Virgin Trains Class 47/8 v2.0

Virgin Trains Class 47/8 v2.0

9th November 2022 0 By Alistair Cowell

The Class 47 mixed traffic diesel locomotives, or Brush Sulzer Type 4, were built between 1962 and 1968
by Brush Traction and BR Crewe Works, of which a total of 512 locomotives were produced. They were used
on passenger and freight services throughout the British Rail network.

The locomotives were fitted with the Sulzer 12LDA28-C diesel engine, giving a power output of 2,750hp
(later downrated to 2,580hp), and have a capable maximum speed of 95mph.

However, there were to be variants and modifications over the years to meet different requirements, and
some locomotives have been converted to become Class 57s in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Between 1989 and 1995, 54 locomotives from the Class 47/4 sub-class were fitted with extra fuel tanks, giving
them an extended range, as well as the addition of the ETS for long-distance InterCity services.The locomotives
were numbered 47801 to 47854. Despite the number range, the locomotives were officially classified as 47/4
under the TOPS system.

In 1997, following privatisation of British Rail, 26 Class 47/4 ‘extended range’ locomotives, or ’47/8s’ as it
is unofficially known, were transferred to Virgin Trains for their Cross-Country services, as well as on West
Coast services on the North Wales Coast Line between Crewe and Holyhead. Seven Class 47/7
locomotives later joined the fleet, bringing the total of the Class 47 fleet to 32.

In August 2002, the Class 47 fleet were retired from Virgin Trains with the end of loco-hauled services
on Cross-country routes, having been replaced by Class 220 and 221 Voyagers.

This add-on contains 12 individual Class 47 locomotives in Virgin Trains Red and Black livery,
which includes 9 named locomotives:
47806
47807 ‘The Lion of Vienna’
47814 ‘Totnes Castle’
47817 ‘The Institution of Mechanical Engineers’
47818 ‘Strathclyde’
47822 ‘Pride of Shrewsbury’
47827
47831 ‘Bolton Wanderer’
47841 ‘Spirit of Chester’
47844
47845 ‘County of Kent’
47854 ‘Women’s Royal Voluntary Service’

This reskin set requires the West Coast Main Line Over Shap Route Add-On from Steam,
available from: http://store.steampowered.com/app/222613