Triple heading

[Rugd1022]

4 minutes ago, jim.snowdon said:

The Westerns were not fitted for multiple working.

 

 

 They're D8xx Warships, which were fitted with MW gear when new.

[Joner]

4 minutes ago, jim.snowdon said:

The Westerns were not fitted for multiple working.

 

 

What about Warships as quoted in the picture? ( I can't tell either way)

[jim.snowdon]

4 minutes ago, Hal Nail said:

 

What about Warships?

 

I think I've just proved the pedants here are firing on all cyclinders

 

It's post-Christmas. The brain cells aren't all jumpered up yet.

 

[The Stationmaster]

25 minutes ago, jim.snowdon said:

The Westerns were not fitted for multiple working.

 

 

Indeed so - but 'Warships' (as seen in that photo) were although I think only pairs could work in multiple.  At one time triple heading was not unusual in South Devon because D63XX were sometimes working as coupled pairs when used to assist front on passenger trains west of Newton Abbot

Edited December 26, 2021 by The Stationmaster

[Steadfast]

52 minutes ago, jim.snowdon said:

Technically, that's only single heading as the other locos are just dead train load.

Quite. Hence my comment to highlight all is not what it may seem, picture posted in response to an earlier post. Likewise the Mendip comments, to explain what you may see on the big trainset. 

 

Jo

[37114]

8 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

There was a period when iron ore trains from docks to steelworks in South Wales employed triple Class 37s, later displaced by pairs of Class 56.

 

Light engine workings used to be limited to a maximum of five coupled except where more restricted on specific routes by maximum bridge loadings etc. I'm not sure if that still applies across the board.

 

John

There was also a triple headed 37 hauled train for Ravenscraig from Mossend with Iron ore as well, with some dedicated 37/0s renumbered into the 3731x and 3732x series.

[RFS]

Not forgetting the Folkestone Harbour branch, where triple-headed R1s hauled boat trains up the 1-in-30 incline to Folkestone Junction at the top, sometimes with a 4th loco on the rear. 

 

EDIT: See https://railphotoprints.uk/p769364556/e8f4d5c95

Edited December 26, 2021 by RFS

[great central]

2 hours ago, 37114 said:

There was also a triple headed 37 hauled train for Ravenscraig from Mossend with Iron ore as well, with some dedicated 37/0s renumbered into the 3731x and 3732x series.

 

Like this, although it's coal....

 

https://youtu.be/6_gu0v33e7A

[Rivercider]

8 hours ago, Kris said:

Not quite a triple header but on the line to Newquay some passenger services were double headed and had a banker. This was a steam era thing. The 1953 working timetable lists the working load for a Castle or 10xx combined with a 78xx + assistance at the rear to Luxulyan as 450 tons.

I think that in the early diesel hydraulic era summer Saturdays saw pairs of class 22s assist Warships on some services, including to Newquay I think.

I can't find a photo at present but Diesel Hydraulics in the West Country by Huntriss and Gray has a Terry Nicholls photo of a Warship and a pair of class 22s on a lengthy Saturday service at St Budeaux in July 1963,

 

cheers

[keefer]

3 x 37 on Tunstead - Lostock Works limestone hoppers:

 

[Davexoc]

3 hours ago, 37114 said:

There was also a triple headed 37 hauled train for Ravenscraig from Mossend with Iron ore as well, with some dedicated 37/0s renumbered into the 3731x and 3732x series.

 

Don't know whether the Ravenscraig ones were modified in the same way as the Llanwern ones, 37300-308? IIRC, which had strengthened draw gear for hauling those iron ore trains.

[37114]

3 hours ago, Davexoc said:

 

Don't know whether the Ravenscraig ones were modified in the same way as the Llanwern ones, 37300-308? IIRC, which had strengthened draw gear for hauling those iron ore trains.

I am not sure they were, I think the renumbering was more to ring fence their use for that work, most were renumbered outside of works overhaul etc.

[BR traction instructor]

…why not quadruple header? Don’t forget the booked 3 x cut down cab 03s on the Burry Port & Gwendraeth Valley coal workings too.

 

BeRTIe

Edited December 27, 2021 by BR traction instructor

[keefer]

18 hours ago, great central said:

 

Like this, although it's coal....

 

https://youtu.be/6_gu0v33e7A

I think the first loco is burning coal!

[Titan]

I do wonder if that ties in with a story I was told by a Traction Engineer not long after that video was shot.  There had been reports of a class 37 making lots of black smoke and overheating.  So he was tasked with investigating and set up some monitoring equipment on the loco so he could better assess it's performance.  Measuring the voltage and current - presumably using the cab ammeter for the latter - that the generator was producing he discovered that he had about 2,000bhp coming out of the main generator alone!  Once the fuel racks and governor had been adjusted back to their proper settings all was well!!  I do wonder if that happens to be his head popping out of the window to see what was happening because it does look somewhat like him.  It might also explain why it was triple headed too, put the suspect loco on the front, and if it overheats you still have enough locos to keep the train running and get the suspect loco back to a depot without bother.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Titan

[nigb55009]

The leading loco was attached at Mossend for the climb to Ravenscraig. IIRC, there were special instructions that allowed the train to proceed without the need for a brake test, as was the norm when an assisting loco was attached.

[keefer]

Here's a more normal one:

A bit of clag to begin with, to be expected with a fresh loco but ok once underway.

Edited December 27, 2021 by keefer

[bradfordbuffer]

Tripple heading locos....for wimps...4x class 20s gladstone docks to edge hill with 45 loaded Haa...(always wet coal!) The 20s where "ment to be in tamden...ie 2 drivers 2 x 20s in multi" but alot of the time only one driver tut tut! Lovely on bank upto Walton and anfield at 2 in morning slipping and sputtering...

4 locos beet 3!

[nigb55009]

We used to have two class 20`s either end of 45 HAAs out of Bickershaw Colliery to Springs Branch. One night I was with the Driver on the leading pair, one of our 20s shut down as we were setting off after we`d crossed the weighbridge. The Driver kept going, if we`d have stopped it would have been game over. When the locos on the rear came into view, there was a huge flame coming from the exhaust of one of the 20s.When we reached the Branch I hooked the locos off to go on shed. We ran round to the front, but the other pair were heading on to the shed. We followed them onto the Fuel Road. It turned out they only had one loco working as well. Class 20s could shut down when climbing steep gradients because they were nose to nose. If the header tank was low it would expose the float valve, which was at one end of the tank, which caused the engine to shut down. The other loco would show full and keep going.

[keefer]

4 hours ago, nigb55009 said:

The leading loco was attached at Mossend for the climb to Ravenscraig. IIRC, there were special instructions that allowed the train to proceed without the need for a brake test, as was the norm when an assisting loco was attached.

Initially (when, I'm not sure) the trains were assisted in rear by a banker - until there were derailments possibly caused by too much effort on the curves, so the extra loco went on the front instead.