#3592

British Rail Class 25

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1961· class of 327 Bo′Bo′ 1250hp diesel-electric locomotives

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. 25047 outside Manchester Victoria: David Ingham· CC BY-SA 2.0
2. CREWE British Rail Class 25 25083 - August 1989: SIMON BEESTON· Public domain
3. Class 25 D5185 at Loughborough Central during The Great Central Railway Diesel Gala 010923: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
4. Class 25 D7659 at Crowcombe Heathfield on The West Somerset Railway 110623: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
5. D7535 BR Sulzer Class 25: kitmasterbloke· CC BY 2.0
6. No.25235 (Class 25) (7754544540): nottsexminer· CC BY-SA 2.0
7. 97251 ETHEL 2 Carriage Heating Unit at IS July 1991: kitmasterbloke· CC BY 2.0
8. Inverness to Kyle WembleyYardD200Ethel3120388 (16928539195): Richard Szwejkowski· CC BY-SA 2.0
9. Inverness to Kyle WembleyYardD200Ethel3120388B (16306154184): Richard Szwejkowski· CC BY-SA 2.0
10. Inverness to Kyle FortWilliamEthel3220884 (16925106562): Richard Szwejkowski· CC BY-SA 2.0

what is it?

The British Rail Class 25, also known as the Sulzer Type 2, is a class of 327 diesel locomotives built between 1961 and 1967 for British Rail. They were numbered in two series, D5151–D5299 and D7500–D7677. The first 25 locos became known as Class 25/0 and were built at BR Darlington Works.

who runs it

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

base stats

speed 145 km/htop speed
power 932 kWpower output
built 327made 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 65 years ago, in 1961.
Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
932 kW is about 11 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
15.2 m long: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 30 years (1961–1991).

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

spec sheet

built: 1961–1967
in service from: 1961
retired: 1991
status: preserved
number built: 327
kind: Diesel-electric
traction: diesel
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: British Rail, Derby Works, Beyer, Peacock and Company, Darlington Works
operators: British Rail, Eastern Region of British Railways, London Midland Region of British Railways, Scottish Region of British Railways, Western Region of British Railways, North Eastern Region of British Railways
top speed: 145 km/h
power: 932 kW
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement: Bo'Bo'
length: 15.2 m
nicknames: Rats

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

Sources: Wikidata Q4970760, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 25 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.