Prototype article: Class 44, 45 & 46

[SteveCole]

Hi all,

 

We have the pleasure of having a work experience student on BRM magazine for two weeks. Matthew Stevens is 15 and is an active OO gauge modeller. As part of his placement we asked him to write a prototype article. He chose Class 44s, 45s and & 46s.

 

He will upload the article below in the next hour or so. He would appreciate any feedback and will keep an eye on this post to interactive with anyone who wishes to make comment.

 

Please be considerate that Matthew is 15 and this is his first ever prototype article.

 

Thanks all,

 

Steve

[MattStevens]

Matthew Prototype Inspiration.docx

 

Here is the Prototype Article

 

 

[chris p bacon]

Morning Matthew. Not a bad start. I'm sure the experienced journo's around you (I don't include Andy Y in that) will point to a couple of typo's - "Where" instead if "were" in the 2nd paragraph and the missing "E" in Withdrawels (5th paragraph). 

You've missed out a few in the "Preservation" para, the original 44's and the 46 (Ixion) owned by P Waterman, I also think there's at least one 45 missing, which is at the Battlefield line but I can't remember its number.

 

For me at 15 it would have the Deltics as prototype inspiration, they would have been followed by Kate Bush, but for somewhat entirely different reasons.

[MattStevens]

Morning Matthew. Not a bad start. I'm sure the experienced journo's around you (I don't include Andy Y in that) will point to a couple of typo's - "Where" instead if "were" in the 2nd paragraph and the missing "E" in Withdrawels (5th paragraph). 

You've missed out a few in the "Preservation" para, the original 44's and the 46 (Ixion) owned by P Waterman, I also think there's at least one 45 missing, which is at the Battlefield line but I can't remember its number.

 

For me at 15 it would have the Deltics as prototype inspiration, they would have been followed by Kate Bush, but for somewhat entirely different reasons.

Thank Chris.

 

The list of preserved locos probably isn't comprehensive, because it was obtained from Wikipedia and is likely to be outdated by now. I have to agree, I thought there was more preserved than that.

 

Matt

[jim.snowdon]

Matthew Prototype Inspiration.docx

 

Here is the Prototype Article

Matthew,

 

A good start. I have corrected/added some of the historical background to these locomotives, as well as a cautionary note to the last photograph.

 

BRM Matthew Prototype Inspiration with JS comments.docx

 

Jim

[MattStevens]

Matthew,

 

A good start. I have corrected/added some of the historical background to these locomotives, as well as a cautionary note to the last photograph.

 

BRM Matthew Prototype Inspiration with JS comments.docx

 

Jim

 

Thanks Jim

 

Appreciate the corrections and comments.

 

Yes, the Class 40s are also very closely related to the peaks, but I believe that the peaks were built first - I might be wrong. Perhaps it would have been better phrased " at the time they were seen as similar to the LMS 10000 and 10001".

 

MATT

[Zomboid]

The multicoloured remains of 45015 were at the battlefield line. No idea if it's still there.

[MattStevens]

Matthew Prototype Inspiration.docx

 

Thanks again to Chris for the comments. I have amended the article and am reloading it here.

 

 

[Poor Old Bruce]

Hi Matt,

 

It looks like you may have only Wikepeed Class 45. There are two Class 44s preserved, D4 at Swanwick (as in your Photo 2) and D8 at Peak Rail currently in working order and certainly in use yesterday (21 May). The 44s were fitted with the Sulzer 12LDA28-A (2300hp without intercooler) except D2 which was the test bed for the 28-B engine.

 

I am afraid I am not up to date with the preservation status of Class 46.

 

Hope this helps

Richard

[MattStevens]

Hi Matt,

 

It looks like you may have only Wikepeed Class 45. There are two Class 44s preserved, D4 at Swanwick (as in your Photo 2) and D8 at Peak Rail currently in working order and certainly in use yesterday (21 May). The 44s were fitted with the Sulzer 12LDA28-A (2300hp without intercooler) except D2 which was the test bed for the 28-B engine.

 

I am afraid I am not up to date with the preservation status of Class 46.

 

Hope this helps

Richard

 

Yes, Richard that is possibly the case. When I searched for all three classes on Wiki, I always ended up on the class 45 page. I do believe though that 45s are the dominating of the three.

[Kelly]

My understand was that the 40s were a development in part of the Bulleid/Raworth 1020x locos and the Peaks an updated 10000/1 version by EE.

[MattStevens]

My understand was that the 40s were a development in part of the Bulleid/Raworth 1020x locos and the Peaks an updated 10000/1 version by EE.

 

Hello Kelly

 

I'm afraid I can't comment on your first point, but yes the peaks are in essence a revised version of the original LMS locos.

[JeffP]

Hi Matthew, I'd have been proud to have been able to write like that at 15.

 

Some thoughts.

 

In the first paragraph, you refer to the Peaks as being "Sulzer built". I think you mean Sulzer engine equipped. Electrical gear for classes 44/5 was by Crompton-Parkinson, with Brush supplying class 46 as noted later.

 

You could perhaps give some emntion to the sterling work carried out by the class on cross country services, where they regularly hauled heavy expresses, really heavy during the holiday seasons, between Edinburgh/Newcastle and Bristol to the Sw or Cardiff/Swansea. They could regualrly be found on feights almost anywhere too, Frodingham Botanic Gardens and Immingham regularly played host.

Their use on the NE-SW line made them favourites for excursions too, with many drivers signing for them.

And perhaps a mention of their use between Glasgow and Leeds over the S&C?

Regards, jeff

 

Two of the class 44's, 44009/10 had very different bodyside grilles to the earlier eight.

[jim.snowdon]

Hello Kelly

 

I'm afraid I can't comment on your first point, but yes the peaks are in essence a revised version of the original LMS locos.

Or more correctly a BR designed version of the English Electric type 4, which was itself a direct derivative of the Southern Railway diesels 10201-3.

 

Chronologically, the LMS "twins", 10000/1 were derived from the Vulcan/EE 3000 class 1A-Do-A1 diesel-electrics being built immediately post war for Egyptian State Railways by marrying the engine and traction equipment to a new frame running on LMS-designed Co bogies.

 

Contemporaneously, EE put essentially the same traction equipment in the two diesel-electrics ordered by the Southern that became 10201-2, running on the 1-Co bogies developed by the Southern, possibly in conjunction with EE. 10203 followed, to the same general but with the engine that, now uprated to 2000hp, would be used in by EE in the type 4.

 

The EE Type 4 (D200/Class 40) is a direct descendant of 10203, but with a load-bearing body (unlike 10201-3), and running on the same bogies.

 

The BR Type 4 (D1 - 10/Class 44/Peaks) is a BR designed alternative to the EE Type 4, allied to traction equipment from an alternative supplier, ie Sulzer / Crompton Parkinson.

 

In terms of entry into service, EE got there first with the type 4 in 1957, whereas the BR version appeared in 1958. In all probability they were being designed side by side. Both were successful enough to be replicated in quantity, with the traction equipment of the 45/46 classes leading the way for Brush Tytpe 4, which essentially put the locomotive, with a little uprating, onto Co bogies. On the EE side, the equivalent development was DP2, which put another version of the EE engine onto what had become the standard EE Co bogie, developed for the Deltic and used on the Type 3s (which could themselves be considered as a downsized Type 4 on Co bogies). DP2 went on to be developed into the D400 / Class 50, largely through the adoption of electronics in the control equipment.

 

Jim

[s182ggu]

Hi Matthew

 

Congratulations on a very nice piece - I hope that you are enjoying your work experience placement and I wish you well for your future career choice.

 

For any readers here who may be interested, the North Norfolk Railway has examples of all three class derivatives at its Diesel Gala on the 9th, 10th & 11th June (http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/page.php?pid=50 ):

 

Class 44 - D8 (not yet announced on the NNR website however details can be found here - https://www.facebook.com/WeybourneTractionGroup)

Class 45 - 45133

Class 46 - D182

 

Enjoy!

[ejstubbs]

I'm sure the experienced journo's around you (I don't include Andy Y in that) will point to a couple of typo's - "Where" instead if "were" in the 2nd paragraph and the missing "E" in Withdrawels (5th paragraph).

 

I would hope that an experienced journalist would know that there is no "e" in "withdrawals"

[MattStevens]

Hi Matthew, I'd have been proud to have been able to write like that at 15.

 

Some thoughts.

 

In the first paragraph, you refer to the Peaks as being "Sulzer built". I think you mean Sulzer engine equipped. Electrical gear for classes 44/5 was by Crompton-Parkinson, with Brush supplying class 46 as noted later.

 

You could perhaps give some emntion to the sterling work carried out by the class on cross country services, where they regularly hauled heavy expresses, really heavy during the holiday seasons, between Edinburgh/Newcastle and Bristol to the Sw or Cardiff/Swansea. They could regualrly be found on feights almost anywhere too, Frodingham Botanic Gardens and Immingham regularly played host.

Their use on the NE-SW line made them favourites for excursions too, with many drivers signing for them.

And perhaps a mention of their use between Glasgow and Leeds over the S&C?

Regards, jeff

 

Two of the class 44's, 44009/10 had very different bodyside grilles to the earlier eight.

 

hello Jeff

 

Some one else mentioned the Sulzer engine error, and I think I corrected that on the improved version I uploaded.

 

I wasn't aware of any of the other uses you mentioned. If you can feel free to edit the article (as Chris P Bacon did) and highlight any issues.

 

 

Matt

[D854_Tiger]

Hi Mathew and all the best with your placement.

 

You might like to mention that many of the Peaks were named and that the first ten were all named after mountains, hence them being referred to as Peaks.

 

Also that those first ten were, for many years, confined to freight work nearly always close to and around the East Midlands.

 

Wheres the rest of those classes could be seen over a wide part of the network, if you wanted to see a class 44 then best to head for the East Midlands.

[Classsix T]

Hi Matt, welcome to the assembled, please do stick with it, you'll learn more every day.

 

Just some comments on your first draft. I didn't see mention of why they're nicknamed 'Peaks'. I don't know who the article is intended for, but as an Editor of a Class specific newsletter myself, I'm at the same time, trying to explain to the less knowledgeable plus not giving egg sucking lessons. It's a tightrope I think all railway copy writers walk.

 

Try to get in the habit too of a list of referenced source material at the end. It gives the reader some idea of if you have actually researched the subject, where your information has come from etc.

 

And if you decide to do this for a living, buy books. Lots of books. Buy a bigger house for the books. Second hand stall mag's...you cannot have too much reference material.

 

C6T.

[robertcwp]

This looks very good to me as an introduction to the class. What about modelling in other scales? I model in 00 and have 23 Bachmann Peaks. No idea if there is an N gauge model but an O gauge one is on the way.

 

I have added a few minor edits and saved a new version to Google Drive here.

[chris p bacon]

I would hope that an experienced journalist would know that there is no "e" in "withdrawals"

Whoops.....yes you're correct . I have to say my spelling has become pretty atrocious in the last couple of years and I've no idea why. Occasionally I hit the wrong key (or one finger overtakes the other) but I certainly got that wrong.

 

That'll teach me.

[PaulCheffus]

This looks very good to me as an introduction to the class. What about modelling in other scales? I model in 00 and have 23 Bachmann Peaks. No idea if there is an N gauge model but an O gauge one is on the way.

 

I have added a few minor edits and saved a new version to Google Drive here.

Hi

 

Farish did all three classes in N.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

[w124bob]

I was lucky enough to drive class 45's in their finally 2 years , very solid with non of the roll of a class 47. Lovely big power handle which was perfect resting your arm on and keeping wide open, as vibration tended cause it to creep closed, well thats my excuse. Here is a photo of the original driver manuals. Feel free to use this, as an aside I always heard class 45's refered to by LMR drivers as Cromptons never Peaks.

These were found in the locker room at Manchester Victoria and the blue book has a single typed amendedment sheet from the "motive power dept Euston" dated 12th July 1961.

[robertcwp]

as an aside I always heard class 45's refered to by LMR drivers as Cromptons never Peaks.

The term 'Peaks' is quite possibly an enthusiast one.

[jim.snowdon]

Most enthusiasts terms for particular locomotives, steam as well as diesel, usually bear no resemblance to how they are known by staff.

 

Jim