Photo Well Worn BR Class 31101 Diesel Loco Northampton 1988

Class 31101 BR Diesel Loco, Northampton Station

Photo: Charles Moorhen

In BR Blue livery, Class 31101 passes through Northampton station on the 27^th July 1988 hauling a rake of empty flatbed trucks. 

The locomotive was built in October 1958 at Brush Traction in Loughborough and originally numbered D5518 and allocated to Crewe TMD.

Although in 1988 the Class 31's were coming close to the end of their working lives on British Rail, they were still a fairly common sight on Northampton's sidings, or passing through the station on various freight duties.

An unidentified Class 31 diesel locomotive entering Northampton station in the 1980's

 

Photo: Charles Moorhen

 

 

Recorded in my old spotting notebooks I found that during a short time, over a two-day period in 1988, the following Class 31 locomotives were seen at Northampton and Bletchley stations.

Northampton: 31101 31317 31135 31112 31141 31205 31215 31420 31108.

Bletchley: 31166 31296 31306 31168 31434 31152 31284.

According to information provided on the Avon Valley Railway website, the locomotive was the first Class 31 to work passenger services on the Southern Region and as a Royal Train locomotive.

 

 

Class 31 Diesel Locomotive Historical Note:

Whilst hauling a train in which Queen Elizabeth II was travelling on 4th January 1961, D5667 (31240), broke down south of Cambridge.  

 

Two onboard Brush fitters, on hand to deal with any mechanical problems that may occur, were unable to fix the problem and a steam loco had to be sent for in order to rescue the stricken diesel adding over an hour to the completed journey.

 

Finally withdrawn from service on British Rail on the 11^th January 1993, Class 31101 escaped the fate of the scrapyard and, along with sister locomotive 31130 “Calder Hall Power Station”, has been preserved and resides on the heritage Avon Valley Railway at Bitton Station, Bath Road, Bristol, South Gloucestershire BS30 6HD.

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