The British Rail Class 56 is a type of diesel locomotive designed for heavy freight work.

It is a Type 5 locomotive, with a Ruston-Paxman power unit developing 3,250 bhp (2,423 kW), and has a Co-Co wheel arrangement.

Enthusiasts nicknamed them "Gridirons" (or "Grids" for short), due to the grid-like horn cover on the locomotive's cab ends fitted to nos.

During the early 1970s, it became clear to British Rail planners that a new Type 5 locomotive to handle heavy freight services would be needed.

[4] Accordingly, in 1974, BR placed an order for 60 freight locomotives, which were originally intended to be separately constructed in two batches of 30 at BREL's Doncaster Works and Brush Traction, Loughborough respectively.

[5][6] However, Brush had already reached the maximum capacity of their Loughborough site via several unrelated projects, making it unrealistic to perform the work in-house as had been foreseen.

[4] To overcome its constraints, the company's managers opted to subcontract its batch to the Romanian locomotive manufacturer Electroputere.

[7] On 29 April 1977, the first Class 56 locomotive to be constructed by Electroputere was handed over to British Rail, having been transported from Romania by ship via the port of Harwich.

[4] At one point, it was reportedly planned to deliver 20 locomotives each year; however, this ambitious schedule did not come to pass without consequence.

[4] At an early stage of the programme, BR had indicated its intention to place a follow-on order for the type following the delivery of the first 30 locomotives.

[4] As a consequence of poor experiences with the early Romanian-built members of the class, the subsequent locomotives featured significant modifications.

This change reportedly results in the power unit being considerably more robust, as well as greatly reducing the risk of flash-overs and other earth-related faults.

The test train consisted of a rake of rail-carrying flat wagons, with a former East Coast Metro-Cammell Pullman vehicle marshalled immediately behind the locomotive.

[14] In September 2011, DB Schenker (as EWS had become) placed its remaining 33 stored class 56s up for sale[15] with most expected to be sold for scrap.

[citation needed] In late 2011, DB Cargo UK sold 27 Class 56s for scrap to European Metal Recycling.

In 2006, three locomotives (56045, 56124 and 56125) were overhauled at Brush Traction and renumbered as 56301, 56302 and 56303 for Fastline, the British freight company launched by Jarvis.

The small fleet never achieved particularly impressive availability, and there were significant problems with bogies, turbochargers, and low power.

[citation needed] Formerly preserved 56057 (renumbered 56311) and 56003 (renumbered 56312) were operated by British American Railway Services under their Devon and Cornwall Railways subsidiary (formerly Hanson Traction), these were frequently hired to Colas Rail to work their intermodal services between Dollands Moor and Hams Hall, steel diagrams between Boston and Washwood Heath and their Dagenham to Dollands Moor "Transfesa" workings in London, supplementing Colas Rail's own class 47/7 fleet.

During 2011, 56312 was repainted into the same grey livery as 56311, but with advertising for the National Railway Museum's forthcoming 'Railfest 2012' event displayed on the body side (this has since been removed).

In December 2013 it was moved from Wansford (Nene Valley Railway) to their facility at Washwood Heath for evaluation for a possible mainline return but work has not been proceeded with.

56114 was stripped of usable parts and dispatched for scrapping during March 2012 and was cut up immediately after arrival at EMR Kingsbury.

[28][29][30] In late 2008, Colas Rail commenced operating steel trains from Immingham to Washwood Heath with Class 56s hired from Hanson Traction.

[34][35] In June 2018, GB Railfreight acquired 16 of the Class 56 locomotives owned by UK Rail Leasing, together with various parts.

[47] A couple of months later in early 2008, Hornby added a third model in the form of 56128 Burton Power Station, in Railfreight Coal Sector livery.