BR Class 52 D1062 Western Courier
| BR Class 52 D1062 Western Courier | |
|---|---|
 D1062 Western Courier at Bridgnorth in 2012 | |
| Built By | BR Crewe Works |
| Configuration | C-C |
| Power type | Diesel Hydraulic |
| Status | Operational |
| Loco Number | D1062 |
| History | |
| Built | 1963 |
| Designed By | British Railways |
| Type | Class 52 |
| 1976 | Purchased by WLA |
| 1978 | Moved to SVR |
| 1980 | Attended Rocket 150 |
| Technical | |
| Length | 68ft |
| Weight | 108t |
British Railways (BR) assigned Class 52 to the Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built between 1961 and 1964 for BR(W). They carried numbers D1000-D1073, but never carried TOPS locomotive number. All were given two-word names beginning "Western", hence the type became known as 'Westerns' or 'Thousands'.
Contents
D1062 in service
D1062 Western Courier was built at Crewe Works and entered service at London’s Old Oak Common shed on 6 May 1963. D1062 also served at Cardiff Canton, Swansea Landore and Plymouth Laira, and was withdrawn from the latter by BR on 23 August 1974 after 1,096,000 miles in service.
D1062 in preservation
D1062 was bought from BR by the Western Locomotive Association on 4 November 1976, becoming the first class 52 ‘Western’ to be preserved. Following purchase the locomotive was repainted in original maroon livery.
In May 1977 D1062 and sister locomotive D1013 Western Ranger moved to the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway, and following tyre turning at Cardiff Canton depot both arrived on the SVR on 29 September 1978.
Western Courier attended the Rocket 150 celebrations at Rainhill in May 1980, the only privately owned diesel locomotive to do so.
Western Courier at Rainhill in 1980 (Wikimedia Commons)
The WLA overhauled D1062 between 1998 and 2005 including major rewiring. On 29 April 2005 the HLF granted the WLA £45,500 towards Western Courier's overhaul, which was used for sending a defective Voith transmission to the manufacturer in Germany.[1]
As of 2017[update], D1062 is in regular service on the SVR and has been repainted in blue livery.
See also
References
SVR Stock Book Ninth Edition
Links
Western Locomotive Association website
British Rail Class 52 on Wikipedia
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