This month marks the diamond jubilee of the Brush Type 2 fleet, nearly one in seven of which have survived into 2017.
IN some ways, it could be argued that the Brush Type 2 (now Class 31) is an unlikely survivor compared with other veteran classes - being heavier than the freight-only Class 20s, but less powerful than the mixed-traffic Classes 37 and 47.
As a result, they have tended to attract more of a cult following among enthusiasts than widespread appeal. However, members of this underrated class have survived where other types have long since vanished, finding a niche in latter years that only they could fill.
The first to enter traffic 60 years ago was class doyen No. D5500 (later 31018) – which, like the 262 others that would follow – was built at Brush in Loughborough. The first 20 were ordered as part of the Pilot Scheme for the modernisation of British Railways in the 1950s, and were fitted with a Mirrlees JVS12T 1250hp engine.
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