#3658
British Rail DP2
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by English Electric· from 1962· prototype diesel locomotive
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4 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Dp2 - kings cross - 1963: Max Batten· CC BY-SA 2.5
- 2. DP2 , Bradford Exchange: Phil Sangwell from United Kingdom· CC BY 2.0
- 3. English Electric DP2 at Crewe: shipley43· CC BY 2.0
- 4. DP2 Finsbury Park MPD(8163582878): Hugh Llewelyn· CC BY-SA 2.0
what is it?
DP2, meaning Development Prototype number 2, was a one-off prototype Type 4 mainline diesel locomotive, built by English Electric in 1962. DP2 was effectively the prototype for the later Class 50; it trialled the engine and electronic systems later used in that class of locomotives. Externally DP2 was visually similar to a Class 55 "Deltic" locomotive, as it used a modified Deltic bodyshell, but internally it had a single engine of a different type to the twin-engined Deltics.
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).
- 2 MW is about 24 family cars (~85 kW each) flat out.
- 21 m long: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
- Served for 5 years (1962–1967).
diesel locomotive: A diesel engine on board drives the wheels, usually through a generator (diesel-electric).
spec sheet
- built
- 1962
- in service from
- 1962
- retired
- 1967
- status
- retired
- number built
- 1
- kind
- Diesel-electric
- traction
- diesel
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- English Electric, Vulcan Foundry
- operators
- British Rail
- top speed
- 145 km/h
- power
- 2 MW
- gauge
- 1,435 mm standard gauge
- wheel arrangement
- Co'Co'
- length
- 21 m
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q4970925, Wikipedia: British Rail DP2 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.