Interesting Facts

1. 1
   58016 covered the greatest mileage working as a passenger locomotive, recording 2,802 miles.
2. 2
   58041 and 58043 were the first members of the Class 58s to be exported.
3. 3
   58033 was the first member of the class to be painted into EWS maroon livery, and it carried the prototype version with the higher gold band.
4. 4
   58024 carried the “Three Beasties” logo while retaining the original EW&S lettering, making it unique within the class.
5. 5
   The Class 58 fleet was originally given an intended lifespan of 35 years, meaning withdrawals should not have started until 2018.
6. 6
   58017 was the first member of the class to be stored, in May 1999.
7. 7
   58050 was the last diesel-electric locomotive built by BREL and the last locomotive built at Doncaster Works.
8. 8
   58050 was fitted with SEPEX wheel-slip equipment, but it was removed before the locomotive entered traffic. The system was later incorporated into the Class 60 design.
9. 9
   58023 became the first member of the class to work in preservation, making its debut at the Severn Valley Railway Diesel Gala in October 2024.
10. 10
    58010 carried the name Audrey Newton for just one day, on 12 December 1987, as a birthday surprise arranged by David Newton, who was making BR nameplates at the time.
11. 11
    Class 58s were nicknamed “Bones” or “Egg Timers” because of their distinctive shape.
12. 12
    On 9 December 1982, the first locomotive, 58001, was formally handed over to British Rail at Doncaster Works.
13. 13
    On 6 August 1987, locomotive 58013 was hauling a freight train that ran away from Baddesley Colliery, Warwickshire, and was derailed at Kingsbury Sidings.
14. 14
    The most serious accident involving a Class 58 occurred on 20 November 1983, when 58019, hauling a Coalville–Rugeley MGR service, collided with a southbound steel train at Branston Junction near Burton-on-Trent. Although 58019 was derailed, it suffered no major damage. The Class 31 on the steel train, however, suffered severe side damage and cost more than £100,000 to repair.
15. 15
    58020 was originally named Doncaster Works BRE, but management was unhappy with the title, so it later received new nameplates simply reading Doncaster Works.
16. 16
    58002 was the first member of the class to perform passenger duties, hauling the “58 Pioneer” tour between Nuneaton and Matlock via Nottingham on 18 September 1983.
17. 17
    Pre-production drawings referred to the type as the “Standard Export Locomotive”.
18. 18
    58045 was briefly owned by the Class 58 Locomotive Group to provide spares for 58016. It was later scrapped.
19. 19
    58003, 58014, 58019, 58028 and 58045 were among the first members of the class to be scrapped at Kingsbury in 2010.
20. 20
    58022 was purchased by the LMS 10000 Project in 2016, and its chassis is intended for use in rebuilding LMS 10000.