Will a Class 42 / 43 "Warship" come to TS201X?
The Ruhr-Sieg or the European Asset Pack DLC contains several famous engine type such as Class 55, Class 37 and the German Class V200. Though the British Rail did have their own "British" variant of the V200 which became well known as the Class 42 and Class 43 Warships.
A Little Bit of History of The Class 42
At the end of the 50's Britain started to replace the steam locomotives for more modern traction. The western region of the British Railways did negotiate with the German manufacturers of the V200 family. Using the knowledge and expertise of diesel-hydraulic engines in Germany, British Rail did overview the design of the V200 that resulted in the Class 42. This engine was scaled down to fit the British loading gauge. Based on the German V200 design the class 42 were unmistakeably recognizable with the design of the V200.
The German manufacturers Krauss Maffei and MaK licensed British Rail to construct the Class 42, these magnificent engines were specially designed to haul express trains. The construction and manufacturing took place at two British manufacturers 1: Swindon Works (Class 42) and 2: North British Locomotive Company (Class 43). The engines became well known as the "Warship" class and were allocated at Old Oak Common, Plymouth, Newton Abbot and Bristol.
The Class 42 and 43 were equipped with engines that were basically constructed on the Maybach engine design with either 1035 or 1135 HP. The engines were constructed to run on the Paddington - Birmingham Snow Hill line. The engines took over the steam service on the Paddington - Penzance via Newbury route and hauled trains such as the 18:30 Paddington–Bristol and the 21:05 Bristol–Plymouth.
The numbers the engines received were classified at D800 and further up and were capable to run trains up to 90 mph. The engines did not have a really long life and the last engines were withdrawn in 1972. Three D800s: D818, D821 and D832, did escape the scrap yards, however D818 was eventually scrapped in 1985, the other two remnants are preserved at the Diesel Traction Group (D821) and at the East Lancashire Railway Diesel group (D832).
The cab is very similar to the German V200, though placed at the left side of the cab.
The post-era of the V200
The V200 was also seen in other countries, Spain (RENFE) has ordered 32 V200s which were classified as the Class 340. After engines became scrapped in Germany, a lot of the V200s were sold to different countries such as Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Albania, Italy, France and Switzerland. Also some private railroad companies in Germany purchased some 2nd V200s for service in their network. Most V200s were seen at construction sites of the HST lines all over Europe in the post-era of the V200 class.
The coming of Class 42 and 43 Warships to TS201X would be a pleasant surprise for all diesel drivers and will be loved by a lot of enthusiasts in the European mainland as well because of the historical background and the deep relation with the German V200 Class.
