33109 at 2016 Bo'ness Diesel Gala
Video of BRCW-Sulzer Type 3 / Class 33 33109 at the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway Diesel Gala.
The Class 33s, popularly known as Cromptons due to their Crompton-Parkinson electrical equipment, are powered by a straight-8 ( a relatively uncommon configuration) diesel engine, Sulzer type 8LDA28, and equipped only with electric train heating equipment (i.e. no steam heat boiler).
Externally they are somewhat similar to the Class 26 and 27 MacRats although the two-character (albeit with bar indicators above) Southern Region headcode box is unique to that area and different from the four-character system used elsewhere.
The 33/1 sub-class, of which this is an example, was equipped with high-level brake pipes and jumper cables for push-pull operation with similarly equipped Electrical Multiple Units. As those units were powered by a live 3rd rail, providing equipment above the bufferbeam spared crews from getting so close to the live rail when coupling and uncoupling.