British Rail Class 71

Class of electric locomotives

The British Rail Class 71 was an electric locomotive used on the Southern Region of British Railways. Unlike Southern Region electro diesel locomotives (such as classes 73 and 74) they could not operate away from the electrified (750 V DC) system.

As part of the British Transport Commission's Modernisation Plan of 1955, twenty four electric locomotives were built in 1958 for the Kent Coast main lines. They were built at the British Rail workshops in Doncaster. Numbers were originally E5000–E5023 but the first locomotive, E5000, was renumbered E5024 in December 1962. They were classified type HA under the Southern Region's pre TOPS scheme.

Power collection was from a 3rd rail at 650V DC (Eastern & Central sections) or 750V DC (Western section) and control was by flywheel booster, as in British Rail Class 70. In some yards (notably Hither Green, South East London and Snowdown colliery near Dover) overhead wiring energised to 650V DC was used. This overhead collection method was only employed where it was deemed too dangerous to have an electrified third rail, with staff constantly at ground level reaching between vehicles to couple and uncouple trains. The overhead system utilised tram style contact wires and pantographs – it was not necessary to collect traction current at speed and these provided a cost saving. The pantograph retracted into a cut out recess in the roof when not in use, to keep within the loading gauge. Certain examples were delivered new without pantographs and ran with the recess vacant for some time. Evidently supply of the overhead equipment was short. Later in life (when the wiring in yards had almost completely been removed) during overhaul the opportunity was taken, on some examples of the class, to remove the sometimes troublesome pantograph, leading again to a vacant roof recess. The danger of electrocution of staff at track level was the entire tenet behind the Southern Region/Railway adopting the high level brake pipes and control jumpers (nicknamed "bagpipes") that are so distinctive of SR stock. Low level brake pipes were still fitted to maintain standards, but only used when high level could not be. However Class 71 was not fitted with high level jumpers. Ten redundant locos were modified to become Class 74 – emerging from Crewe works with "bagpipes" – in 1967/8. However 19 members of Class 33 (a pure diesel locomotive), which were modified at Eastleigh for push pull operation of Southern Region TC units, were so fitted, along with nearly all SR based members of shunting classes 03 and 08. In contrast almost all other contemporary locomotive classes (excepting notably classes 07, 09, 73 – all SR locomotives) had the multiple control jumpers and brake connectors on or under the buffer beam a perilous place to be with 750 volts just inches away. Despite overhead equipment being confined to just a handful of yards, Class 71 was never retro fitted with high level connectors.

They were mixed traffic locomotives. Their 2300/2552 hp was, for a small Bo Bo locomotive, useful for both heavy freight and express passenger work. Acceleration on passenger trains (even when heavily loaded) was quite astonishing – to the extent that the climb out of London Victoria was almost unnoticeable. Prestigious services, including the heavy "Night Ferry" (London to Paris overnight by train ferry) and the "Golden Arrow", the latter a Pullman service, were a mainstay of the class for many years. Reliability of the class as a whole was good. As more areas of the Eastern section were given over to multiple unit (EMU) operation, however, the class found itself ousted almost completely from passenger work. During their later years their passenger duties were only the 'Night Ferry' and the nightly Victoria–Dover/Ramsgate newspaper train. Even this latter was rostered for a Class 33 (diesel locomotive) on Saturday nights, due to the probability of engineering works en route. Their reliance on the electricity supply proved a hindrance. Much freight is moved overnight, when congestion on the busy commuter corridors is low; but this is also the time when engineering possessions of the track take place, the power being switched off to whole districts while this happens. Class 71 was therefore faced with frequent circuitous detours purely to stay "on the juice". An electric only locomotive was also limited in scope for inter regional freights. The flywheel booster allowed the locomotives to make short movements "off the juice" – in yards and depots for example – but not for significant distances. The smaller Class 73 electro diesel locomotives deputised for them with ease (albeit often in pairs) and they had the ability to work lines when the power was off, and to run (at reduced power) on other regions where there was no third rail electricity supply. Class 71 was beginning to look (once again – see Class 74) like a white elephant. When the end came, most were scrapped in full working order, purely because they had no work. A single member of the class, E5001, survives in preservation, in full working order (although currently minus its 3rd rail collector shoes). As with the remainder of the class, the preserved example never received the standard SR horns, retaining its air whistles right up until withdrawal.

By the late 1960s there was less work for the class, and several members were placed in store. Ten examples were eventually converted between 1967 and 1968 at the British Rail workshops in Crewe into electro diesel locomotives. They were originally assigned the numbers E7001–E7010 but were numbered E6101–E6110 and classified type HB in the pre TOPS scheme. Under TOPS the rebuilt ten became Class 74. As a result of the rebuilds there were three renumberings from the remaining Class 71s (E5018, E5020 and E5022) to fill the gaps that were left by rebuilding of original locomotives E5003, E5005 and E5006. The remaining fourteen became Class 71, numbered 71001 to 71014 under the TOPS scheme.

The class survived relatively unscathed with no members being scrapped early. Two were awaiting repair at Ashford due to failures and the end finally came on the last day of 1977 when all 14 members were withdrawn en bloc as a result of motive power rationalisation. Their rostered duties were turned over to Class 73 electro diesels as part of a new timetable and better use of that class.

The one preserved example (erstwhile 71 001) was saved by the National Railway Museum in York (currently on display at NRM Shildon) and has been restored as E5001. + Table of locomotivesType HA Renumbered Daterenumbered TOPSNo. Date withdrawn Notes E5000 E5024 1962 — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6104 E5001 — — 71 001 1977 Preserved E5002 — — 71 002 1977 E5003 — — — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6107 E5004 — — 71 004 1977 E5005 — — — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6108 E5006 — — — 1967 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6103 E5007 — — 71 007 1977 E5008 — — 71 008 1977 E5009 — — 71 009 1977 E5010 — — 71 010 1977 E5011 — — 71 011 1977 E5012 — — 71 012 1977 E5013 — — 71 013 1977 E5014 — — 71 014 1977 E5015 — — — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6101 E5016 — — — 1967 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6102 E5017 — — — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6109 E5018 E5003 1968 71 003 1977 E5019 — — — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6105 E5020 E5005 1968 71 005 1977 E5021 — — — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6110 E5022 E5006 1968 71 006 1977 E5023 — — — 1968 Rebuilt as Class 74 E6106