The press at the time commented on how well the locos performed generally, but also on their disappointment at the lack of power for acceleration at medium and higher speeds, being little better than the steam locos being displaced. The operational advantage was, however, immediately obvious. Careful GER diagramming enabled locos to achieve weekly averages of 3600 to 3900 miles, 50% higher than the best steam locos being replaced. GNR diagrams on longer haul services averaged even higher weekly averages of approximately 4500 miles, which may have been over-ambitious considering the lack of operating experience in the early days.

Production locos
With the Pilot Scheme still in progress, political pressure was still mounting for urgent improvements and cost savings on the railways. The Government sanctioned wholesale dieselisation, and large production quantities of locos were ordered from the builders of the Pilot Scheme locos, with some designs unproved, coming almost straight from the drawing board.

A further 190 EE Type 4's were ordered in several batches, allocated to various areas in England and Scotland, to upgrade passenger services, e.g. on the West Coast Main Line (London Euston to Birmingham, the North West and Glasgow). By the time the last batches were ordered, English Electric had improved the 16SVT power unit further, but the offer of uprated 2400 hp. locos was declined in view of the proven reliability at 2000 hp. EE went on to produce another prototype locomotive, DP2, using the same power unit rated at 2700 hp, leading to an order for the 50 Class 50 locomotives.

The majority of EE Type 4's were built at the Vulcan Foundry, Newton-le-Willows. One batch of twenty locomotives, D305 to D324, were built at the Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn factory in Darlington. This allowed capacity at Vulcan for manufacture of the 22 production Deltics. Delivery of production locos began with D210 in May 1959.

Amongst the various detail differences in the batches, experiments were tried out on some locos. Most notable of these was probably D255, delivered in 1960. In addition to a steam heat generator it had an auxiliary generator for electric train heating (ETH). This equipment was removed after running trials and no other 40's ever had this modification.

The most visible difference among the batches was the variation in headcode/train identification markings. The early batches up to D324 carried four white marker lights and white background discs on their nose-ends to identify the type of train being hauled - this followed traditional steam methods. Locomotives D325 to D344 carried two two-digit headcode describers at each end to identify the exact train being operated. All locos up to D344 also had interconnecting gangway doors at the nose-ends to allow crew changes en-route when two locos were working in multiple. The final variation, from D345 to D399, featured a central four-digit headcode panel but no interconnecting doors, giving a much neater appearance. Some Scottish disc-headcode locos were modified to follow this design in the 1960's, having their disc indicators removed, nose end doors plated over, and the four digit centre-headcode panel installed.

Early problems
The EE Type 4's (and other diesel loco types of the time) suffered more than their fair share of criticism for reliability. Few appreciated that the new diesels were expected to perform while stabled alongside steam locos with all the inherent grime and neglect, with little or no specialised maintenance facilities or skills to hand. Time-served steam drivers were retrained on diesel motive power, with a whole new language of fault finding and 'get you home' problem solving. The train heating boilers were a particular problem on the EE type 4's and other early diesels, being fairly complicated to operate, and requiring strict maintenance to ensure reliability.

Late Autumn 1958 was a miserable time for the GNR fleet: on six out of ten days the Flying Scotsman failed to produce an EE Type 4, and ran late with a steam loco deputising. Efforts were made to ensure the Master Cutler was a priority working, but this was not always possible. After another failure there were calls for a steam loco standby to be arranged at the Sheffield end. D209 failed on a Newcastle working on 30th October. On November 1st D207 failed at Kings Cross on the down Flying Scotsman, replaced by D208, which failed later in the journey with traction motor problems. Similar problems were still being experienced in the autumn of 1959. The first year's running figures showed GER and GNR availability at 71.5% and 79% respectively.

Livery, numbers and names
The production series locos followed the same numbering sequence, from D210 to the final loco D399, delivered in September 1962. The majority followed the Pilot Scheme livery of all-round Dark Brunswick Green with a grey roof, black bogies and red bufferbeams. Problems with the safety of permanent way staff soon led to all BR diesel locos having the cab fronts or nose-end fronts painted in half warning yellow, to help make approaching trains more visible. The last batch of EE Type 4's were duly delivered already painted in this scheme, while others were treated during works visits or on depots. By the late 1960's the yellow 'warning panels' began to be extended to cover the full nose ends, improving visibility further.

From 1966, locos overhauled by works began to be repainted in the new 'corporate' rail blue livery with full yellow nose-ends. One example, 40106 was kept in green, becoming the preferred choice for use on enthusiast specials. 40106 was withdrawn in 1983 after 40122 was reinstated to traffic, itself repainted into Dark Brunswick Green with full yellow ends.

With the end of steam on BR in 1968, the diesel prefix 'D' was gradually dropped from all loco numbers. Also in 1968, a new locomotive classification system was devised, based on the power rating. These EE Type 4's became Class 40's. In 1973 the BR TOPS computer system was introduced, and from the autumn all locos were renumbered according to their class. The Class 40's were renumbered in sequence 40001 to 40199. Pioneer D200 was renumbered 40122, filling a number gap left by D322, withdrawn after the Acton Bridge crash in 1966.

Twenty five of the class carried the names of famous ocean going liners on cast brass plates, signifying the importance of passenger workings to and from Liverpool. Only the first three of these, D210, D211 and D212, were named during ceremonies in 1960, the remainder of nameplates being fitted during works overhauls up to 1963. These nameplates began to be removed from around 1970, as the locos were no longer working such trains, and were attracting unwanted interest from "collectors".

In the 1980's with growing enthusiast interest, many of these locos had their names unofficially painted back on by depot staff, and several other locos gained unofficial names.

Early displacements
Even while the production locos were being built, improvements on the Great Northern Region saw more powerful diesels take over most EE Type 4 workings out of Kings Cross. By June 1961 the GNR diagrams were all but abandoned with the arrival of the Deltics and EE Type 3's, and steam power was restored to the Flying Scotsman service for a while. By October 1961 all the Hornsey GNR machines were transferred to Stratford to take up Great Eastern Region diagrams.

Some GER changes saw EE Type 4's working more freights and only the heavier passenger turns by winter 1963. From January 1965 the new, more powerful Brush Type 4's took over prime East Anglia passenger services, and the EE Type 4's were eventually transferred away in August 1967, to serve on the West Coast Main Line.

Throughout their history, the EE Type 4's were used for periods on prime passenger services, only to be displaced by higher powered locos. Workings out of London Euston to the North were normally in their hands, until electrification in the mid 1960's saw all services south of Crewe being hauled by electric locos. In 1967 the more modern 2700 hp EE Type 4's (Class 50's) took over accelerated services working north of Crewe to Glasgow.

Trans-Pennine services were also lost to the more powerful Sulzer Type 4's (Class 45's and 46's) during the late 1960's, while displaced LMR 40's began to take up a stronghold on North Wales Coast passenger services. The 40's also became favoured power for heavier freights in the Midlands, North West, North East and Scotland, where they could slog away on more generous timings. With their reduced passenger duties, many of the fleet had their train heat steam generators isolated, although secondary Scottish passenger work kept Haymarket-based locos busy until 1980.

The infamous D326 (40126)
This was probably the most famed diesel loco, but for all the wrong reasons. On Boxing Day 1962 it was hauling the up Midday Scot when it collided with the rear of a Liverpool to Birmingham express due to driver error, killing 18 passengers and injuring 33. On 8th August 1963 it was hauling the overnight West Coast Postal and became involved with the 'Great Train Robbery'. In 1964 a secondman was electrocuted by the overhead wire while working outside the loco. Finally, in 1965 the loco suffered total brake failure on the approach to Birmingham New Street. Luckily in this case, the train was diverted into another platform at the last minute by a quick-thinking signalman, and smashed into the back of a freight train, injuring only the guard.

Royal Train duties
Class 40's became the preferred locos for use with the Royal Train from the late 1960's until 1977, when the train was replaced with an air conditioned set requiring electric train heating. A pair of pristine locos was usually provided from a limited 'pool' including some of the named examples. One of the most notable duties was taking the Royal Family to North Wales, for the Prince of Wales' investiture at Caernarfon on 1st July 1969. Class 40's nos. 216 'CAMPANIA' and 233 'EMPRESS OF ENGLAND' were used, double-heading the train from Euston.

The beginning of the end
As the 1970's drew to an end, the recession hit BR freight traffic hard. Continuing delivery of new Type 5 Class 56's and 58's enabled other motive power to be 'cascaded', so the Class 40's found less and less work. The first planned withdrawals had started in 1976, with several 'life expired' locos scrapped as they became due for classified works overhaul, along with some accident-damaged examples. Poor availability of other loco types thankfully kept withdrawals to a minimum, and works overhauls soon recommenced..

Despite continued withdrawals, the Class were never far from passenger work, constantly deputising for non-available rostered locos of other types. By the early 1980's, very few passenger trains were still booked for Class 40 haulage, but they still maintained their annual stranglehold on summer holiday trains to various locations, and other relief workings and excursions.

Eastern Region Class 40's were gradually reallocated to the London Midland Region in the early 80's. With less passenger and freight work in Scotland, and to concentrate the dwindling class numbers, all remaining Scottish Region machines were also reallocated to the LMR by October 1981.

The following
The Whistlers (nicknamed from their distinctive exhaust and turbo charger sound) gained a fanatical following during the late 1970's and early 1980's. The following grew, ironically, with more and more locos being withdrawn, as enthusiasts tried to savour every chance to photograph or ride with them.

Although it was an all-year-round past-time, the summer months saw greater enthusiasm as rare, non-boilered locos were used on passenger turns, where their lack of train heating did not matter. Crowds of 'bashers' descended on locations such as Manchester, Preston, Leeds and Sheffield every summer Saturday to meet up, 'get the gen' on which 40's were going where on what passenger trains, and then head off in pursuit. As with some other loco classes, the following that formed was a community of friends from all over mainland UK, all with a common interest. Information about rare and last-minute workings was spread on the grapevine as quickly as possible; but these were the days before e-mail, mobile phones and SMS. For more information about 'haulage bashing' visit www.dreadful.org.uk

Pictured is the handing over ceremony for D200 at the National Railway Museum on 16th April 1988, shortly after the arrival of the final railtour. In front of the loco are representatives of British Rail Intercity and the NRM, with the driver and secondman from the final stage of the railtour.

The dawn of a new era
Thankfully, the Class 40 preservation story was well underway before the end of their main line career. Please visit the preserved 40's pages on this site for details of the Class 40's saved from scrapping.

Acknowledgements
Main references:
"Class 40s At Work" by John Vaughan
"Modern Railways Pictorial Profile 9: Class 40s" by Colin Marsden
"The Allocation History of B.R. Diesels and Electrics" by Roger Harris.

Further reading
"Class 40s at Work" by John Vaughan, pub. 1983 by Ian Allan is the best all-round tribute to the Class, with excellent text and photographic content.

Also recommended are "Rail Portfolios 1 - The 40s" by Murray Brown, pub. 1984 by Jane's, "Power of the 40s" and "Profile of the 40s" by J.S. Whiteley/G.W. Morrison, pub. by OPC. All three are excellent photographic records

© Class 40 Preservation Society.