Class 31 Profile and Models

Class 31

31271 at Derby Etches Park Depot in September 2014. ©Clagmaster

The British Rail Class 31 (aka Brush Type 2) locomotives were produced following the launch of the Class 20 and were one of the pilot scheme designs by British Railways which were intended to replace steam locomotives. Originally destined for the Eastern region, the class became known for working on both the Western and London Midland regions too, working even further afield later in life. Throughout their life, the class saw several modifications and five different subclasses existed. The class held a long and varied lifespan, working a variety of local and express passenger sevices, freight and engineers trains - with some locomotives working on the mainline as late as 2017.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Locomotive

Diesel-Electric

Builder

Brush Traction

Build Dates

1957 to 1962

Total Built

263

Tractive Effort

35,900 lbf

Power Output

1,250 to 1,365 bhp (Mirlees Engines)
1,470 bhp (English Electric Engines)

Top Speed

80mph (D5500 to D5534)
90mph (Remainder of class)

Wheel Configuration

A1A-A1A

Operated By

British Rail
EWS
Fragonset Railways
FM Rail
Mainline Rail
Nemesis Rail
Network Rail

Main Duties

Mixed Traffic

In Service Until

2017

Surviving Examples

26

 

TT3 Gauge (1:100 scale)