The Class 33 is a diesel-electric locomotive built for the Southern Region of British Railways between 1960 and 1962 by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company.
A total of 98 locomotives were built and they gained nicknamed "Cromptons" by enthusiasts after the Crompton Parkinson electrical equipment they used.
The first 86 were built as standard locomotives, numbered D6500 to D6585. Under TOPS system they became Class 33/0s.
In 1965 D6580 was fitted with experimental push-pull apparatus comprising of high-level brake pipes and jumper cables to make it compatible with Multiple Unit stock for push pull operation. A further eighteen members of the class would go on to be fitted with a modified version of this push-pull apparatus. Under the TOPS system they became Class 33/1s numbered in the range 33101 to 33119.
A batch of twelve locomotives were built with narrow bodies in order to allow them to work through the narrow tunnels between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings. Originally numbered D6586 to D6597, they were later renumbered as 33201 to 33212.
In May 1991 33115 was converted into a test vehicle for Eurostar bogies and current collection equipment. It was renumbered as 83301 and formed part of a test train along with 73205 and a TC set. 83301 was withdrawn in November 1994, stripped of parts and finally scrapped in the summer of 1996.
During the 1990s the Class began to dwindle in numbers. They no longer had any diagrammed passenger workings, although they could still be found substituting for a failed Class 50 or 47 on the loco hauled west of England services out of London Waterloo before these ended in 1993.
Their remaining freight workings were taken over by the newly introduced Class 60s. The few members of the Class still active primarily worked departmental trains. By December 1998 they had all been withdrawn.
The short lived spot hire company Fragonset Railways, founded in September 1997 acquired several redundant Class 33s. They were repainted in the companies black livery and could be found working on the mainline until the organisation went into administration in 2006.
Today there are just five mainline registered operational Class 33s. Four of these numbers 33025, 33029, 33030, and 33207 are owned by West Coast Railways. In addition privately owned 33012 which is based at the Swanage Railway is also mainline certified.
There are also many preserved members of the Class based at a variety of heritage railways around the country.
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