Dieselisation

Resource Type: Image | Posted on 7th November 2011 by Liam Physick

This page, taken from the 1957 edition of Facts and Figures about British Railways, gives information of the progress of dieselisation in accordance with the 1955 Modernisation Plan. It mentions how a few inter-city diesel services have already been introduced, with more to follow. Furthermore, diesel railbuses (lightweight railcars similar in appearance and design to a bus) will be experimented with in rural areas: however, these ultimately proved unreliable and were withdrawn in the mid-1960s, as most of the lines they served had been closed down under the Beeching Axe. A new generation of railbus was commissioned in the mid-1970s, known as Leyland Experimental Vehicles (LEVs) because they were developed in conjunction with British Leyland. Ultimately these, too, were withdrawn from serivce. The pamphlet goes on to mention the ordering of main-line diesel locomotives, to be used on non-electrified routes, and on routes in the process of being electrified. The illustration shows a diesel shunter shunting trucks

Tagged under: british rail, diesel locomotives, beeching axe, electric locomotives, modernisation plan, diesel railcars, british leyland, diesel railbuses, leyland experimental vehicles

Categorised under: Landmarks, Landscapes & Locomotives