The British Rail Class 47 is a type of diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush’s Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British mainline diesel locomotive. They have been used on both passenger and freight trains on Britain’s railways for over 50 years. Despite the introduction of more modern types of traction, a significant number are still in use, both on mainline and heritage railways. As of September 2018, 80 locomotives still exist as Class 47s, with further examples having been converted to other classes; 30 retain ‘operational status’ on the mainline. In 2018, after over 55 years of front line passenger and freight operations, 35 locomotives are fitted with the required systems in order to be mainline registered (excluding preserved examples) with 24 locomotives currently operational on the national network and the balance stored. ‘Roger Hosking’ is currently based at Crewe.

Photo by: David Moyle