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|image = D1015_20160829D1015_20220909.jpg|caption = D1015 Western Courier Champion at Bridgnorth in August 2016September 2022

|status = Operational (not SVR resident)

'''D1015 Western Champion ''' is a BR Class 52 ‘Western’ diesel-hydraulic locomotive. A total of 74 were built for BR's Western Region between 1961 and 1964. All were given two-word names beginning "Western", owned by hence the type became known as Westerns. Other nicknames included D1000s or 'thousands', and 'wizzers'. A description of the Class can be found on the [[Diesel Traction GroupBR Class 52 D1013 Western Ranger|D1013 ''Western Ranger'']] (DTG). The locomotive is not normally resident on the SVR, but from time to time has visited the railway for diesel galas and for attention by the DTG’s engineering staffpage.

D1015 Western Champion was built at BR’s BR's Swindon works and entered service at Cardiff Canton was outshopped in January 1963carrying a distinctive one-off 'Golden Ochre' livery with yellow panels not reaching the bottom skirt. Other allocations included London Old Oak Common, Swansea Landore It was equipped with vacuum brakes and Plymouth Laira, where steam heating as well as the locomotive was withdrawn by BR in December 1976 after accumulating 1,296,000 miles in service(W) ATC system.<refname=D1015History>[http://www.brdatabasewesternchampion.infoco.uk/locoqryloco-d1015-history-br.php?action=locodata&type=D&id=1015&loco=1015 BR DatabaseDTG Website, ''D1015 Western Champion British Railways History''](Retrieved 3 February 2023)</ref>

==D1062 in preservation==In 1980 D1015 became the third locomotive It entered service at Cardiff Canton although within a year it had been reallocated to be acquired by the DTGLondon's Old Oak Common, which already owned SVR residents [[BR Class 42 D821 Greyhound | D821 Greyhound]] back to Cardiff and [[BR Class 35 D7029 | Hymek D7029]]to back to Old Oak Common for a second time. In February 1964 it was allocated to Plymouth Laira where it found a more permanent home until late 1968.<refname=BRDatabase>[http://www.westernchampion.cobrdatabase.ukinfo/aboutlocoqry.php westernchampion.co.uk About Us?action=locodata&type=D&id=1015&loco=1015 BR Database]</ref> D1015 achieved This period was spent working the main line certification in 2002lines out of London to Cornwall, West Wales, the Midlands and the North-West. On Saturday 30 January 1965, since which it has D1015 hauled rail tours as far as Penzance in the south and Kyle return coaches of Lochalsh in Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train from Oxfordshire to the northCapital, having taken over duties from 34051 ''Winston Churchill''.<ref name=D1015History/>

In 2016 November 1965 D1015 attended both was repainted in BR Maroon. Three years later in November 1968, the May diesel gala loco was repainted again into BR Blue livery with full yellow ends. During the 1968 overhaul it was also fitted with air brakes and the August ‘Western Weekend’BR's AWS. {{As one of the early members of | 2016|12}}the class to be equipped with air brakes, D1015 was relocated to Landore in Swansea in January 1969 to operate services on the locomotive has returned Paddington to Swansea route which had just seen the SVR for inspection following an issue experienced with the B engine during introduction of new air braked Mark 2 coaches. This duty continued until October 1971, when D1015 made a rail tourfinal move back to Laira.<ref>[http://www.westernchampion.co.uk/index.php westernchampion.co.uk announcement]<name=D1015History/ref>

*[[Diesel Locomotives]]*[[Diesel Locomotives visiting the SVR for galas]]*[[Locomotive numbering|Locomotives running under different identities]]

*DTG website [http://www.westernchampion.co.uk/index.php westernchampion.co.uk]*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_52 British Rail Class 52 on Wikipedia]