D6109 1959-04-19 Hornsey MPD
BR 'Class 21' Bo-Bo diesel No. D6109. Built by NBL of Glasgow in Apr. 1959 and withdrawn in Apr. 1968. NBL of Glasgow had a first class reputation for building steam locomotives. Their troubles began when they turned their hand to diesels. The first 38 'Class 21s entered service in 1958-59 from Eastern Region depots at Stratford, Hornsey and Ipswich. Handling commuter services into London, they were evaluated against designs from English Electric, British Railways, Birmingham RC&W and Brush. The NBL 21s proved chronically unreliable and by March 1960 Hornsey's allocation had been moved into storage at New England Yard in Peterborough. In 1960 they were transferred to Scotland (near to NBL in Glasgow for warranty claims) and served out their woefully short lives, thankfully becoming extinct by 1968. Brand new D6109 is seen at Hornsey MPD in April 1959.
© Les Hanson-David Hanson Archive