Br Swindon Type 1 0-6-0 Diesel-Hydraulic Locomotives - Class 14: Their Life on British Railways P. Sayer Anthony

In 1957, the Western Region of BR identified a need for 400 Type 1 diesel locomotives for short-haul freight duties but it was 1964 before the first was introduced. After completion of design work on the 'Western' locomotives, Swindon turned to creating a cheap 'no-frills' Type 1. General-purpose Type 1s were being delivered elsewhere but WR management regarded these as too expensive for their requirements.

Since 1957 the privatized road-haulage industry had decimated BR's wagon-load sector; whilst the 1962 Transport Act released BR from its financially-debilitating public-service obligations, the damage had been done, and the 1963 Beeching Plan focused on closing unprofitable routes and associated services. At 65% of the cost of the Bo-Bo alternative, the Swindon 0-6-0 represented a better 'fit' for the trip-freight niche. By 1963 the original requirement for 400 Type 1s had been