British Rail Class 14

British Rail Class 14
Class 14 no. D9526 (as preserved), at Williton on the West Somerset Railway (2009)
Type and origin Power type Diesel-hydraulic Builder British Railways’ Swindon Works Build date 1964–1965 Total produced 56
Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 0-6-0  • UIC C Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Wheel diameter 4 ft 0 in (1.219 m) Loco weight 48.50 long tons (49.3 t) Prime mover Paxman Ventura 6YJXL Transmission Voith L217U hydraulic Train brakes Vacuum
Performance figures Power output Engine: 650 hp (485 kW) Tractive effort 30,910 lbf (137.5 kN)
Career Nicknames Teddy Bear Axle load class RA 4

The British Rail Class 14 is a type of small diesel-hydraulic locomotive built in the mid-1960s. Twenty-six of these 0-6-0 locomotives were ordered in January 1963, to be built at British Railways Swindon Works. The anticipated work for this class was yard shunting, trip work (between local yards) and short distance freight trains. The order was expanded to 56 in mid-1963, before work had started on the first order.

Technical details

In July 1964, the first of a class of 56 locomotives appeared from Swindon Works. These were later designated as TOPS Class 14 by British Railways. They are known as 'Teddy Bears' by enthusiasts, following a comment by Swindon Works' foreman George Cole who quipped "We've built the Great Bear, now we're going to build a Teddy Bear!".

In outline they resembled the Clayton Type 1 (Class 17) locomotives, having a cab which was nearly central with bonnets at each end, but with a fixed 0-6-0 wheel configuration rather than bogies as seen on all the other Type 1 classes. The locomotives were powered by a Paxman 6 cylinder Ventura 6YJXL engine producing 650bhp (484kW), connected to a Voith L217U hydraulic transmission and Hunslet gearbox. The axles were connected by coupling rods and driven by a jackshaft located under the cab, between the second and third axles.

Operations and preservation

The Class 14s, like many other early types of diesel, had an extremely short life with British Railways, in this case not because of poor reliability but because many of the envisaged duties disappeared on the BR network a few years after they came into use. Most were resold for industrial use, where the vast majority had a working life of two to three times that with British Railways. Unfortunately the industries in which they were employed, such as coal mining, declined during the 1970s and the class again became surplus to requirements, but several have found a third lease of life on preserved lines where they are ideal for both light passenger work and the maintenance of permanent way.

D9520, as preserved

Unusually, D9504 was leased in 2005 from its preservation group and found itself in revenue-earning service on the newest mainline in the UK – High Speed 1 (known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link during construction) – mainly in marshalling and stabling the 450 metre, 22-wagon concrete-pumping train on the final stretch to St.Pancras Station.

D9524 was repowered under the ownership BP Grangemouth - it was later repowered again under the ownership of the Scottish RPS who, following BR practice, gave it a number of 14 901. It now operates with a Rolls-Royce DV8TCE. (640bhp)

The last locomotive built, D9555, is notable as the final locomotive to be built for British Rail at Swindon Works, in 1965; today the locomotive is privately-owned and operates on the Dean Forest Railway, Gloucestershire, its original route.

Fleet

Key:	Preserved	Scrapped	Exported

Depot codes
Code	Depot
50B	Hull Dairycoates
CF	Cardiff Canton
LE	Swansea Landore

Loco	Final depot	Industrial career	Dates	Disposal
D9500	CF	NCB Ashington	11/69—?	Preserved at Heritage Shunters Trust
D9501	CF	-	-	Scrapped at C F Booth, Rotherham (6/68)
D9502	CF	NCB Ashington	07/69—?	Preserved by Heritage Shunters Trust
D9503	50B	BSC Harlaxton BSC Corby	11/68—07/74 07/74—09/80	Scrapped at BSC Corby (09/80)
D9504	50B	NCB Philadelphia NCB Bolden NCB Burradon NCB Ashington	11/68—08/73 08/73—12/74 01/75—09/81 09/81—?	Preserved: normally at Kent & East Sussex Rly
D9505	50B	APCM Hope, Derbyshire	09/68—05/75	Exported to Bruges, Belgium (05/75)
D9506	CF	-	-	Scrapped at Arnott Young Ltd., Parkgate (05/68)
D9507	50B	BSC Corby	11/68—09/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (09/82)
D9508	LE	NCB Ashington	03/69—01/84	Scrapped at D. Short, North Shields (01/84)
D9509	CF	-	-	Scrapped at G Cohen Ltd., Kettering (11/70)
D9510	50B	BSC Buckmaster BSC Corby	12/68—06/72 06/72—08/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (08/82)
D9511	50B	NCB Ashington	11/68—07/79	Scrapped at NCB Ashington (07/79)
D9512	50B	BSC Buckmaster BSC Corby	12/68—09/72 09/72—02/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (02/82)
D9513	CF	Arnott Young Ltd., Parkgate NCB Crigglestone NCB Astley NCB Ashington	07/68—11/68 11/68—09/69 09/69—10/73 01/74—?	Preserved at Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
D9514	CF	NCB Ashington	07/69—12/85	Scrapped at NCB Ashington (12/85)
D9515	50B	BSC Buckmaster BSC Corby Hunslet Ltd	11/68—09/72 09/72—12/81 12/81—07/82	Exported to Charmartin, Madrid, Spain (07/82)
D9516	50B	BSC Corby	11/68—10/81	Preserved at Nene Valley Railway
D9517	CF	NCB Ashington	11/69—01/84	Scrapped at D. Short, North Shields (01/84)
D9518	CF	NCB Ashington	06/69—??/87	Preserved at Nene Valley Railway
D9519	CF	-	-	Scrapped at G Cohen Ltd., Kettering (11/70)
D9520	50B	BSC Corby	12/68—03/81	Preserved at Nene Valley Railway
D9521	LE	NCB Ashington	03/70—11/84	Preserved at Dean Forest Railway
D9522	CF	-	-	Scrapped at Arnott Young Ltd., Parkgate (05/68)
D9523	50B	BSC Corby	12/68—10/81	Preserved at Nene Valley Railway
D9524	LE	BP Grangemouth	07/70—9/81	Preserved: currently at Peak Rail
D9525	50B	NCB Philadelphia NCB Ashington	11/68—03/75 03/75—10/87	Preserved by Heritage Shunters Trust
D9526	CF	APCM Westbury	01/70—4/80	Preserved at West Somerset Railway
D9527	CF	NCB Ashington	07/69—01/84	Scrapped at D. Short, North Shields (01/84)
D9528	CF	NCB Ashington	03/69—12/81	Scrapped at D. Short, North Shields (12/81)
D9529	50B	BSC Buckmaster BSC Corby (as No. 61)	08/68—9/72 09/72—03/81	Preserved - normally at Kent & East Sussex Rly
D9530	CF	Gulf Oil Co.Ltd., Waterston NCB Mardy NCB Tower Colliery	09/69—10/75 10/75—08/82 08/82	Scrapped at NCB Tower Colliery (08/82)
D9531	CF	Arnott Young Ltd., Parkgate NCB Crigglestone NCB Burradon NCB Ashington	07/68—11/68 11/68—10/73 10/73—04/74 04/74—?	Preserved at East Lancashire Railway
D9532	50B	BSC Corby	11/68—02/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (02/82)
D9533	50B	BSC Corby	12/68—09/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (09/82)
D9534	50B	APCM Hope, Derbyshire	10/68—05/75	Exported to Bruges, Belgium (05/75)
D9535	CF	NCB Burradon NCB Backworth NCB Ashington	11/70 — 01/76 01/76—09/80 09/80 — 01/84	Scrapped at NCB Ashington (01/84)
D9536	LE	NCB Ashington	03/70—12/85	Scrapped at NCB Ashington (12/85)
D9537	50B	BSC Corby	11/68—11/82	Preserved at private location
D9538	LE	Shell-Mex & BP Ltd., Shellhaven BSC Ebbw Vale BSC Corby	04/70—2/71 02/71—04/76 04/76—9/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (09/82)
D9539	50B	BSC Corby	10/68—02/83	Preserved at Ribble Steam Railway
D9540	50B	NCB Philadelphia NCB Burradon NCB Ashington	11/68—11/71 11/71—06/72 06/72—01/84	Scrapped at D. Short, North Shields (01/84)
D9541	50B	BSC Harlaxton BSC Corby	11/68—08/74 08/74-08/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (08/82)
D9542	50B	BSC Corby	12/68—08/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (08/82)
D9543	50B	-	-	Scrapped at C F Booth, Rotherham (11/68)
D9544	50B	BSC Corby	11/68—09/80	Scrapped at BSC Corby (09/80)
D9545	50B	NCB Ashington	11/68—07/79	Scrapped by D. Short, North Shields (07/79)
D9546	50B	-	-	Scrapped at C F Booth, Rotherham (11/68)
D9547	50B	BSC Corby	12/68—08/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (08/82)
D9548	50B	BSC Harlaxton BSC Corby Hunslet Ltd	11/68—08/74 08/74—11/80 11/80 — 07/82	Exported to Charmartin, Madrid, Spain (07/82)
D9549	50B	BSC Corby Hunslet Ltd	11/68—11/81 11/81—7/82	Exported to Charmartin, Madrid, Spain (07/82)
D9550	50B	-	-	Scrapped at C F Booth, Rotherham (11/68)
D9551	50B	BSC Corby	12/68—06/81	Preserved at Royal Deeside Railway
D9552	50B	BSC Buckmaster BSC Corby	09/68—06/72 06/72—09/80	Scrapped at BSC Corby (09/80)
D9553	50B	BSC Corby	11/68—?	Preserved at Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
D9554	50B	BSC Corby	11/68—08/82	Scrapped at BSC Corby (08/82)
D9555	LE	NCB Burradon NCB Ashington	03/70 — 02/75 02/76—??/87	Preserved at Dean Forest Railway

Models

Hattons comissioned Danish company Heljan to produce a limited run in OO gauge in three liveries. Since then they have announced plans for further examples, still in limited numbers, but in a wider variety of liveries. Graham Farish will also be producing an example in N Gauge.