About
The ‘Cromptons’, or Class 33 as they became known under British Rail TOPS renumbering, were built for British Railways Southern Region by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co. at Smethwick in 1959 and were first allocated to Hither Green in February 1960.
They were fitted with 1550hp Sulzer engines and Crompton Parkinson electrical gear: hence their nickname of ‘Cromptons’. They were intended for mixed traffic work from pick up freights and shunting to fast passenger work. They were unusual in that they were almost the only class of diesel locomotives the Southern Region had that no other Region of British Railways used.
After purchase for preservation, D6501 came to Buckfastleigh and, in July 2008, after two and a half years of work and eight years since it last worked, was started up.
D6501 is owned by South Devon Diesel Traction.
Specifications
- Power -|- Diesel Electric
- Builder -|- Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Co.
- Build Date -|- 1959
- Cost -|- Unknown
- Class -|- 33
- Total of Class Produced -|- 98
- Configuration -|- Bo-Bo
- Gauge -|- Standard Gauge - 4ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435mm)
- Driving Wheel Dia. -|- 3ft 7in (1,092mm)
- Wheelbase -|- 39ft 0in (11.89m)
- Length -|- 50ft 9in (15.47m)
- Width -|- 8ft 10in (2.69m)
- Height -|- 12ft 8in (3.86m)
- Weight -|- 73 long tons (74,200kg)
- Fuel type -|- Diesel
- Fuel Capacity -|- 800 gal (3,600 L or 960 US gal)
- Prime Mover -|- Sulzer 8LDA28
- Generator -|- Crompton CG391-A1
- Traction Motors -|- 4 x Crompton C171-C2
- Top Speed -|- 85mph (137km/h)
- Power Output -|- 1,550 hp (1,156 kw)
- Tractive Effort Max. - 45,000 lbf (200kN)
- Tractive Effort Continuous - 26,000 lbf (116kN)
Current Status
- Status -|- Operational
- Location -|- Buckfastleigh
- Livery -|- BR General Grey
- Owner -|- South Devon Diesel Traction Ltd.
Pictures
If you have any images of any of our locomotives, at any time or any place and don’t mind letting us use them, then please get in touch with us.
D6501 in the News
