Class 45

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These locomotives, with a 1Co-Co1 wheel arrangement, had a 2500hp Sulzer 12LDA28B diesel engine and Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment.
Peak D23 at Glasgow Central in February 1975 Photo by Deepol01

  • 127 locos were built from 1960-1962, originally numbered D11-D137, from 1973 renumbered out of sequence as 45001-077 (steam heating) and 45101-150 (converted to electric heating). Together with the similar Class 44 and Class 46 locomotives, they became known as Peaks.

  • Newly built D24 (latterly 45027) was allocated to Corkerhill depot (67A) from April to August 1961.

  • Class 45s were a daily sight in Scotland in the 1960s, working via Carlisle to Edinburgh on 'The Waverley', and to Glasgow St Enoch (and later Glasgow Central) on the 'Thames - Clyde Express' via Kilmarnock.

  • D60 (later 45022) 'Lytham St Annes' was the final locomotive to traverse the whole of the Waverley route on the evening of 5th January 1969 as it headed 1M82 'Up Night Midlander' sleeper train from Edinburgh to London St Pancras.

  • Class 45 locos continued to work Nottingham - Glasgow Central trains throughout until 1980, when they (and other the classes with 1Co-Co1 wheel arrangement) were prohibited from the Glasgow terminus after a series of derailments.

  • Into the 1980s they made irregular appearances on freight trains via the ECML and occasionally worked into Edinburgh on the morning trains from Newcastle.

  • In the early 1980s a Freightliner train ran between Glasgow Gushetfaulds FLT & Edinburgh Portobello FLT (4G94, 4V31), followed by a evening departure from Coatbridge to Nottingham Beeston FLT (4M65). This was regularly hauled by a Peak.

45001 departing Glasgow Central, 1978
45021 being re-railed at Glasgow central, 1979
45137 at Kilmarnock, 1981


  • By the mid 1980s visits to Scotland had become rare.

  • The last Class 45s were withdrawn from BR service in August 1988, but one loco, 45106 was reinstated and painted in a green livery for working excursion trains.
    • 45106's first working after repaint was on 20/08/88 on 'The Pathfinder Scot', which it worked from Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh via Beattock, Motherwell and Shotts on the outward leg, and via Cobbinshaw on the return leg. <6BJ railtour files>, <Photo south of Carstairs>, <Photo at Edinburgh>.
    • This was it's only visit to Scotland before it was withdrawn in February 1989.

  • 54 of the class were scrapped in Glasgow, by MC Metals at their Springburn site, from 1988 to 1994. <Flickr - Photos>

  • Preserved 45112 'Royal Army Ordnance Corps' made a return to the mainline from 2001 to 2007, running in BR blue livery with red bufferbeams. During this time it made two appearances in Edinburgh:


See Also