Great Gable News No. 166 - April 2010
Dear Members
Enjoy our 166th edition whose cover features 45140 leaving Healey Mills yard on October 12th 1987 with a short trip freight, probably back to Tinsley yard. This issue reports the adventures of our touring D182 in March visiting two railways and our memories feature looks back to lucky times when I could photograph a Peak on the way home from work.
44004 Great Gable can be found in the museum at Swanwick Junction where electrical repairs are almost complete. The electrical cubicle (switchgear cabinet) is being cleaned and the security of the connections checked after the earth fault relay has been installed, the last piece to repair damage suffered when a broken connection caused overheating. The loco will not operate at the Midland Railway 1960’s and diesel gala events at the while the group concentrate on the restoration of 45041 and 45108. Using the internal 240 volt charger, the battery's are now being charged regularly.
45041 Royal Tank Regiment continues to have bodywork repairs in the diesel shed at Swanwick including two new cab side sheets. Following bodywork repairs and air tank re-certification (the 10 year insurance ticket has recently expired) a repaint into BR Blue will be completed. It is expected that the work will be completed on 45041 by August because the loco has an invitation to visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for the railways diesel gala (17th – 19th September).
45108’s air system was filled with air by D182 recently and several air leaks discovered but the loco filled with air very quickly which is a good sign. Underneath 45108, 6 brake blocks have been replaced and the brake block hangers realigned mostly due to the keys that hold the brake shoes wearing. Exchanging the keys with the those opposite evens out the effects of wear and was a common trick used by maintenance depots during loco examinations to cure the effects of wear in the brake equipment. A hole was found in the air reservoir pipe on bogie 1 which is the supply pipe routed along the inside of bogie frame and behind the wheels on the number 1 end secondman's side between 1 and 2 wheel set. To replace the corroded section of pipe would need the loco to be lifted, traction motor removed and wheelset out to allow access to the pipe so a more cost effective and imaginative repair is being considered.
D182 had been suffering from problems with its automatic voltage regulator (no battery charge current) so a spare Class 47 AVR from 47125 was fitted in February. Problems with slow brake release were cured by a replacement electro pneumatic valve which allows the brakes to be released more quickly. D182 hauled MRT passenger services over the weekend of 20th/21st February with Saturday 20th to have been one train running. D182 was used to haul all of the public services from lunchtime onwards as the 3F steam loco had been booked to haul a wedding charter. The following day was to have been two train running with D182 hauling one of the services and the 3F steam loco the other. In the event due to heavy snowfall early on Sunday morning, the service was changed to one train running with D182 working in top and tail formation with the 3F steam loco, D182 at the Hammersmith end and the 3F on the Riddings end. D182 was called into action on Thursday 25th February to complete a commercial testing contract for wheel flat detection when 47401, the loco booked for the testing, suffered damage to number 1 radiator fan motor and retired to Swanwick shed.
On Thursday 4th March D182 and 20048 were to be collected and towed to the Nene Valley Railway in company with 31128 and 20142 from Barrow Hill by a West Coast Railway loco. In the event 47826 collected 31128 from Barrow Hill (20142 had last minute problems that meant it could not make the journey) and arrived at Ironville to pick-up D182 and 20048. As 20048 was not ready for collection when 47826 arrived, D182 ran light engine to Ironville and hauled 47826 and 31128 to Swanwick. After some shunting at Swanwick, 47826 hauled 31128+D182+20048 from Ironville to Fletton (on the Nene Valley Railway) as 0Z30 the 10:54 Barrow Hill – Fletton via the MRC. The convoy left the MRC on time and ran via Loughborough, Oakham and Peterborough.
D182 hauled several services at the March 6/7th Nene Valley Railway diesel gala, hauling both the mark 1 coaching set as well as several trips hauling the railways foreign coaches. The loco provided steam heating for some of the services and made an interesting sight steam heating foreign air braked coaches. On Saturday evening, D182 was called to haul an additional trip when problems were experienced with 20048 when it was running off the shed at Wansford to take up its next duty.
47826 hauled 0Z30 10:30 Fletton to Barrow Hill via the MRC on Monday 8th March, the day after the diesel gala, but not before the 47 needed a session on the battery charger at Wansford because it would not start! Eventually 47826 hauled 31128+D182+20048 back to Ironville where D182 and 20048 were dropped off before delivering 31128 back to Barrow Hill. The return journey ran via Peterborough, Oakham and Loughborough, the reverse of the outward leg.
Thursday 11th March saw D182 and 45133 inspected at Swanwick by a West Coast Railways examiner for their proposed move to the Mid Norfolk Diesel gala. Both locos passed their fitness to run exams (an exam schedule that must be passed to allow a loco to be hauled over Network Rail).
Due to the radiator fan flashover suffered by 47401, D182 stepped in to haul the 47’s booked workings on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th March. Saturday 13th saw D182 haul two trips of the line from Swanwick Junction alternately with the 3F steam loco, so steam heating was not required. Sunday saw two train running with D182 hauling services from Butterley at 10:20, 11:40, 13:20, 14:50 and 16:15 complete with steam heating. Following arrival back at Swanwick Junction after its last service, D182 and 45133 were coupled together in readiness for their move to Dereham on the Mid Norfolk Railway.
On Wednesday 17th March 47580 arrived at the MRC with 26007 in tow (which had been collected from Barrow Hill) hauling 0Z47 09:06 Tyseley – Mid Norfolk via Barrow Hill and the MRC to collect 45133 and D182. With the two Peaks added to the convoy 47580 departed for Dereham with 26007+45133+D182 in tow running via Loughborough, Oakham, Peterborough, March, Ely, Thetford and Wymondham. The move ran to time or early throughout and arrived at Dereham, at the North end of the Mid Norfolk Railway at 20:15.
The Mid Norfolk Railway is just over 10 miles long, with Wymondham station at the South end (where the mainline connection is situated) and has several closed stations on the line. The line currently has no passing loops and as a consequence only features one train running at the moment. The coaching set was made up of air braked pressure ventilated mark 2 coaches as well as two air conditioned coaches all in BR Blue/Grey livery. Most services over the 3 day gala were hauled in top and tail mode and Friday 17th and Sunday 19th were diagrammed to feature only Sulzer locos. Several of the services ran beyond Wymondham station to the run round loop and one or two had permission to run all the way down to the railways’ boundary with Network Rail. D182 worked well over the three day event alongside 45133, 26007, 47580, D8069, 50019 and 73210.
The return convoy departed Wymondham on Tuesday 23rd March on time as 0Z47 10:10 Wymondham to Tyseley via the MRC and Barrow Hill with 47580 hauling D182+45133+26007. March was passed 6 minutes late and a further 3 minutes were dropped by Peterborough. The return convoy then ran a different route than on the outward, running via Grantham, Nottingham and Trowell Junction before arrival at the MRC was reached 35 minutes early.
D182 should haul Easter Monday services at the MRB and is booked to haul services at the MRB 1960’s event over the weekend of 8th/9th May as well as at the diesel gala which is been held over the weekend of 22nd/23rd May.
44008 Penyghent should see some work over the Peak Rail diesel gala weekend 8th and 9th May and the railways’ Anything Goes event held over the weekend of 10th and 11th July.
The on-going dispute regarding the accommodation provided at Shackerstone for the restoration of 45015 reached court during February with the result that both the owner and the railway want the loco to move as soon as possible. Options for this to happen are currently being explored.
45060 Sherwood Forester and 45105 both remain drained of coolant and protected from the weather in the yard at Barrow Hill whilst the groups volunteers work on the restoration of 33035. The class 33 is inside the roundhouse at Barrow Hill and is booked to appear at the Swanage diesel gala which is been held 7th – 9th May. 45112 The Royal Army Ordinance Corps is also drained of coolant and rests in the yard at Barrow Hill.
45118 The Royal Artilleryman has work undertaken on it as time allows at RVEL in Derby. The locos generator is at a contractor in Liverpool under repair and some of the repairs to damage caused by the theft of copper cable having been completed in the loco. Work has started on the corroded bodywork with areas cut out and new patches waiting to be welded back into the loco.
D123 hauled Great Central Railways diesel turn, the 12:15 Loughborough – Leicester North and 13:00 return on both the Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th February, no driver was available for the booked traction (D8098). Two weeks later on Saturday 20th February D123 hauled the diesel turn this time in place of the booked D6535 which was still drained to protect it over the winter. The following day D123 hauled its rostered turn on the diesel service.
D123 is diagrammed to take part in the Great Central railways 1960’s event to be held 25th – 28th March with the loco booked to haul services on Sunday 28th March. The loco is also booked to appear at the railways diesel gala held over the weekend of 17th/18th April and is booked to haul the diesel turn on Sunday 25th April and 6th June. The loco has also been booked for high speed noise tests with two bitumen wagons during April.
45133 Has had the can roof vents sealed internally, new brushes fitted to the traction motors and a general bogie examination before being examined for movement to the Mid Norfolk Railway on Thursday 11th March. The Electric Train Heat system was successfully checked over on Sunday 14th March. 45133 has only provided ETH on a couple of occasions since it was preserved and the Mid Norfolk Railway gave another opportunity. 45133 was hauled in the convoy to the Mid Norfolk Railway on Wednesday 17th March (see details in the D182 section for the move to/from the Mid Norfolk Railway) and hauled its first service on the line on Friday 19th March from Wymondham to Dereham with 26007 dead on the rear. It is thought that some 18 years had passed since 45133 last provided ETH to coaches (a dining train at the Midland Railway Centre) but the locos ETH system proved to be in working order. 45133 matched the railways BR Blue/Grey coaches perfectly and took you back in time to the 1980’s when ETH Peaks ran around with mark 2 coaches in tow rather than the maroon mark 1 coaches more often found on heritage railways. 45133 has been booked to haul services at the Midland Railway – Butterley at the diesel and steam weekend of 17th/18th April as well the diesel gala (22nd/23rd May).
Work is planned to restart on the engine top end overhaul of 45135 3rd Carabinier shortly now that the days are not so cold and daylight hours are getting longer.
45149 has had its nose end crown refitted at number one end and the number one end cab has had the drop-lights refitted on both sides. A replacement window pillar that holds the quarter light and drop-light runner on the secondman’s cab side window frame has been fitted as has the overhauled instrument panel complete with fault lights.
The refitting of the instrument panel was made much easier without the nose crown fitted. Following a rainwater test on quarter light windows, the FV4 auto air brake and the secondman’s arm rest will be fitted. The Number 1 end nose end louvre doors await fitting after having new filter trays made.
Contract repairs have now been completed on the silencer roof section with further grinding and painting of the roof section continuing. Unfortunately the silencer does not quite align with the clearance holes on the air intake filters so the feet on the silencer may need to be removed and refitted. There is a problem with the ‘silencer elbow’ following contract repairs where the length of the exhaust pipe may be too long.
The generator brush boxes have been removed, cleaned, repaired, new brush springs have been fitted then fitted into the generator. The governor wiring has been reconnected and the auxiliary electrical motors are being run at weekends to use the batteries. A replacement crane seal has been fitted in the triple pump and new replacement hoses have been fitted around the coolant system. Following this work, another water test is planned to ensure that there are no obvious water leaks. Assuming that this test goes okay, replacement engine oil that has arrived at Toddington in readiness for oil to be added to the engine.
The loco has been requested for display during Great Western 175th anniversary gala which is being held at Toddington later this year. The display is planned to include diesel locos that worked on Great Western Railway metals currently based on the line such as 47105, 37215 and 24081 as well as proposed visitors of classes 42, 50, 52 and the Gas Turbine loco 18000. The restoration group are trying to locate the fuel pipe that runs from the fuel tank, above the brake frame and down to the free end of the power unit as 45149 is missing this item. Please contact the address in this newsletter if you have this item and are willing to trade.
46010 was started up at Ruddington for the first time since it arrived on the line on Sunday 28th February and ran for some 90 minutes and no faults noted. The loco has been started up at Ruddington on a couple of occasions since for further checks to be made with nothing major found although the health of the batteries is becoming a bit of a concern. A few expired battery cells have been identified following a couple of awkward starts of the loco so purchase of a new set of batteries may be necessary soon. Despite the very cold weather no frost damage was found with 46010’s heat exchanger, although a water leak was found on one radiator element so the element was changed.
A plan of action for the locos bodywork has been formulated after the group received an excellent quote for all the fabrication and bodywork repairs. The main body sides are to be attacked as phase one and at the same time it is planned to lift out the silencer and possibly swap the heat exchanger. Phase two should see one of the nose ends attended to including the nose end floors with phase three seeing the other nose end and floor sorted. The final phase will hopefully see the roof boiler water fillers re-instated. On top of all the bodywork, there are several other jobs that need tackling, some leaking transition joints under the cylinder heads and other small leaks here and there. After all of this the loco will receive it’s the long awaited repaint into BR blue livery.
The work will be undertaken while keeping the loco ready to fulfil any GCR(N) commitments as required. Now that the loco is based upon a mainline connected railway a couple of offers have been received for the loco to visit other heritage railways although the group want to complete the bodywork repairs before visits elsewhere are considered. The group plan to give GCR (N) the maximum potential of the loco before anyone else and would prefer 46010 to be up to the same standard as the other GCR (N) locos before it attends other railways. A test run of the loco is planned for Sunday 29th March and the loco is booked to make its debut at the GCR(N) at the railways diesel gala which is been held 15th & 16th May.
The loco has also been booked to haul 4 trips from Ruddington to Loughborough on Saturday 29th May. Information on the group as well as progress with the loco can be found at www.46010.co.uk/index.htm
46035 Ixion can be found at the end of a siding at Crewe Heritage Centre under a tarpaulin, but it is hoped to extract the loco and put it on display over the Easter weekend when the Heritage Centre is staging a 1980’s event.
Midland Railway Butterley diesel operating days
Easter weekend Diesel operation expected according to demand, 20048 & D182
April 17/18 45133
May 8/9 D182 + D212 1960s weekend
May 15/16 diesel & steam weekend, diesel not allocated yet.
May 22/23 all available home fleet + visitors 31206, 37264 and 14901
The new timetable started in March 2010 where C timetable has been revised to remove the 16.15 last train.
MRB Diesel fleet update
E27000 On display in the museum
20001 Operational - at Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Wirksworth
20048 Repainted blue and returned to service in February, visited NVR
20205 Work in progress - stored
20227 Long term use on Network Rail
D7671 Awaiting completion of engine repairs this summer
31108 Serviceable at the Nene Valley Railway
31162 Serviceable at the South Yorkshire Railway
31271 Serviceable, engine repairs
31418 Engine repairs & general restoration
33018 Bodywork repairs
33046 Spares donor loco
33201 Battery repairs
37190 Operational – at GCR
40012 Turbo charger repairs + roof repaint
47401 Serviceable + radiator fan motor repairs
47761 Parts donor removed for D1516
D1516 Radiator roof repairs
50007 Operational at the GCR Loughborough
D1048 Work in progress – pipe and electrical repairs + bufferbeam skirts
D2858 Needs connecting rod brass bushes + vacuum equipment
D2139 Requires engine repairs, seized
08590 Serviceable
08331 Serviceable
12077 Serviceable
Great Gable Sales
Prices including P & P for Great Gable Sales items available from the Club address are;
Peak Dairy – 200 pages of information and records about the daily lives of 44004, 45041, 45133 & 46045 including colour photos, train diagrams, logs of high speed runs £17
Peak thrash CD – 46 tracks of thrash sound nostalgia of Peaks Classes 44 – 46 on BR £9
Peaks in preservation – a 2 hour DVD of preserved Peak thrash by John Goodale £15
John’s Crompton thrash DVD – 2 hours of Class 33 preserved and mainline action £15
A4 BR diagram drawing of Class 44, 45/0, 45/1 & 46, all four for £4
Please make cheques payable to ‘Great Gable Club’ thank you.
Mikes Memories Healey Mills on the way home from work
Travelling the land by car for work has its benefits, less so today but in the past opportunities arose to divert from the busy motorways to check out the locations en route for a bit of peak activity. Manchester still is one of my regular customer visits and back in the day I would deviate through Huddersfield and stop by for an afternoon snooze in the car park at Healey Mills depot (it’s a hard life). It was a peaceful spot sheltered by the Pennines with lovely scenery, nice weather (usually) and some good photographic angles to catch a picture. 45140 is seen leaving heading east I believe for Tinsley yard with a solitary wagon, a Greater Manchester Waste flat wagon heading in the wrong direction to get back to work. I am not sure of the identity of this trip freight but saw it around three o’clock in the afternoon varying from one wagon up to a long string of permanent way trucks and often including a Class 08 shunter probably to or from repair.
The desolate view of this large marshalling yard even in October 1987 typifies these locations which appeared to be over size for the available wagons even when built in 1960. Track rationalisation, old wagons stored out of use, a one wagon train and the open location here add to the feeling of desolation. Whilst I really liked the thrill of the chase when out with my camera I didn’t enjoy the last two years of the Peaks. Their flexibility and usefulness to the operating department saw them used on local work like this getting to some interesting and unusual locations but they were fitted with that ugly central headlight, were not cleaned and visibly declining as the end of Peak activity got near. This is the same for any class of loco where enthusiast adornments such as the painted red name added by Phil Hodgekiss of Tinsley depot only highlight the end as railway interest declines and enthusiast interest increases. Fame at the last rather than fame at last.
The first time I went there spotting in 1975 when the depot still maintained a substantial and busy fleet of Class 40s seen after having thrashed my workmate’s Hillman Imp all the way up the M1 to Wakefield from Nottingham to visit one Sunday. It never did recover from that thrashing and made a suspicious squeaking noise from then on until he got rid of it. Healey Mills depot itself was always challenging to visit because access to the depot was via a bridge from the office block visible in the picture. The entrance to the foot bridge was by the Depot Foremen’s office and fiercely guarded. Waving my British Rail identity card at the time usually removed the resistance. My other memory of that trip apart from the effort put in by the car was seeing 40100 ex works at the depot and at the time the yard was unusual in my opinion because complete trains were staged en route (parked up for the weekend) with the loco still attached. Normally the loco would be detached for the loco and crew to go onto the depot.
In the spring of 1988 I caught 45007, 45012 then 45066 known as 97413 at the time but I have not been back to Healey Mills taking photographs since Peaks last ran there in 1988. I did pass through in the cab of 47224 in 1991 riding an oil train again for work checking out operating temperatures of axle bearings on petrol tankers. That was at 02.00 in the morning though!
After checking out Healey Mills, I would usually call by Tinsley depot to see which members of the fleet were about having maintenance and in or out of service. That useful footpath running over the hill at the back of the depot gave a good vantage point to see into the shed and get some good shots of Peaks. May be that will be the focus of another Mikes memories.....
Our Next Newsletter will be produced during the first week in June for which contributions should reach the Club address by the end of May. You are welcome to submit your own memories articles for which I can arrange a suitable picture and enjoy a free extension to your subscription in return. Thank you all for your donations made at subscription renewal too, this helps fund the consumables we need to restore the locos like paint brushes and white spirit, chocolate, cakes and tea etc.
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