Diesel locomotive Therefore, diesel traction became economical for shunting before it became economical for hauling trains. The construction of diesel shunters began in 1920 in France, in 1925 in Denmark, in 1926 in the Netherlands, and in 1927 in Germany. After few years of testing, hundreds of units were produced within a decade. Diesel-powered or "oil-engined" railcars, generally diesel–mechanical, were developed by various European manufacturers in the 1930s, e.g. by William Beardmore and Company for the Canadian National Railways (the Beardmore Tornado engine was subsequently used in the R101 airship). Some of those series for regional traffic were begun with gasoline motors
LMS diesel shunter 7052 LMS diesel shunter 7052 LMS diesel shunter 7052 was an experimental 0-6-0 diesel-mechanical shunting locomotive, introduced by the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSR) in 1934 and which remained in service with that railway for six years. It was later acquired for military use until 1966. No. 7052 locomotive was an experimental locomotive built by the Hunslet Engine Company at their Leeds works in 1934. It carried an original number of 7402 only within the works and was delivered as LMSR as number 7052. For six years it was used for shunting at Leeds before being loaned to the Air