Armstrong Whitworth: A World Diesel Pioneer

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements page 5
Foreword page 7
Introduction page 7
Armstrong Whitworth's First Diesel Railway Work page 9
Oil-Electric Traction and the Diesel Traction Department page 17
The First Railcars page 29
The First Shunters page 45
1,700 BHP for South America page 55
Railcars for India page 67
The Railbuses page 85
Main Line Locomotives page 93
The 0-4-0 Shunters page 113
Articulated Train Sets page 131
Large 0-6-0 Shunters page 143
The Final Contracts page 157
Armstrong Whitworth Diesels in Colour, compiled by David Kelso page 169
Proposed Designs and the End page 177

 

Order and works numbers of diesel electric rail vehicles built by Armstrong Whitworth 1931-1938

Order No/AW No./Year/Brief Description of Order/General Comments
DT1/D1/1931/250 bhp twin bogie railcars/D1 named Tyneside Venturer, sold to LNE under order DT17.
DT1/D2/1932/Bodywork by Cravens Ltd/D2 named Lady Hamilton, sold to LNE under order DT53.
DT1/D3/1932/ Built for demonstration in UKon LNE, LMSR and SR/D3 named Northumbrian, sold to LNE under order DT53. D3 operated as Armstrong-Shell Express for a short period.

DT3/D4/1933/1,700 bhp twin-unit mobile powerhouses for Buenos Aires Great Southern Rly (BAGSR)/D4 BAGSR No. UE3.
DT3/D5/1933/ditto/D5 BAGSR No. UE4.
DT3/D6/1933/ditto/D6 BAGSR No. UE5.

DT4/D7/1933/1,700 bhp twin-unit main line mixed traffic locomotive for BAGSR/BAGSR No. CM210.

DT7/D8/1932/250 bhp shunting locomotive for demonstration in UK/Demonstrated on L&NER; SR under order DT26; Hartley Main Colliery Railway under order DT47; Lever Bros Ltd, Port Sunlight, under order DL4. Demonstrated and sold to Ribble Navigation Ltd, Preston, under order DT64, named Duchess.

DT8/D9/1933/880 bhp main line mixed traffic 'Universal' locomotive for UK/Demonstrated on L&NER under order DT46. Locomotive stored at Scotswood Works and finally scrapped in 1937.

DT11/D10/1932/95 bhp light shunting locomotive for demonstration in UK/Demonstrated at Frodingham Iron & Steel Co., Scunthorpe under order DT21; J. Lyons & Co. Greenford under order DT25; North Eastern Electric Supply Co., Dunston under order DT37; L&NER York under DT38; Rowntree & Co., York under order DT39; North Sunderland Railway under order DT40. Locomotive used as Armstrong Whitworth works shunter until scrapped in 1957.

DT12/D11/1932/100 bhp light locomotive-tractor railcar chassis for Gaekworks Baroda State Rly, India. Bodies and trailer cars built in India. One chassistested on Leek & Manifold Rly/D11 Baroda State Rlys No. 101 named Economy.
DT12/D12/1932/ditto/D12 Baroda State Rlys No. 102.
DT12/D13/1932/ditto/D13 Baroda State Rlys No. 103.
DT12/D14/1932/ditto/D14 Baroda State Rlys No. 104.

DT16/D15/1933/95 bhp twin bogie light railbus for demonstration in UK/Demonstrated on LNE and sold to LNE under order DT51. Bodywork by Park Royal.

DT19/D16, D17, D18, D19/1933/450 bhp semi articulated train set for Sao Paulo Railway, Brazil/Named Cometa.

DT20/D20/1934/250 bhp shunting locomotive for LMS/Similar to DT7/D8. LMS No. 7408, later 7058.

DT22/D21/1933/95 bhp light shunting locomotives built for stock and demonstration in UK/D21 demonstrated at North Eastern Electric Supply Co., Dunston, and sold to them under order DT45.
DT22/D22/*/ditto/D22 demonstrated at Dornan Long & Co., Middlesbrough under order DT50; Warner & Co., Cargo Fleet, under DT54; demonstrated and sold to a Reyrolle & Co., Hebburn, becoming their No. 2 under DT77 3/37.
DT22/D23/1933/ditto/D23 demonstrated at W. D. Royal Engineers, Shoeburyness under DT48; Gas Light & Coke Co., Beckton, under DT57. Demonstrated at Admiralty Chatham Dockyard under DL2 and sold to them under order DT65.
DT22/D24/*/ditto/D24 demonstrated at Bass Ratcliff & Gretton Burton-on-Trent under DT49; ICI Ltd metals division, Witton, Birmingham under DT55; Austin Motor Co. Ltd, Birmingham under DL1; Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd, Birmingham under DL3; Nevills Dock Co., Llanelly under DL5; Bede Metal & Chemical Co., Hebburn under DL6. Demonstrated and sold to Thames Board Mills Ltd, Warrington under order DT76. 02/1937.
DT22/D25/1933/ditto/D25 sold to North Sunderland Rly under DT42. Named The Lady Armstrong.
DT22/D26/*/ditto/D26 stored at AW Works until sold to Magnesium Elektron Co. Ltd, Manchester under order DT78. 04/1937.
*D22/4/6 built 1933, dates later removed from plates.

DT23/D27, D28/1934/880 bhp main line mixed traffic 'Universal' locomotives for demonstration in India/D27 & D28 demonstrated on Ceylon Govt Rlys as CGR 800/1 under order DT59. Returned to UK for reconditioning under DT74. Locomotives sold under DT75 to BAGSR becoming their numbers CM204/5.
DT23/D29 to D34 Cancelled orders, numbers not used.

DT30/D35, D36/1934/450 bhp twin-unit articulated train with bodywork by Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Co. for Buenos Aires Western Rly (BAWR)/Sold to BAWR under order DT69.

DT31/D37/1934/122 bhp twin bogie railcar with Park Royal bodywork for BAWR/BAWR No. RM230. Sold to BAWR under order DT70.

D38 Cancelled order, number not used.

DT34/D39/1934/122 bhp twin bogie railcar with body by Gloucester RC&WCo.for Kalka - Simla section of North Western Railway of India. (NWR)/NWR railmotor No. 14.

DT36/D40/1934/85 bhp shunting locomotive for St. Kitts Basse Terre Sugar Factory, West Indies/Numbered 12.

DT41/D41/1934/122 bhp twin bogie railcar chassis for Central Provinces section of Great Indian Peninsula Rly India. Body built by GIPR in India.

D42 Cancelled order, number not used.

DT43/D46, D47, D48, D49, D50, D51/1934/140 bhp twin bogie railcar chassis for Madras and Southern Mahratta Rly India./Bodywork built in India.

DT44/D43/1933/122 bhp shunting locomotive for Ceylon Govt Railway (CGR)/CGR No. 500.

DT51/D44, D45/1935/1,200 bhp main line mixed traffic locomotives for North WesternRailway of India (NWR)/D44 NWR No. 332, D45 NWR No. 333. Both locomotives power equipment returned to UK for modifications but not carried out. Mechanical parts scrapped in India.

DT60/D52/1935/100 bhp shunting locomotive for Penang Harbour Board, Straits Settlements.

DT61/D53/1935/60 bhp shunting locomotive for Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co./Named Alice.

DT63/D54-D63/1935/400 bhp shunting locomotives for LMS D54-D63 LMS numbers 7059-68.

DT68/D64/1936/400 bhp shunting locomotive for Bombay, Baroda & Central India Rly (BBCIR)/BBCIR No. DE800.

DT71/D65-D70/1936/140 bhp twin bogie railcars for Western Australian Govt Rlys. Six chassis, one complete Park Royal built body and five body kits supplied/Numbered and named: 446 Governor Stirling, 447 Governor Lawley, 448 Governor Hutt, 449 Governor Weld, 450 Governor Hampton, 451 Governor Bedford

DT73/D71, D72/1937/8 600 bhp twin bogie power cars for use with three car train sets built by Birmingham Railway Carriage &Wagon Co. Ltd. For Sao Paulo Rly,Brazil/Named Estrella and Planeta.