Diesel locomotives equipped with GM-engine

Diesel locomotives equipped with engine from GM has had a great influence for the the Irish railway network already from the 1960`s. But how about the british railways? Was it ever (in eraly stage of british dieselisation) any subject to follow the same way? Taken into consideration of the very durable working, and reliability of GM`s two-stroke engines (just look at the high milage of todays class 66!)

kind regards
Knut

 

Political interference and lack of foreign exchange dictated British manufacturers got the gig.

 

As reading general says despite a myriad of designs launched by british rail non was US built in order in part to keep jobs in the UK. The class 59s were the first major departure from this policy and opened the door to the class 66s.

 

Thanks for your reply both of you!

 

What was the engines in the shunters at British Steel I think at Llanwern and Ford Dagenham?

 

A little bit more detail here

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_59

 

The Ford BTH diesels had engines built by W.H. Allen of Bedford

The Steel Company of Wales at Port Talbot had a number of US built Alcos - two of which are on the Nene Valley Railway.

 

Are they, or are they at Railworld or whatever the site next to the NVR Peterborough station is called?

 

The UP liveried one is resting (rusting?) at Railworld....



The other one appears to be being slowly being restored at Overton (aka Ferry Meadows), with a new cab being the most obvious change so it fits in the loading gauge!

 

Interesting. It's been a few years since I visited the NVR good to see that it might be operating one day.

 

Those photos were taken at the Class 31 60th Anniversary event they had there last October, so they are reasonably topical.
I got the impression from the station staff at Overton that the Alco restoration is more or less being carried out by one person, so completion may be some time away as yet.....

 

There is also the GM-Engined Bo-Bo shunter at Merehead which encouraged Foster Yeoman to look to GM when it bought the original Class 59 fleet.

 

Knut, you might find this of interest, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail_Class_57

Class 57's where rebuilt from Class 47 locos with EMD engines.

 

Thanks a lot my friend!
I`m not so updated regarding British diesel locos you see

 

I might be wrong, but to me it seems that the class 57 was the first to be equipped with 2 set of frontlights instead of this traditional single lamp in front. Was it new requirements for safety ?