David Bromley

With regard to the figures quoted by Asmay 2002 above, the difficulty is that these represent tender prices from different manufacturers at different times for different production quantities i.e. they are not necessarily like for like costs. I seem to recall the book- Diesel Hydraulics of the Western Region-compared the costs of the NBL type 2 hydraulics and electrics (i.e. similar quantities from the same factory) and the hydraulics were a few £000 less. Given that the locos had the same engine and were otherwise broadly similar it suggests that hydraulic transmissions permitted a lower initial cost. With regard to ongoing costs I don't believe BR had sufficiently accurate costing systems in the 1960's to make a proper decision. The lighter weight of the hydraulic locos should have resulted in lower track costs and possibly lower fuel. One would think a loco with two engines would need more maintenance than a single engine loco, but this wouldn't apply to types 1-3. I believe the hydraulic loco engines were relatively reliable-at least compared to the 47's which had to be down rated and the Brush type 2's which had the engines all replaced. It seemed mad spending money on reengining the Brush type 2's and transfer many to the Western to replace the Hymeks, when the Hymeks were much more able and lighter. Better to have kept the Hymeks and scrapped the lardy Brushes, saving the reengining cost. I've never been convinced that the class 52's couldn't have provided electric heat/power. Space would have been available from removing the train heat boiler/tanks etc and I seem to recall the type2's for the Edinburgh-Glasgow push pull service had a separate generator installed. Again it seemed mad to withdraw the 52's, which were paid for and train crew and fitters trained on, to spend money on buying new 56's

I was a member of Buckley Wells in the mid 60's. Used to travel over from Leeds with some friends to go on the coach trips. The memory plays tricks but the coaches I went on all seemed to start from Manchester Victoria late on Saturday evening around closing time. Most of the sheds were visited on the Sunday but opportunity was taken to bunk round anything en route. Thus I can recall a trip just before a Christmas to East Anglia that called in at Tinsley at some unearthly hour and one to Scotland that made an unadvertised visit to Gateshead. I don't have any publications.