British Rail Class 29

4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gaugeWheel diameter3 ft 7 in (1.092 m)Minimum curve3.5 chains (231.00 ft; 70.41 m)Wheelbase37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)Length51 ft 6 in (15.70 m)Width8 ft 8 in (2.64 m)Height12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)Loco weight73 long tons (74.2 t; 81.8 short tons)Fuel capacity460 imp gal (2,100 L; 550 US gal)Prime moverPaxman VenturaEngine typeV12 dieselGeneratorDC generatorTraction motors4 GEC DC motorsTransmissionDiesel electricMU working● Red CircleTrain heatingSteamTrain brakesVacuum

Performance figures
Maximum speed	80 mph (130 km/h)
Power output	Engine: 1,350 hp (1,010 kW)
Tractive effort	Maximum: 45,000 lbf (200 kN)
Brakeforce	50 long tons-force (498 kN)

Career
Operators	British Rail
Numbers	D6100–03/06–08/12–14/16/19, D6121/23/24/29/30/32/33/37
Axle load class	Route availability 6 (RA 5 from 1969)
Retired	1969–1971
Disposition	All scrapped

The British Rail Class 29 were a class of 20 diesel-electric Bo-Bo locomotives produced by the re-engining of the NBL Type 2 units. The units were designed for both passenger and freight trains.

Background

The machines were produced from 1963 onwards from the North British Type 2 (later Class 21 under TOPS) by replacing the original unreliable licence-built MAN engines of the Class 21s with Paxman Ventura V12 engines at Paxman's Colchester works.

The first unit to be re-engined was D6123, a further 19 machines were re-engined in 1965–1967 at Glasgow Works and mostly Inverurie Works, along with other modifications including the fitting of four-character headcode displays in the nose ends (D6123 retained its original front ends and so did not receive a headcode panel).^[1] After rebuilding, they returned to service from Eastfield depot in Glasgow. The allocation of all twenty locomotives in August 1967 was Eastfield.^[2]

Withdrawal

Although these offered more power and much improved reliability over the original Class 21s, they did not survive much longer, due to their small class size and the use of a non-standard high-speed diesel engine. D6108 was withdrawn in May 1969 and scrapped by McWilliams of Shettleston in 1971, while the other 19 were withdrawn between April and December 1971 and scrapped at BR's Glasgow Works in 1971–72. No Class 21, 22 or Class 29 locomotives survive today.

Numbering

The rebuilt locomotives were numbered:^[3]

D6100
D6101
D6102
D6103
D6106
D6107
D6108
D6112
D6113
D6114
D6116
D6119
D6121
D6123
D6124
D6129
D6130
D6132
D6133
D6137

Model railways

In 1978 Hornby Railways launched its first version of the BR Class 29 in BR green and blue liveries in OO gauge.^[4] Dapol have more recently produced a Class 29 in multiple liveries.

References

^ xp64mag.co.uk ^{[full citation needed]}
^ British Rail Locoshed Book. Shepperton: Ian Allan. February 1968. pp. 26–27. ISBN 0-7110-0004-2.
^ "29 Bo-Bo". Brdatabase.info. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
^ "Hornby BR Class 29". Hornby Railways Collector Guide. Retrieved 1 February 2020.

Sources

Stevens-Stratten, S.W.; Carter, R.S. (1978). British Rail Main-Line Diesels. Shepperton: Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-0617-2.
Sugden, S.A. (April 1994). Diesel & Electric Loco Register (3rd edn). Sheffield: Platform 5. ISBN 1-872524-55-9.
Grindlay, Jim (2006). British Railways Locomotive Allocations 1948-1968 (Part 6 - Diesel & Electric Locomotives). Troon: Modelmaster Publications. ISBN 978-0-9544264-6-0.
Ian Allan ABC of British Railways Locomotives, summer 1966 edition