#3405· Class 40

British Rail Class 40

🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by English Electric· from 1958· class of 200 (1Co)(Co1) 2000hp diesel-elctric locomotives

10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences

1. 40104 - Ayr (12074017243): Jim· CC BY 2.0
2. BR Class 40 40106 at Kidderminster on the SVR: Maxopolitan· CC BY-SA 4.0
3. No.D212, BR no.40012 Aureal (Class 40) (6100256477): nottsexminer· CC BY-SA 2.0
4. 40 106 Atlantic Conveyor name: kitmasterbloke· CC BY 2.0
5. No.D213, BR no.40013 Andania (Class 40) (6163703539): nottsexminer· CC BY-SA 2.0
6. D212 at Swanwick 3: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK· CC BY 2.0
7. No.D212, BR no.40012 Aureal (Class 40) (6136898839): nottsexminer· CC BY-SA 2.0
8. 13-05-23 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala 12: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
9. 13-05-23 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala 13: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0
10. 13-05-23 Swanage Railway Diesel Gala 14: The Basingstoker· CC BY-SA 2.0

what is it?

The British Rail Class 40 is a type of railway diesel-electric locomotive. A total of 200 were built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, numbered D200-D399. Despite their initial success, by the time the last examples were entering service, they were already being replaced on some top-level duties by more powerful locomotives.

who runs it

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

base stats

speed 145 km/htop speed
power 1.5 MWpower output
built 200made 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.
Top speed is 1.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
1.5 MW is about 18 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
21 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
Served for 30 years (1958–1988).

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

spec sheet

built: 1958–1962
in service from: 1958
retired: 1988
status: preserved
number built: 200
kind: Diesel-electric
traction: diesel
origin: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
builders: English Electric, Vulcan Foundry, Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns
operators: British Rail, Eastern Region of British Railways, London Midland Region of British Railways, North Eastern Region of British Railways
top speed: 145 km/h
power: 1.5 MW
gauge: 1,435 mm standard gauge
wheel arrangement: (1′Co)(Co1′)
length: 21 m
nicknames: Whistler
Dutch name: Class 40

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

Sources: Wikidata Q4970783, Wikipedia: British Rail Class 40 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.