Peterborough North

[great northern]

Time now for a West Riding relief, headed by Great Eastern.

 

 

 

This one stops here, and we aren't going to miss a well turned out KX A1 in glorious colour.

 

 

[jazzer]

8 hours ago, FarrMan said:

I didn't think that the class 40's could do 90. I though the best that they could do was about 75 or 80? Thankfully they did not last very long on the ECML.

 

Lloyd

Hi Lloyd,

The class 40’s were a bit of an enigma in a way. Far too heavy and basically superseded in performances by the Class 47’s that came about 4 years later and which were both more powerful and lighter.  The  class 40’s were rated at 90 mph maximum which they were able to achieve on Liverpool St - Norwich where loads were usually 9 coaches. However British Railways had these new diesels which were really no better in terms of performance than the steam locos they were intended to replace, and in some cases worse but still had to promote the Modernisation Scheme. It was one thing to match a Class 7 out of Liverpool St but something quite different to put them in place of a Class 8 on a heavy train on the ECML or WCML .  There are records of Class 40s struggling over Shap losing time with 15 coaches on the drawbar, while a Duchess which was specifically designed to cope with 15 coaches over Shap was following behind with an lightweight 8 coach relief which hardly taxed it at all. Such was the befuddled thinking in some parts of British Railways management in the early days of the Modernisation Scheme.

[great northern]

More pouring rain this morning, and very dark, but it is supposed to clear up later, so I may get the chance to try some more photographs. For now, we can have a close look at the three compartment brake behind Great Eastern, which our man felt was worthy of special attention.

 

 

 

As the A1 waited to leave, the 2.45pm local from Hitchin rolled in, bringing another very well kept engine to be admired. Madoqua had not been very well at all, but Hitchin's fitters got her going well enough to handle this undemanding duty.

 

 

[CUTLER2579]

Gilbert, could I trouble you for the Diagram of the Gresley 3 Compartment Brake in the last picture. I know it's not a Dia. 175 but other than that I am struggling.My only idea is a Diagram 174,but that's grasping at straws a little.

Regards,Derek.

Edited October 13, 2019 by CUTLER2579
Added a Guess..

[great northern]

33 minutes ago, CUTLER2579 said:

Gilbert, could I trouble you for the Diagram of the Gresley 3 Compartment Brake in the last picture. I know it's not a Dia. 175 but other than that I am struggling.My only idea is a Diagram 174,but that's grasping at straws a little.

Regards,Derek.

It is Comet based Derek, and described as Dia 40A/174, so you were grasping at the right straw.

[CUTLER2579]

Many thanks Gilbert, Igot my straw from the "Isinglass" website,now all I need is to find a Kit in 7MM Scale.

Thanks for such a prompt reply. At least our Duck from Retford will be happy in this weather.

[great northern]

7 hours ago, jazzer said:

Hi Lloyd,

The class 40’s were a bit of an enigma in a way. Far too heavy and basically superseded in performances by the Class 47’s that came about 4 years later and which were both more powerful and lighter.  The  class 40’s were rated at 90 mph maximum which they were able to achieve on Liverpool St - Norwich where loads were usually 9 coaches. However British Railways had these new diesels which were really no better in terms of performance than the steam locos they were intended to replace, and in some cases worse but still had to promote the Modernisation Scheme. It was one thing to match a Class 7 out of Liverpool St but something quite different to put them in place of a Class 8 on a heavy train on the ECML or WCML .  There are records of Class 40s struggling over Shap losing time with 15 coaches on the drawbar, while a Duchess which was specifically designed to cope with 15 coaches over Shap was following behind with an lightweight 8 coach relief which hardly taxed it at all. Such was the befuddled thinking in some parts of British Railways management in the early days of the Modernisation Scheme.

From all the recorded logs of journeys I've seen they certainly didn't seem to be any imprvement on a Pacific in reasonable condition. I do wonder though if there was another factor to consider. Sitting in the cab of a Type 4, however underpowered, must have seemed rather nice than when compared with with being thrown about on a rough riding steam engine, so how much influence might their views have had, via the unions, of course?

[great northern]

Did it clear up? Not much, and another monsoon is promised for tomorrow. I did get a little done though.

 

Nice clean B1 attracted one more shot.

 

 

and as the A1 left, our man recorded the formation, to show the very different make up of West Riding reliefs.

 

 

 

So, BSK3 4xSK8 BSK3 4xSK8 BSK3. All very symetrical, and no first class accomodation in sight, let alone catering. I was going to cheat by showing only the first four SKs, but honesty got the better of me, and so the Hornby things got a look in. I have a new description for them. Tubby, that's what they are. They look tubby.

[jazzer]

10 hours ago, great northern said:

From all the recorded logs of journeys I've seen they certainly didn't seem to be any imprvement on a Pacific in reasonable condition. I do wonder though if there was another factor to consider. Sitting in the cab of a Type 4, however underpowered, must have seemed rather nice than when compared with with being thrown about on a rough riding steam engine, so how much influence might their views have had, via the unions, of course?

 

What constitutes rough riding was a bit of a subjective test, depending on what people were used to. For example , the Stratford men thought the  Britannias were wonderful after their rough old B17’s but the Old Oak Common men thought they were awful compared to their Castles !  

 

I have never ridden on a steam engine at speed but I once had a cab ride in a class 47 to Manningtree and another one back to Liverpool St and both were kind of Ok but it wasn’t like riding in a coach. 

 

Driver Joe Duddington when describing his world record breaking run on Mallard said the ride started to get very rough at 70mph but as the speed rose Mallard became very smooth and started to glide over the track , so make what you will of that !

 

Incidentally, there is an excellent  BTC video on YouTube called “ Elizabethan Express”  describing every aspect of the Elizbethans journey in 1953 .There are some great shots in the cab during and after the crew change which seems to show the cab remarkably  smooth, clean and tidy, and the fireman , Mungo Scot is wearing, not boots but immaculate brogue shoes , which he somehow managed to keep clean while firing so cab  conditions couldn’t have been that bad !

 

Edited October 13, 2019 by jazzer

[manna]

8 hours ago, jazzer said:

 

What constitutes rough riding was a bit of a subjective test, depending on what people were used to. For example , the Stratford men thought the  Britannias were wonderful after their rough old B17’s but the Old Oak Common men thought they were awful compared to their Castles !  

 

I have never ridden on a steam engine at speed but I once had a cab ride in a class 47 to Manningtree and another one back to Liverpool St and both were kind of Ok but it wasn’t like riding in a coach. 

 

Driver Joe Duddington when describing his world record breaking run on Mallard said the ride started to get very rough at 70mph but as the speed rose Mallard became very smooth and started to glide over the track , so make what you will of that !

 

Incidentally, there is an excellent  BTC video on YouTube called “ Elizabethan Express”  describing every aspect of the Elizbethans journey in 1953 .There are some great shots in the cab during and after the crew change which seems to show the cab remarkably  smooth, clean and tidy, and the fireman , Mungo Scot is wearing, not boots but immaculate brogue shoes , which he somehow managed to keep clean while firing so cab  conditions couldn’t have been that bad !

 

G'day Folks

 

Have had Many class 47 cab rides, I always found them to be very steady riders, but then I was working on the ECML. The 47's had a gentle 'rock/sway' when moving, Class 31's were pretty good as well, class 46's, good ride and quiet. class 40, Bit on the uncomfortable side, not bad riding. Deltic's, didn't like them much, but they had speed.

 

manna

 

PS. I did hear of a story, how true I don't know, A driver was booked a Diesel loco and turned up for work with 'Carpet' slippers on, but the Diesel failed, and they gave him a Pacific, the Air went 'Blue'.

Edited October 14, 2019 by manna
Added interest.

[45156]

14 minutes ago, manna said:

PS. I did hear of a story, how true I don't know, A driver was booked a Diesel loco and turned up for work with 'Carpet' slippers on, but the Diesel failed, and they gave him a Pacific, the Air went 'Blue'.

I seem to recall this story, and the version I read was that the driver was booked for one or both of the ex LMS diesels 10000 oe 10001,  which failed, and he had to work the turn was 71000,  Duke Of Gloucester, which was then greatly disliked by most of not all Crewe North men.

[great northern]

Stock for the 4.32 to Harwich is brought in by yet another very clean engine, while the B1 waits for a path to New England.

 

 

Another under roof shot, but positioning not quite as good as it could have been.

 

 

This needed 13 seconds exposure, as I recall, and was asking a bit much of the camera.

 

Car has just gone in for service and MOT. I wonder how many A4s that is going to cost me?

[Clive Mortimore]

2 hours ago, manna said:

G'day Folks

 

Have had Many class 47 cab rides, I always found them to be very steady riders, but then I was working on the ECML. The 47's had a gentle 'rock/sway' when moving, Class 31's were pretty good as well, class 46's, good ride and quiet. class 40, Bit on the uncomfortable side, not bad riding. Deltic's, didn't like them much, but they had speed.

 

manna

 

PS. I did hear of a story, how true I don't know, A driver was booked a Diesel loco and turned up for work with 'Carpet' slippers on, but the Diesel failed, and they gave him a Pacific, the Air went 'Blue'.

Hi Terry

 

You can wear your carpet slippers when driving the Peterborough North locomotives. Gilbert's cleaning lady does a good job of hiding his stuff tidying up his mess.

[great northern]

3 minutes ago, Clive Mortimore said:

Hi Terry

 

You can wear your carpet slippers when driving the Peterborough North locomotives. Gilbert's cleaning lady does a good job of hiding his stuff tidying up his mess.

All cleaning ladies are totally banned from entering the railway room Clive. I shudder to think what chaos they might cause. I have a new lady actually, 30 years younger than the last one, rather decorative, and much better at heeding the instructions she is given. No, not that sort

[great northern]

No phone calls yet, so I assume there have been no nasty surprises at the garage. Having planned ahead for once, I got a running session and some photos done before darkness descended and the rain started tippling down. To celebrate all of this, except the weather, we shall have another view of a Glen.

 

 

 

 

 

[CUTLER2579]

There was me expecting a  Southern region type Glen of the Mattingley design 

[great northern]

Car passed MOT, bill less than half what it was last year, but pond level creeping up along the patio and now not far below the doors. Still pouring down too. Nothing I can do about it, so I'll find out how high it got in the morning.

 

Immaculate March B17s always attract the camera, so here is Milton again, first stationary.

 

 

 

and then as it starts on its journey, which certainly won't take it all the way to Harwich.

 

 

[great northern]

Milton still hogging the limelight.

 

 

 

But after it had finally gone out of sight, another transfer working down to East was able to make its way through.

 

 

The pond did not visit my lounge, by the way.

[A Murphy]

Glad to hear that Gilbert - fish in the fruit bowl is not a good look. 

 

Best wishes,

 

Alastair M

[Clive Mortimore]

58 minutes ago, great northern said:

 

The pond did not visit my lounge, by the way.

 

I was woken up very early by the environment agency telephoning me to prepare for a flood.......I did and went back to bed.

[great northern]

6 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

 

I was woken up very early by the environment agency telephoning me to prepare for a flood.......I did and went back to bed.

That's strange. I find I have to get up in the night now to avoid a flood.

[jwealleans]

Quote

I was woken up very early by the environment agency telephoning me to prepare for a flood.......I did and went back to bed.

 

What Clive doesn't mention is that he sleeps on an inflatable mattress in Speedos.  All he had to do was moor himself.

[KNP]

How do you know your bedroom is flooded.

When you sit up and bang your head on the ceiling!

 

I thank you.....

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, KNP said:

How do you know your bedroom is flooded.

When you sit up and bang your head on the ceiling!

 

I thank you.....

Phare enough.

[Clive Mortimore]

2 hours ago, jwealleans said:

 

What Clive doesn't mention is that he sleeps on an inflatable mattress in Speedos.  All he had to do was moor himself.

Don't tell everyone