Locomotive repairs BR early diesels - and contrast to now

[Alister_G]

Still trying to learn about the "real" railway.

 

In the early days of BR diesels, thinking particularly about Sulzer type 2s and 4s, if they broke down (as they seem to have been prone to) when a long way from the assigned depot, what would happen? Were they dragged by steam back to the home depot, or fixed at a local depot.

 

For instance, if a Sulzer type 4 shedded at 17A Derby went to do a working from Manchester to London St Pancras, and failed in Manchester, would it be returned to Derby for repair, or would it go to a Manchester shed?

 

I'm guessing that the facilities and knowledge to work on the diesels was quite limited initially, and confined to only a few places, would that be correct?

 

Thinking about this also lead to a couple of other questions: in pre-grouping days, would one depot fix another's loco if it broke down, and in later BR days would any depot fix another depot's locos if necessary?

 

And this leads to another question, what happens now? Are DMU / EMU sets and locos returned to their home depot for repair, or do they go to the nearest depot to where they break?

 

Of course all these questions suppose that a loco is broken enough to be un-runnable...

[andyrush]

Broadly speaking, in BR days on the Eastern Region, a failed diesel would be moved (light if it was still runnable) to the most convenient depot for assessment. If the repair was straightforward it would be undertaken at any depot above servicing shed level. If the repair was a big job and particularly if replacement components had to be ordered, then the Maintenance Controllers would order it back to its home depot. Needless to say, this is a very simplified explanation.

 

Andy

[The Stationmaster]

Picking up from Andy's post it would all depend on the fault but on the Western usual practice was to send it to the nearest depot and if they could not repair the fault they would endorse the Repair Book 'FHD' (For Home Depot) and the loco would be sent there by whatever means. FHD tended to be used mainly for minor faults as time went on but technically if a depot could not undertake the repair it was still supposed to endorse the Repair Book.

[LMS2968]

Certainly in steam days, when there was a large number of sheds available, repairs to another shed's engines were not uncommon. The engine might be working a diagram over several days and be many miles from its home shed, so the economics of returning it there didn't usually add up. Even some routine but heavy maintenance was undertaken by foreign sheds, and there are photos around of such engines undergoing washout and even Piston & Valve Exams.

 

There are also photos of Stanier pacifics at such places as Rugby, Bletchley and Carnforth stopped for repair, having failed en-route on a West Coast express.