Overview[edit]

Designed around relatively basic technology, the 73-tonne locomotives produce 1,000
horsepower (750 kW) and can operate at up to 75 mph (121 km/h). Designed to work light
mixed freight traffic, they have no train heating facilities. Locomotives up to D8127 were
fitted with disc indicators in the style of the steam era;[6] when headcodes were introduced
in 1960 the locomotive’s design was changed to incorporate headcode boxes. Although
older locomotives were not retro-fitted with headcode boxes, a few of the earlier batch
acquired headcode boxes as a result of repairs. Unusually for British designs, the
locomotive had a single cab. This caused serious problems with visibility when travelling
nose first, though in these circumstances the driver's view is comparable to that on
the steam locomotives that the Class 20s replaced. It was common however to find Class
20s paired together at the nose, with their cabs at opposite ends, ensuring that the driver
could quite clearly see the road ahead.

Two Class 20s coupled nose to nose hauling a freight train in 1986

The Class 20 saw only limited service on passenger trains. A small number were fitted with
a through pipe for steam heating, primarily for use in conjunction with a Class
27 locomotive on the West Highland Line. Otherwise their use was limited to summer relief
services, particularly to Skegness often under the adopted title of The Jolly
Fisherman starting from various places including Burton-on-Trent, Stoke-on-
Trent, Derby and Leicester. Also occasionally other holiday resorts on the east coast of
England, occasional duties as a pilot, and short distance diversions of electric-hauled trains
over non-electrified lines.[7]
The shift of light mixed freight to the road network left British Rail with an oversupply of
small locomotives. The Class 20s, however, could work in multiple and so handle heavier
traffic. Most spent the majority of their working lives coupled nose to nose in pairs to
provide a more useful 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) unit and to solve the visibility problems.
Most have now been withdrawn but a few remain with GBRf and other minor and industrial
operators. Several that are usually operated singly have been fitted with nose-mounted
video cameras as a way of solving the visibility problems.
The Série 1400 locomotives of Portuguese Railways (CP) are based on the BR Class 20s.

Operation[edit]
British Rail[edit]
Distribution of locomotives,
March 1974[8]
 ED

HA

IM

TI

TO

Code Name Quantity

ED Eastfield 49

HA Haymarket 19

IM Immingham 7

TI Tinsley 44

TO Toton 109

Total: 228
The first batch of Class 20s were allocated to Devons Road depot in Bow, London to work
cross-London transfer freights, with the following eight locos allocated to Hornsey depot.
After a trial with D8006, D8028–D8034 were allocated for work in highland Scotland, and
had tablet catcher recesses built into the cabsides. D8035–D8044 were originally to be
allocated to Norwich, but were actually used for empty coaching stock (ECS) workings in
and out of London Euston. D8050–D8069 were allocated to the new Tinsley TMD in South
Yorkshire, from where they regularly worked into Lincolnshire and Humberside. D8070–
D8127 were sent to operate in the Scottish lowlands, particularly in the Forth-Clyde area,
and the Fife coalfield. This completed the original orders for 128 locos, the last being
delivered in August 1962.
With the subsequent order for a further 100 Class 20 locos, deliveries recommenced with
D8128 in January 1966. Tests in 1967 using D8179 and D8317 resulted in locos from
D8316 being delivered from the manufacturer with the new electronic control system for
working merry-go-round (MGR) coal trains. Trains to Longannet Power Station sometimes
required locos to triple-head trains.[4]

After privatisation[edit]
Some Class 20s were used on the construction of the Channel Tunnel and High Speed
1 and some even made their way to France to work for the Compagnie des chemins de Fer
Départementaux (CFD) in industry there, although these have since been repatriated.
Some locos have in the past been hired by Hunslet-Barclay to provide motive power
for weedkilling trains.
The fleet of Class 20/3s owned by Direct Rail Services (DRS) has at times seen frequent
work across Britain in pairs, or with Class 37s, on nuclear flask trains, the company's
speciality. DRS supplies class 20s for use with the Rail Head Treatment Train in winter.
Perhaps the most unusual train hauled by a Class 20 was the Kosovo Train for Life charter
train in autumn 1999 which carried 800 tonnes of aid. Leaving London's Kensington
Olympia station on 17 September 1999,[9] the train was hauled by 20901, 20902 and 20903
throughout, reaching Prague by 20 September[10] and arriving at Pristina station at 10:00 on
25 September.[11]
DRS initially had a fleet of 15 operational Class 20/3 locomotives. Three of these have
subsequently been disposed of for scrap, after stripping for spares; a further two have been
sold on to Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC).
In 2005 HNRC acquired a large number of 20/0s and 20/9s from the stored DRS fleet. By
May 2008 HNRC had eight operational Class 20s and 16 in storage; two were on hire
at Corus Scunthorpe (nos 81 and 82).
A number of class 20s from HNRC are currently being employed to deliver new S-
Stock to London Underground at Neasden depot, for commissioning.

Sub-classes[edit]
Sub-
Description
Class

20/0 Standard as-built locos.

20/3 A small fleet of standard Class 20/0s modified for Peak

(BR) Forest aggregate workings.
 DRS-owned/operated locos fitted with modified cab equipment and fully
20/3
refurbished, with use of electronics and various other modifications. Two of
(DRS)
these locomotives, 20311 and 20314, were subsequently sold to HNRC.

Modified from Class 20/0 after withdrawal and sold to Hunslet-Barclay for
contract freight use and remote-control trialling. Few technical differences from
20/9
standard locos. Subsequently sold to DRS, and latterly to HNRC (of which
20901, 903-906 remain; 20902 has been scrapped).

Liveries[edit]

Two Class 20s working a passenger train

Harry Needle Railroad Company 20311 at Derby in 2014

Harry Needle Railroad Company 20901 in GB Railfreight livery in 2014

British Rail[edit]
D8000 was delivered in June 1957 in overall green livery, with grey footplate,[6] red
bufferbeams and a grey roof extending down the bodyside to the edge of the roof
panels.[12] The original batch of 10 locos bore the BR crest facing towards the nose on both
sides, used yellow sans serif numerals, and had green cab roofs; locos from D8010 had the
correct pattern BR crest, white numerals and grey cab roof.[6] This was adjusted after
D8103[6] to include a small yellow warning panel, although the precise size and detail of
such panels varied somewhat.[4]
In 1966, D8048 was selected by the BR design panel for livery experiments and was
painted in the prototype standard blue, including the bufferbeams and roof. The exceptions
were the full yellow front ends and a black underframe.[13] After the adoption of Rail Blue as
the BR livery, D8178 became one of the first locomotives to be delivered in this livery
(along with Class 25 D7660 and Class 47 D1953)[13] and all subsequent locomotives were
delivered in this livery. Despite this, some locos continued to be returned to traffic in green
livery, although often with the later BR "double arrow" logo and data panel;[6] thus 20141
was the final main line loco to carry BR green livery.[14]
Some locomotives, including 20227, were repainted in the Railfreight grey livery with red
sole bars, yellow ends and large double arrows on the sides.
At least four of the class were painted in the British Rail Telecommunications livery:[15]

 20075 - Sir William Cooke - rebuilt as 20309 and in service with DRS
 20128 - Guglielmo Marconi - rebuilt as 20307 and has been scrapped
 20131 - Almon B. Strowger - rebuilt as 20306 and has been scrapped
 20187 - Sir Charles Wheatstone - rebuilt as 20308 and in service with DRS
Privatisation[edit]

Corus 81 (ex-BR 20056) at Barrow Hill Engine Shed, 9 July 2006

Class 20/3 locomotives operated by DRS have all been painted in DRS Oxford Blue livery,
with red bufferbeams and full yellow ends. There have been small variations in the shade of
yellow used on these locos, and the penetration of blue from the sides onto the ends.
Class 20 locomotives operated by the Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) are
painted into house colours of orange and black, with yellow nose ends (20121, 20166,
20311 and 20314). Some other locomotives owned by HNRC, of subclasses 20/0 and 20/9,
have been painted in a variation of two-tone Railfreight grey livery. These have dark grey
roof, mid-grey upper body and light grey lower body, black underframe and buffer beam.
The nose ends are painted yellow, with the lower part of the cab end in yellow and the
upper part black, this continuing around the cab sides but with the light grey instead of
yellow. Others are in BR Blue or Railfreight Red-stripe livery. HNRC Class 20s on long-
term hire to Corus were painted in Corus livery; previously silver but currently a bright
yellow with red solebar (No.81 - 20056). Since the Corus business was bought by the
Indian Tata Steel group, some of these locomotives have been repainted into Tata Blue
livery (No.82 - 20066). Two HNRC Class 20s have been painted into GBRf
Europorte's blue and gold livery (20901 and 20905), while two other HNRC Class 20s have
been painted in the White livery of Hope Construction Materials, with a purple solebar (No.2
- 20168) and a black solebar (No.3 - 20906).
Four locomotives carried the orange and white livery of the CFD (Compagnie de Chemins
de Fer Départementaux) whilst working in France, these were 20035, 20063, 20139 and
20228.
Two locomotives, numbers 20142 and 20189, were briefly painted into a Blue and
White Balfour Beatty livery, during 2013, but have since been returned to a variation of BR
blue.
The last built class 20, number 20227, has been used extensively on the London
Underground network. In the mid-2000s it was painted in Metropolitan maroon livery and
named "Sir John Betjeman" by the Class 20 Locomotive Society as acknowledgement of
this work. It was repainted in a special 'modern taste' LUL-based livery, to mark the London
Underground 150 celebrations but has now been repainted, again into Metropolitan
maroon, but this time lined, and renamed "Sherlock Holmes". The "Sir John Betjeman"
name is now carried by 20142, which also sports Metropolitan line maroon livery.
Mainline registered class 20s are:[16]

Sub-Class Description

20/0 20007, 20096, 20107, 20118, 20132, 20142, 20168, 20189, 20205, 20227

20/3 20301, 20302, 20303, 20304, 20305, 20308, 20309, 20311, 20312, 20314

20/9 20901, 20905, 20906

Accidents and incidents[edit]

 On 16 December 1971, locomotives D8142 and D8115 collided with class 25 no.
D7605 at Lenton South Junction, Nottingham, killing 3 railwaymen.[17]
 On 18 May 1989, locomotives 20134 and 20131 collided with the rear of an MGR
train at Worksop, killing the driver.