Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Couples, Twins, Two of Anything

British Railways Class 20’s, after initially working as solitary units on pick up freights, spent most of their time coupled together in pairs. Operating like this they could go where heavier single locomotives could not whilst still providing enough horses to shift a very good load. In the images below we see 20005 and 20008 at Woodhouse near Sheffield with a short freight before returning light to depot, their day’s work done. When these photos were taken in 1980 I believe the locomotives were allocated to Toton depot but when they were delivered in 1957 they worked in London being based at Devons Road depot in Bow. When new in 1957 they would have been identical but 33 years of service have resulted in minor detail differences that can be seen in the lighting arrangements on the front of their cabs.

Catch up with Cee’s B&W Challenge here