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History

The Falcon project began in 1959 to design a new, lightweight diesel-electric Type 4 locomotive for a British Railways requirement for second generation diesel locomotives. No single lightweight diesel engine was powerful enough, so the Falcon project used twin German-designed Maybach MD655 engines like those in the Class 52 'Western' diesel-hydraulic locomotives of the Western Region . These drove Brush generators and traction motors, rather than the hydraulic transmission of the 'Westerns'.

The prototype, wearing a livery of lime green and chestnut brown and bearing the number D0280 after its Brush project number 280, emerged from Brush's Loughborough works in September 1961. Initial testing was on both Eastern and London Midland Region s, following which it was transferred to the Western Region for power unit performance testing. Returning to Brush in March 1962Events January January 1 Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand January 3 Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro January 4 New York City introduces a train that operates without a crew on-board January 8 Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is e, it received cast 'Falcon' nameplate s during an overhaul and upgrade lasting over a year.

Returning to British Railways in 1963Events January-March January 11 The Whisky A Go-Go night club in Los Angeles, the first disco in the USA, is opened. January 14 George Wallace becomes governor of Alabama. January 22 Elysee treaty between France and Germany January 28 Black student Harvey, Falcon spent six months working out of SheffieldThis article is about the city in England. For other uses see Sheffield. Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in the north of England. The population of the City of Sheffield in 2002 was estimated at 512,242. It has grown, from its industrial root on both passenger and freight diagram s, after which its testing was completed. Another year out of service followed, the locomotive returning in British Railways two-tone green with half yellow ends and intended for active service. There was, now, no chance of Falcon being the forerunner of a line of production locomotives. Advances in diesel engine technology made it obsolete almost from the beginning, with the development of larger and reasonably lightweight single powerplants. Brush Traction's own single-engined Type 4 design, to become the BR Class 47Doncaster Works open day on 27th July 2003. This locomotive is operated by Cotswold Rail, whose livery it carries. Cheltenham Racecourse station on 5th September 2003. This locomotive is preserved on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. It is painted, became the successful contender with 512 locomotives eventually produced. Falcon was an evolutionary dead end - a functional locomotive, worth keeping in service, but there were never going to be more.

From 19651965 was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). Events January-February January 4 United States President Lyndon Johnson proclaims his " Great Society" during his State of the Union address. January 14 Prime Ministers of N onward the locomotive, still owned by Brush, was under contract with British Railways so that operation and repair would be handled by them, with only major repairs being handed back to the builder. Allocated to BristolThis article is about the English city of Bristol. For other uses please see Bristol (disambiguation). Bristol is a city in south-western England, on the River Avon. It borders on the Unitary Districts of Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and S Bath Road alongside the Class 52 'Western' fleet, the locomotive worked Paddington-Bristol diagrams with them. In 1970, British Rail approached Brush Traction with a proposal to buy the (by now practically worthless) locomotive for its scrap value, which was accepted by the builder; the loco underwent a rebuild at BREL Swindon , emerging in corporate Rail Blue with full yellow ends and bearing the new number D1200. Vacuum braking and steam heating equipment was removed, and air braking was installed. In this form, Falcon was first allocated to Bristol again working alongside Class 52s, and later to Newport Ebbw Junction for use on iron ore trains.

In 1975, the locomotive was deemed uneconomic to operate due to its non-standard status and despite efforts to preserve it, Falcon was broken up in 1976. The story goes that the sale contract between Brush and British Rail forbade the locomotive to be resold for future operation by anyone else.