The Class 47 that nearly was
As one of the partners in the consortium hoping to win orders for British Railways' requirement for Type 4 diesel electric locomotives. AEI took the front cover ad space for the Modern Railways August 1962 issue. AEI provided the electrical equipment for the prototype D0260 Lion that was built by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. at its Smethwick factory, using a Sulzer 2,750 hp diesel unit.
The partnership was in contention with Brush Traction, whose prototype D0280 diesel electric was also being tested, powered by two Maybach diesels, while English Electric entered the lists later, with its DP2 prototype. North British Locomotive dropped out of contention when it went into liquidation in early 1962.
This view shows Lion on one of its early tests, its paintwork as yet unstained, at what appears to be Wolverhampton Low Level station on the Western Region.
The BR&CW/Sulzer/AEI consortium came within a whisker of winning an order for 100 locomotives only for the British Transport Commission to change the terms of the contest. One of the stipulations of the new order was for an axle weight limited to just 19 tons and a much lighter body. The English Electric and BR-built locos that constituted the existing Type 4 fleet were excessively heavy, resulting in a cumbersome !CO-CO1 bogie configuration. British Railways thus cancelled an order of 20 Peak Class locos, for which Brush Traction had already supplied the electrical equipment. Thus it was Brush who won out against the BR&CW consortium, although Sulzer would supply the diesel power. The resulting Class 47 Type 4 eventually totalled 512 examples, owing much in appearance to the Lion prototype.
Would BR&CW actually have been able to fulfill any order that came its way? The point is moot as the company went out of business shortly afterwards, and the redundant Lion was broken up in 1964. It had made a strong impression during its exceedingly brief career.
Nor did AEI survive for much longer. The company had been formed in 1928 as Associated Electrical Industries, based in Rugby, bringing under its wing the established British Thompson Houston and Metrovick operations. These divisions retained their autonomy until AEI management decided to impose much-needed rationalisation in 1959, dropping the historic subsidiary brands. These measures cost AEI customer goodwill and brand recognition. AEI's financial under-performance was spotted by Arnold Weinstock, recently installed as the Managing Director of GEC, prompting a hostile takeover bid in 1967. In the following year, after another bitter contest, English Electric fell into the GEC empire, just after it had completed delivery of 50 Class 50 locomotives that were based on the DP2 prototype..
The Class 47 that nearly was
As one of the partners in the consortium hoping to win orders for British Railways' requirement for Type 4 diesel electric locomotives. AEI took the front cover ad space for the Modern Railways August 1962 issue. AEI provided the electrical equipment for the prototype D0260 Lion that was built by Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. at its Smethwick factory, using a Sulzer 2,750 hp diesel unit.
The partnership was in contention with Brush Traction, whose prototype D0280 diesel electric was also being tested, powered by two Maybach diesels, while English Electric entered the lists later, with its DP2 prototype. North British Locomotive dropped out of contention when it went into liquidation in early 1962.
This view shows Lion on one of its early tests, its paintwork as yet unstained, at what appears to be Wolverhampton Low Level station on the Western Region.
The BR&CW/Sulzer/AEI consortium came within a whisker of winning an order for 100 locomotives only for the British Transport Commission to change the terms of the contest. One of the stipulations of the new order was for an axle weight limited to just 19 tons and a much lighter body. The English Electric and BR-built locos that constituted the existing Type 4 fleet were excessively heavy, resulting in a cumbersome !CO-CO1 bogie configuration. British Railways thus cancelled an order of 20 Peak Class locos, for which Brush Traction had already supplied the electrical equipment. Thus it was Brush who won out against the BR&CW consortium, although Sulzer would supply the diesel power. The resulting Class 47 Type 4 eventually totalled 512 examples, owing much in appearance to the Lion prototype.
Would BR&CW actually have been able to fulfill any order that came its way? The point is moot as the company went out of business shortly afterwards, and the redundant Lion was broken up in 1964. It had made a strong impression during its exceedingly brief career.
Nor did AEI survive for much longer. The company had been formed in 1928 as Associated Electrical Industries, based in Rugby, bringing under its wing the established British Thompson Houston and Metrovick operations. These divisions retained their autonomy until AEI management decided to impose much-needed rationalisation in 1959, dropping the historic subsidiary brands. These measures cost AEI customer goodwill and brand recognition. AEI's financial under-performance was spotted by Arnold Weinstock, recently installed as the Managing Director of GEC, prompting a hostile takeover bid in 1967. In the following year, after another bitter contest, English Electric fell into the GEC empire, just after it had completed delivery of 50 Class 50 locomotives that were based on the DP2 prototype..