Class 56

Introduced in 1976, the Class 56's were the first diesel locomotives to be built since the Class 50 machines in the late 1960's. Designed primarily for the haulage of merry-go-round trains between collieries and power stations, the first 30 locomotives were built, unusually, in Romania and shipped to the UK as complete runnable units. The remainder of the class were built at BREL Doncaster Works. The last of the class were finally withdrawn during the early part of 2004, although nine machines were hired and exported by the then EWS to France for work on the new Paris - Strasbourg TGV line. Five examples have reached the preservationists in the UK.

Engine: GEC Diesels 16-cyl 16RK3CT of 3250bhp (2421kw)

Numbers: 56 001 - 56 135

Previous No. Series: None carried.

The Class 56 Fleet - Click Here

Related Website:
The Class 56 Group

Class Index

Homepage

56 007	56 078	56 082	56 077	56 124
56 004	56 125	56 090	56 019	56 007
56 119	56 031	56 054	56 077	56 094
56 022	56 052	56 049	56 036	56 064
56 020	56 055/101	56 004	56 039	56 041
56 053	56 046	56 078	56 028	56 081
56 049	56 048	56 048	56 047	56 042
56 078	56 015	56 045	56 070	56 048
56 037	56 037	56 070	56 xxx	56 036