BR Swindon Type 1 0-6-0 Diesel-Hydraulic Locomotives – Class 14

Published by Pen & Sword Publishing www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

260mm x 250mm size, 216 pages, hardback. £30.00

THIS is the first of two detailed volumes dedicated to the life and times of BR’s Class 14. As the author notes in the preface, the amount of information uncovered meant that a split into two books would be required to do the subjects justice.

This volume then, chronicles the development, construction and (short) employment of the machines with BR, together with a taster of their much longer careers in industrial service. Cuddly as the ‘Teddy Bears’ might be to enthusiasts, a success for BR they were not, with some locos barely achieving four years with the nationalised operator before the whole class was withdrawn in 1969.

The text sections are comprehensive; the Locomotive Histories section gives a loco by loco account of allocations until withdrawal, with all bar one of the 56-strong class illustrated. Anthony has written similar works for Pen & Sword on other Modernisation Plan diesel locos and is an accomplished writer with a penchant for clarity.

As with other books in this

Pen & Sword series, illustrations are well reproduced and the whole printed on top quality paper.