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Class 11 12131
(Photo: Coral Gillespie)
History
Class 11 - 12131 - A Brief History-by Steve Allen
The Class 11 design was the outcome of all the trials and
tribulations the LMS had experienced during their pioneer
work on diesel shunting locomotive design and development.
The first locomotive appeared in 1944, and it was destined
to set the basic standard for BR classes 08, 09, 10, 11,
12 and 13, as well as being adopted by certain overseas
railways. The first order was for the WD, but after 14 of
the 20 ordered had been built, the rest went to the LMS
instead, who had in fact designed them for their own use
in the first place! This 47.5 ton diesel-electric 0-6-0
was so successful that 106 were built by 1952, including
36 built at Darlington for ER and NER use. In 1946 the LMS
announced it was to be their standard type of
diesel-electric shunter, and BR at first continued this
policy. In 1953 it adopted the very similar Class 08 as
the BR standard design of which nearly 1000 were built in
the following decade.
Withdrawal of the class commenced 1967 and the run-down
was relatively swift, with the last examples going in
1971. A combination of loss of freight traffic and
rationalisation of motive power under the National
Traction Plan being largely responsible.
The NNR's loco, no. 12131, was turned out from Darlington
Works on 18th November 1952 as part of the batch 12103 -
38 and cost £19,518 to build. It entered service at March
depot where, in addition to shunting duties in Whitemoor
marshalling yards, it was also used in the Ely and
Cambridge areas from time to time. Subsequent allocations
were as follows: 34A Kings Cross from 22nd March 1953,
34B Hornsey from 11th September 1955, 34G Finsbury Park
from 24th April 1960, and 30A Stratford from 4th September
1966.
12131 was condemned on 2nd March 1969 and sold one month
later to the National Coal Board at their Betteshanger
colliery in Kent, arriving there on 29th April 1969.
Several years later, in June 1976, the locomotive was
moved to Snowdown colliery but appears not to have been
used there at all.
A very battered and run-down 12131 was purchased by a
group of NNR volunteers in 1982 for £200. On arrival at
Sheringham the loco was given a major rebuild, including
the fitting of vacuum brakes for the first time in its
life, and a repaint into its original BR livery of plain
black with the early ‘cycling lion' crest. It entered
traffic in 1986 and has been in regular use ever since.
This article first appeared in Joint Line, the Midland and
Great Northern Joint Railway Society's award winning
quarterly journal, which all members of the Society
receive.
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