Description
MODEL FEATURES:
- Graham Farish N Scale
- Era 5
- Pristine BR Green (Wasp Stripes) livery
- Running No. D9522
- Accessory Pack
- NEM Coupling Pockets
- Powerful Coreless Motor
- Speaker Fitted
- Equipped with a Next18 DCC Decoder Socket
- Length 72mm
CLASS 14 HISTORY
The Class 14 0-6-0 diesel-hydraulic locomotives were built by BR at their Swindon Works during the 1960s. An initial order for 26 examples placed in January 1963 had already been increased before work had started on the first order and in total, 56 Class 14s were built. Expected to be employed on local trip workings and for short distance goods trains, the good all-around visibility from the cab and dual controls made them ideal for use on shunting duties too.
The class was numbered D9500-55 and later designated as Class 14 under TOPS by British Rail. The nickname ‘Teddy Bears’ came about following a comment by a Swindon Works foreman who commented “We’ve built The Great Bear, now we’re going to build a ‘Teddy Bear'”. Originally, all were allocated to Western Region depots, but in January 1967 twenty were sent to Hull (Dairycoates) on BR’s Eastern Region (ER), followed by a further thirteen later the same year. At Hull, they were intended for work around the docks, but the tasks were beyond the capabilities of a single locomotive, and since two locomotives required two crews, they were not popular with the region. In 1968, all 33 ER locomotives were placed in store, and were subsequently withdrawn on 1st April that year, joining their Western compatriots that had been progressively sidelined during 1967-68.
The Class 14s, like many other early diesel types, had an extremely short life with British Railways. In this case it was not because of poor reliability but because many of the envisaged duties disappeared on the BR network a few years after they came into use. BR started to dispose of members of the class from mid-1968 and the entire class had been sold to industry or otherwise disposed of by the end of 1970.
In their new careers in industry many had a working life of two to three times greater than that with BR. The industries in which they were employed, such as coal mining, declined during the 1970s and the class again became surplus to requirements. Several have found a third lease of life on preserved lines where they are ideal for both light passenger work and the maintenance of permanent way. Some examples even found new uses during construction of the Channel Tunnel and High Speed One, some 3 decades after their conception! With such a versatile history, as it transpires, the Class 14 is a very useful and widely travelled loco type, universally popular with operators and enthusiasts alike.
