Class 33 Number 33116 Thrashing North! BR Blue Crompton Powers Away From Rothley Station on The GCR

British Rail Class 33 No. 33116 / D6535 in BR Blue
Built by the Birmingham Railway Carriage and Wagon Company (BRCW) at Smethwick in December 1962 (entering service as D6535, later renumbered 33116 under TOPS and previously named Hertfordshire Rail Tours), 33116 (D6535) is a 64-year-old Bo-Bo heavy mixed-traffic diesel-electric 'Crompton' locomotive based at the Great Central Railway as part of the National Collection, maintained by the 5305 Locomotive Trust. Powered by an 8-cylinder inline Sulzer 8LDA28 turbocharged diesel engine producing 1,550 hp (1,156 kW) at 750 rpm, the locomotive drives four Crompton Parkinson traction motors via a Crompton Parkinson generator set. Operating with an all-up weight of 77 tonnes (75.8 long tons), 33116 generates a starting tractive effort of 45,000 lbf (200 kN), a continuous tractive effort of 26,000 lbf (116 kN), an operational top speed of 85 mph (137 km/h), and holds an onboard fuel capacity of 3,600 litres (800 imperial gallons). The push-pull equipped subclass 33/1 locomotive is magnificently turned out in resplendent British Rail Corporate Blue livery featuring full yellow ends (FYE), a matching blue roof, and a high-level orange cantrail warning stripe running along the upper bodyside edge.

British Rail Mark 1 6-Coach Maroon Passenger Rake
Coupled directly behind the locomotive is an immaculately preserved six-coach rake of British Rail Mark 1 passenger stock, all uniformly finished in rich British Railways Maroon livery with light grey roofs. In sequential order from front to rear, the consist opens with three consecutive Tourist Standard Open (TSO) vehicles—including E4630, E4830, and E4857—providing ample open-plan seating. Positioned centrally in the fourth position is a Restaurant Miniature Buffet (RMB) car catering to gala passengers. Following the buffet car, the fifth carriage is a Gangwayed Full Brake (BG) vehicle, E9316, providing dedicated guard and luggage accommodation, while the trailing rear vehicle is a fourth Tourist Standard Open (TSO) coach, E5007, completing the six-carriage preserved maroon mainline consist.

Thrashing out of Rothley Station on the 12:00 Leicester North to Loughborough Service
Seen in 8K 16:9 widescreen on Saturday, 5th of September 2026 at 12:18, Class 33 No. 33116 (D6535) works the 12:00 passenger service from Leicester North to Loughborough Central during the Great Central Railway's Autumn Diesel Gala. Heading north along the double-track mainline, the 64-year-old Sulzer Crompton is captured thrashing hard as she departs Rothley station. Accelerating out from beneath the Station Road bridge, the 1,550 hp Sulzer 8LDA28 engine produces a magnificent wall of sound and exhaust, while the home semaphore signals ahead display a clear right of way for the northbound line on a glorious, sunlit autumn afternoon.

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