#3655· Class 73
British Rail Class 73
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by British Rail· from 1962· British electro-diesel locomotive, which was one of the first bi-mode locomotives built
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. 73966, Class 73 Electro-diesel in Caledonian Sleeper livery at Fort William Station: IanKMantel· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. Class 73s at Dereham in 2008: DiverScout ( talk )· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 3. 2-HAL Rail Cleaning & De-icing Unit 001 with a Class 73 at Guildford in the mid 1970's: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 4. Class 73's passing Norwood Junction in May 1979: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 5. Class 73 on a cement train passes Battledown Flyover on 26 March 1983: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 6. Class 73 passes Haywards Heath on 03 Sep 1983: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
- 7. SVR - 7802 "Bradley Manor" 05: Chris McKenna ( Thryduulf )· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 8. 13.11.82 London Waterloo 73136: Phil Richards· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 9. 21.04.84 Clapham Junction 73125 and 73123: Phil Richards· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 10. BR Class 73, Weymouth Harbour: michaelday_bath· CC BY 2.0
what is it?
The British Rail Class 73 is a class of electro-diesel locomotives. This type is unusual in that it can operate on the Southern Region's 650/750 V DC third rail power supply, or an onboard diesel engine to allow it to be used on non-electrified routes. This makes it very versatile, although the diesel engine produces less power than is available from the third-rail power supply, so the locomotives are rarely used outside of the former Southern Region of British Rail.
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 64 years ago, in 1962.
- Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- 1.2 MW is about 14 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 16.4 m long: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 29 years (1962–1991).
electric locomotive: Draws power from overhead wires or a third rail and pulls separate carriages.
spec sheet
- built
- 1962–1967
- in service from
- 1962
- retired
- 1991
- status
- in service
- number built
- 49
- kind
- Bi-mode (electro-diesel)
- traction
- bi-mode
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- British Rail, English Electric, Vulcan Foundry, Eastleigh Locomotive, Carriage and Wagon Works
- operators
- British Rail, GB Railfreight, Network Rail, Southern, South Western Railway, Caledonian Sleeper
- top speed
- 145 km/h
- power
- 1.2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- electric system
- 650–750 V DC Third rail
- wheel arrangement
- Bo'Bo'
- length
- 16.4 m
- Dutch name
- Class 73
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4970846, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 73 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.