THE WESTERN REGION DIESEL HYDRAULICS - A Pictorial Observation

[Phil Bullock]

I have heard that when the WR acquired the Waterloo-Exeter route, the Swindon Warships were allocated to the depots on the route, presumably to keep the NBL locos free to work onto the LMR. Can anyone corroborate this?

 

My understanding is that the Southern Region depot W-E drivers only received traction training on the Swindon Class 42s, so they were allocated to the WR depots, such as Newton Abbot, that provided traction for the W-E line. Presumably the odd Class 43s known to have worked on the route were crewed by WR drivers. I would say that - rather than keeping the NBL locos free to work onto the LMR, casting a positive light on the situation - the objective was to keep the less reliable NBLs on the WR where they could be mollycoddled and kept a closer eye on to try and minimise failures.

 

Now then chaps - no perpatuating of myths please just cause its Christmas!

 

The only depots that 42s were ever allocated to were Laira and Newton Abbot. But Southern drivers certainly were trained on them. 

 

Class 42: http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=class&id=34&type=D&page=alloc

 

Likewise for the 43s until 1967 when Old Oak Common acquired a goodly chunk for loan to the LMR and use on Worcester/Hereford trains, no doubt as a result of them being released from the West Country depots as traffic requirements changed.

 

Class 43 : http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=class&id=35&type=D&page=alloc

 

When the 42s moved on to the Waterloo - Exeters in 1964 they used Stewarts Lane or Old Oak at the London end for servicing/fuelling purposes  - Old Oak of course being used if they came up on WR traffic.

 

What this highlights is that locos on far flung workings would be crewed by drivers from depots without an allocation of the class although a class member would usually have been provided on loan initially for crew training purposes. 

 

What is also generally not widely realised is that 43s reached LMR territory in the Midlands via Gloucester/Worcester and the Lickey - not just via Oxford and Banbury.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

[Peter Kazmierczak]

On a purely pedantic point, D800 was originally allocated to Swindon in 8.58, before moving to Laira the following month. But as is said above,for the rest of their service lives they were either at LA or NA.

[robertcwp]

My understanding is that the Southern Region depot W-E drivers only received traction training on the Swindon Class 42s, so they were allocated to the WR depots, such as Newton Abbot, that provided traction for the W-E line. Presumably the odd Class 43s known to have worked on the route were crewed by WR drivers. I would say that - rather than keeping the NBL locos free to work onto the LMR, casting a positive light on the situation - the objective was to keep the less reliable NBLs on the WR where they could be mollycoddled and kept a closer eye on to try and minimise failures.

Salisbury drivers signed for 43s I believe - and my information came from someone who knows lots about Warships.

[The Stationmaster]

Now then chaps - no perpatuating of myths please just cause its Christmas!

 

The only depots that 42s were ever allocated to were Laira and Newton Abbot. But Southern drivers certainly were trained on them. 

 

Class 42: http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=class&id=34&type=D&page=alloc

 

Likewise for the 43s until 1967 when Old Oak Common acquired a goodly chunk for loan to the LMR and use on Worcester/Hereford trains, no doubt as a result of them being released from the West Country depots as traffic requirements changed.

 

Class 43 : http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=class&id=35&type=D&page=alloc

 

When the 42s moved on to the Waterloo - Exeters in 1964 they used Stewarts Lane or Old Oak at the London end for servicing/fuelling purposes  - Old Oak of course being used if they came up on WR traffic.

 

What this highlights is that locos on far flung workings would be crewed by drivers from depots without an allocation of the class although a class member would usually have been provided on loan initially for crew training purposes. 

 

What is also generally not widely realised is that 43s reached LMR territory in the Midlands via Gloucester/Worcester and the Lickey - not just via Oxford and Banbury.

 

Cheers

 

Phil

 

Very good, and seemingly oft misunderstood, point made there Phil. The allocation of locos did not relate to the depots where drivers were trained on them - for example Reading men were trained on 'Warships' (I believe of both varieties) and had regular work on them as did Swindon and Taunton men.

 

Many of the WR hydraulic classes worked on quite complex cyclic diagrams which could involve three or four locos and which took them a long way from their home depots for several days at a time so inevitably men from other depots would be driving them.  Equally there were examples of depots having work on classes which were not even diagrammed to appear at the depot for any reason at all but were simply relieved on trains calling at a nearby station or marshalling yard.

[MikeParkin65]

Got mine from Tewkesbury

Thanks for this top tip! Nipped down this morning on the Yamaha (therefore not battling to park) and got a copy. Two left on the shelf. This branch seems particularly wellnstocked with railway bookazines - will have to remember!

[Phil Bullock]

Thanks for this top tip! Nipped down this morning on the Yamaha (therefore not battling to park) and got a copy. Two left on the shelf. This branch seems particularly wellnstocked with railway bookazines - will have to remember!

 

Thats worth knowing Mike! Could be the Boskett family influence at work there. Will have to call in in future when I visit our favourite Chinese - The Great Wall in the High Street - for our takeaways...

 

Phil

[Phil Bullock]

On a purely pedantic point, D800 was originally allocated to Swindon in 8.58, before moving to Laira the following month. But as is said above,for the rest of their service lives they were either at LA or NA.

 

Thanks Peter. For crew training purposes possibly? In the same way D1000 was at Wolves Stafford Road and used to appear at exotic locations such as Stourbridge Junction when the D1000s first appeared in traffic.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/78911862@N06/8653725527 - on one of these runs, what a fantastic capture!

 

Cheers

 

Phil

Edited December 22, 2018 by Phil Bullock

[Peter Kazmierczak]

Thanks Peter. For crew training purposes possibly? In the same way D1000 was at Wolves Stafford Road and used to appear at exotic locations such as Stourbridge Junction when the D1000s first appeared in traffic.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/78911862@N06/8653725527 - on one of these runs, what a fantastic capture!

 

Cheers

 

Phil

Dunno about your first point Phil. Might be, or perhaps it was commissioning ex-Swindon Works. Similar to some steam locos being initially

allocated to Swindon after being built in the nearby works.

 

Still one copy of Robert's work on the shelf at WHS in Wimborne this morning.