Orange Multiple Front Connector Boxes

[Crepello]

Study of shots of Class 50 fronts up to 1970 shows these boxes were black and those on 33/1s were yellow. 

Does anyone know when the salmon/orange colour became standard?

[phil_sutters]

Whether it helps or hinders your quest for the truth I don't know but here are three 50s between 1980 and 1988 with differing coloured boxes. Best wishes for your hunt!

[royaloak]

I think he means the multiple working boxes not the headcode boxes.

[Crepello]

I knewI hadn't used the right term! I stand corrected.

[royaloak]

39 minutes ago, Crepello said:

I knewI hadn't used the right term! I stand corrected.

You just said boxes so you are correct, its just a bit of confusion over which boxes.

 

With most of the class 50s the multiple working boxes were added several years after the locos were built so they simply added the black boxes as they were supplied, when the locos were overhauled they were painted orange, D400 and D401 were built with the boxes fitted and I think they were orange from the start.

 

The 33/1s were conversions and I think they were orange from the start.

 

Orange is the colour normally used to identify electrical items so I think its just a question of them complying with that.

 

Edit-

In all 3 of those pictures you can see the orange squares in the bottom corners of the front signifying what the muti working restriction is, most locos, including 33s were blue star.

Edited September 24, 2019 by royaloak

[Davexoc]

With the class 33/1s I'm thinking it was the Southern way, as EMUs appear to be the same, as do 73/1s, all being yellow and waist height. AFAIK 33/1, 73/1 and EMUs were all compatible, but you couldn't use a 33/0 to multiple with any of them. Strangely 73/0 were orange, but had a slightly different arrangement of jumpers and receptacles to the 73/1s, so maybe it was to differentiate them as I don't think they were compatible either. The rest of the 33s did have orange but on the bufferbeam with blue stars on, so followed normal conventions.

[russ p]

I think they started painting multiple gear orange about 1960, there are pictures of early diesels with it black but I've never seen a 37 with anything other than orange. 

Strange was having a conversation at work today,  anyone know why class 50s that had an MU system similar to blue star needed 42 way jumper cables as opposed to 27 on blue star and the very similar red diamond on 56 and 58. 50s has air throttle unlike red circle which had similar jumpers but a 10 step throttle 

Wonder if it was to do with the rheostatic brake? 

Edited September 24, 2019 by russ p
Pressed send by mistake

[royaloak]

27 minutes ago, Davexoc said:

With the class 33/1s I'm thinking it was the Southern way, as EMUs appear to be the same, as do 73/1s, all being yellow and waist height. AFAIK 33/1, 73/1 and EMUs were all compatible, but you couldn't use a 33/0 to multiple with any of them. Strangely 73/0 were orange, but had a slightly different arrangement of jumpers and receptacles to the 73/1s, so maybe it was to differentiate them as I don't think they were compatible either. The rest of the 33s did have orange but on the bufferbeam with blue stars on, so followed normal conventions.

I think all the Southern 33s, 73s and units (post SUB, pre 508) could multi together, I have certainly had a 33/0 and a 33/1 in multiple together.

[Davexoc]

43 minutes ago, russ p said:

Wonder if it was to do with the rheostatic brake? 

There was that and the dialable maximum power control system originally. Can see them requiring a few extra ways...

[jim.snowdon]

1 hour ago, royaloak said:

I think all the Southern 33s, 73s and units (post SUB, pre 508) could multi together, I have certainly had a 33/0 and a 33/1 in multiple together.

That is my understanding as well, and apart from having come across a 73+33 pairing on an engineers train once, a regular morning working on the South-western in the 1970s was a 33+4TC+4CIG that I believe started out at Salisbury and picked up the 4CIG at Basingstocke, before working up to Waterloo.

 

Jim

[roythebus]

33/0 and 33/1 can work in multiple with each other using the low lever jumpers. 33/0 can only work in multiple with other locos having the blue star. 33/1 can work in multiple with post-SUB EMU/TC stock and can be driven from any position in the train or with any blue star loco using low level jumpers.

[DY444]

13 hours ago, jim.snowdon said:

That is my understanding as well, and apart from having come across a 73+33 pairing on an engineers train once, a regular morning working on the South-western in the 1970s was a 33+4TC+4CIG that I believe started out at Salisbury and picked up the 4CIG at Basingstocke, before working up to Waterloo.

 

Jim

 

There was a regular 33+73 working from the SR to Didcot PS for a while.

 

You'd very occasionally see some right lash ups if you happened to be in the right place at the right time.  A couple I remember from Bournemouth which were cobbled together in P3/4 after failures in order to send stuff back to Bournemouth Depot:

 

Failed 33/1 + 4TC + 33/1 + 8TC + 4REP

33/1 + 4TC + 73/1 + 4TC + Failed 4REP

Edited September 25, 2019 by DY444