Class 26 Connecting Doors

[sulzer27jd]

Can anyone confirm a date when the connecting doors on class 26's started to get sealed up? I have a Heljan in small yellow panel livery, with no doors on the nose. I had assumed that this was inaccurate and that I would need to deal with this myself. However, I have found a photograph of D5326 taken in July 1967, in this livery, but with no visible signs of the doors, i.e. no lines or hinges. This got me wondering about when the decision was taken to not only not use them, but to remove them completely and how that related to the start of the full yellow end.

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

John

[pheaton]

Can anyone confirm a date when the connecting doors on class 26's started to get sealed up? I have a Heljan in small yellow panel livery, with no doors on the nose. I had assumed that this was inaccurate and that I would need to deal with this myself. However, I have found a photograph of D5326 taken in July 1967, in this livery, but with no visible signs of the doors, i.e. no lines or hinges. This got me wondering about when the decision was taken to not only not use them, but to remove them completely and how that related to the start of the full yellow end.

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

John

As far as i know only the ones tested on the ER had them so not all of them had the doors, im pretty certain only the pilot batch had them, my maintenance manual i use on 26043 doesn't show them in the drawings, and that manual dates from nov 1959, (about halfway through the build) there is a photo of two of them on a depot with the nose doors connected, but i think its on a eastern region depot.

 

26043 has no evidence of ever having a door or a bellows fitted.

 

The ones that had the door i expect would have lost them on their first works visit. doors would not have been used when they were transferred to the scottish region The internal door was retained for access to pipework on the later builds.

Edited May 22, 2017 by pheaton

[25901]

All the 26's were built with doors and the loco's were so good that BR ordered the 27's which also were fitted with doors (the success of them is another story). As Pheaton has said, they seem to have lost them on their works visits

 

Here are some pics of D5336 and D5340 with doors.

 

http://www.ambaile.org.uk/detail/en/26761/1/EN26761-aberfeldy-station-d5336-taking-water.htm

http://www.davidheyscollection.com/00-0-a-pr-batty-D5340.jpg

 

You have to remember the 26's had a very big rebuild, not just the dual braking and removal of train heat, a little known fact was some, if not all of them were fitted with ex 25/27 power units that were down rated. I have even bought the power unit out of 26032 as a full spare for 25262 as it was a 1250hp built unit

[pheaton]

Stand corrected 25901 :-) I thought it was just the first 19 that had them as my manuals start from 20 onwards and don't show them in the design but they are clearly evident in those two phots :-)

[pheaton]

As an aside 25901 has that unit been fitted with b series fuel pumps and injectors?

[russ p]

I'm sure I've seen a picture of a 27 with bellows so I would assume that if 27s had them all of the 26s would have been fitted from new

[25901]

As an aside 25901 has that unit been fitted with b series fuel pumps and injectors?

 

Yes but no inter cooler and no gen set of course. Forgot his name but we got it through a great guy to talk to at MC Metals. That unit now stored in sunny Devon, there is still one ex 26 unit at Bury for D5054 if needed (hope not)

 

The 24's still have "A" units which has caused issues in the pass with D5054 as you can't change just one head when the spare heads are "B"s

Edited May 22, 2017 by 25901

[Dava]

On the West Highland lines the end door gangways were said to be useful for stowing fishing rods, keep nets, even 12-bores and any fish or game bagged along the way......

 

Dava

[stovepipe]

Can anyone confirm a date when the connecting doors on class 26's started to get sealed up? I have a Heljan in small yellow panel livery, with no doors on the nose. I had assumed that this was inaccurate and that I would need to deal with this myself. However, I have found a photograph of D5326 taken in July 1967, in this livery, but with no visible signs of the doors, i.e. no lines or hinges. This got me wondering about when the decision was taken to not only not use them, but to remove them completely and how that related to the start of the full yellow end.

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

John

I would say the doors were removed over the period from 1967 to 1971. there were quite a number that remained in gsyp after the work had been done, and many of the late examples with doors were in plain blue fye. It seems then that doors weren't necessarily removed at the same time as works repaints were done

[sulzer27jd]

I would say the doors were removed over the period from 1967 to 1971. there were quite a number that remained in gsyp after the work had been done, and many of the late examples with doors were in plain blue fye. It seems then that doors weren't necessarily removed at the same time as works repaints were done

 

Thanks, Stovepipe, that seems to fit with what I have found though a search of photographs. I am probably not surprised at the date for the doors being removed, but perhaps more so by the fact that the small yellow panel was reinstated rather than the full yellow end. 

 

There is always something new to learn!

[Signaller69]

Thanks, Stovepipe, that seems to fit with what I have found though a search of photographs. I am probably not surprised at the date for the doors being removed, but perhaps more so by the fact that the small yellow panel was reinstated rather than the full yellow end.

 

There is always something new to learn!

According to Strathwood's rather nice book on the 26/27s probably the only green 26 to receive a fywp (cab ends only, not cabsides which kept the white window surrounds) was D5335 by Aug 1969 (nose doors plated over). It was still in green fywp patch painted minus the white bodyside stripe and cabside windows in October 1971.

 

Looking through the photos suggests the nose doors were sealed between around 1967 and 1971ish as others have said.

 

HTH.

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

5413, Derby works. 29.8.70.

If you look closely, the weld lines of where the door and hinges were are starting to appear.

 

Mike.

[stovepipe]

Actually I think this shows D5413 in the in-between phase - the doors are sealed up, but they haven't been replaced as the hinges can still be seen - this shot shows it a little better.

 

https://flic.kr/p/c6s6BS

 

There was less variety in the class 26 liveries than the class 27, with D5335 being the only green full yellow example as noted above. Don't forget that the cab door windows started to be sealed up from 1970, and the wrap round yellow fronts started appearing in 1971, taking 2 years or so to complete.

Edited May 23, 2017 by stovepipe

[The Johnster]

Slightly OT, but were the end communication doors on modernisation plan diesels ever used in normal service?

['CHARD]

Weatherproofed doors on 5338.  Not seen this before, only the equivalent mod on 60A Class 24s.

 

https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=55734

[Vanders]

Slightly OT, but were the end communication doors on modernisation plan diesels ever used in normal service?

I believe the doors on the 21's were used semi-regularly, if for no other reason that they were so unreliable it wasn't unusual for the second man to have to climb all the way back to the 2nd loco to deal with it.

[stovepipe]

I've also seen photos of class 24, 27 and 28 with doors in use, but never 22, 23, 25, 30/31, 37, 40 or 44.

[Enterprisingwestern]

Actually I think this shows D5413 in the in-between phase - the doors are sealed up, but they haven't been replaced as the hinges can still be seen - this shot shows it a little better.

 

https://flic.kr/p/c6s6BS

 

There was less variety in the class 26 liveries than the class 27, with D5335 being the only green full yellow example as noted above. Don't forget that the cab door windows started to be sealed up from 1970, and the wrap round yellow fronts started appearing in 1971, taking 2 years or so to complete.

 

5334. Inverness. 1.4.72.

 

 

Back in the day, we assumed some had the existing doors welded up, and some, as above, just had mastic/filler applied.

 

Weatherproofed doors on 5338.  Not seen this before, only the equivalent mod on 60A Class 24s.

 

https://www.railscot.co.uk/imageenlarge/imagecomplete.php?id=55734

 

What quantifies weatherproofing, as I may have other pics.

 

Mike.

 

 

Edited May 23, 2017 by Enterprisingwestern

[keefer]

I've also seen photos of class 24, 27 and 28 with doors in use, but never 22, 23, 25, 30/31, 37, 40 or 44.

Haresnape's British Rail Fleet Survey had a pic of two 40s in green with the doors in use, with the comment it was probably a Royal train.

Regarding the 26s, Brush Veteran's Flickr has some good pics of the green/blue transition period.

[Vanders]

Slightly OT, but were the end communication doors on modernisation plan diesels ever used in normal service?

I knew this rang a bell: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/49391-diesel-nose-gangway-doors/