Class 02 Profile and Models

Class 02

D2868 in December 2011. ©Gillett's Crossing

These tiny four-wheeled shunters were designed to reach the places other locomotives could not; with a wheelbase of just 6ft they were able to tackle sharply curved lines in streets, docks, warehouses and factories and even use traditional wagon turntables. They were a direct replacement for the legendary Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway ‘Pug’ 0-4-0STs working dock lines in Liverpool, Manchester and beyond. Around 50 similar locomotives were built for industrial railways, in many cases with electric rather than hydraulic transmission. As the work they were built for vanished in the 1960s, many of the 20-strong class found further work in industry, with some surviving well into the 1980s before being rescued for preservation. Highly regarded by crews for their Rolls-Royce engine, all-round visibility and unique (for a BR locomotive) rear platform for shunting staff, they continue to play a useful role in shunting and engineering work at heritage railways. One locomotive, D2860, was even claimed by the National Railway Museum as the perfect shunter for its Great Hall in York.

(Information provided via Heljan & Wikipedia)

Type of Locomotive

Diesel-Hydraulic

Builder

Yorkshire Engine Co.

Build Date

1960 - 1961

Total Built

20

Power Output

170 hp

Tractive Effort

15,000 lbf

Top Speed

19.5 mph

Wheel Configuration

0-4-0DH

Operated By

British Rail, NCB, Other Industrial

Main Duties

Shunting

In Service Until

1975 (1980s in industrial use)

Surviving Locos

7