British Rail Class31/33.

Dwindling to Preservation?

Today these are either found working Departmental or Network track testing trains and one hopes may of what is left will soon head for the various preservation societies?

The Class 31 is the Brush/English Electric A1A-A1A, built between 1958-62 and could be described as a light engine. These Loughborough engines were originally numbered D5520-5862, today only one locomotive still carries D5613, 31190.

31/1 Is standard and only six remain, 31/4 has electric supply fitted and only six also remain in service. The last is 31/6 two with ETS wiring remain.

Top speed was originally 90mph, continues traction was 23.5 mph and weights 106-111 tons.

The Class 33 was built between 1960-61 at Birmingham BRCW/SULZER Bo-Bo Speed 85mph and weights were lighter than the Class 31's coming in at 78-78tons.

These locomotives were also originally numbered D6500-D6597 but not in order. Only 33012 still carries D6515.

33/0 Standard class has only four left, while 33/2 is one engine

New trains for the U.K.

Class 700/707 and the Virgin Azuma.

A new fleet is underway for delivery in the Class 700 for Thames-Link and the 707 for South-West trains from their initial first batch trials from 2015.

Both of these classes belong to the German Seimans Desiro City mobility design. Thames-Link has received fifty-five, 12 car and 60, eight car units, while SW-Trains has 30, five car units. It is estimated that these trains in peak hour traffic will move 18,000 people.

The trains have some of the London Underground features such as walk-through. This new concept has proved to be very effective in cutting down crime, the train is also level for wheel chair access.

Meanwhile Virgin Trains have invested 140 million pounds in their new Japanese Hitachi Azuma high-speed stock, for east-coast operations. Azuma is Japanese for east, in 1964 Hitachi built the first Bullet train.

Virgin claims that the Azuma has a top speed of 140 mph, but o-to 60 is much faster than it current fleet, meaning that Kings Cross London to Scotland will knock off 30-minutes on the existing times?

The Typhoon Class.

Worlds largest Submarine.

Soviet Russia was one of the most ambitious nations in the history of the world, especially in the last one-hundred years of civil engineering and the invention of machines. They launched the Space race with the Sputnik and Gagarin and by their fall they had the largest aircraft ever built the Antonov An-224 Miry (Dream), the Buran Robotic Space Shuttle and the elusive Typhoon Class Submarine.

After the fall of Communism came the dismantling of the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons on both sides and there were many cutbacks of fighter bombers and submarines, and other military equipment. 

It is not known, if all as claimed how much was actually cut back, because today it is estimated by N.A.T.O. that Russia is as mighty as it ever was!

The Typhoon was designed to carry the largest number of multiple Inter-continental ballistic missiles that was possible to get on a (36) Submarine, meanwhile each missile was capable of having 12 to 16 warheads!

It was also the first of a new generation of robotic operated systems, with less crew (125) than would be required normally. 

Russia like many nations had discovered that the submarine was one of the most effective weapon systems to have, because they can go undetected for months under the sea.

British Diesel Class 08.

'A Survivor.'

No matter where you travel across the United Kingdom mainland, Scotland, England, Wales and Kernow/Cornwall you will find this little locomotive in some corner of a yard on the mainline or in industrial use.

The BR/English Electric 0-6-0/Class 08 was built between 1955-62 by BR at Crewe, Darlington, Derby locomotive, Doncaster and Horwich works. 

She was fitted with an English Electric 6KT of 289 KW giving 400hp at 680 rpm. Continues traction was at 8.8 mph, weight between 49.6 to 50.4 tonnes. Her design speed was 20 mph, but she was restricted to 15 mph. Originally numbered D3000 to D 4192, now 080___

Initially three engines were given a reduced cab height at their conversion in Landore 1985-87, 08993, 08994, 08995.

Later on we will look at the Class 09 which was an off shoot version.

HST. 125.

Class 43 British Locomotives.

Please do not get upset, when I refer to these engines by that class. Because with the reclassification we tend to associate 43 as the old Warship engines.

The HST (High speed train) came out of the experimental class of advanced tilt technology and the 125 intercity was Britain's first high speed diesel a successful leap into the future.These were the first steps into the concept of the Channel tunnel trains or Eurostar.

These HST were built by BREL/PAXMAN at Crew works between 1975 to 1982, they are powered by MTU engine of 1565kW, 2250hp at 1500 rpm. Weight was 70.25 ton, with a top speed of 125mph. Continuous traction speed is just over 64 mph.

Since then they have been rebuilt to give them at least another forty years running life and in that process were re-numbered. Officially they are now Class 43/2.

They are much liked and remain a quality high speed train. They also carry many famous name plates and several have been fitted with cameras for work as departmental measuring train.