Brush Class 53 FALCON: Proposal for a Crowdfunded RTR N Gauge Model

[scottystitch]

I would like to propose and poll the Brush Class 53 Falcon prototype locomotive as the subject of a crowdfunding project. If interested, there is a poll running on the N Gauge Forum, here: 

 

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=38805.msg465704#msg465704

 

We are hoping to attract the attention of the usual crowdfunding facilitators. This is the route previously used to get the 35T Class B tankers into N Gauge model form

Many thanks for reading.

BACKGROUND AND EMPLOYMENT (Not definitive, intended to give a broad outline only)

The Brush Falcon project involved a single, prototype, Co-Co Diesel electric locomotive, intended as a potential forerunner to a fleet of mixed traffic, general purpose locomotives for BR. Due to the lack, at the time, of a diesel engine powerful enough, yet light enough, the locomotive employed a twin unit of Maybach MD655 engines, similar to those fitted to the Class 52 Diesel Hydraulic, albeit powering electric traction motors.

The locomotive was first out-shopped in September 1961 and put to work on test on the Eastern Region and London Midland Region. Regular runs included King’s Cross-Hull and return as far as and from Doncaster. King’s Cross - Cambridge was also a noted turn, mainly due to problems with the Baby Deltics. Another route for Falcon, on the Great Eastern area,  during this period, was Liverpool Street to Norwich, as well as some regular freight turns between Norwich and March.

By February 1962 it was to be briefly found on the Western Region, where its performance was tested on the Lickey Incline. There are reports of Falcon with 18 coaches accelerating up Lickey without the aid of a banker. Other tests found the locomotive under test on the route to Plymouth over the Devon banks, with similar favourable results.

After a spell at Brush, Falcon was sheded at Sheffield for the summer of 1962, where it was employed on two return trips per day between Sheffield Victoria and King’s Cross on the Master Cutler and Sheffield Pullman, high end trains. By the autumn it could be found mainly on freight duties, notably coal trains. By the time 1963 came along, the locomotive was being used on genuine mixed traffic turns, equally as happy hauling passenger or freight trains around the Sheffield area and further afar.

After a year out of traffic, whilst the powers that be decided on what to do with the locomotive (the type 4 ‘standard’ locomotive being settled on Brush’s Class 47), it was decided that Falcon would be leased by BR and employed on the Western Region, where they had experience already of the Maybach engines. Bristol Bath Road was the chosen depot and by February 1965, after a spell of crew training, Falcon was employed on Paddington to Bristol diagrams, in concert with other, mainstream, Type 4s -  the diesel-hydraulics.

Unlike previous employment on the Eastern and LM regions, where the diagrams were steam ones, the Type 4 timings forced Falcon to work hard. This led to some major failures, for virtually the first time in its short working life. Due to its propensity to break, the locomotive was kept almost exclusively on the Paddington/Bristol turns, presumably to keep in easy reach of Swindon works. Reliability took some time to improve, and it wasn’t until 1968 that Falcon exceeded it’s contracted yearly mileage of 80,000, when it travelled 90,400 miles in the 12 month period.

Despite being non-standard, and potentially ripe for withdrawal, Falcon was fitted with Air brakes, to allow it to work with the new Mk2 air-braked coaching stock. The vacuum breaking equipment was removed at the same time, to make room. 

Late December 1971 and early 1972 found Falcon on test again, primarily between Swindon, Old Oak Common and Didcot, and also at high speed between Bristol and Taunton. However, by May 1972, it was back on its old stomping ground on the Paddington to Bristol service.

Passenger work finally ran out for Falcon during 1972 with the advent of ETH stock. Fitting of ETH equipment was considered unviable Subsequently the steam heat boiler was isolated and the locomotive was transferred to Cardiff Canton to work steel trains between Newport Docks and Llanwern Steel works. The following year, 1973, Falcon found it’s next and final operational home at Ebbw Vale junction, working Iron Ore trains.

In october 5th 1975 one of Falcon’s  traction motor bearings failed, and following a number of months spent languishing at Ebbw Vale Junction, the unique machine was sold for scrap. A preservation attempt was made, however, apparently  a clause in the contract between Brush and BR stipulated that at the end of its working life, Falcon would be cut up for scrap and not be sold for preservation.

LIVERIES

Falcon wore four liveries during its lifetime:

September 1961: The initial livery out-shopped from Brush in September 1961 was lime-green body with darker green bands along the top and bottom of the bodysides. D0280

October 1961: By the time the locomotive was employed on BR metals, the livery consisted of lime-green body with chestnut upper and lower bands in place of the dark green bands. The chestnut was also painted around the window surrounds. Later this livery carried a SYWP at each end, but dates are unclear. D0280

1965: For it’s full service on the western region, the livery was changed to Brunswick green with a pale green bodyside bands, and yellow nose panels. D0280

December 1970: Swindon painted Falcon in its final livery in 1970, when the air brake mods were carried out. The machine emerged in all over BR Blue with full yellow ends and window surrounds. It was numbered 1200 and had the BR double arrow on diagonally opposite cabsides. The other cabsides carried a full TOPS data panel.


CAVEAT: My suggestion would be to discount the first livery, as it was only extant for barely a month before the scheme was modified.


PROS AND CONS OF A CROWDFUNDED FALCON PROJECT

Pros:    

A 10+ year service life, bridging transition and corporate blue eras. (see cons)
A truly mixed traffic locomotive, equally at home on express passenger & pullman services and heavy mineral freight trains, etc.
A large geographical area of employment, Great Eastern, Eastern, London Midland, and Western regions, including South Wales. Incursions into Scotland on ECML parcels trains to/from Edinburgh.
A relatively small number of liveries.
Heljan have produced a OO and an O gauge model, which suggest drawings may be available. If not, assuming the O gauge model was considered accurate, it may be possible to scale an N gauge version from it, similar to the method Kernow employed on (i think) there early Warship model for OO.
A surprisingly large amount of photographic reference material available.
Farish had what appears good success with DP1, another prototype machine, with a smaller geographical area of deployment.
Consistently high polling in the RMWEB annual wishlist (2016 7th in Diesel, Electric, Gas Turbine Category (above Class 28) and 23rd in all N Gauge categories)

Cons:

Only one was built so poor to almost impossible prospect of multiple purchases, except in respect of collectors.
No existing example for scanning purposes
A reasonably short lifespan in the grand scheme of things
Less than astounding up-take of “transition” era crowdfunding models




Best

Scott

« Last Edit: September 22, 2017, 12:19:00 pm by NGS-PO »

 

 

[The Johnster]

BR bought the loco from Brush in 1970, when it was painted in standard rail blue livery, allocated TOPS class 53, and numbered 1200.  The freight work ins South Wales was from Ebbw Junction, and consisted mostly of the Newport Dock-Llanwern Steelworks iron ore trains that ran prior to the introduction of the triple 37 headed Port Talbot-Llanwern trains following the commissioning of the deep water berths at Port Talbot harbour.  Falcon also worked the Western Valley (Ebbw Vale) iron ore trains, one of the heaviest jobs on the region involving loaded trains up steep gradients on sharp curvature, a severe test of any loco.

 

I wish this project good luck, but have no interest in either N gauge or diesel era models!

[Rugd1022]

BR bought the loco from Brush in 1970, when it was painted in standard rail blue livery, allocated TOPS class 53, and numbered 1200.  The freight work ins South Wales was from Ebbw Junction, and consisted mostly of the Newport Dock-Llanwern Steelworks iron ore trains that ran prior to the introduction of the triple 37 headed Port Talbot-Llanwern trains following the commissioning of the deep water berths at Port Talbot harbour.  Falcon also worked the Western Valley (Ebbw Vale) iron ore trains, one of the heaviest jobs on the region involving loaded trains up steep gradients on sharp curvature, a severe test of any loco.

 

I wish this project good luck, but have no interest in either N gauge or diesel era models!

 

When it was painted blue at SW in 1970 it was photographed outside the Works wired up to the diesel testing equipment with it's original '0280' number in the new corporate typeface applied under the driver's side window, however before being released back into traffic in early 1971 these numbers were removed and the now familiar '1200' applied in their place.

[Strathwood]

 

I would like to propose and poll the Brush Class 53 Falcon prototype locomotive as the subject of a crowdfunding project. If interested, there is a poll running on the N Gauge Forum, here: 

 

http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=38805.msg465704#msg465704

 

We are hoping to attract the attention of the usual crowdfunding facilitators. This is the route previously used to get the 35T Class B tankers into N Gauge model form

Many thanks for reading.

 

BACKGROUND AND EMPLOYMENT (Not definitive, intended to give a broad outline only)

 

The Brush Falcon project involved a single, prototype, Co-Co Diesel electric locomotive, intended as a potential forerunner to a fleet of mixed traffic, general purpose locomotives for BR. Due to the lack, at the time, of a diesel engine powerful enough, yet light enough, the locomotive employed a twin unit of Maybach MD655 engines, similar to those fitted to the Class 52 Diesel Hydraulic, albeit powering electric traction motors.

 

The locomotive was first out-shopped in September 1961 and put to work on test on the Eastern Region and London Midland Region. Regular runs included King’s Cross-Hull and return as far as and from Doncaster. King’s Cross - Cambridge was also a noted turn, mainly due to problems with the Baby Deltics. Another route for Falcon, on the Great Eastern area,  during this period, was Liverpool Street to Norwich, as well as some regular freight turns between Norwich and March.

 

By February 1962 it was to be briefly found on the Western Region, where its performance was tested on the Lickey Incline. There are reports of Falcon with 18 coaches accelerating up Lickey without the aid of a banker. Other tests found the locomotive under test on the route to Plymouth over the Devon banks, with similar favourable results.

 

After a spell at Brush, Falcon was sheded at Sheffield for the summer of 1962, where it was employed on two return trips per day between Sheffield Victoria and King’s Cross on the Master Cutler and Sheffield Pullman, high end trains. By the autumn it could be found mainly on freight duties, notably coal trains. By the time 1963 came along, the locomotive was being used on genuine mixed traffic turns, equally as happy hauling passenger or freight trains around the Sheffield area and further afar.

 

After a year out of traffic, whilst the powers that be decided on what to do with the locomotive (the type 4 ‘standard’ locomotive being settled on Brush’s Class 47), it was decided that Falcon would be leased by BR and employed on the Western Region, where they had experience already of the Maybach engines. Bristol Bath Road was the chosen depot and by February 1965, after a spell of crew training, Falcon was employed on Paddington to Bristol diagrams, in concert with other, mainstream, Type 4s -  the diesel-hydraulics.

 

Unlike previous employment on the Eastern and LM regions, where the diagrams were steam ones, the Type 4 timings forced Falcon to work hard. This led to some major failures, for virtually the first time in its short working life. Due to its propensity to break, the locomotive was kept almost exclusively on the Paddington/Bristol turns, presumably to keep in easy reach of Swindon works. Reliability took some time to improve, and it wasn’t until 1968 that Falcon exceeded it’s contracted yearly mileage of 80,000, when it travelled 90,400 miles in the 12 month period.

 

Despite being non-standard, and potentially ripe for withdrawal, Falcon was fitted with Air brakes, to allow it to work with the new Mk2 air-braked coaching stock. The vacuum breaking equipment was removed at the same time, to make room. 

 

Late December 1971 and early 1972 found Falcon on test again, primarily between Swindon, Old Oak Common and Didcot, and also at high speed between Bristol and Taunton. However, by May 1972, it was back on its old stomping ground on the Paddington to Bristol service.

 

Passenger work finally ran out for Falcon during 1972 with the advent of ETH stock. Fitting of ETH equipment was considered unviable Subsequently the steam heat boiler was isolated and the locomotive was transferred to Cardiff Canton to work steel trains between Newport Docks and Llanwern Steel works. The following year, 1973, Falcon found it’s next and final operational home at Ebbw Vale junction, working Iron Ore trains.

 

In october 5th 1975 one of Falcon’s  traction motor bearings failed, and following a number of months spent languishing at Ebbw Vale Junction, the unique machine was sold for scrap. A preservation attempt was made, however, apparently  a clause in the contract between Brush and BR stipulated that at the end of its working life, Falcon would be cut up for scrap and not be sold for preservation.

 

LIVERIES

 

Falcon wore four liveries during its lifetime:

 

September 1961: The initial livery out-shopped from Brush in September 1961 was lime-green body with darker green bands along the top and bottom of the bodysides. D0280

 

October 1961: By the time the locomotive was employed on BR metals, the livery consisted of lime-green body with chestnut upper and lower bands in place of the dark green bands. The chestnut was also painted around the window surrounds. Later this livery carried a SYWP at each end, but dates are unclear. D0280

 

1965: For it’s full service on the western region, the livery was changed to Brunswick green with a pale green bodyside bands, and yellow nose panels. D0280

 

December 1970: Swindon painted Falcon in its final livery in 1970, when the air brake mods were carried out. The machine emerged in all over BR Blue with full yellow ends and window surrounds. It was numbered 1200 and had the BR double arrow on diagonally opposite cabsides. The other cabsides carried a full TOPS data panel.

 

 

CAVEAT: My suggestion would be to discount the first livery, as it was only extant for barely a month before the scheme was modified.

 

 

PROS AND CONS OF A CROWDFUNDED FALCON PROJECT

 

Pros:    

 

A 10+ year service life, bridging transition and corporate blue eras. (see cons)

A truly mixed traffic locomotive, equally at home on express passenger & pullman services and heavy mineral freight trains, etc.

A large geographical area of employment, Great Eastern, Eastern, London Midland, and Western regions, including South Wales. Incursions into Scotland on ECML parcels trains to/from Edinburgh.

A relatively small number of liveries.

Heljan have produced a OO and an O gauge model, which suggest drawings may be available. If not, assuming the O gauge model was considered accurate, it may be possible to scale an N gauge version from it, similar to the method Kernow employed on (i think) there early Warship model for OO.

A surprisingly large amount of photographic reference material available.

Farish had what appears good success with DP1, another prototype machine, with a smaller geographical area of deployment.

Consistently high polling in the RMWEB annual wishlist (2016 7th in Diesel, Electric, Gas Turbine Category (above Class 28) and 23rd in all N Gauge categories)

 

Cons:

 

Only one was built so poor to almost impossible prospect of multiple purchases, except in respect of collectors.

No existing example for scanning purposes

A reasonably short lifespan in the grand scheme of things

Less than astounding up-take of “transition” era crowdfunding models

 

 

 

 

Best

 

Scott

« Last Edit: September 22, 2017, 12:19:00 pm by NGS-PO »

 

 

Is this project dead or can we turn the gas up a little and see if we can move it forward, perhaps.

 

I hope so.

 

Kevin

[scottystitch]

Hi Kevin,

 

The campaigning and poll on N Gauge Forum has now run it's course, and in many respects has served it's purpose in bringing the prospect to the attention of those who could facilitate a crowdfunding venture. I know certain parties are aware of it, and I haven't heard a resounding "no" from anyone regarding taking it on, but I'm not one to pester and harass and so I've left it there in the hope that in the fullness of time someone will take it on.