Bulldog

**Bulldog**, formerly known as before official naming as **Class 24**, **24117**, **5117** or **D5117**, is a diesel-electric locomotive that once worked for British Rail. He now works for the Moorland Steam Railway after he was gifted by the previous company for their long-term shared goods contract. He was named 'Bulldog' in 1989.

## Bio

No. 24117, orginally numbered D5117, was built at Derby Works in 1960 as a replacement for a fleet of elderly steam locomotives that were now being withdrawn. He was one of many locomotives as part of the famous 'Modernisation Plan of 1955' which was to replace the steam-era infrastructure with more the more modern infrastructure needed for dieselisation and electrification (diesel and electric traction). He was taught by a Midland Railway-built Fowler 4F 0-6-0 on handling both passenger and goods trains. This locomotive became known as his "mentor" and was sadly scrapped before his teaching was finished.

D5117 received his Total Operating Processing System (TOPS) number in 1973 and became No. 24117, which made his classification change from "Brush Type 2" to "British Rail Class 24", helping people distinguish from the two versions. No. 24117 was once a common visitor used by British Rail on the Gladsville route when BR had business with transferring preserved locomotives and stock to the route, which made him make friends with the residents of the Moorland Steam Railway, even if he was designed to replace them.

In 1976, 24117's class was seen as getting to old and he was withdrawn by BR after he damaged his cab at the No. 1 end, and was taken to Doncaster to be scrapped. Before he was even shunted into the position he would be scrapped in, an elderly 0-6-0 was in the yards with a LNER Gresley coach coupled in front. The men with the 0-6-0 (Hughes) were workers and volunteers of the MSR which were looking for two coaches, and if possible, a small but powerful diesel-electric locomotive (the railway did by a Class 03, but was in need of new bearings and cranks). They noticed 24117 and quickly secured paperwork to have him preserved by the MSR, which he helped his friend, Hughes, back to Northampsmith. Since his prime mover was able to turn over, he became the first operational diesel locomotive of the Moorland Steam Railway.

For a brief period, 24117 was still carrying his BR Corporate Blue livery with full yellow ends with his TOPS number until 1980, when his number was changed to his pre-TOPS number of '5117' the number he wore after steam was abolished in August 1968, and started to create confusion since he was never given a name of any kind. He didn't like being called a "Rat" since it referred to his entire class being once all over the British Rail system in the 1960s. In 1989, 5117 wanted to be named after a warship, since he was inspired by both Hood, his sister, Leanne (official name 'Leander') and the many Jubilee class 4-6-0s named after warships. A list of name options came in and the public was given a chance to think of a name for this diesel-powered workhorse of the MSR.

Out of all the name options, only five names (including their name origins) were entered for the vote, which were:

* Vanguard: Vanguard-class Battleship
* Dreadnought: Dreadnough-class Battleship
* Bulldog: B-class Destroyer
* Javelin: J-class Destroyer
* Warspite: Queen Elizabeth-class Battleship

In the end, the winning name from the public poll was 'Bulldog', which came from a B-class destroyer that served in WWII and was scrapped in 1946. 5117 felt honoured to be named after a warship that despite its size, it fought against vessels that tried to bring Britain and the Allies down, and drive them from the seas.

5117 was officially named 'Bulldog' in July of 1989, just two months after the poll was completed. Like ex-SNCF 4-6-0 Labiche, his nameplates were based on those from the Southern Railway Battle of Britain "Light Pacifics" of post-WWII Britain, which BoB class nameplates on locomotive would soon become a tradition on the MSR.

## Livery

Bulldog is painted in BR Corporate Blue with full yellow ends and the "double arrow" painted in white on his sides. He was previously painted in plain BR Green or BR "Two-Tone" Green liveries with the Late Crest on his sides. Bulldog also carries a set of SR Battle of Britain-style nameplates with light blue backing and yellow & white writing. He also carries the train reporting number '0H91' in the headcode box above his cab at both ends.

## Basis or real locomotive

Bulldog is based on the real D5117, which will be withdrawn as '24117' under the TOPS classification system.

## Trivia

Bulldog's main model is a Suttons Class 24 in BR Blue with full yellow ends. The model was fitted with Bachmann OO gauge Class 47 snowploughs instead of the snowploughs supplied with the model.

Bulldog is named after a Royal Navy B-class destroyer that served in World War Two. HMS Bulldog (H91) was launched in 1929, making it one of the few RN destroyers that served in WWII to not be of a design dating back to the end of World War One. It was decommissioned in May 1946 and sold for scrap on December 1946.

* Bulldog's train reporting number comes from the ship's hull number, 0H91.

The only locomotive that Bulldog can't get along with is Sigrid.

One of Bulldog's proposed names in the competition is used by a Thompson O1 in the Strategic Steam Reserve.