British Rail Class 33

BRCW Type 3
British Rail Class 33
A Class 33 at Woking, c. 1978
Type and origin
Power typeDiesel-electric
BuilderBirmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company
Serial numberDEL92–DEL156, DEL169-DEL189, DEL157-DEL168
Build date1960–1962
Total produced98
Specifications
Configuration:
 • UICBo′Bo′
 • CommonwealthBo-Bo
Gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Wheel diameter3 ft 7 in (1,090 mm)
Minimum curve4 chains (80.47 m)
Wheelbase39 ft 0 in (11.89 m) ​
 • Bogie10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
Length50 ft 9 in (15.47 m)
WidthClass 33/0 and 33/1: 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m)
Class 33/2: 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)
Height12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)
Loco weightClass 33/0 – 73.8 long tons (75 t; 83 short tons)
Class 33/1 – 77.6 long tons (79 t; 87 short tons)
Class 33/2 – 74.4 long tons (76 t; 83 short tons)
Fuel capacity800 imp gal (3,600 L; 960 US gal)
Prime moverSulzer 8LDA28
GeneratorDC generator
Traction motorsDC traction motors
TransmissionDiesel electric
MU working Blue Star,
33/1 SR MU System
Train heatingElectric Train Heat
Train brakesDual (Air & Vacuum)
Performance figures
Maximum speed85 mph (140 km/h)
Power outputEngine: 1,550 bhp (1,156 kW)
At rail: 1,215 hp (906 kW)
Tractive effortMaximum: 45,000 lbf (200 kN)
Continuous: 26,000 lbf (116 kN)
Brakeforce35 long tons-force (349 kN)
Career
Operators Former
British Rail (Southern and Eastern Regions)
Direct Rail Services
English, Welsh & Scottish
Fragonset Railways
Current
West Coast Railways
Various British heritage railways
ClassD15/1, D15/2; 15/6, 15/6A; Class 33, Class 34 (reserved, not used), Class 83/3
NumbersD6500–D6597; later 33001–33065, 33101–33 119, 33201–33212
NicknamesCromptons (All locomotives)
Bagpipes (33/1s only)
Slim Jims (33/2s only)
Axle load classRoute availability 6
Disposition3 still in service, 24 preserved, 2 stored, remainder scrapped

The British Rail Class 33, also known as the BRCW Type 3 or Crompton, is a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives, ordered in 1957 and built for the Southern Region of British Railways between 1960 and 1962.

They were produced as a more powerful Type 3 (1,550 bhp) development of the 1,160 bhp Type 2 Class 26. This was achieved, quite simply, by removing the steam heating boiler and fitting a larger 8 cylinder version of the previous 6 cylinder engine. This was possible because of the traffic requirements of the Southern Region: locomotive-hauled passenger traffic depended on seasonal tourist traffic and was heavier in the summer, when carriage heating was not needed. In the winter, their expected use was to be for freight. Thus, they became the most powerful BR Bo-Bo diesel locomotive.[1] The perennially unreliable steam heating boiler could also be avoided.

A total of 98 were built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW) and they were known as "Cromptons" after the Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment installed in them.[2] Like their lower-powered BRCW sisters, the Class 26 and Class 27 locomotives, their bodywork and cab ends were of all steel construction. They were very similar in appearance to Class 26 locos, but carried Southern Region two-digit headcode blinds between the cab windows.

The original (1957) number sequence was D6500–D6597.[2]

  1. ^ Webb 1978, pp. 43–45.
  2. ^ a b "Class 33". Southern Railway E-mail Group. Retrieved 1 January 2023.