31466 is a BR Class 31 locomotive. It arrived on the SVR in July 2021 on hire as cover for BR Class 33 33108[1].
Service and preservation
The BR Class 31 diesel locomotive was also known as the Brush Type 2 and originally as the Class 30. A total of 263 were built by Brush Traction between 1957 and 1962.[2] This locomotive was originally built as a Class 30 and entered service in June 1959 at Norwich Thorpe MPD numbered D5533. In April 1968 it was reclassified from Class 30 to Class 31 sub-type 31/1 (the standard locomotive fitted with steam heating and Blue Star electro-pneumatic control).[3]
The introduction of TOPS saw the locomotive renumbered as 31115 in January 1973. In March 1985 it was fitted with ETH, becoming sub-type 31/4 and receiving its final number of 31466.[3]
By May 1988 the locomotive had served in BR's Eastern Region for all but a year. It was then transferred to Crewe Diesel, where it remained for the rest of its service life.[3] Prior to the introduction of the Class 66, English Welsh & Scottish (EWS) took control of the Class 31s from the Mainline Freight and Trainload Freight companies. 31466 was repainted into EWS livery for the Toton TMD open day in May 1998; Wikipedia suggests it was then the only one of the class to be in traffic running in the EWS colours until being withdrawn from service and preserved in February 2001.[2]
31466 is normally resident on the Dean Forest Railway[4].
See also
References
Links
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