#3401· Class 24

British Rail Class 24

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1958· class of 151 Bo′Bo′ 1160hp diesel-electric locomotives

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. Hugh llewelyn 24 081 (5568529134): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
2. Class 2404dunno 5458491076 (cropped) (cropped): https://www.flickr.com/photos/tutenkhamunsleeping Steve Jones· CC BY 2.0
3. Class 24 D5032 at Pickering in July 1981: Terry Fougler· CC BY-SA 2.0
4. Treble-0-Lectric EL.60. Derby Sulzer D5000 British Rail Class 24 Ansicht: Bourbaki 2021· CC BY-SA 4.0
5. Treble-0-Lectric EL.60. Derby Sulzer D5000 British Rail Class 24 Innenansicht: Bourbaki 2021· CC BY-SA 4.0
6. Treble-0-Lectric EL.60. Derby Sulzer D5000 British Rail Class 24 von Unten: Bourbaki 2021· CC BY-SA 4.0
7. Class 24 locomotives: pdc666· CC BY 2.0
8. Class 24s: pdc666· CC BY 2.0
9. Class 52 D1067 Western Druid, Swindon works, January 1977: Barry Lewis· CC BY 2.0
10. D1009 Western Invader: pdc666· CC BY 2.0

what is it?

The British Rail Class 24 diesel locomotives, originally known as the Sulzer Type 2, were built from 1958 to 1961. 151 were built at Derby, Crewe and Darlington, the first twenty of them as part of the British Railways 1955 Modernisation Plan. This class was used as the basis for the development of the Class 25 locomotives.

who runs it

British Rail Eastern Region of British Railways London Midland Region of British Railways North Eastern Region of British Railways Scottish Region of British Railways

base stats

speed 121 km/htop speed
power 865 kWpower output
built 151made in total

Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.

fun facts

First built 68 years ago, in 1958.
865 kW is about 10 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
15.2 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 20 years (1958–1978).

diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).

spec sheet

built: 1958–1961
in service from: 1958
retired: 1978
status: preserved
number built: 151
kind: Diesel-electric
traction: diesel
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: British Rail, Derby Works, Darlington Works, Crewe Works
operators: British Rail, Eastern Region of British Railways, London Midland Region of British Railways, North Eastern Region of British Railways, Scottish Region of British Railways
top speed: 121 km/h
power: 865 kW
wheel arrangement: Bo′Bo′
length: 15.2 m
Dutch name: Class 24

From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q4970762, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 24 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.