D800Warship British Rail Class 43Warship
D856 'Trojan' atOld Oak Common c1961
Type and origin Power type Diesel-hydraulic Builder North British Locomotive Co. Serial number 27962–27994 Build date 1960–1962 Total produced 33
Specifications Configuration: ​  • UIC B′B′  • Commonwealth B-B Gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge Wheel diameter 3 ft3+1⁄2 in (1.003 m)new Minimum curve 4.5chains (91 m) Wheelbase: ​  • Engine 48 ft 3 in (14.71 m)  • Bogie 10 ft 6 in (3.2 m) Pivot centres 37 ft 9 in (11.51 m) Length 60 ft 0 in (18.29 m) Width 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m) Height 12 ft9+1⁄2 in (3.899 m) Loco weight 79.5long tons (80.8 t; 89.0short tons) Fuel capacity 800 imp gal (3,600 L; 960 US gal) Prime mover MAN L12V 18/21, 2 per locomotive Engine type V12four stroke diesel Cylinders 12 Cylinder size 180 mm × 210 mm (7.087 in × 8.268 in) (bore xstroke) Transmission Hydraulic,Voith/NBL LT.306r MU working ◆ White Diamond[1] Train heating Steam, 940 imp gal (4,300 L; 1,130 US gal) capacity Loco brake Vacuum controlled air,hand brake[clarification needed] (?) Train brakes Vacuum
Performance figures Maximum speed 80 mph (130 km/h) Power output Engines: 1,100 bhp (820 kW) × 2 Tractive effort Maximum: 49,030 lbf (218 kN)[2]
Career Operators British Rail Numbers D833–D865 Nicknames "Warship" Axle load class Route availability 7 (RA 6 from 1969)[3] Retired 1969–1971 Disposition All scrapped
Technical details : B.R.33003/91[4] except where noted

TheBritish Rail Class 43Warship, originally classified theD800Warship,werediesel-hydraulic locomotives built by theNorth British Locomotive Company (NBL) from 1960 to 1962. They were essentially a subclass of theBritish Rail Class 42 with a different prime mover. They were numbered D833–D865.^[5]

The D800 series diesel-hydraulic 'Warship Class', ofB-Bwheel arrangement, was constructed by two different builders. Those locomotives built by British Railways atSwindon Works were originally numbered D800-D832 and D866-D870. They were allocated Class 42 under the 1968 classification system, while those built by theNorth British Locomotive Company (NBL) were originally numbered D833-D865 and allocated Class 43. Because of their early withdrawal dates, neither the Swindon- nor the NBL-built locomotives carried TOPS numbers. More detail on factors common to both types can be found in the article on the Swindon-builtBritish Rail Class 42.

The NBL-built D800s differed mechanically from the Swindon-built batch: the Swindon locomotives used Maybach engines connected toMekydro hydraulic transmissions whereas the NBL-built examples usedMAN engines and Voith transmissions. NBL had entered into an arrangement with the German company MAN AG in the early 1950s to market MAN's engine designs in the UK: NBL was anxious to enter the diesel locomotive market, especially once it became apparent thatBritish Railways would be seeking large quantities of such locomotives when the "Modernisation Plan" was announced. MAN were equally keen to obtain a slice of the UK market for themselves. The first results of this collaboration were theD600-D604 locomotives which failed to take advantage of the weight-saving potential of light alloystressed-skin construction allied to hydraulic transmissions.

No further examples of this design were ordered but NBL then received an order for 33 locomotives to a more advanced design, theD800 design drawn up bySwindon Works in turn derived from the originalGerman Krauss-Maffei V200 design. The prime mechanical components of these were two MAN L12V18/21B diesel engines, each rated at 1,100 hp (820 kW) at 1530 rpm and coupled to a Voith LT306r hydraulic transmission; each engine/transmission combination drove one bogie. Unlike the Mekydro four-speed transmissions in the Swindon-built locomotives, the Voith was only a three-speed design but was chosen because it kept compatibility with D600-4 and because NBL already had a licence to manufacture it. Whereas the Swindon-built locomotives had all their engines and transmissions supplied by the German manufacturers (albeit with ten engines and three transmissions supplied as kits of parts for the British licensee to re-assemble) the engines and transmissions required for D833-65 were all built by NBL.

Distribution of locomotives,
July 1967^[6]

81A 83A
Code	Name	Quantity
81A	Old Oak Common	1
83A	Newton Abbot	32
Total:		33

In operational service, the NBL locomotives were less reliable than their Swindon-built cousins. Mild steel was used for theexhaust manifolds and these components were prone to fracture. Not only did this result in a loss of exhaust pressure to drive the turbochargers but also the driving cabs rapidly filled with exhaust fumes. The MAN-built engines used in the GermanDB class V 200 design had nickel-resist steel manifolds and were far less troublesome. The engine design also suffered from being quite highly rated for a design with no active piston cooling andpiston ring life expectancy was decreased as a result. One MAN L12V18/21B was sent to the British Internal Combustion Engine Research Association for various tests and potential modifications to improve the deficiencies but nothing ever came of this.

Further problems arose due to convertingmetric toimperial feet and inches when the MAN drawings were received by NBL. It is likely that rounding errors in these conversions resulted in poor tolerances and lowered reliability in practice. Despite all this, figures for 1965 show the North British Warships covered a far greater annual mileage than contemporaryType 4's such as theWesterns,Peaks andBrush Type 4.

Even in their last year in service, Class 43 locomotives were still hauling long-distance passenger trains over the summer of 1971 on services betweenPaddington and locations in Devon.^[7]

• On 25 August 1962, locomotive No. D833Panther was hauling a passenger train that came to a halt atTorquay,Devon due to defects on the locomotive. Another passenger train, hauled byGWR 4900 Class4-6-0 No. 4932Hatherton Hall, overran signals and was in a rear-end collision. Twenty-three people were injured.^[8]
• On 11 January 1967, locomotive No. D864Zambesi at St Annes Bristol was running light, (by itself), on the up line when it came into contact with the destroyed rear coach of an accident on the down line where the diverted 12:00 Paddington to Swansea had just collided with the rear of the 11:45 Paddington to Bristol. Only very minor damage was sustained by No. D864, which came into glancing contact with the splayed out body panels of the last coach of the Bristol train.^[9][10]
• On 27 September 1967, locomotive No. D853Thruster was hauling the 09:45 Paddington to Weston super Mare, which travelled too fast on the relief line through Foxhall Junction, Didcot, and derailed causing one death and 23 injuries. The derailment was caused by the train being driven at excessive speed through the crossover.^[11]

The NBL-built D800s were withdrawn before their Class 42 sisters, themselves doomed to a short life because of the decision to standardise on diesel-electric transmission for mainline locomotives. None have survived into preservation. Many of the names were later allocated toClass 50 locomotives, which were also named after British warships. They were allocated toBristol Bath Road,Laira Plymouth,Newton Abbot andOld Oak Common.

Built by NBL, date of order 3 July 1958, maker's order no. L100, Swindon lot no. 443^[12]

• Earnshaw, Alan (1993).Trains in Trouble: Vol. 8. Penryn: Atlantic Books.ISBN 0-906899-52-4.
• Haresnape, Brian (September 1983) [1982].British Rail Fleet Survey 2: Western Region Diesel-Hydraulics. Shepperton:Ian Allan.ISBN 0-7110-1122-2. CX/0983.
• British Railways Locomotives and Other Motive Power: Combined volume. Hersham:Ian Allan. January 2008 [1964].ISBN 978-0-7110-3315-3. 0801/B.
• Marsden, Colin J (February–April 1986). "The Warships".Modern Railways Pictorial Profile (12). Weybridge: Ian Allan Ltd: 10.ISSN 0264-3642.
• Strickland, D.C. (March 1983).D+EG Locomotive Directory. Camberley: Diesel & Electric Group.ISBN 0-906375-10-X.

• Clough, David N. (2011).Hydraulic vs Electric: The battle for the BR diesel fleet.Ian Allan.ISBN 978-0-7110-3550-8.
• Marsden, Colin J.; Fenn, Graham B. (1988).British Rail Main Line Diesel Locomotives. Sparkford: Haynes. pp. 176–179.ISBN 9780860933182.OCLC 17916362.

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