BRITISH RAIL CLASS 46

'BR Class 46'
TOPS numbers	46001-46056
Early numbers	D138-193
Builder	British Rail Derby
Introduced	1961–1963
Wheel Arrangement	1Co-Co1
Weight	138 tons	140 tonnes
Height	12 ft 10.13 in	3.9 m
Width	8ft 10.62 in	2.7 m
Length	67 ft 11 in	20.7 m
Wheel dia.	3 ft 9 in	1143 mm
Wheel base	59 ft 8 in	18.2 m
Minimum radius	5 chains, later 3½ chains	101 m, later 70 m
Maximum speed	90 mph	145 km/h
Engine	Sulzer 12LDA28-B 12-cyl
Engine output	2,500 hp	1839 kW
Max. tractive effort	55,000 lbf	222 kN
Power at Rail	1,962 hp	1463 kW
Brake type	Vacuum
Brake force	63 tons force	628 kN
Route availability	7
Fuel tank	790 gallons	3590 L
Heating type	Steam
Multiple working	Blue Star Removed early on

The British Rail 'Class 46' is a class of diesel locomotive. They were built from 1961-1963 at British Railways' Derby Works and were initially numbered D138-D193. With the arrival of TOPS they were renumbered to Class 46. Fifty-six locomotives were built. The first was withdrawn in 1977 and all of them were withdrawn by 1984.
The Class 46 design was structurally the same as the preceding Class 45 build, and had the same Sulzer engine, but differed in the fitment of a Brush generator and traction motors, in place of Crompton Parkinson equipment as fitted to the Class 45.
On 17 July 1984, 46009 was deliberately crashed into a nuclear waste flask at about 90mph (145 km/h) on the Old Dalby test track. The test, organised by the CEGB, demonstrated to the public that there would be no leak of radioactive material in the event of a rail accident involving a train carrying a nuclear waste flask. 46009 was scrapped on site at Old Dalby later the same month by Vic Berry of Leicester.
Three have been preserved, 46010, 46035 ''Ixion'' and D182.

British Rail Class 46 in fiction

References

External link