British Rail Class 13

The British Rail Class 13 was a class of diesel–electric shunting locomotive designed in 1965 to provide more powerful shunters for the Tinsley Marshalling Yard. Due to Tinsley's status as a hump yard, it was not possible to use a single locomotive owing to the risk of grounding. To achieve the required power, a pair of Template:BRC shunters were permanently coupled in master and slave formation, with the slave unit having its cab removed and both units ballasted to improve traction. Initially coupled cab-to-cab, it was found more practical to couple master nose to slave cab.

Units

Three pairs were formed as follows:

Unit number		Master unit	Slave unit	Withdrawn	Fate	Notes
Original	TOPS
D4501	13001	D4190	D4189	January 1985	Scrapped at BREL Swindon, May 1985	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
D4502	13002	D4187	D3697	June 1981	Scrapped at BREL Swindon, October 1982	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
D4500	13003	D4188	D3698	January 1985	Scrapped at BREL Doncaster, September 1986	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Master and slave, Tinsley Marshalling Yard (geograph 5493909).jpg

D4501 (later 13 001) at Tinsley

Withdrawal

With the end of hump shunting at Tinsley the class became obsolete. The class's unique features were not required elsewhere and as such were withdrawn; 13 002 was withdrawn in 1981, with the remaining two locomotives scrapped with the closure of Tinsley hump in 1985.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

References

• Template:Cite book

Further reading

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite magazine
• Template:Cite magazine

External links

• Image of 13001 at Tinsley MPD
• Photographs of 13003 at work at Tinsley hump Marshalling Yard

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