British Railways
Class 37003
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Vulcan Foundry
British Rail Class 37
1960
Co-Co
EE 12CSVT
Diesel-Electric
Away (Under Repair)
British Railways Class 37 Diesel-Electric (Type 3)
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The British Railways Class 37, also known as the English Electric Type 3, is a class of diesel-electric locomotive built by Vulcan Foundry and Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns between 1960 and 1965. A total of 309 locomotives were produced.
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The Class 37s were designed as versatile mixed-traffic locomotives, capable of working passenger trains—including higher-speed InterCity services on the Eastern Region—as well as heavy freight across the rest of the network. They quickly became a familiar sight nationwide, with major allocations at Cardiff Canton, Thornaby, and Landore depots. Their reliability and strong performance soon established them as one of the mainstays of the BR fleet, earning a reputation as both powerful and dependable.
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Following the privatisation of British Rail, many Class 37s were purchased by freight and charter operators. Their continued usefulness has helped the class achieve remarkable longevity, making them one of the longest-serving British locomotive classes. Significantly, the Class 37 is one of only two diesel classes never to have been officially withdrawn from mainline service.
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Of the 309 built, 102 remain active today. This total includes 35 locomotives preserved at heritage railways and 67 still in operational use with mainline operators—demonstrating the enduring legacy of this iconic design.
37003
Locomotive 37003 was released from the Vulcan Foundry on 28 February 1960, originally numbered D6703, and allocated to Stratford (30A). In April 1963, it was due to be named “First East Anglian Regiment”. However, the ceremony was cancelled when, only days beforehand, three regional regiments were amalgamated into The East Anglian Regiment, leaving the name unused.
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Over its BR career, 37003 was allocated to several depots, including March, Wath, Tinsley, and Thornaby. While at Tinsley Depot in 1989, it was given the unofficial name “Tiger Moth”, which it carried until 1992, when the name was removed during an overhaul at Doncaster. The locomotive was withdrawn from traffic in 1994 and stored at Bescot and later Crewe before being purchased by the Class 37 Locomotive Group in 1998.
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Following preservation, 37003 was initially moved to the East Anglian Railway Museum at Chappel. It later worked at the Wensleydale Railway (2004), before relocating to Locomotion, Shildon (2007), and finally arriving at the Mid-Norfolk Railway in 2009. In 2012, it was named “Dereham Neatherd High School”.
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The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 2016 due to a leaking cylinder liner. Sent to UKRL Leicester in 2017 for repairs, further inspection revealed a major engine fault. Since then, 37003 has remained at Leicester undergoing extensive restoration work.