Although diesel-electric locomotives are still thought of as ‘modern traction’, pioneering models were in service more than 65 years ago, with some of the first being the Southern Region’s main line trio 10201-10203, as EVAN GREEN-HUGHES describes.
Southern Region Diesel Electric 10202 powers away from Southampton Central with the down Bournemouth Belle on May 17 1958. The train is formed of 12-wheel Pullman cars – a formidable load for any locomotive. Dave Cobbe Collection/Railphotoprints.co.uk.
In the second quarter of the 20th century, perhaps the most progressive railway company on the British network was the Southern Railway. Many of its routes had been progressively electrified, colour light signalling had been installed and stations and infrastructure had been upgraded to allow for the fast running of closely-spaced trains. However, there were sections of the Southern where the cost of installing the third-rail could not be justified, including the West of England route via Salisbury, but where modernisation was still desirable.
Elsewhere in the world diesel-electric locomotives were emerging as a viable alternative to steam and the Southern’s progressive Chief Mechanical Engineer, Oliver Bulleid could see that there wa…
