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Hornby Class 71


TravisM
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With the new Hornby class 71 on the horizon, apart from the boat trains, what else did they work and were they common over the Southern Region or restricted to the SE area?  I did see 71005 at Eastleigh undergoing maintence in the mid 70's, did they work there or dragged?

 

Julian Sprott

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Not dragged, Jools, as the LSWR mainline to Bournemouth was electrified from 10th July 1967. The 71s were typically on the South Eastern Division, so roamed SE London and Kent. Stewarts Lane Depot, Battersea, tended to be their home, although I used to see two or three parked at Hither Green sidings in the early '60s. They were equipped with pantographs for use in suitably equipped yards and sidings on the SED, and freight was their intended use. In truth they were more numerous than needed, especially as freight traffic fell away in the '60s. Thus the conversion of some to EDL status as Class 74s for the SWD was pretty painless.

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I don't know about the south east, but I want an ex-works 71 for a layout based in the East Midlands during the late 50s, because most were delivered south via the GC for much of the route.

Edited by jonny777
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Regular passenger work was restricted to the Golden Arrow and Night Ferry, at least post-1962. During the electrically-worked steam railway TT of the preceding twelve months they worked certain other passenger services which were unsuitable for emu operation - the 7.12 Holborn Viaduct/ 7.24 London Bridge - Ramsgate SO/Margate SX was one of them.

 

They worked a lot of parcels/mail/newspaper trains.

 

They worked block trains of continental ferry vans between Dover Ferry Berth and Hither Green Continental Freight Depot.

 

They also worked certain freight services and, as has been mentioned, some sidings were wired to facilitate this, examples that come quickly to mind include reception roads at Hither Green Sidings, Hoo Junction, Shepherdswell and Mr. Angerstein's Railway.

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'Think you'll find they actually lasted until the miner's strike in 1984!  :-)

 

And a few years beyond.

 

Tilmanstone closed in 1986 and Snowdon in 1987.

 

Betteshanger Colliery was the last to close in 1989.  

 

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Is it safe to say that their booked workings were mainly within the SE Division and into Victoria?  They were as unique to that division as the Class 74's to the South Western and the Class 73's were the "go anywhere" loco?

 

Julian Sprott

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  • 5 weeks later...

The collieries at Shepherdswell, Snowdon and Betteshanger all had OLE for the 71's to work into the sidings at each location.
 
Kent miners were regarded as some of the most militant, many originally came down from the Potteries.
 
Quantities of minestone waste from Betteshanger were used to construct the new embankments between Selhurst and East Croydon in the early 1980's.

 

EDIT: Don't think Betteshanger did

Edited by Southernman46
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Is it safe to say that their booked workings were mainly within the SE Division and into Victoria?  They were as unique to that division as the Class 74's to the South Western and the Class 73's were the "go anywhere" loco?

 

Julian Sprott

That is a very fair assessment. Stewarts Lane (Battersea) was the depot for the ELs - and small EDLs - in their heyday. I suspect (but don't know) that Eastleigh looked after the 74s.

 

But my earliest gricing was conducted on the Central Division around Redhill 1960-1, and I am convinced I saw one or more E5000s thereabouts. This could, of course, have been during the period after Kent Coast Electrification Phase 1, and prior to completion of Phase 2, so traction-training (as distinct from route-learning) might well have been done on the Central instead.

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The collieries at Shepherdswell, Snowdon and Betteshanger all had OLE for the 71's to work into the sidings at each location.

 

Kent miners were regarded as some of the most militant, many originally came down from the Potteries.

 

Quantities of minestone waste from Betteshanger were used to construct the new embankments between Selhurst and East Croydon in the early 1980's.

'Didn't know that Betteshanger had wires!  :-)

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That was a class 74. I mistakenly put class 71 in the other thread. Even so a very rare visitor to Reading.

Close, but no cigar lol,

 

Julian Sprott

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This may be of interest - SED freight headcodes 1966-7 from the WTT.

 

There have been books which have covered the 71s amongst other things but never really in depth.  The class is a minefield of variations in livery and bodyside grilles amongst other things. 

 

Here is one still with no yellow panel in 1967 on a train including blue/grey stock:

5519539925_91ccd4fa03.jpgE5009_PettsWd_8-4-67 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

Here are some yellow panel variants:

5076609650_6c01551d11.jpgE5016_Ashford_9-67 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

5448033094_541609e747.jpgE5008_BromleyS_24-4-67 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

5431431222_f0490c7bf5.jpgE5001_BromleySouth_13-6-67 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

5465917701_c704597fb6.jpgE5014_NightFerry_15-10-67 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

 

Different grilles on this one:

5430823493_bbfc5fdb4b.jpgE5004_PettsWood_1030-Vic-DoverM_GoldenArrow_25-6-67 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

No grilles either side of the middle window on this one:

5622144902_ace7e60c33.jpgE5011_ClaphamJct_GoldenArrow-ECS by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

A distant shot but this one is green with full yellow ends:

5408159022_bee223eb38.jpgE5001_GoldenArrow_DuntonGrn 20-4-69 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

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Forgive my ignorance of most things SR, but I never realised the Golden Arrow Pullman stock was painted in blue/grey. I'm sure that I read somewhere that only Brighton Belle coaches were so adorned, or maybe it was on a commercial video commentary. It looks as though some of them even had the reversed Pullman livery, and I thought only the Met Camm stock received that.

 

This forum is certainly a mine of info, even if I am 45 years behind the times.

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There was a discussion elsewhere in the forums about the reversed livery on a few Golden Arrow Pullmans - and how hideous it looked!

As the photo shows, after that, they were painted in blue and grey with white lining, very similar in style to the Brighton Belle. Hornby did produce this livery with their older 'Lucille' Pullman model.

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It's definitely HG - Hoo Jn never had tower lights like that - I've went up that particular one back in the 80's (just the once ! :O).

 

This "hill" just to the right of the loco buffers is the raised ground around the Blackheath area in the distance.

On Flickr, This guy has it right.............

SteveBristol5013 3y

Possibly during construction of HG Continental Depot on the up side

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Think its Hither Green, during the building of the Continental, the large lighting tower is the give away, AIUI Hoo didn't have towers due to the proximity of the National Grid pylons.

 

Simon

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