Class 26 plated cab door window

[GordonC]

One thing thats always puzzled me is why the Class 26s all had their cab door window plated over but it was never done with any other classes.

 

Why was this done? was there something about the 26s that made it necessary where even their close cousins Class 27s didn't?

 

[woodenhead]

Mention here of draught exclusion in the far north and possible tablet removal

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/15852-difference-between-class-26-and-27/ 

[GordonC]

Mention here of draught exclusion in the far north and possible tablet removal

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/15852-difference-between-class-26-and-27/ 

 

Good find! Interesting it highlights a few Class 27s which albeit temporarily gained plated cab door windows as a temporary measure until they could be properly fixed (or withdrawn as the case may be).

[stovepipe]

Its worth mentioning that even the lowland based 26s had cab door windows plated over, and many of these locos would not have been fitted with tablet catcher recesses originally. It would seem the reason was something more than just Inverness adaptating its fleet.

[pheaton]

The door was not plated over it is an entirely new door, and the most plausible reason I've seen is a cost cutting exercise. So they didn't have to maintain a droplight, and doors with wooden frames and droplights are prone to rot and also they rot the cab floor plating beneath the floor, as unlike a cab drop light there is no channels for the rain the drain through. Other cost cutting exercises were the removal of the locomotives engine instrument panel to save costs here as well.

 

The door i have in bits at the moment (for refitting to 26043) seems to indicate they were not insulated either, just a wooden frame with plywood backing and a fibreglass skin.

 

Considering they worked the far north the class 26s have the worst possible cab, after refurbishment all internal panels were removed from the desks exposing the pipework beneath, for ease of maintenance, 26's also only had 3 heaters in the cab, and the cab cookers removed.

 

"edit"

 

I believe the reason for the tablet catcher removal was so dual brakes could be fitted, if you look in the cab of a class 26 you will notice that there is a large circular depression closer to the centre of the desk then the current Fv4 brake valve, this was the original position of the vacuum brake, the Fv4 in its current position would have fouled the plate work for the tablet catcher.

Edited July 17, 2018 by pheaton

[w124bob]

Perhaps one of the reasons the cl 31's were so heavy, the weight of the doors!

[SRman]

I read somewhere that there were window breakages caused by the tablet exchanges, so they were replaced with solid doors - not plated over as such, but either new doors or completely re-sheeted doors (note the absence of beading on the windowless doors).

Not being expert on Scottish region affairs, I cannot vouch for the truth of this. The reason given earlier of draught exclusion is just as feasible, seeing as the end communication doors were also sealed up for that reason.

[GordonC]

Was it early 1970s that the doors were replaced on them? If it was an Inverness depot thing or to do with more use of tablet catchers on lines up there I'm surprised the Class 26s had that modification but I wasn't aware of other classes allocated there being similarly treated.

 

But when it was done class-wide, were the early 26/0s used on the Coal trains from Haymarket ever fitted with tablet catching equipment?

 

If this was D5302 in 1969 there's no sign of tablet catcher here https://www.flickr.com/photos/johngreyturner/3891943483/in/photolist-6VVecR-UcZL5w-orsPUP-aMV2rx-oZ3K3y

 

But some 27s will have had tablet catchers but no solid doors (short term fixes excepted) https://www.flickr.com/photos/johngreyturner/3891943791/in/photolist-6VVeia-9K2vyC-iKZp28-QBJpuS-bCWLsB-X8iSgh-xtiLFx-aDPNUK-59ePuP-PhGhPb-agG874-B5ybc4-aDPN5X-gkN7hs-aDPwQX-VuCpHn-RfQSQA-i52RH9-gkNuzL-ouokeh-ca8vbA-oayHYu-4vs9gH-gkN7oE-DNhKqH-p7Jcym-fUSA9R-ciUBm5-gkNNek-Jn14vB-t4zkAt-PeFDyw-r8Ni67-rrEB72-aDTEk3-fJ37sx-ra1rYN-o1bcdd-6GkopF-RLEfRS-bikV8X-9JZ4KP-9JFabR-rieBwJ-8Kn1o3-TU4xRW-XbH5iD-DnfVnW-fJ3avz-rqCv9C

[D6975]

D5300-19 were built without tablet catchers, D5320 up all had tablet catchers.  D5319 was later modified and fitted with tablet catchers, but the rest of the batch never had catchers.

[luckymucklebackit]

I don't see the connection between the tablet catcher recess and the doors, as can clearly be seen in the photo of the 27 linked to above the tablet catcher recess was below the cab windows, hence those locomotives that had tablet recesses had cab windows that slid horizontally, rather than dropped down.  The doors would have been the same irrespective if tablet catcher recesses were cut or not.

 

Jim