www.class37.co.uk Website ?

[03060]

Does anybody know what has happened to this rather useful website, please ? I only used it last a couple of weeks ago but now just get a website not found message, I've tried accessing this from 2 different devices with the same result.

 

I've always found this a very useful website as I research for my future West Highland themed layout as it contained a massive register for every member of the class detailing their movements throughout their lifetimes backed up with many photos or photo links. It would be a shame if this data has all been lost.

 

I was currently trying to find out which class 37 in Railfreight Red Stripe lkvery had ventured up the line in 1987 as it is the only one that I'm aware of, possibly 37693 or 37698, seen in this photo by David Price (link only provided as per the photographers preference.)

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/144388905@N03/52170063479/in/album-72157694791540294/

 

 

Regards,

Ian.

[Halvarras]

It would indeed be a shame to lose all that content, as you say - I hope it's only temporary. I sent in one of my own pictures of a rare working a couple of years ago.

 

The two 37s you mention, 37693/8, were originally refurbished and released in Railfreight Grey without the red stripe and with larger logos (698 was the first refurb 37 I saw, ex-works on Swindon stabling point in March 1986). These refurbished locos were released in reverse numerical order but a Class 37 expert will have to inform us when the switch from plain RF grey to the red stripe version occurred - somewhere in the 3768x range I reckon as 37690 was stripeless. Having a squint at it, could the loco in the picture be 37684?

[03060]

2 hours ago, Halvarras said:

It would indeed be a shame to lose all that content, as you say - I hope it's only temporary. I sent in one of my own pictures of a rare working a couple of years ago.

 

The two 37s you mention, 37693/8, were originally refurbished and released in Railfreight Grey without the red stripe and with larger logos (698 was the first refurb 37 I saw, ex-works on Swindon stabling point in March 1986). These refurbished locos were released in reverse numerical order but a Class 37 expert will have to inform us when the switch from plain RF grey to the red stripe version occurred - somewhere in the 3768x range I reckon as 37690 was stripeless. Having a squint at it, could the loco in the picture be 37684?

 

Based on your information I've been investigating through the power of Flickr and can confirm that the red stripe started with 37688 and as you say they were released in reverse numerical order so I'm looking for something lower than 689. I've had a look at 37684 and wouldn't rule this out but didn't come up with any photos (so far) of it definitely being in Scotland, most being on the Peak rocks trains.

 

The other observation that I've made is that the loco in David Price's 30/8/87 photo has paintwork that looks pretty 'fresh' with even the grills on the nose sides looking particularly clean. I will keep trawling through Flickr images to see if anything turns up as I seem to remember that I've seen something about a Railfreight Red Stripe loco making a brief visit ... but I thought that this was more Highland main line rather than West Highland Line. There is a photo of 37196 in this livery in Nick Meskell's Scottish Class 37s Vol.3 book on the Highland mainline but the mystery loco is definitely from the refurbished examples.

 

Thanks for your input.

 

Regards,

Ian.

[Halvarras]

If the date is correct and the loco is as ex-works as it looks (i.e. hasn't sat idle for a long period, which is possible if it had a few issues requiring rectification......which maybe then wouldn't have made it the ideal candidate to send this far north!) and it's a 37/5 and not a 'heavyweight' 37/7 (unlikely I think) then........well, the china clay fleet 37670-5 were outshopped 5/87 - 8/87 and AFAIK headed immediately South West, so that leaves 37669 also outshopped 8/87. According to the data I'm looking at (Modern Locomotives Illustrated listings) 37667/8 didn't appear until 5-6/88 so too late, and there was no 37666 or lower.

 

Interestingly 37196 was I think the first 37 in Railfreight Grey, repainted at St Blazey (happy to accept correction!) in preparation for its naming 'Tre Pol and Pen' at Truro on 16/7/85. It was in plain RF grey at the time but quickly gained the red stripe treatment. It moved to Scotland in August/September 1987 when the above batch of 37/5s arrived - and within weeks of this photo 37412 had gone the other way and was working china clays trains in Cornwall still in full Scotrail regalia, including the somewhat inappropriate 'Loch Lomond' nameplates!

 

37669 would also become a china clay loco, brought in as cover for the collision-damaged 37670/1 alongside 50149. However back in August 1987 37669 appears to be one to look into.....

[03060]

I was at the naming of 37196 in Truro, purely by chance as a 15 year old on holiday with family. I have the slides of the occasion but have never gotten around to scanning any as of yet despite buying a scanner some years ago.

[keefer]

Try via the Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20221027182712/https://www.class37.co.uk/

(Most recent archive of 28th October)

[03060]

2 hours ago, keefer said:

Try via the Wayback Machine:

https://web.archive.org/web/20221027182712/https://www.class37.co.uk/

(Most recent archive of 28th October)

 

Thanks very much for that @keefer .... I'm back in !

 

Much appreciated,

Ian.

[young37215]

I was worried when I first read the thread, the class 37 loco group site has been a great source of information for me over the years and I have even made a few contributions of loco workings myself. When I checked in a few minutes ago I could not access the historic workings pages, it seems that the site is in a state of transition?  I have Mick Parker's contact details somewhere and will see if I can find them so that I can get get an update fro him on what is going on.

[03060]

1 hour ago, young37215 said:

I was worried when I first read the thread, the class 37 loco group site has been a great source of information for me over the years and I have even made a few contributions of loco workings myself. When I checked in a few minutes ago I could not access the historic workings pages, it seems that the site is in a state of transition?  I have Mick Parker's contact details somewhere and will see if I can find them so that I can get get an update fro him on what is going on.

 

I can access the first page for each loco in the 'Fleet History' section but so far have not been able to get any additional pages to load even when the drop down box appears, so far I have tried this on my (rather old) tablet and my iPhone 8, I'll try on the laptop later. None of the photos that I've tried have been there either. Hopefully, as you say, this is just a transitional period.

 

Rather tantalising is that most of the 1987 details that would help me in my 'mystery' Railfreight Red Stripe loco search appear to be on page 2 of the histories !

 

Regards,

Ian.

[03060]

On 05/11/2022 at 06:41, young37215 said:

I was worried when I first read the thread, the class 37 loco group site has been a great source of information for me over the years and I have even made a few contributions of loco workings myself. When I checked in a few minutes ago I could not access the historic workings pages, it seems that the site is in a state of transition?  I have Mick Parker's contact details somewhere and will see if I can find them so that I can get get an update fro him on what is going on.

 

By chance I've just tried my original link to this useful web site and can happily report that it seems to be back up and fully available again. Maybe now I can track down that elusive R/freight Red Stripe 37 seen at Tom-na-faire depot.

 

Have just used the site to probably answer another photo query, 2 photos of 37029 on WHL freight in 1981 in one of Brian Denton's Flickr albums both with the same date but showing two very different loco frontages (ie buffer beams and buffers) .... I suspect one is possibly 37028 (a WHL regular) whereas 37029 doesn't seem to have visited the line .... I suspect the other loco is possibly 37039 and just a typo but all conjecture on my part.

 

Regards,

Ian.

[03060]

On 03/11/2022 at 20:10, Halvarras said:

If the date is correct and the loco is as ex-works as it looks (i.e. hasn't sat idle for a long period, which is possible if it had a few issues requiring rectification......which maybe then wouldn't have made it the ideal candidate to send this far north!) and it's a 37/5 and not a 'heavyweight' 37/7 (unlikely I think) then........well, the china clay fleet 37670-5 were outshopped 5/87 - 8/87 and AFAIK headed immediately South West, so that leaves 37669 also outshopped 8/87. According to the data I'm looking at (Modern Locomotives Illustrated listings) 37667/8 didn't appear until 5-6/88 so too late, and there was no 37666 or lower.

 

Interestingly 37196 was I think the first 37 in Railfreight Grey, repainted at St Blazey (happy to accept correction!) in preparation for its naming 'Tre Pol and Pen' at Truro on 16/7/85. It was in plain RF grey at the time but quickly gained the red stripe treatment. It moved to Scotland in August/September 1987 when the above batch of 37/5s arrived - and within weeks of this photo 37412 had gone the other way and was working china clays trains in Cornwall still in full Scotrail regalia, including the somewhat inappropriate 'Loch Lomond' nameplates!

 

37669 would also become a china clay loco, brought in as cover for the collision-damaged 37670/1 alongside 50149. However back in August 1987 37669 appears to be one to look into.....

 

37669 looks like my R/freight Red Stripe West Highland visitor, officially transferred to Eastfield on Aug 16th although still at Crewe Works for a few days after conversion., only stayed in Scotland for 4 months before transferring South again.

 

Between your information and the up and running website again I think that I've solved my mystery.

 

Regards,

Ian.