The Class 17 Claytons - BR's Standard Type 1?

                                                                                                               (Photo courtesy Roys Rail Pages)

The Class 17 'Claytons' were unique amongst the early diesels, the only type having a centre cab with two engines in lower bonnets at either end. The design evolved after visibilty problems with other type one machines with only one cab and a single long bonnet, notably the Class 15s and 20s.

The majority of the class were fitted with two Davey Paxman 6-cyl horizontal engines, originally designed for railcars, although two examples, D8586 & D8587 received Rolls Royce 8-cyl D Type engines de-rated to 450hp and could be identified by a raised section in the bonnets to accommodate the units. Built in Hatton, near Derby, with the last batch (D8588 - D8616) being delivered from Beyer Peacock, the class were envisaged to be the standard Type 1 locomotive for British Rail, but in reality, were soon recognised as a complete failure, due to the troublesome Paxman engines, which were prone to camshaft failures and fractured crankcases.

The problems became so acute that, in February 1963 all of the Claytons newly delivered to Polmadie were temporally withdrawn from service and placed in store, whilst at Derby 20 brand new machines were set aside pending rectifications. Indeed, the depot had to resort to loaning steam locomotives from the NER and even reinstating withdrawn examples from its own books. It seems the problems still hadn't been resolved by March of the same year, and several of the locomotives were additionally stored at Parkhead. The problems were never fully resolved so much so that the first locomotives began to be withdrawn only three years after the last machine had been built.
The class originally numbered 117 locomotives; the majority of the class on introduction were allocated to the Scottish Regions Polmadie and Haymarket depots although later built examples saw their first homes on the Eastern Region; D8588 - 91 to Thornaby, D8592 - D8603 to Gateshead, D8604 - D8615 to Tinsley and suprisingly D8616 to Barrow Hill. Polmadies initial deliveries saw them on crew-training trips to Ayr. In September 1963 two machines, D8501 and D8536 were temporarily loaned firstly to the Tyne Dock area and were tested in multiple on Consett iron ore trains. Results proved that the locomotives were far too underpowered for local requirements. A move later the same months saw the two based at Ardsley, and trails were carried out over a wide area on duties involving the machines both coupled in multiple and as single units hauling a variety of freight traffic. It seems however that the Eastern Region did not find favour with their new motive power and future years saw all of the ER based examples moved to the Scottish Region. 
The class' demise began in October 1968, with the last locomotive being withdrawn some three years later. In 1975 it was reported that nine of the withdrawn machines (two of which were 8525 & 8529) were to be refurbished and converted to battery-electric locomotives for use on the GN line electrification trains; a move that never came.

Three examples, D8512, D8521 and D8598 enjoyed a reprieve and joined the odd fleet of abandoned locomotives used for testing trains at the research centre at Derby, although their use in hauling trains is little documented. D8521 was renumbered S18521 and later 18521 and was the subject of a project to produce a mobile generator, and was recognisable by various modifications to one bonnet. One machine, however, after being sold for industrial use, surprisingly went on into preservation, and D8568 remains the only example surviving today, and can now be seen at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway. Initial livery for the class saw the standard brunswick green applied with the addition of a pleasing lime green added to the side window areas and fronts of the cabs. Several examples were noted with their numbers applied to the bufferbeams. Small yellow warning panels were added to the fronts at a later date. Selected locomotives received standard rail blue with yellow front ends towards the end of their lives.

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Class History

Technical Specifications:

Class: BR Type 1, later Class 17
Builders: D8500 - D8587, Clayton Equipment Company, D8588 - D8616, Beyer Peacock
Purpose: Freight locomotives
Introduced: 1962
Numbers: D8500 - D8616
Weight: 68 tons
Engines: Two Paxman 6ZHXL, 6 cyl, four stroke. Max continuous rated output, 450hp at 1500rpm each. (D8586/7 Two Rolls Royce, 8 cyl Type D, 450hp)
Main Generators: Two General Electric Co. WT800
Traction Motors: Four General Electric WT421. Type of suspension, nose. Type of gear drive, single reduction. (D8568 - D8616, Crompton Parkinson)
Performance: Max. tractive effort, 40000lb at 26.2% adhesion at 1400 amp each generator. Rail hp at continuous rating, 602hp. Full engine output, available between 3 and 60mph
Braking: Air for loco, vacuum for train, giving a brake force of 86.7% of loco weight in working order
Speed: 60mph (maximum permitted service speed)
Curve: 3.5 chains radius curve without gauge widening, at dead slow speed
Train Heating Equipment: Not fitted
Tank Capacities: Engine fuel, 500 gal