The British Rail Class 45 or Sulzer Type 4 are diesel locomotives built by British Railways' Derby and Crewe Works between 1960 and 1962. Along with the similar Class 44 and 46 locomotives, they became known as Peaks.

Technical details

Engine

The engine of the Class 45 was a marine-type, slow-revving diesel, a Sulzer 12LDA28B with a bore of 280 mm (hence the 28 in the engine designation) and a stroke of 360 mm. This gave 22 L per cylinder, or 264 L for the whole engine. The unit was turbocharged and intercooled and gave 2500 hp at 750 rpm. The engine was of the double bank type with two parallel banks of 6 cylinders, geared together to a single output shaft. Six-cylinder versions of the engine were fitted in the Class 25 locos (amongst others) and eight-cylinder versions in Class 33s. Class 45s were the updated versions of the Class 44 locomotives, the latter having a 2300 hp non-intercooled version of the same engine; i.e. the 12LDA28A. The later Class 47 had a modified version of the same engine, a 12LDA28C.

Train heating

When initially put into service, the locomotives were fitted with multi-unit working and steam-heating boilers for passenger service. In the early 1970s, fifty were fitted with electric train supply in place of their steam-heating boilers and assigned to work services on the Midland Main Line from London St Pancras to Nottingham, Derby and Sheffield. These locomotives were renumbered as Class 45/1.

Locomotive auxiliary supply

The Class 45 is unusual in having a 220 volt electrical system for driving auxiliary systems and battery charging. Most British Railways diesels of the same era had 110 volt auxiliaries.

History

The Class 45s became the main traction on the Midland Main Line from 1962, and their introduction allowed considerable acceleration of the previous steam-powered service. The Class 45s remained the main source of power on the Midland Main Line up to 1982, when they were relegated to secondary services following introduction of HSTs on the route. From 1986 Class 45s virtually disappeared from the line. From the early 1980s until their withdrawal c. 1988, the class were regular performers on the North Trans-Pennine line working services from Liverpool Lime Street to York, Scarborough or Newcastle via Manchester Victoria, Huddersfield and Leeds. These trains were usually formed of early Mark 2 carriages, of up to seven in a typical train.

Accidents and incidents

Withdrawal

The great majority of Class 45s were withdrawn between 1981 and 1988 after class 43 HSTs were introduced to their routes, and the last was withdrawn from service by 1989.

Fleet details

Naming

26 Class 45s were officially named by BR after various British Army regiments and the Royal Marines. Additionally, several were unofficially named.

Fleet list

Preservation

Eleven locomotives survive in preservation with examples from both batches. The majority of the preserved engines were built at Crewe Works but two, including the spares donor engine, were built at Derby Works. A summary of these follows: A twelfth example, 45015, was also sold into preservation, but not restored. Withdrawn in March 1986 with a seized traction motor, for which repair was not authorised, 45015 was heavily cannibalised for spares to keep other Class 45s working. It remained at Toton, its home shed, until at least 1999. The locomotive was moved to Shackerstone, on the Battlefield Line Railway, in 2002, still with the intention of restoration to mainline standard, despite requiring a replacement engine to be found. In 2010 the host railway gave notice to the locomotive's owner that the still unrestored 45015 needed to move to a new site. Having failed to find a buyer, 45015 was scrapped.

Model railways

Mainline Railways introduced OO gauge Class 45s in 1983; D49 The Manchester Regiment and D100 Sherwood Forester in BR green and 45048 The Royal Marines in BR blue.