Diesel brake tender Profile and Models

Diesel brake tender

B964122 at Rothley in July 2019. ©Dave Bower

Diesel Brake Tender

B964122 at Rothley in July 2019. ©Dave Bower

British Rail discovered that their newly introduced diesel locomotives in the 1950s and 1960s had insufficient braking force on trains of unfitted goods wagons. This was due to diesel locomotives being lighter than their steam counterparts, which provided greater tractive effort at a cost of lesser braking ability. The solution was to produce a fleet of small tenders, which took the form of a hollow box mounted on a frame with a pair of former carriage bogies. They were low enough so not to obscure the driver's view when being pushed but could also be pulled directly behind the locomotive. The practice of using unfitted goods trains was phased out in the 1980s and all diesel brake tenders were scrapped as a result. In 2017, a replica tender was produced at the Great Central Railway using remnants of a Mk1 corridor coach and was given the next number in the brake tender sequence - B964122.

(Information provided via Wikipedia)

Type of Vehicle

Diesel Brake Tender

Builder

British Rail

Build Dates

Early 1960s
(+ 1 replica in 2017)

Total Built

122
(+1 replica)

Wheel Configuration

2 x Bogies

Operated By

British Rail

Main Duties

Additional braking for diesel locomotives

In Service Until

1980s

Surviving Examples

All Scrapped
(1 replica produced)

 

Products awaiting categorisation

Scale Brand Image Construction Type DCC Capability Product Code Product Title Livery
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale) Dapol HM-DBT-016 BR Diesel Brake Tender B964116 in BR Dark Blue FYE (Limited Edition for Key Publishing) RTR/RTUse/Pre-assembled Not set HM-DBT-016
View
BR Diesel Brake Tender B964116 in BR Dark Blue FYE (Limited Edition for Key Publishing) Awaiting Categorisation
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale) Genesis Kits DBT2 Diesel brake tender kit (short round type) (Wheels and bearings not included) Requires assembly Not set DBT2
View
Diesel brake tender kit (short round type) (Wheels and bearings not included) Awaiting Categorisation
OO Gauge (1:76 Scale) Kitbuilt (unknown brand) KB141 Diesel Brake Tender B964017 in BR green - scratchbuilt RTR/RTUse/Pre-assembled Not set KB141
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Diesel Brake Tender B964017 in BR green - scratchbuilt BR plain green
O Gauge (1:43 Scale) GJH Plant Company No image available Requires assembly Not set RTV-GJH
View
BR RTV Diesel Brake Tender kit Awaiting Categorisation