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Class 20
Class 20: a diesel-electric locomotive (Bo-Bo (UIC Bo'Bo')), built by English Electric, Vulcan Foundry and Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns, 1957-1962; 1965-1968. A freight locomotive, drawn indicatively from English Electric's side elevation and a photograph of 20311 (set FRL7).
Class 20 · indicative drawing GB Trains · gbtrains.uk/stock/class-20/ · CC BY 4.0
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- Type
- diesel-electric locomotive
- Builder
- English Electric, Vulcan Foundry and Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
- Built
- 1957-1962; 1965-1968
- In service
- since 1957
- Top speed
- 75 mph (121 km/h)
- Power
- 746 kW (1,000 hp); English Electric 8SVT Mk.II diesel; EE 526 DC motors · how it works
- Bogies
- Class 20 two-axle bogies (English Electric)
- Profile
- main-line
- Status
- Few in freight/industrial use: HNRC/Swietelsky (Hope Cement Works), Balfour Beatty (Drain Train). Infobox '6 in service' is undated.
unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓
Sources
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- British Rail Class 20 Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-25infobox
- Locomotive Services Limited Wikipedia (secondary; must be paired), 2026-10-25LSL owns four (heritage)
- 1000 hp Diesel Electric Locomotives for British Rail (GEC Traction brochure; page 5 reprints 'Diesel Locomotives for British Railways', Diesel Railway Traction, August 1957, with the side elevation) GEC Traction (scan at steane.com)the frame, outline, bogie centres, wheelbase, wheels, buffers, hood doors, grilles and bogie (side elevation, printed dimensions)
- HNRail 20311.jpg (photograph) Wikimedia Commonsthe side drawn, the cab side, the 20/3's louvres and boxes, the livery (camera fit)
- Wikipedia gives pivot centres 24 ft 0 in (7,320 mm) and overall wheelbase 32 ft 6 in (9,910 mm); no bogie wheelbase.
- Single secondary source for all dimensions.
- No current count by operator.
- Drawing indicative (set FRL7, November 2026): the frame, outline, bogies, hood doors and grilles from English Electric's 1957 side elevation (dimensioned: 43 ft over the beams, 24 ft pivots, 8 ft 6 in wheelbase, 3 ft 7 in wheels), drawn for the other side and mirrored; the 20/3's cab side, louvres, boxes and colours from one photograph of 20311 taken off abeam, read through a fitted camera (within about 30 mm)
- Drawing: the roof drawn 3,815 high from the GA against the published 3,851
- Drawing: the side photographed (the cab at the left) only; the other side's cab differs (a single window behind a door at the cab's end, on the GA) and is not drawn
- Livery's colours from one photograph in strong sun, approximate
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