Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the Birmingham Railway Carriage & Wagon Company’s Type 3, better known as the Class 33, or simply the ‘Crompton’. Mark Nicholls recounts the type’s history.
In British Railways’ 1955 Modernisation Plan there was little interest for a Type 3 power category, covering locos in the 1,500-2,000hp range, but that was soon found to be a mistake.
The Type 3 was actually one of the most flexible of all, able to provide a loco capable of varied mixed traffic use for light and medium freight and passenger work. It also had the ability to haul heavy loads at low to moderate speed. Furthermore, it offered the power of a Type 5 if used in multiple.