English Electric Class 40 1Co-Co1. Developed from the successful "Derby Pair" LMS prototypes 10000 and 10001 of 1947. Started work in 1958, and became known as "Whistlers". D326 achieved notoriety as a "jinxed" locomotive, including hauling the train robbed in the Great Train Robbery. When this event was fictionalized in the film Buster, preserved loco D306 starred as the haplesss D326. The first loco of the class, D200, is now part of the National Collection at York.
"Diesel" appeared in "Stepney the Bluebell Engine" (1963). "Old Stuck Up", also a Cl 40, appeared in "James and the Diesel Engines" (1984) by Christopher Awdry.
Below are diesels encountered on Stepney's route to Sodor in “Stepney the Bluebell Engine”.
| Cl 52 "Western" C-C diesel-hydraulic | Cl 31 Brush Type 3 A1A-A1A diesel-electric | Cl 40 1Co-Co1 from English Electric |
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Modeller's Corner:
| Hornby model of "The Diesel" (actually an EE Cl 37 Co-Co) and BACHMANN Cl 40s Available from Amazon.co.uk |
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Collector's Corner:
| Classic ERTL model of 'The Diesel' | Learning Curve Wooden version of 'The Diesel' |
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