British Rail Class 15
| BR Class 15 | ||
|---|---|---|
| TOPS numbers | None | |
| Early numbers | D8200-D8243 | |
| Builder | British Thomson-Houston / Clayton | |
| Introduced | 1957-61 | |
| Wheel Arrangement | Bo-Bo | |
| Weight | 68 te | 69 t |
| Height | 12 ft 6 in | 3.8 m |
| Width | 9 ft 2 in | 2.8 m |
| Length | 42 ft | 12.8 m |
| Wheel Dia. | 3 ft 3 in | 1.0 m |
| Bogie Wheel Base | 8 ft 6 in | 2.6 m |
| Bogie Pivot Centres | 22 ft 6 in | 6.9 m |
| Minimum radius | 3 ½ chains | 70.4 m |
| Maximum speed | 60 mph | 97 km/h |
| Engine output | 800 hp 627 hp at rail |
597 kW 468 kW |
| Max. Tractive Effort | 37,500 lbf | 167 kN |
| Cont. Tractive Effort | ||
| Brake type | Vacuum | |
| Brake force | 31 te | 309 kN |
| Route availability | 4 | |
| Fuel Tank | 400 imp gal | 1.8 m³ |
| Multiple Coupling | Blue Star | |
| Heating type | None; through steam pipe | |
| Boiler Water Capacity | None | |
Ordered under the Modernisation Scheme as Type 1 locomotives for local passenger and freight traffic in the London area. Fitted with an off-centre cab. This class was troubled by poor reliability and was scrapped relatively early (all withdrawn by March 1971). Almost alarmingly, for their several problems, these locos were arguably the second most successful Type 1s after the Class 20s - the other two fleets, classes 16 and 17 were worse.
The engine was a Paxman 16YHXL with 7 in (178 mm) cylinder bore and 7 ¾ in (197 mm) cylinder stroke. The traction motors were4 x BTH 137BZ, nose suspended with single reduction gear drive. The Main Generator was a BTH RTB10858 and the Auxilary Generator was a BTH RTB7420.