Liveries of the WR Diesel Hydraulics – Book Review

The diesel hydraulic locomotives which plied the Western Region of British Railways were operational from 1958 to 1977. They spanned the BR green, maroon and blue livery eras, but other colour schemes were also tried. When combined with differing styles of yellow painted cabs they presented an ever changing variety of livery options.

Documenting the kaleidoscope of paint permutations is Liveries of the WR Diesel Hydraulics by Russell Saxton. It was published in 2022 by Key Books and comprises Volume 21 of their Britain’s Railways Series.

Diesel Hydraulics: an example of Western Region fierce independence!

Including the two subgroups of Warship locomotives, the D600s and D800s, there are in total six classes of diesel hydraulics covered in this book. Unsurprisingly they are ordered by class with the oldest D600 Warships being first to feature. These are followed by the Westerns, Class 22s and Hymeks before the book closes with a brief section on the curious and short lived (at least on British Rail metals) Class 14 ‘Teddy Bears’.

Being the successor to the GWR, the Western Region was infamous for its determined independence! Aside from uniquely operating diesel hydraulics they were the only region to employ the widespread use of maroon livery on the Warships and Westerns!

Experimental liveries, battered paintwork…and teddy bears!

Saxton’s book, however also includes one-off experimental liveries. Delivered in 1961, the very first Western Class, D1000 Western Enterprise initially sported an attractive Desert Sand colour. Golden Ochre, another striking colour scheme, adorned Western Class D1015 Western Champion, for just a few days in January 1963.

It’s not just engines fresh from the workshop with vibrant pristine bodywork which are illustrated. All conditions are represented, right through to derelict examples with battered and faded paintwork, photographed in a scrap yard. Some even have such degraded paintwork that a previous colour scheme is starting to show through!

Though rare visitors to the valleys, some South Wales mainline scenes featuring diesel hydraulics are included, Newport locations in particular being popular. Notably, Class 14s (nicknamed Teddy Bears!) were associated with the area, a number of these locomotives being based at Cardiff Canton. Moreover, despite the relatively short working life with BR (some were only operational for 3years), many 14s were sold off to industrial users. This included the National Coal Board, where they enjoyed a long and successful working life.

In Summary

Saxton’s attention to detail is to be truly admired! A comprehensive survey of the bewildering array of liveries carried by the Western Region diesel hydraulics. Will especially interest enthusiasts of early BR traction and discerning modellers wanting to get the liveries of their locomotives as accurate as possible.

Outine Contents

• D600 ‘Warships’
• D800 ‘Warships’
• The ‘Westerns’
• Class 22
• The ‘Hymeks’
• Class 14

About the Author: Russell Saxton

Russell Saxton was a professional rock musician with a lifelong interest in railways. He wrote articles for many of the leading railway magazines in the UK, as well as for several music publications including Classic Rock and Rock Candy. He was a member of the Phoenix Railway Photographic Circle, which has published several books of progressive railway photography and includes some of the UK’s best-known photographers.

(from Pen and Sword Books)

Related reviews

Western Class Locomotives: A Tribute by Bernard Mills
Diesels in the Western Region by George Woods