Class 24

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The class 24 was a BR design built from 1958 to 1961 at Derby, Crewe and Darlington works. In total 151 were constructed.
The locos featured a 1160hp 6LDA Sulzer engine (same as Class 26). The class operated from Scottish Region depots from 1960-1976.
Inverness to Kyle 1974 style ยป Class 24 with the late morning Kyle train, in platform 6 at Inverness. Photo by TheLairdoBalmanach

  • The class 24s featured two styles of cab front. D5000-5113 with folding disc headcodes. D5114-5150 with roof-mounted 4-character headcode panels.

  • The first class 24 to visit Scotland was Gateshead's new D5096, seen on April 23 1961 at Haymarket on a test run from Newcastle and return. <photo>.

  • Nineteen locos D5114-5132 were delivered new to Inverness Depot, from April to September 1960.
    • These locos had special adaptions for working the Highland lines, cab-side recesses for tablet catchers (fitted during 1961) and 3-piece miniature snow ploughs.
    • The Inverness Class 24s shared duties with Class 26 and often worked in mixed pairings on the Highland mainline to Perth and beyond to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
    • From about September 1967 the 19 class 24s were fitted with twin headlamps.

  • The Scottish region gained additional locos from the Eastern Region, starting in August 1966 with locos transferred from Finsbury Park (34G) to Haymarket.
  • In November 1966 further locos moved from Finsbury Park to Eastfield.
  • The imported locos were of the disc-headcode fitted type. Among them were D5053 & D5072 two of only 6 the class in two-tone green livery.
  • In December 1966 the first class 24 repainted in the new British Rail blue livery was Haymarket's D5068 (believed to have been outshopped from Inverurie works)
Scottish Region Class 24 Fleet, January 1967 (40 locos)
Inverness (60A) 19 locos
D5114, D5115, D5116, D5117, D5118, D5119, D5120, D5121, D5122, D5123, D5124, D5125, D5126, D5127, D5128, D5129, D5130, D5131, D5132.
Haymarket (64B) 15 locos
D5050, D5061, D5062, D5063, D5064, D5065, D5066, D5067, D5068, D5069, D5070, D5071, D5072, D5094, D5095.
Eastfield (65A) 6 locos
D5051, D5052, D5053, D5054, D5055, D5056.

  • Loco D5051 (65B) suffered severe fire damage while working a coal train on the Waterside branch in Ayrshire on September 11th 1967. In December 1967 it became the first of the class to be withdrawn and it was scrapped at Inverurie Works by October 1968.
  • Eastfield lost its class 24s in the Spring of 1968, with the locos moving to the London Midland Region.
  • Loco D5122 (60A) crashed into the rear of a Glasgow Queen Street - Edinburgh Class 126 DMU at Castlecary on September 9th 1968. It was withdrawn the following month, later moving to Glasgow Works and was scrapped there by March 1971.
  • Eastfield regained class 24s in March 1971 with seven early build locos moving from the London Midland Region.
  • Polmadie gained a class 24 allocation with three locos arriving in July 1971, and 21 more in October as part of move to phase out Class 17 Claytons by the end of the year.
  • Among the locos moving north in October 1971, were late built 5147-5150 with headcode panels.
  • D5131 collided with a class 37 at Inverness on 22/7/71, and was condemned in September 1971. It was scrapped at Glasgow Works a few months later.

Scottish Region Class 24 Fleet, January 1972 (60 locos)
Inverness (60A) 17 locos
5115, 5116, 5117, 5118, 5119, 5120, 5121, 5122, 5123, 5124, 5125, 5126, 5127, 5128, 5129, 5130, 5132.
Haymarket (64B) 10 locos
5065, 5066, 5067, 5068, 5069, 5070, 5071, 5072, 5094, 5095.
Eastfield (65A) 9 locos
5002, 5003, 5004, 5006, 5007, 5008, 5009, 5149, 5150.
Polmadie (66A) 24 locos
5000, 5001, 5010, 5011, 5012, 5013, 5014, 5015, 5016, 5017, 5018, 5019, 5073, 5090, 5096, 5097, 5098, 5099, 5100, 5101, 5112, 5113, 5147, 5148.

  • On 1st April 1972 Polmadie lost its allocation of locomotives with most transferred to the modernised Eastfield Traction Maintenance Depot on the north side of Glasgow.
  • Disc headcode 5113 moved to Inverness in April 1972. The following year it would be joined by several others.
  • Four more Scottish region Class 24s were withdrawn in October 1972: 5067 (64B), 5068 (64B), 5114 (60A), 5149 (64A). They were scrapped at Glasgow Works the following year.
  • The May 1973 Working Timetable saw the introduction of 4-character headcodes within the Scottish Region.
  • Renumbering of the locos to 5-digit TOPS numbers began in Autumn 1973. Eastfield's first-built D5000 was the only one out of sequence, becoming 24005 (it moved to the LMR in January 1975).
  • Several Inverness locos still had the old numbers in the Summer of 1974, with 5127 & 5132 the last to be renumbered October.
  • In the Spring of 1974, the former Tyne Dock - Consett iron ore locos, 24102-24111 (which had high level air-pipes, but no train heating boilers), were transferred north to ScR depots.

Scottish Region Class 24 Fleet, January 1975 (68 locos)
Inverness (IS) 23 locos
24101, 24102, 24103, 24104, 24111, 24112, 24113, 24115, 24116, 24117, 24118, 24119, 24120, 24121, 24123, 24124, 24125, 24126, 24127, 24128, 24129, 24130, 24132.
Haymarket (HA) 9 locos
24065, 24066, 24069, 24070, 24071, 24072, 24094, 24095, 24110.
Eastfield (ED) 36 locos
24001, 24002, 24003, 24004, 24005, 24006, 24007, 24008, 24009, 24010, 24011, 24012, 24013, 24014, 24015, 24016, 24017, 24018, 24019, 24073, 24090, 24096, 24097, 24098, 24099, 24100, 24101, 24105, 24106, 24107, 24108, 24109, 24147, 24148, 24150.

  • July and August 1975 saw the Class 24s at Eastfield either stored, withdrawn or transferred to Haymarket. Class 25s were brought in as replacements.
  • During September and November 1975, The Inverness class 24 fleet was transferred to Haymarket in exchange for more 26s. Before moving the twin head lamps were removed for re-use on class 26s.

Scottish Region Class 24 Fleet, January 1976 (23 locos)
Haymarket (HA) 23 locos
24009, 24065, 24069, 24094, 24106, 24107, 24110, 24112, 24113, 24115, 24116, 24117, 24118, 24119, 24120, 24121, 24123, 24124, 24128, 24129, 24130, 24147, 24150.

  • By the end of October 1976 the remaining ScR Class 24s were officially put in storage pending final withdrawal. Many were in Millerhill Yard.
  • However 25115 saw continued use, on 25/11/76 it worked the 1E83 17.10 Edinburgh - Berwick, and on 04/12/76 it was paired with 26043 on the Edinburgh - Carstairs leg of an SRPS excursion to London.
  • The last Scottish Region Class 24 were condemned in December 1976. A handful of the class survived a few more years in the Crewe area.

  • Withdrawn 24006 was retained at Eastfield Depot for re-railing exercises, until September 1980 when it was moved to Glasgow Works to be scrapped.

  • One class 24 saw active use in the 1980s with the Research Department based in Derby. 24061 renumbered as 97201 and painted in a red and blue livery, matching the 3-vehicle 'Tribometer Train'. 97201 was noted in the Edinburgh area twice in 1984, on 13th February and 26th November. <Photo>



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Created by Dysgraphyk and last modified by him at 18:33, 22 of October 2023.