Class 31

Welcome to scot-rail.co.uk, Scotland's online railway community. The group is for any rail enthusiast interested in the railways and trains of Scotland. It not only consists of the wiki that you're reading now, but a busy online forum and mailing list, which was accessible to registered users. From April 2024 the forum has closed, with a replacement started on Groups.io.

Breadcrumb navigation

Editing menu

Class 31 - the Brush Type 2 - were built by Brush traction between 1957 and 1962, and were initially fitted with a Mirrlees engine of either 1250hp or 1365hp. These proved unsatisfactory, and the class was re-engined with English Electric 1470hp engines from 1964 onwards. Mirrlees engined examples were designated Class 30 under the 1968 classification scheme, and EE powered examples became Class 31, with all 263 locos renumbered 31XXX in the mid-1970s.

  • Principally associated with the British Rail's Eastern Region, examples also transferred to the Western Region and London Midland Regions. None were allocated to Scottish depots, and were only occasional visitors north of the border in BR days.

31327 at Aviemore ยป D5862 (31327) couples-off from the stock at Aviemore, after arriving with 5H82, the 09:25 Boat of Garten - Kingussie Photo by BigDougie


  • Brush/Mirlees loco D5511 was an early diesel trialled on various lines in Scotland in the Summer of 1958. It reached both Mallaig and Wick.


  • From the mid-1980s Class 31s starting making occasional visits across the border from Carlisle, reaching Ayr, Carstairs, Glasgow Central, Motherwell, Mossend, Edinburgh.

  • Railtours have brought the class over the border from time to time, usually in pairs due to their poor power to weight ratio.

  • From 1997, Fragonset acquired a small fleet of Class 31 locos, which were painted black with a crimson waist band and given mythological names. These were used by other operators on a spot-hire basis, and sometimes appeared in Scotland, running light on route-learning duties or hauling charter trains and Infrastructure monitoring trains.

  • In 2005, West Coast Railways took over operation of The Royal Scotsman, but with the planned class 37 locos unavailable, Class 31s were hired in from Fragonset at the start of the season.
    • 31190 was initially in Railtrack blue and lime green livery, but in Mid-may was given a repaint into Royal Scotsman maroon. Other 31s used were both in black livery, 31602 and for one classic tour 31452.

  • From 2004 to 2016 Class 31s visited Scotland on Infrastructure Monitoring Train for Network Rail, Such a MENTOR (overhead line testing), Ultrasonic Test Trains and the Structure Gauging train.
    • All corners of the network were visited, although these trains often ran at night.
    • Initially they ran in top & tail formation, but later ex-DBSO Driving Trailer coaches were used.
    • 31105/233/285/465/602 were painted in Network Rail yellow livery.
31233 & 31602 await departure from Kyle with 2Q88 on 14 April 2011. Photo by BigDougie


Preservaton

  • 31327 was sold for preservation and moved to Bo'ness in November 2001.
  • The loco, freshly overhauled and repainted in Railfreight red stripe livery, featured in the B&KR Diesel Gala in September 2002.
  • In July 2003 the loco move north to the Strathspey Railway.
  • Here it was employed hauling The Royal Scotsman between Aviemore and Boat of Garten.
  • From 2007, 31327 has been in BR lined green livery with its original number D5862.


List of active Class 31s since 1999 (click to search messages)


See Also




Created by scottishclass40roadshow and last modified by Dysgraphyk at 23:53, 27 of July 2024.