Furthest a shunter locomotive has moved under its own power?

[DGH 1]

Hi everyone, does anyone have any idea What the longest journey under their power a diesel shunter has done light engine, since they were introduced all those years ago? and also any long distance ( for a shunter) trains they've hauled?

 

[childwallblues]

When Allerton was a big shunter depot in BR days they could be seen at Trafford Park and Dee Marsh both a fair distance from Liverpool.

 

[Spartacus]

I remember EWS/DB moving their shunters around overnight on occasion, the longest I can recall myself was Peak Forest to Knottingley.

 

[deltic]

Norwich to Stratford tends to be given as one of the longest light engine movements

 

[bishdunster]

Weymouth 03s wenr regularly to Eastliegh for servicing. The journey took place overnight and an essenteal piece of kit was a wooden key !

 

[Acathater]

Weymouth 03s wenr regularly to Eastliegh for servicing. The journey took place overnight and an essenteal piece of kit was a wooden key !

They were allocated to Bournemouth shed, as were the 03s at Salisbury

 

[75A]

Not a particularly long distance but unpleasant enough.
Sunday night turn @ Brighton, 09 from Platform 7 dock to Newhaven Yard, swap Locos and bring the other one back.
Guaranteed to exceed the 29 mph 'trip' over the Falmer Bank which meant coming to a stop and starting again. Certainly not a turn you'd volunteer for!

 

[Magdalia]

I am going to start at the very beginning here, what happened when the locos were new?

For example, I've had in my mind that, when D2004-17 were delivered new to Cambridge, they ran light engine from Swindon via Oxford and Bletchley. And would deliveries to Norwich and Ipswich have been light engine too?

In the early days, when there were still many local branch lines with freight traffic, shunters would be used on lines with route availability restrictions. The most obvious example near here is the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. One that lasted a long time is the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley line in Wales.

My recollection of the 1970s is that most long distance shunter moves, notably works visits and reallocations, were in the consists of freight trains. But Cambridge did have its equivalent of the Brighton-Newhaven swap, taking all night to swap over the loco outstationed at Bury St Edmunds.

 

[Rescars]

As the thread title doesn't specify fuel type, I'd guess that long distance trips by shunters and other small locos were more a feature of the steam era, especially pre-amalgamation. Plenty of refuge capacity to tuck things out of the way and avoid holding up other traffic, though that may not have been material given the average speeds of unfitted goods and mineral trains then.

In terms of small locos, IIRC one of the claims to fame of Dodman's diminutive "Gazelle" (subsequently acquired by Col Stephens) was its trip taking its original owner from King's Lynn to Chesterfield and back running light engine. I fear this may be going OT though, albeit travelling rather slowly!

 

[Spartacus]

I am going to start at the very beginning here, what happened when the locos were new?

For example, I've had in my mind that, when D2004-17 were delivered new to Cambridge, they ran light engine from Swindon via Oxford and Bletchley. And would deliveries to Norwich and Ipswich have been light engine too?

In the early days, when there were still many local branch lines with freight traffic, shunters would be used on lines with route availability restrictions. The most obvious example near here is the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway. One that lasted a long time is the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley line in Wales.

My recollection of the 1970s is that most long distance shunter moves, notably works visits and reallocations, were in the consists of freight trains. But Cambridge did have its equivalent of the Brighton-Newhaven swap, taking all night to swap over the loco outstationed at Bury St Edmunds.

I know I've seen photos of them in consists of slow freight trains, rods removed, and presumably in neutral

 

[Sun Chariot]

My recollection of the 1970s is that most long distance shunter moves, notably works visits and reallocations, were in the consists of freight trains.

My grey cells remember seeing exactly that, during my August 1988 All Line Rail Rover week. A class 08, minus coupling rods, marshalled behind brake van that, itself, was marshalled behind the train-engine; with a motley selection of wagonload freight.
My aged grey cells cannot for the life of me remember where I saw it, during my ALRR travels... Sheffield area maybe.

 

[Harpo]

My recollection of the 1970s is that most long distance shunter moves, notably works visits and reallocations, were in the consists of freight trains.

Yes - Minus the rods and de-meshed (i.e. motor gearing not connected) to enable faster running.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Colchester - Stratford light engine 08 (overnight) - was I am told , a very tedious job ...........from Ipswich , even more so.

Well into the 90's the re-allocation of loco power was done by 222 Marylebone Road until sectorisation ,hence often movements of power around the UK before any major timetable change ...........

 

[Harvester]

Two Hawksworth pannier tanks 1646 and 1649, moved from the WR to Helmsdale in the far north of Scotland in the late 1950s via the rail network. Some of the milage was within freight trains, but a good proportion was under their own power!

 

[etr221]

As the thread title doesn't specify fuel type, I'd guess that long distance trips by shunters and other small locos were more a feature of the steam era, especially pre-amalgamation. Plenty of refuge capacity to tuck things out of the way and avoid holding up other traffic, though that may not have been material given the average speeds of unfitted goods and mineral trains then.

In terms of small locos, IIRC one of the claims to fame of Dodman's diminutive "Gazelle" (subsequently acquired by Col Stephens) was its trip taking its original owner from King's Lynn to Chesterfield and back running light engine. I fear this may be going OT though, albeit travelling rather slowly!

The NRM/LCGB Ken Nunn photo collection includes at least one shot of an Ipswich or Yarmouth dock shunter tram engines running light engine up the GE main line en route to or from Stratford Works on a Sunday 120 odd years ago - which I imagine would have been an all day journey, stopping pretty well everywhere to recess/for water... The RCTS loco history notes such workings as requiring a special traffic notice with all the details.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

When the Meldin Quarry shunter needed maintenance I believe that was a fair track - Swindon Works iirc?

 

[High Dyke]

Was watching a video about diesel shunter last night. It had a Heaton/Gateshead trip to Berwick upon Tweed, for station pilot duties.

 

[thesignalman]

The biggest problem I observed with longer-distance light engine moves (class 08) was overheated bearings on the connecting rods. It occurred quite frequently, but usually without mishap. However, two particular serious instances come to mind.

1. During a movement between Cricklewood and Luton one Sunday night (the only day of the week such moves were possible on that line without disruption to other traffic) a bearing seized up at Harpenden Junction. The loco was still stuck there through the morning peak whilst attemts were made to remove the offending item. Eventually it was physically cut off and the locomotive made its way back to Cricklewood without connecting rods, with special advice from Control to signalmen to not cause it to stop over points and crossings as only one axle was driven.
2. During a movement from Finsbury Park to Welwyn Garden City, a bearing overheated so much that one end of the connecting rod became detached near Marshmoor and buried itself in the ballast, turning the engine on its side. It was being driven by a gentleman with a bit of a reputation for driving fast, but whether that was the cause I really couldn't say.

John

 

[matchmaker]

Two Hawksworth pannier tanks 1646 and 1649, moved from the WR to Helmsdale in the far north of Scotland in the late 1950s via the rail network. Some of the milage was within freight trains, but a good proportion was under their own power!

To operate the Dornoch Light Railway. 1646 early in 1957 after the Highland Railway tank kept to operate the line broke its crank axle. 1649 followed the next year.

 

[Rescars]

Going back to the Victorian era, "The Chronicles of Boulton's Siding" records some pretty significant journeys made with "pre-owned" contractors locomotives, collecting and delivering them to customers. Sometimes the driver was Mr Boulton himself!

 

[norbitonflyer]

without connecting rods, with special advice from Control to signalmen to not cause it to stop over points and crossings as only one axle was driven.

Why only one? Even without connecting rods it would be an A1A wheel arrangment

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Yesterday at 19:43 ==

A class 08, minus coupling rods, marshalled behind brake van that, itself, was marshalled behind the train-engine; with a motley selection of wagonload freight. My aged grey cells cannot for the life of me remember where I saw it, during my ALRR travels... Sheffield area maybe.

Saw them occasionally on the Lincoln avoiding line - presumably on their way to or from Doncaster Works for overhaul. although (late 70s) I don't recall a brake van between the shunter and the train engine.

 

[Acathater]

Why only one? Even without connecting rods it would be an A1A wheel arrangment

Surely there was only one driven axle?

 

[Gloster]

When the Meldin Quarry shunter needed maintenance I believe that was a fair track - Swindon Works iirc?

Meldon was Southern and in steam days the loco would have gone to Eastleigh, which would not have been a problem, as they were former normal traffic locos. The last steam loco was one of the USA tanks and it might have been a bit of a problem getting it there, what with their propensity to run hot, which even used to happen between Southampton Docks and Eastleigh. Once the 350 h.p. took over swapping them over was a Sunday out and back turn from Exeter.

To operate the Dornoch Light Railway. 1646 early in 1957 after the Highland Railway tank kept to operate the line broke its crank axle. 1649 followed the next year.

Until 1649 arrived Inverness’s BR 2MT 78052 was the reserve loco.

 

[Trackman]

Has anyone have approx mileage for regular 08 light engine moves they have posted before I chip in?

 

[Harvester]

Saw them occasionally on the Lincoln avoiding line - presumably on their way to or from Doncaster Works for overhaul. although (late 70s) I don't recall a brake van between the shunter and the train engine.

Observed them ex-works on occasions at Gloucester depot in the late 70s. This would likely have been the first break in their haulage from Swindon, to South Wales or the Midlands after overhaul!

 

[Dave W]

My grey cells remember seeing exactly that, during my August 1988 All Line Rail Rover week. A class 08, minus coupling rods, marshalled behind brake van that, itself, was marshalled behind the train-engine; with a motley selection of wagonload freight.
My aged grey cells cannot for the life of me remember where I saw it, during my ALRR travels... Sheffield area maybe.

The excellent Bescot Plus website contains a few examples of this, notably of 9V01 to Gloucester.

BescotPlus - 50034 at Wednesbury

I won't hotlink the image from the page, but the blurb goes:

50034 approaches Wednesbury with 9V01 Bescot - Gloucester. This view is from Ridding Lane, with Hydes Road bridge in the background, and was taken at 13:25 on Tuesday 26th January 1988. The stellar consist includes a Class 08 (08621), a CCT van, a TEA tank, and a brakevan. Even though it's only four vehicles long it's a fairly safe bet that a formation like this never ran before, nor afterwards.