rail Class 14 is a type of small diesel-hydraulic locomotive built in the mid-1960s. Twenty-six of these 0-6-0 locomotives were ordered in January 1963, to be built at British Railways Swindon Works. The anticipated work for this class was trip working movements between local yards and short distance freight trains. The good all-around visibility from the cab and dual controls also made them capable of being used for shunting duties. The order was expanded from 26 to 56 in mid-1963, before work had started on the first order.

In July 1964, the first of a class of 56 locomotives appeared from Swindon Works. These were later designated as TOPS Class 14 by British Railways. They are known as 'Teddy Bears' by enthusiasts, following a comment by Swindon Works' foreman George Cole who quipped "We've built the Great Bear, now we're going to build a Teddy Bear!"

In outline they have a cab which was nearly central with bonnets at each end, with a fixed 0-6-0 wheel configuration rather than bogies as seen on all the other Type 1 classes. The locomotives were powered by a Paxman 6-cylinder Ventura 6YJXL engine producing 650 bhp (485 kW), connected to a Voith L217U hydraulic transmission and Hunslet gearbox. The axles were connected by coupling rods and driven by a jackshaft located under the cab, between the second and third axles.

The Class 14s, like many other early types of diesel, had an extremely short life with British Railways, in this case not because of poor reliability but because many of its envisaged duties disappeared on the BR network a few years after they came into use. BR started to dispose of members of the class from mid 1968, the entire class had been sold to industry or scrapped by the end of 1970. In their new careers in industry many had a working life of two to three times than with British Railways. The industries in which they were employed, such as coal mining, declined during the 1970s and the class again became surplus to requirements. Several have found a third lease of life on preserved lines where they are ideal for both light passenger work and the maintenance of permanent way.