British Rail HS4000

In the mid-1960s British rail produced specifications for type 5 locomotives weighing less than 126 tonnes with more than {{convert|3000|hp|kW|abbr=on}} of power for both passenger and freight working.[http://glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk/railwayraptors.htm THE RAILWAY RAPTORS] section HS4000 KESTREL glostransporthistory.visit-gloucestershire.co.uk Brush Electric Engineering Ltd. (Brush Traction) in association with Sulzer Brothers Ltd. responded with a {{convert|4000|hp|kW|abbr=on}} locomotive for British Rail's appraisal. The body, exterior details, control console, and colours were designed by E.G. M. Wilkes of "Wilkes & Ward"As per hand written annotation on the rear of a photograph of the HS4000 which was written by E.G.M. Wilkes himself. Photo among Wilkes' own archive of photos sold at auction on 14/02/2019: https://www.henryadamsfineart.co.uk/lot/47685 (later Wilkes & Ashmore, industrial design firm based on Horsham, West Sussex). The design principle was that a single engine would require less maintenance than twin-engined vehicles, and that the very high power would mean that double heading for freight trains would be unnecessary.{{Cite web

|url=http://www.derbysulzers.com/HS4000.html

|title=HS4000 'KESTREL' : The world's most powerful Sulzer engined diesel locomotive

|website=derbysulzers.com

}}

Brush employed Sulzer's 16-cylinder Vee 16LVA24 engine made in Winterthur. Previous experience with Sulzer's 12-cylinder twin parallel-bank dual-crank 12LDA28 engine had gone well, but the highest power available from Sulzer in this form was the 12LDA31 of {{convert|2350|hp|abbr=on}}.[http://www.derbysulzers.com/sulzerengine.html The Sulzer engine in diesel traction : A potted and incomplete history 1912 - 1990] www.derbysulzers.com Not only did the V engines provide over {{convert|3000|hp|abbr=on}}, but being single-crank with the consequently lighter engine block (over the dual-bank design) gave a better power-to-weight ratio.

The engine is a four-stroke turbocharged oil-cooled design, with the oil being cooled by water in a heat exchanger, and the water cooled in radiators. The piston was {{cvt|240|x|280|mm|in}}. A smaller auxiliary generator (~{{cvt|40|kW|hp}}) was used to charge the batteries or start the engine etc.

To transmit this power to the rail Brush utilised a brushless salient pole[http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/tech/salpomo.htm Salient-Pole Machines] General description of salient pole machines as both motors and generators mysite.du.edu three phase alternator connected to a rectifying circuit of 84 silicon diodes producing ~{{cvt|2500|kW|hp}} of power for electric traction from the diesel engine. An auxiliary alternator, also brushless and producing three phase electrical power gave ~{{cvt|500|kW|hp}} for electrical train heating, and also supplied power to electrical fans etc. in the locomotive. The armatures/rotors for both alternators were electrically energisedi.e. not permanent magnet type by DC produced by the rectified output of brushless alternators.Thus the excitor alternators, and the main alternator's rotor were coaxial and connected, with the rectifying diodes also undergoing rotary motion

Each of the 6 axles was powered by an individual traction motor which was a four pole force ventilated type. Connection of the axle to the motor was via a reduction gear (giving {{convert|110|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} top speed), then through a flexible hollow shaft drive to the axle.

The fans (blowers) to cool the traction motors and engine radiators were of the three phase asynchronous type, the motors driving the compressors, pumps, fans for the dynamic (resistive) brake etc. were DC motors.

Locomotive braking was by vacuum, air (high pressure) or dynamic (electrical regenerative resistive braking), the dynamic brakes were preferentially used at high speeds, with the air brake being activated at lower speeds where dynamic braking was less effective; speed sensors automatically determined the braking type to be used. Additionally a hydraulically activated parking brake was fitted.

Plug-in solid state modules were used for voltage and power control including monitoring wheelslip and monitoring engine temperature.

A Warren truss body construction with welded, stressed steel skin was used on the sides of the locomotive which supported the transverse load of the main engine entirely.

The bogie side frames were of one piece cast construction with coil spring suspension, connected by 4 transverse members; two internal and two at either end

After the Hither Green rail crash, British Rail issued a directive that all locomotives should have an axle weight of no-more than {{cvt|21|LT|t ST|1}}. In an attempt to comply with this, Brush fitted the locomotive with modified British Rail Class 47 bogies. The lighter construction and traction motors helped but the attempt was ultimately unsuccessful leaving Kestrel at {{cvt|22.5|LT|t ST}} per axle. Kestrel continued to be used but the axle-weight problem contributed to the decision to sell the locomotive and prior to this, in March 1971, the original bogies were refitted.

{{Expand section|date=November 2009}}

The driver's cab is attached to the frame below by rubber fittings. Driver controls were similar to that of Class 47.

File:HS4000 Clipstone Colliery.jpg]]

Construction of the locomotive (Brush works No. 711 of 1967) started in 1966 and was complete by 1967. However the locomotive was considerably over the {{cvt|20|LT|t ST|1}} axle-load limit specified by British Rail for its procurement requirements. The locomotive was officially handed over to BR on 29 January 1968 at Marylebone Station. Test runs were performed with both passenger and freight stock; the locomotive was primarily used to haul heavy freight trains - including a coal train of over {{cvt|2000|LT|t ST|0}} weight - the locomotive achieved an 88% availability figure after {{convert|14000|mi|km}}.

Following the fitting of its new bogies the locomotive was used on express passenger trains. On a London King's Cross to Newcastle service diagrammed for British Rail Class 55 ('Deltic') operation the unit was 14 minutes faster than required even though the new traction motors meant reduced power at the rail.[http://www.derbysulzers.com/engineer.html A Sulzer Engineer's Memories 1965-1979 On British Railways & Elsewhere] section HS4000 "Kestrel" www.derbysulzers.com

In March 1971 it was withdrawn from service in the UK and sent back to Brush for refitting.{{cite web |last1=Devereux |first1=Nigel |author2=Nick Pigott |title=From the archive: The big bird that flew too far |url=https://www.therailwayhub.co.uk/5359/from-the-archive-the-big-bird-that-flew-too-far/ |website=The Railway Hub |date=17 December 2019 |publisher=Mortons Media Group Ltd. |access-date=17 December 2019}}

The locomotive was sold to the Soviet Union in 1971 for £127,000, being shipped from Cardiff Docks to Leningrad docks by the MV Krasnokamsk in July 1971. On arrival in Russia, Kestrel was exhibited at the Moscow Rolling Stock Exhibition and then was moved to the All-Union Rail Transport Scientific Research Institute at Shcherbinka{{harvnb|Toms|1978|page=82}} where it was re-gauged to {{track gauge|1520mm}}, and tested on a circular test railwaySee :ru:Экспериментальная кольцевая железная дорога ВНИИЖТ : Experimental test railway VNIIZhT in the Yuzhnoye Butovo District. VNIIZhT (ВНИИЖТ) is the Russian railway research institute of railway transport (Всероссийский научно-исследовательский институт железнодорожного транспорта)
See [http://www.vniizht.ru/_ru/1-structure/exp_osnov.html Экспериментальное кольцо ВНИИЖТа] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912081754/http://www.vniizht.ru/_ru/1-structure/exp_osnov.html |date=12 September 2009 }} 'Experimental ring VNIIZhT' www.vniizht.ru as well as being used on some parts of the Russian rail network.

After testing of the locomotive the engine was removed for static testing, and the locomotive body ballasted for use in high load tests of other vehicles.

The remains of the vehicle are believed to have been scrapped in 1993.

The locomotive did not result in any further orders.[https://archive.today/20130209225835/http://www.zinio.com/pages/TheRailwayMagazine/Aug-08/276298645/pg-29 The Railway magazine.] August 2008, via www.zinio.com

Some of the observations of Russian railway engineers relate to different practices between Russian and British locomotive design, specifically:

• Due to the smaller loading gauges in Great Britain, the cab windows were set too low for signals to be seen if the driver is standing.
• The passages were too narrow.
• The bogies were considered overly large.
• The requirement to sling the engine and compressor below the main frame was considered unusual.
• The stressed skin construction was noted as being not suitable due to corrosion increasing the susceptibility to structural weakening, as the load-bearing skin is thin and point welded.[http://ivan1950.tripod.com/Disel-Kestrel.html Тепловоз HS400 (Кестрелл)] Diesel HS4000 Kestrel ivan1950.tripod.com Author: Oleg Izmerov, Bryansk

The axle bearings, traction transmission[http://www.izmerov.narod.ru/privod/class.html Измеров О.В. : ЛАССИФИКАЦИИ ТЯГОВЫХ ПРИВОДОВ ПО ДИНАМИЧЕСКИМ СВОЙСТВАМ ДЛЯ ЗАДАЧ ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЯ РЕЛЬСОВЫХ ЭКИПАЖЕЙ] Classification of vehicle traction drives by dynamic properties, Author:O V Izmerov, it is noted that the axial drive found in the 'Kestrel' locomotive gives lower horizontal and vertical track forces than an axle hung motor on a TEP75 locomotive at 160 km/h. www.zimerov.narod.ru and spherical rubber metal joints in the suspension[http://www.izmerov.narod.ru/privod/privod20.html ТЯГОВЫЕ ПРИВОДЫ ПЕРИОДА МАССОВОЙ РЕКОНСТРУКЦИИ ТЯГИ] Traction drive suspension systems www.zimerov.narod.ru were considered of interest.

Some of the HS4000's technology was used to form the basis of, or improvements in, subsequent locomotives built in the Soviet Union.

HS4000 "Kestrel" is made as a kit and ready-to-run in OO gauge by Silver Fox Models.{{cite web|url=http://silverfoxmodels.co.uk/?p=4 |title=HS4000 Kestrel Co-Co Brush |access-date=17 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216073358/http://silverfoxmodels.co.uk/?p=4 |archive-date=16 December 2013 }}

Heljan of Denmark have produced a highly detailed OO scale model of the Kestrel, as part of a limited run of 4000 units.{{cite web|url=http://www.heljan.dk/faste_filer/modul.asp?vis=varekatalog&doo=vare&vareid=2574&gruppeid= |title=Brush/Hawker Siddeley KESTREL |work=www.heljan.dk |language=da |access-date=19 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216024222/http://www.heljan.dk/faste_filer/modul.asp?vis=varekatalog |archive-date=16 February 2010 }}

The Swanley New Barn Railway, in Swanley, Kent, operates a 7 1/4 inch gauge overscale version of the 'kestrel' which was built by Mardyke Miniature Railways. Unlike the full size, this model is a diesel-hydraulic.{{cite web |url=http://www.snbr.20m.com/kestrel2.html |title=Kestrel - HS4000 |access-date=19 March 2011 }}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book | last = Stevens-Stratten | first = S.W. |author2=Carter, R.S. | title = British Rail Main-Line Diesels | publisher = Ian Allan Ltd | year = 1978 | location = Shepperton | isbn = 978-0-7110-0617-1}}
• {{cite book|title=Brush Diesel Locomotives, 1940-78|first=George|last=Toms|publisher=Turntable Publications|location=Sheffield|year=1978|isbn=978-0902844483|oclc=11213057}}
• {{cite journal| url = http://transmag.selfip.com/pdf/loco/2000_09.pdf| journal = Локотранс| title = Тепловоз "КЕСТРЕЛ" "back in the USSR ..."| trans-title = Diesel locomotive Kestrel back in the USSR ...| language = ru| first = П.| last = Егунов| pages = 14–17| issue = 9| year = 2000| volume = 47| access-date = 19 February 2014| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140219213243/http://transmag.selfip.com/pdf/loco/2000_09.pdf| archive-date = 19 February 2014| url-status = dead}}
• {{cite book

|first1=Brian |last1=Webb

|author-link=Brian Webb (railway historian)

|title=Sulzer Diesel Locomotives of British Rail

|publisher=David & Charles

|year=1978

|isbn=0715375148

}}

• {{cite book|title=British Rail Main Line Diesel Locomotives|first1=Colin J.|last1=Marsden|first2=Graham B.|last2=Fenn|pages=26–29|publisher=Haynes|location=Sparkford|year=1988|isbn=9780860933182|oclc=17916362}}

{{Commons category|British Rail HS4000}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.parovoz.com/newgallery/?ID=235774&LNG=EN|title=HS4000 in 1985}} Photograph of HS4000 in Russia in a bad state of repair, still in Hawker Siddeley livery.

{{British Rail Locomotives}}

{{Rolling stock of Russia}}

HS4000

Category:Brush Traction locomotives

Category:Co-Co locomotives

Category:Experimental locomotives

Category:Soviet Union–United Kingdom relations

Category:Railway locomotives introduced in 1968

Category:Standard-gauge locomotives of Great Britain

Category:5 ft gauge locomotives

Category:Diesel–electric locomotives of Great Britain

Category:Diesel–electric locomotives of the Soviet Union

Category:Scrapped locomotives