#3407· Class 42
British Rail Class 42
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1958· class of 38 B′B′ 2270hp diesel-hydraulic locomotives, all named after warships
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10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. D821 at Kidderminster: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK· CC BY 2.0
- 2. Crowcombe 832 light engine to Bishops Lydeard: Geof Sheppard· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. A Class 42 Warship at London Waterloo, 1967: 8474tim· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 4. D800 Sir Brian Robertson (8226782961): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 5. TRAIN E BR CLASS 42 WARSHIP CLASS DIESEL HYDRAULIC LOCOMOTIVE No D800 'SIR BRIAN ROBERTSON' - BR OFFICIAL PHOTO: ausdew· Public domain
- 6. D804 (8252109053): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 7. D805 Benbow at Ealing Broadway station: Barry Lewis· CC BY 2.0
- 8. BR (Swindon) Type 4 D816 (8298164006): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 9. Newton Abbot MPD (8252111933): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 10. The Greatest Gathering - 3rd August 2025 - 06: Capt' Gorgeous· CC BY 4.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 42 Warship, originally known as the D800 Warship, is a class of diesel-hydraulic locomotives introduced in 1958. It was apparent at that time that the largest centre of expertise on diesel-hydraulic locomotives was in West Germany. The Western Region of British Railways negotiated a licence with German manufacturers to scale down the German Federal Railway's "V200" design to suit the smaller loading gauge of the British network, and to allow British manufacturers to construct the new locomotives.
who runs it
base stats
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.
- Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- 895 kW is about 11 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 18.3 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 14 years (1958–1972).
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
- 1972
- status
- preserved
- number built
- 38
- kind
- Diesel-hydraulic
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail, Swindon Works
- operators
- British Rail, Western Region of British Railways
- top speed
- 145 km/h
- power
- 895 kW
- wheel arrangement
- B'B'
- length
- 18.3 m
- nicknames
- Warships
- Dutch name
- Class 42
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4970805, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 42 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.