Toton Diesel Shunter Allocation – 1967/68

[JohnW1]

Toton Diesel Shunter Allocation – 1967/68

A few years ago I did the following bit of research and thought it might be of interest at this time when a lot of us are “confined to barracks”. Apologies if you have seen it before.

In the 1950’s and early 1960’s British Railways built/purchased around two thousand diesel shunters which replaced considerably more steam shunting engines. By the middle of the 1960’s changing operating methods and the reducing size of the network lead to a surplus of diesel shunting locomotives. Withdrawal commenced with the classes containing only a few locomotives however as the surplus grew a start was made on the larger classes.

I first started visiting Toton MPD in the summer of 1966 and in November 1966 Toton MPD had an allocation of twenty five diesel shunters. Over the next two years this fleet would be totally replaced and significantly reduced to fifteen locomotives. The diesel shunter allocation in November 1966 consisted of four types of locomotive:

Class D2/2 - (TOPS class 03) –204bhp diesel mechanical shunter built by Swindon and Doncaster works between 1957 - 1961
Class D3/3 – 350bhp diesel electric shunter (mechanically a class 08) fitted with a Crossley ESNT6 engine and Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment, built by Derby Works in 1955.
Class D3/4 - (TOPS class 10) –350bhp diesel electric shunter (mechanically a class 08) fitted with a Blackstone ER6T engine and GEC electrical equipment built by Darlington and Doncaster Works between 1953 and 1962.
Class D3/8 (TOPS class 11) - 350bhp diesel electric shunter (the prototype for the class 08) fitted with an English Electric 6KT engine and English Electric electrical equipment built at Derby Works between 1945 and 1952.

Those allocated were as follows

Class D2/2 (class03) – D2116
Class D3/3 – D3117 – D3126 (complete class)
Class D3/4 (class 10) – D3476/93/95/97-99, D3500-02, D3632
Class D3/8 (class 11) – 12038/55/63/82

Of note is D2116 which had officially arrived in September 1966 but despite regular visits at this time I can not personally ever recall seeing it at Toton.

The first change was the transfer of the four D3/8 locomotives in November/December 1966 (with 12038 going to Speke Junction and 12055/63/82 going to Crewe) and the withdrawal of four of the class D3/3 locomotives D3122-24/26. These were replaced by eight class D3/4 locomotives, D3446/47/48/49/50 from Peterborough, D3452/75 from Tinsley and D3473 from Doncaster.

In April 1967 a further class D3/3 locomotive was withdrawn D3121 and in July 1967 the remaining five class D3/3 locomotives D3117-20/25 were withdrawn.

In September 1967 the class D2/2 locomotive D2116 was transferred to Barrow

In November 1967 the first two class D3/2 (TOPS class 08) locomotives D3400/02 arrived from Cardiff

In December 1967 two further class D3/2 locomotives D3050 and D3997 arrived from Willesden and Bescot respectively as did two class D3/4 locomotives D3442/89 from Colwick however a start was made on withdrawing the D3/4 locomotives with the withdrawal of D3449.

So the situation at the end of 1967 was an allocation of twenty five diesel shunters (the same total as November 1966) of only two types:

Class D3/2 (class 08) - D3050, D3400/02, D3997
Class D3/4 (class 10) – D3442/46-50/52/73/75/76/89/93/95/97-99, D3500-02, D3632.

This was to be the high point as over the next nine months twenty of the class D3/4 locomotives were withdrawn with the remaining one D3497 being transferred to Colwick. As replacements eleven class D3/2 locomotives arrived, D3021/25/29/34/36/37 from Bescot, D3026 from Tyseley, D3039 from Derby and D3340/45/90 from the Scottish Region (Thornton Junction, Dunfermline and Eastfield respectively). One class D3/4 D3490 also arrived from Colwick but was withdrawn one month later.

So by September 1968 in less than two years the Toton diesel shunter allocation was totally replaced initially by additional class D3/4 (class 10) locomotives which were in turn quickly withdrawn and replaced by class D3/2 (class 08) locomotives. Also in the first nine months of 1968 the fleet was reduced considerably, being reduced from twenty five to fifteen locomotives as follows.

D3/2 (class 08) – D3021/25/26/29/34/36/37/39/50, D3340/45/90, D3400/02, D3997

As a young spotter this meant plenty of new “cops” on a regular basis.

It also provides an insight into procurement/manufacture and operation. During procurement/manufacture the strong desire to “dual” source equipment so that you are not reliant on one source and then later during operation to “standardise” on one type to limit spares holding and training.

Whilst I do not have any photographs from that period I did record a number of the D3/2 locomotives later in their careers as seen below.

D3021 (08014) - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6989174617/
D3025 (08018) – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6145809853/
D3029 (08021) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/26365653318/
D3036 (08026) - http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/6146356778/
D3039 (08027) – http://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/5530679688/
D3039 (08027) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/28219940609/
D3402 (08332) – https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/39030117805/
D3997 (08829) - https://www.flickr.com/photos/pics-by-john/40287321612/

 

[neilmc]

As a youngster "bunking" Toton in 1968 I recall a long line of class 10s outside the shed, plenty of new "cops" indeed but as they were all withdrawn they would have disappeared from the list of active locos I "needed" soon enough!

 

[Taunton]

Of note is D2116 which had officially arrived in September 1966 but despite regular visits at this time I can not personally ever recall seeing it at Toton.

You will probably find it worked at somewhere in the area where it was needed for its lightweight characteristics. The same applied at the time at Taunton (83B), which had allocated normal Class 08, and also several Class 03. The former worked around Taunton station, the latter were generally nowhere to be seen there, for they were all down at Bridgwater, at the docks and factory sidings, where Taunton's allocated small shunters had always been needed going back through steam days. One would occasionally waddle back to Taunton for attention, but otherwise you would never see one there.

 

[JohnW1]

You will probably find it worked at somewhere in the area where it was needed for its lightweight characteristics. The same applied at the time at Taunton (83B), which had allocated normal Class 08, and also several Class 03. The former worked around Taunton station, the latter were generally nowhere to be seen there, for they were all down at Bridgwater, at the docks and factory sidings, where Taunton's allocated small shunters had always been needed going back through steam days. One would occasionally waddle back to Taunton for attention, but otherwise you would never see one there.

I tend to agree, however I have not been able to establish where that was and nowhere springs to mind either.