The highly recognisable and ubiquitous Type 2 Class 31 - popularly dubbed "Goyles" or "Peds" - was ordered under the 1955 Modernisation Plan and built by Brush Traction in Loughborough between 1957 and 1962. A massive fleet of 263 units was produced, and while their original Mirrlees engines were famously troublesome, a complete re-engining program with English Electric power cemented their status as a British Rail fallback favorite. Today, 36 of these remarkably resilient survivors have been preserved, and they continue to find plenty of work on heritage lines across the nation.
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This gallery celebrates a true survivor of the transition era and a quintessential workhorse of the modernising railway!