description British Rail Class 20 Overview
The British Rail Class 20 is a diesel-electric freight locomotive built by English Electric from 1957 to 1968. It has a single cab at one end and a long engine compartment ahead of it, so locomotives were often coupled nose-to-nose in pairs to provide better visibility in both directions. Originally used on mixed freight and mineral traffic, members of the class have remained active on infrastructure, engineering, railhead-treatment, and specialist trains, while others are preserved.
help British Rail Class 20 FAQ
Why does British Rail Class 20 have a cab at only one end?
The Class 20 uses a long-nose layout with the cab at one end and the engine compartment ahead of it. This saved space and followed a common early diesel design, but it made forward visibility poor when running long-nose first.
Why are Class 20 locomotives often coupled nose-to-nose?
Two Class 20s coupled cab-to-cab give the driver a cab facing in both directions and avoid the long-nose visibility problem. The pair also provides roughly 2,000 horsepower from two 1,000 hp locomotives.
How many British Rail Class 20 locomotives were built and when?
English Electric built 228 Class 20 locomotives between 1957 and 1968. They were also known as English Electric Type 1 locomotives.
What was the original job of the Class 20, and how powerful was it?
The 1,000 hp diesel-electric Class 20 was designed mainly for freight and other relatively light main-line duties. Its Bo-Bo wheel arrangement gave it a lower axle load than many larger British diesel classes.
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