Wensleydale Railway expands heritage diesel fleet following purchase of class 47 locomotive

The locomotive, number 47714, is a British Rail Class 47 or Brush Type 4 diesel. The design was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction in Loughborough.

There were 512 class 47 locomotives that were built between 1962 and 1968 at Brush’s factory in Loughborough as well as the British Railway’s factory in Crewe.

Wensleydale Railway currently houses examples of class 03, class 14, class 33 and class 37 diesel locomotives, in addition to a growing collection of industrial diesels.

Director and member of the general management group at Wensleydale Railway PLC, Tim Williamson, said: “The purchase of this locomotive improves our operational capabilities.

“It has electric train-heating capacity which will allow us to heat our carriages during the cold winter months, and particularly when operating our Polar Express Christmas train services.”

Fundraising and marketing manager at Wensleydale Railway, Nick Keegan, said: “Acquiring the class 47 compliments our excellent heritage diesel collection.

“Enthusiasts will have seen the recent news of our resident class 37 loco receiving a stunning EWS livery.

“Our team will be considering a new livery for the class 47 too, but a final decision has yet to be made. Enthusiasts will need to watch this space for more news!”