British Rail Class 20

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The British Rail (BR) Class 20, otherwise known as an English Electric Type 1, is a class of diesel-electric locomotive. A total of 228 locomotives in the class were built by English Electric between 1957 and 1968, the large number being in part because of the failure of other early designs in the same power range to provide reliable locomotives. The locomotives were originally numbered D8000–D8199 and D8300–D8327. They are known by railway enthusiasts as "Choppers", a name derived from the distinctive beat that the engine produces when under load which resembles the sound of a helicopter.
Designed around relatively basic technology, the 73-tonne locomotives produce 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) and can operate up to 75 mph (121 km/h). Designed to work light mixed freight traffic, they originally had no train heating facilities. Locomotives up to D8127 were fitted with disc indicators in the style of the steam era; when headcodes were introduced in 1960, the locomotive's design was changed to incorporate headcode boxes. Although older locomotives were not retrofitted with headcode boxes, a few of the earlier batch acquired headcode boxes as a result of repairs. Unusually for British designs, the locomotive had a single cab. This caused serious problems with visibility when travelling nose first, though in these circumstances the driver's view is comparable to that on the steam locomotives the Class 20's were to replace. It was common however to find Class 20's paired together at the nose, with their cabs at opposite ends, ensuring that the driver could quite clearly see the road ahead.
On passenger trains, the Class 20's were only to run in limited service. A small number were fitted with a through pipe for steam heating, primarily for use in conjunction with a Class 37 locomotive on the West Highland Line. Otherwise their use was limited to summer relief services, particularly to Skegness under the adopted title of "The Jolly Fisherman", starting from various places including Burton-on-Trent, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Leicester. Also occasionally other holiday resorts on the east coast of England, occasional duties as a pilot, and short distance diversions of electric-hauled trains over non-electrified lines.
The shift of light mixed freight to the road network left British Rail with an oversupply of small locomotives. The Class 20's, however, could work in multiple and so handle heavier traffic. Most spent the majority of their working lives coupled nose to nose in pairs to provide a more useful unit and to solve the visibility problems. Most have now been withdrawn but a few remain with DRS and other minor and industrial operators. Several that are usually operated singly have been fitted with nose-mounted video cameras in order to solve the visibility problems.
The first batch of Class 20's were allocated to Devon's Road depot in Bow, London to work cross-London transfer freights, with the following eight locos allocated to Hornsey depot. After a trial with D8006, D8028–D8034 were allocated for work in highland Scotland, and had tablet catcher recesses built into the cabsides. D8035–D8044 were originally to be allocated to Norwich, but were actually used for empty coaching stock (ECS) workings in and out of London Euston. D8050–D8069 were allocated to the new Tinsley TMD in Sheffield, from where they regularly worked into Lincolnshire and Humberside. D8070–D8127 were sent to operate in the Scottish lowlands, particularly in the Forth-Clyde area, and the Fife coalfield. This completed the original orders for 128 locos, the last being delivered in August 1962.
With the subsequent order for a further 100 examples, deliveries recommenced with D8128 in January 1966. Tests in 1967 using D8179 and D8317 resulted in locos from D8316 being delivered from the manufacturer with the new electronic control system for working merry-go-round (MGR) coal trains. Trains to Longannet Power Station sometimes required locos to triple-head trains.
Some Class 20 examples were used on the construction of the Channel Tunnel and High Speed 1 and some even made their way to France to work for the Compagnie des chemins de Fer Départementaux (CFD) in industry there, although these have since been repatriated. Some locos have in the past been hired by Hunslet-Barclay to provide motive power for weedkilling trains.
Direct Rail Services' (DRS) fleet of Class 20/3's has at times seen frequent work across Britain in pairs, or with Class 37s, on nuclear flask trains, the company's speciality. In the winter season, DRS supplies a number of Class 20's for use on the Rail Head Treatment Train. Perhaps the most unusual train hauled by a Class 20 was the Kosovo Train for Life charter train in Autumn 1999, carrying some 800 tonnes of aid. Leaving London's Kensington Olympia station on 17 September 1999, the train was hauled by 20901, 20902 and 20903 throughout, reaching Prague by 20 September and arrived at Pristina station at 10:00 on 25 September 1999.
DRS initially had a fleet of 15 operational Class 20/3 locomotives. Three of these have subsequently been disposed of for scrap, after stripping for spares, whilst a further two have been sold on to HNRC. In 2005, Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) acquired a large number of 20/0s and 20/9s from the DRS stored fleet. By May 2008 HNRC had 16 Class 20s in storage and 8 operational of which two were on hire at Corus Scunthorpe (nos 81 and 82).
A number of class 20s from HNRC are currently being employed to deliver new S-Stock to London Underground. at Neasden depot, for commissioning. A total of 22 Class 20 locomotives are preserved, including the first of the class built, D8000, which is part of the National Railway Collection at the National Railway Museum in York.
== In popular culture ==
In the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye, 20 188 was used as the locomotive of an escape train on the Nene Valley Railway, with the addition of mock armour plating to give the impression of a Russian armoured locomotive.
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