The BTH & North British Type 1 Bo-bo Diesel-electric Locomotives British Railways Classes 15 & 16 Design, Development and Demise
book by Anthony P Sayer documents the history of the British Thomson-houston (BTH) and North British (NB) Type 1 locomotives that were developed following the publication of the 1955 British Railways Modernisation Plan.
The book follows the development and design of the locomotives, from the initial pilot scheme examples (D8200-D8209 for the
BTH locomotives and D8400-D8409 for the NB order) to the production locomotives that followed for a further 34 BTH locomotives.
The book chronicles the two designs in great detail, along with diagrams and tables, and is particularly well laid-out, with plenty of monochrome and colour photographs provided to illustrate it. One notable feature is that the book also includes locomotive histories for each member of the fleet, showing the allocations for the two fleets throughout their working lives.
Only one locomotive from the fleets has survived, in the shape
of BTH Class 15 D8233, which is currently undergoing a lengthy and comprehensive overhaul at the East Lancashire Railway by the Class 15 Preservation Society. Having been preserved for almost 40 years following its use as a carriage preheat locomotive after withdrawal, the return to use of D8233 is eagerly awaited by many enthusiasts.
It is pleasing that a detailed history of some of the lesser-remembered locomotive classes are being covered, and the author is clearly an authority on studying the history of British locomotive design.
This is another fantastic reference piece that covers an important part of British Railways locomotive design and the author is to be congratulated on the amount of work that has clearly gone into its production.
The 350-page hardback book is published by Pen and Sword and produced on good quality paper with excellent reproduction of the photographs. The cover price of the book is £40, which represents good value for the amount of detail contained within it.
This is another excellent reference piece for anyone interested in railway locomotive history and has certainly taught me much more about these often overlooked locomotives.
(AMC)