RMweb Gold rodent279 Posted December 17, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2021 I know some BR locos were used as generators at CEGB power stations from time to time. I think 47155 was one, and below is a pic of D54 at Willington power station in 1968. How many locos were used in this way, which ones were they, and where were they used? Pic from https://www.flickr.com/photos/intercitygbrailsphotos/ on flickr. Would make for an interesting little cameo model scene. Cheers N 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckymucklebackit Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 47155 at CEGB West Thurrock Power Station, in use as a stationary generator set, having been adapted to excite a turbo alternator following a serious fault on an auxiliary generator at the power station Jim 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
montyburns56 Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) I posted some pictures here of 47155 on it's way to Thurrock... Edited December 19, 2021 by montyburns56 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Dava Posted December 17, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 17, 2021 It seems the song by heavy metal band Judas Priest, ‘Stand by for exciter’ was actually about a Brush 4 being used for this duty at Kingsbury power station…. Dava Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold rodent279 Posted December 17, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 17, 2021 Interesting headcode on 47155 - 1240 - with the number 2 apparently a piece of paper stuck over the usual letter. I wonder what the significance was? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMortimer Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 (edited) Supposed to be the power output of the main generator when being used as an exciter. Source :- http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_numbers.php?s_loco=47155 "Whilst in use at the power station the route code was set to '1240' indicating (presumably) the hp output from the 47's main generator" Loco is still with us as 47815 with ROG Edited December 17, 2021 by PhilMortimer 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted December 17, 2021 Share Posted December 17, 2021 When I was working on IT system systems related to the electricity industry privatisation, one of the characteristics a power station might have (and would receive payment for having) was "Black start capability". Most stations had to connect to the National Grid and draw power to start themselves up. This meant that if the Grid was also down it had a problem coming back on stream, and this was apparently the problem in the North East of the US/Canada when a series of power stations tripped one after another and their grid fell over like a string of dominoes,and were out for quite some time (and 9 months later there was a spike in the birth rate!). It sounds as though the locos were providing this restart function. However I'm not sure that I understand the problem for the odd power station lacking the ability to start itself, on the assumption that there are others on line that can supply it via the Grid and at least some that can restart from dead. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 2 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said: … this was apparently the problem in the North East of the US/Canada when a series of power stations tripped one after another and their grid fell over like a string of dominoes,and were out for quite some time (and 9 months later there was a spike in the birth rate!). Apparently that is an urban myth: http://www.medicine.mcgill.ca/epidemiology/hanley/bios601/intensity-rate/GenesisOfAMisconception.pdf Didn’t stop people making songs about it, though: https://youtu.be/RBjYGu1fpfY Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold rodent279 Posted December 18, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 18, 2021 (edited) 9 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said: When I was working on IT system systems related to the electricity industry privatisation, one of the characteristics a power station might have (and would receive payment for having) was "Black start capability". Most stations had to connect to the National Grid and draw power to start themselves up. This meant that if the Grid was also down it had a problem coming back on stream, and this was apparently the problem in the North East of the US/Canada when a series of power stations tripped one after another and their grid fell over like a string of dominoes,and were out for quite some time (and 9 months later there was a spike in the birth rate!). It sounds as though the locos were providing this restart function. However I'm not sure that I understand the problem for the odd power station lacking the ability to start itself, on the assumption that there are others on line that can supply it via the Grid and at least some that can restart from dead. Sounds plausible to me-maybe a standby generator was out of service for some reason, and the 47 was providing black start capability. Though it does beg the question why they didn't hire in a temporary generator on a lorry, or have redundant capacity. Maybe temporary generators with that sort of capacity didn't exist then? Edited December 18, 2021 by rodent279 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Bucoops Posted December 18, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted December 18, 2021 More than one way to use a locomotive to power things. https://gizmodo.com/that-time-a-canadian-town-derailed-a-diesel-train-and-d-1846307148 I bet the 47 wasn't driven down the road to get there Titfield style Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted December 18, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2021 The class 47 was used as an exciter. An exciter generates the electricity to create the magnetic field in the main generator. 23 hours ago, rodent279 said: I know some BR locos were used as generators at CEGB power stations from time to time. I think 47155 was one, and below is a pic of D54 at Willington power station in 1968. How many locos were used in this way, which ones were they, and where were they used? Pic from https://www.flickr.com/photos/intercitygbrailsphotos/ on flickr. Would make for an interesting little cameo model scene. Cheers N Isn't D54 delivering oil to the power station? 1 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold rodent279 Posted December 18, 2021 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted December 18, 2021 1 minute ago, Clive Mortimore said: The class 47 was used as an exciter. An exciter generates the electricity to create the magnetic field in the main generator. Isn't D54 delivering oil to the power station? Apparently not, according to the Flickr caption. There are cables coming out from the loco. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim.snowdon Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 9 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said: The class 47 was used as an exciter. An exciter generates the electricity to create the magnetic field in the main generator. Isn't D54 delivering oil to the power station? See http://www.crepello.net/Willington/PowerStation.htm 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Clive Mortimore Posted December 18, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted December 18, 2021 11 minutes ago, jim.snowdon said: See http://www.crepello.net/Willington/PowerStation.htm Hi Jim Thanks, I found it earlier today and was going to post "Every day on RMweb is a school day" I knew about the 47 at West Thurrock but didn't know about D54 at Willington. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnofwessex Posted December 18, 2021 Share Posted December 18, 2021 On 17/12/2021 at 11:43, luckymucklebackit said: 47155 at CEGB West Thurrock Power Station, in use as a stationary generator set, having been adapted to excite a turbo alternator following a serious fault on an auxiliary generator at the power station Jim I thought that it had just been left overnight in a siding in Liverpool 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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