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Class 08 performance


Foden

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EE350 are quite unusual in having two traction motors, whereas most other rod-coupled shun tees have only one driven axle (or jackshaft), which may account for rod-bending. My guess would be that the rods are deliberately sized as the weakest link in the chain, to avoid damage to other, more difficult to fix, parts, but they were designed so long ago that the falculations may well be lost in the mists of time.

 

K

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Going back to the Merehead Switcher a sec, the most this regularly pushes out is around 2200t, and it does this with ease. The yard is uphill away from the quarry. It takes a pair of 08s in tandem to match this performance when the Switcher is out of use. The Switcher is 1000 bhp delivering tracvtive effort of 57,500 lbs, for comparison

 

Jo

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I remember watching 08's hauling over 1000 tons at Rugby. I think it was even slightly uphill. They did it without slipping, but very very slowly - they were driven absolutely flat out, and the shunter was easily able to keep up walking alongside at a fairly leisurely pace...  I had never heard an 08 at full throttle for minutes on end! Undoubtably the ultra low double reduction gearing was doing it's job...

Shortly after Guiness aquired their two 08s, I got sent over because they couldn't shut one down. Arrived at the security gate to be pointed in the direction of the noise, and found a shut down 08 sounding like a dumper truck running flat out. A swift look under the bonnet revealed just one fuel pump stuck wide open. Just that one cylinder was turning the engine over at significantly above tick-over. A drop of oil fixed the problem, but had to run it on 6 for a while to bring the temperature down. They sound a lot sweeter running on 6 cylinders....

 

Dave

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I must admit I do like how 08s sound under load, also the lovely electrical 'clunk' they make when you go from notch 1 to Off

 

I'm quite lucky that as well as signing 08s i get to go out on the mainline with one now and again, ok it's only in derby station limits but it's great fun!

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I must admit I do like how 08s sound under load, also the lovely electrical 'clunk' they make when you go from notch 1 to Off

I'm quite lucky that as well as signing 08s i get to go out on the mainline with one now and again, ok it's only in derby station limits but it's great fun!

They aren't too much fun on longer runs, I once brought one back from York to Thornaby it took forever!

Even from Sheringham to Weybourne on the North Norfolk railway used to do my head in.

In the mid nineties one was dragging a 37 from Tyne and near croxdale viaduct it derailed.

Turns out a traction motor unwound , seized the axle, rods bent and dug in the ground and off it came.

Months later I was showing a photographer round the shed and he asked how fast 350s could go. 15mph I replied.

He said a few months back one came through Durham and must have been going at least thirty and it was dragging a 37....!

Edited by russ p
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The load on West Blyth Staithes was 720 tonnes but it was not unknown for a certain Driver to push 30 HBA's up!

The Series/Parallel changed the game with lower speed but more haulage capability!

Mark Saunders

Did you ever uses the switch mark? I've never used it

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I worked (as a secondman) several 08 jobs around Ipswich, one day we had to take one to Felixstowe as their Colonel Tomline had failed, That was in deep snow, a very long and slow journey. Another time we took one to the West Bank freightliner terminal and struggled to get back up to the main line - it is quite steep - in the rain, I and the guard walked in front of the engine spreading sand by hand on the rails as we went. I do recall having to use the series/parallel switch on a couple of occasions, in series they will shift absolutely anything on level ground but very very slowly.

 

Andi

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08417 has it but we've been told not to use it, not much point with a few mk2s really

I wouldn't think that work would tax it Jim, I've heard it was used when needed to hump a heavy train.

I think all 08s had it the 11s didn't

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I remember watching 08's hauling over 1000 tons at Rugby. I think it was even slightly uphill. They did it without slipping, but very very slowly - they were driven absolutely flat out, and the shunter was easily able to keep up walking alongside at a fairly leisurely pace...

 

Did Colin have any faster speeds?

 

 

Also if no one is looking you can shift about fifteen or so loaded spoil or ballast wagons by putting the rear bucket of a JCB into the middle of a load so the force is reasonably evenly transmitted to the whole wagon body and pulling.

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The Series/Parallel changed the game with lower speed but more haulage capability!

 

 

Interesting that they still have that as years n years ago I was told never to use it, but have had the fun of a propelled start with the wooden stick of doom lol. Do any that are left on the big railway still have this fun option

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Did Colin have any faster speeds?

 

 

Also if no one is looking you can shift about fifteen or so loaded spoil or ballast wagons by putting the rear bucket of a JCB into the middle of a load so the force is reasonably evenly transmitted to the whole wagon body and pulling.

 

That reminds me of the night of the Foster Yeoman 'supertrain' trial event.  When the train was being put together at Merehead the rear wagon came off the road and thea ssembled party of dignitaries quickkly beat a hasty retreat, presumably in case abunbody adsked them how to re-rail a loaded 100ton wagon.  The Yeoman Rail Foreman was with me and the time and said 'just watch this' - a very large bucket loader duly arrived from the quarry, got the bucket under the derailed end of the wagon and lifted it then did a slight shuffle before carefully guided lowering took place and re-railing was achieved; took about 5 minutes once the bucket loader was on site.  The wagon was redcarded but no problem as the train had been made up a little bit overweight 'just in case'.

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That reminds me of the night of the Foster Yeoman 'supertrain' trial event.  When the train was being put together at Merehead the rear wagon came off the road and thea ssembled party of dignitaries quickkly beat a hasty retreat, presumably in case abunbody adsked them how to re-rail a loaded 100ton wagon.  The Yeoman Rail Foreman was with me and the time and said 'just watch this' - a very large bucket loader duly arrived from the quarry, got the bucket under the derailed end of the wagon and lifted it then did a slight shuffle before carefully guided lowering took place and re-railing was achieved; took about 5 minutes once the bucket loader was on site.  The wagon was redcarded but no problem as the train had been made up a little bit overweight 'just in case'.

 

A digger driver I knew allegedly lifted a turbot with a bucket under a buffer only to have the bogie fall off the wagon.

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Way OT, but the 3ft gauge peat railways in Ireland are no toys - big bogie wagons in long rakes, trips of 20km+, impressive speeds - and the lads have a very well practised set of routines for shunting and re-railing using excavator buckets. The bogies fall off their wagons too, but they put the kit back together with barely a second thought, or shove it out of the way for attention later. Slightly more relevant, they still have a few rod-coupled locos in service, 1960s Wagonmasters.

 

K

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The propulsion start equipment was removed from most 350s due to the risk of shifted cranks, the little cup on the motor contactor was easily removed and the wooden stick utilised for other things.  It could be quite alarming do a propulsion start if you did get the motor contactor out when the engine fired. Loud bangs and big flashes..............

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The propulsion start equipment was removed from most 350s due to the risk of shifted cranks, the little cup on the motor contactor was easily removed and the wooden stick utilised for other things.  It could be quite alarming do a propulsion start if you did get the motor contactor out when the engine fired. Loud bangs and big flashes..............

 

Oh the wonder of Meadowhall and "H" with his estate full of club biscuits ( in house joke for those that know )

The only problem was having enough room for said operation

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In the early 70s, 9E76 was a Radyr based pilot working that tripped daily to the following locations on the west side of Cardiff, namely Penarth Curve North, Ferry Road, Ely Paper Mill and Virgil Street.

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The trip returned to Radyr late morning where it was re-manned by the afternoon turn.

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The mid morning run to Radyr was regularly loaded to 50 SLU plus.

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Brian R

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Sectorisation as I was made redundant and shipped off to Regional at Darlington with the rest of the junior men!

Mark

Sorry Mark I'd forgotten about that. There was quite a few of you. Was that when we lost the passengers, so that would have been 92 if I remember right?

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