{"product_id":"the-twilight-of-the-class-40s-9781913893224","title":"The Twilight of the Class 40s","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNow in Stock\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the more successful designs to emerge from British Railways’ Modernisation Plan was the 2,000hp English Electric Type C\/Type 4 1Co-Co1 diesel-electric, later known as Class 40. 180 of them were built by EE at Vulcan Foundry and a further twenty by Robert Stephenson \u0026amp; Hawthorns at Darlington. With their distinctive turbocharged engine sound they were nicknamed ‘Whistlers’. The first ten were ordered as part of BR’s Pilot Scheme, and they were an immediate success. For more than thirty years, the throaty whistling noise of these versatile locomotives could be heard up and down BR’s main lines from East Anglia to North Wales and London to the Scottish Highlands. The cacophony produced by the 16-cylinder engine was something to behold, as they climbed to Ais Gill, Shap or Drumachdar with a heavy freight train. By the dawn of the 1980s, several of the locomotives had been scrapped and an enthusiastic entourage of ‘bashers’ and photographers was determined to get as much mileage and footage out of the remaining Forties as they could. Happily, there are seven Class 40s surviving in preservation, including the pioneering D200. All but one has been restored to working order, and two have even returned to the main line. Relive the halcyon days of steam-heated Mk1 coaches, of football specials, Merrymakers and Sunday diversions. Relive the days of engine sheds and proper freight and parcels trains hauled by proper locomotives through these photographs and their captions, which run from circa 1978 until the final demise of celebrity D200\/40122 in 1988.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardback, 80 pages, black \u0026amp; white photographs\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Transport Treasury","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57713484824959,"sku":"9781913893224","price":13.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1910\/7111\/files\/9781913893224.jpg?v=1781010836","url":"https:\/\/rail-books.co.uk\/products\/the-twilight-of-the-class-40s-9781913893224","provider":"Rail Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}