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D0260, named Lion, was a prototype Type 4 mainline diesel locomotive built in 1962 by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company, in association with Sulzer and Associated Electrical Industries, at their Smethwick works in Birmingham to demonstrate their wares to British Railways. The locomotive’s number was derived from its works number, DEL260.

  Specification

It was of Co-Co wheel arrangement and was fitted with a Sulzer 12LDA28C engine of 2,750 horsepower (2,050 kW). It had a maximum speed of 100 mph and weighed 114 tons. It was painted white with five gold stripes along the bottom half of its bodyside.

  Testing

BR tested it initially on Western Region services out of London Paddington based at Wolverhampton Stafford Road Shed. Later it moved to Finsbury Park on the Eastern Region for services London King's Cross. However, BR decided to purchase its new Type 4 fleet from Brush Traction (the Class 47) and so D0260 was withdrawn and scrapped in November 1963.

  Disposal

Full details of LION's final withdrawal have never been fully made public, and even the BRC&W workforce were not informed of its fate. But at some time LION was moved to AEI's works at Attercliffe where AEI became responsible for stripping the locomotive, primarily to recover their electrical components, but during this process Sulzer recovered their 12LDA28C power unit and radiators (the engine was sent to be reconditioned at Vickers in Barrow-in-Furness, and was subsequently installed into an unknown production Class 47). What remained, principally the body shell and bogies, were sold to Beighton scrap merchant T.W.Ward for the princely sum of £355. The date on which Ward's finally cut up the remains is unclear; one report puts it as late as 1965.

  External links

• Rail Photo Archive - D0260
• Class 47 web site section on D0260 Lion
• Publicity Shot of Lion

  Sources

• Stevens-Stratten, S.W.; Carter, R.S. (1978). British Rail Main-Line Diesels. Shepperton: Ian Allen Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-0617-2.