08s on the Mainline

[YorkshireBear]

http://www.railway-centre.com/

The link above shows an 08 taking DBS coal wagons between Milford and Knottingley. Says it is the last place on the main line you can see them. I was wondering how often then ran and how you can tell on RTT that it will be an 08?

Any help appreciated.

I cannot copy the picture but the caption says.

Possibly the last location where one can capture a BR-design standard 0-6-0 diesel shunting locomotive on the main line is around Burton Salmon. In this view recorded on 24 March 2014, Class 09/2 No. 09201 trundles past Burton Salmon with the 12.38 Milford Sidings to Knottingley formed of four wagons for maintenance. This is a regular main line working for this locomotive transferring wagons between the two locations and shunting wagon rakes at Milford Sidings.

 

[Jonny]

It's on RTT as http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O85103/2014/03/24/advanced

It seems to be VSTP - activated as required?

 

[91104]

I'm a East Coast driver based at Kings Cross and once every so often we have to take the Bounds Green pilots to Ferme Park for fuel. We go out the south end of Bounds Green onto the Up Slow 2,over the Harringay Flyover and into Ferme Park returning via the Down Slow 2/Down Hertford into Bowes Park reversing siding and back into Bounds Green,certainly get some strange looks as you go through Bowes Park station and I can honestly say driving an 08 at 15mph hanging out the window is more exciting that driving an HST at 125!!

 

[heart-of-wessex]

Well it's an 09 on the mainline, slightly faster than 08's (25mph) for trip workings like that. I believe the idea of a slightly faster shunter was to clear it off the mainline a bit quicker. I recall one trip working that involved running over a bit of the WCML, I think it was on the Trent Valley route on the slow line.

 

[30909]

09s were originally specified for the Southern Region for trip working introduced from 1959-62. One or two were, in their early years, to be seen beetling around Redhill tripping freight from Redhill down to the main yard near Earlswood at the junction of the Quarry Line. They would also trip up to Holmethorpe sidings with sand hoppers for British Industrial Sands. They certainly went to Reigate to shunt the yard there, and occasionally to Nutfield to the chemical works siding of Nutfield Manufacturing all trips of under 4 miles. On rare occasions the Clapham Yard shunter would take 3 MK1 coaches to - from Kensington Olympia on the "Kenny Bell" when a class 33 or later a "thumper" were not available.

 

[03_179]

I'm a East Coast driver based at Kings Cross and once every so often we have to take the Bounds Green pilots to Ferme Park for fuel. We go out the south end of Bounds Green onto the Up Slow 2,over the Harringay Flyover and into Ferme Park returning via the Down Slow 2/Down Hertford into Bowes Park reversing siding and back into Bounds Green,certainly get some strange looks as you go through Bowes Park station and I can honestly say driving an 08 at 15mph hanging out the window is more exciting that driving an HST at 125!!

How often?

I'd love to get a photo of that passing here (HE TSC)

 

[sprinterguy]

I was wondering how often then ran and how you can tell on RTT that it will be an 08?

You can tell it's an 08 working because it'll take an age to get between the timing points. Though, as heart of wessex says, is this not a more regular turn for an 09? This is one that seems to have been running for years and years: As it is only needed when wagons for repair need moving, presumably it runs as required, though it seems to crop up regularly enough - As often as weekly, perhaps?

Of course, trip workings for 08s and 09s on the main line used to be a regular thing. You don't have to go back that far, for instance, to recall the regular trips between Carlisle Kingmoor Yard and Currock wagon repair. These were booked for the slower 08s, as well.

Mind you, the furthest I have seen an 08 travelling on the main line was 08633 between Heaton and Tees Yard via the Durham Coast!

 

[91104]

How often?

I'd love to get a photo of that passing here (HE TSC)

Not that often I'm afraid,probably once every month-6 weeks then could be anytime between 10-4 depending on what shunting needs doing,I always check the fuel and 'offer' to refuel if the fuel looks a bit low just for the fun of getting one up to 15mph which we can't do in the environs of Bounds Green and for some reason the 08s are a bit of a babe magnet I get plenty of female attention driving them especially in the morning from commuters at Alexandra Palace station.

 

[03_179]

Not that often I'm afraid,probably once every month-6 weeks then could be anytime between 10-4 depending on what shunting needs doing,I always check the fuel and 'offer' to refuel if the fuel looks a bit low just for the fun of getting one up to 15mph which we can't do in the environs of Bounds Green and for some reason the 08s are a bit of a babe magnet I get plenty of female attention driving them especially in the morning from commuters at Alexandra Palace station.

If you know 24 hours in advance drop me a nte on here and I'll bring the camera in with me.

 

[TheEdge]

Very very rarely the Crown Point 08s seem to appear in Norwich station. I've seen it twice, not sure why both times but still, something a little different!

 

[tom1681]

Very very rarely the Crown Point 08s seem to appear in Norwich station. I've seen it twice, not sure why both times but still, something a little different!

Set failures usually. Every time a DVT stops talking to a 90 and they run the 90 round en-route the 08 comes out to the station to pick the set up. Or if a set fails in the station.

Both of Crown Point's 08s also briefly visit the station twice when coaching stock needs turning as they go depot - station - Trowse loop - curve - depot (or the reverse of that) then they do it again to turn the 08s back round.

No way of predicting when any of that's going to happen in advance though!

 

[TheEdge]

Probably true, have seen one there by itself though.

Also spotted one trundling into the Low Level/Royal Dock, probably collecting the mini hauled set after a failure!

 

[RichmondCommu]

I'm a East Coast driver based at Kings Cross and once every so often we have to take the Bounds Green pilots to Ferme Park for fuel. We go out the south end of Bounds Green onto the Up Slow 2,over the Harringay Flyover and into Ferme Park returning via the Down Slow 2/Down Hertford into Bowes Park reversing siding and back into Bounds Green,certainly get some strange looks as you go through Bowes Park station and I can honestly say driving an 08 at 15mph hanging out the window is more exciting that driving an HST at 125!!

Just a quick (and potentially stupid!) question, why can't the 08's be fueled at Bounds Green? I'm assuming that’s where HST's are fueled?

 

[91104]

Just a quick (and potentially stupid!) question, why can't the 08's be fueled at Bounds Green? I'm assuming that’s where HST's are fueled?

There's no fuelling facilities at Bounds Green so fuelling of HSTs is carried out at Ferme Park where there are 2 diesel pumps at both the north and south end which was fine when the HSTs were 8 coaches as both power cars could be fuelled at once but now they're 9 coaches the front power car gets fuelled then you draw the train forward so the back one can get fuelled doubling the time.

 

[RichmondCommu]

There's no fuelling facilities at Bounds Green so fuelling of HSTs is carried out at Ferme Park where there are 2 diesel pumps at both the north and south end which was fine when the HSTs were 8 coaches as both power cars could be fuelled at once but now they're 9 coaches the front power car gets fuelled then you draw the train forward so the back one can get fuelled doubling the time.

Thanks for that. What a mine of information this forum is! I'm curious to know why fuelling facilities were not installed at Bounds Green. I can only assume that it was because of space constraints?

 

[Kentish Paul]

I seem to recall from years ago that when they had to travel long distances (heavy maintenance, reallocation etc) they could be towed at a more reasonable speed if something was disconnected first. Tried searching but nothing forthcoming.

Also i'm sure the 08 that shunted china clay wagons at Fowey would have to trundle back and forth to St Blazey via the main line for fuel if nothing else.

Although not a large distance.

 

[heart-of-wessex]

I seem to recall from years ago that when they had to travel long distances (heavy maintenance, reallocation etc) they could be towed at a more reasonable speed if something was disconnected first. Tried searching but nothing forthcoming.

That'll be the wheel rods

 

[Royston Vasey]

Do 08s still deputise for 57s on the sleeper ECS moves from Old Oak to Paddington?

Is it meaningful that the caption says BR-design standard 0-6-0, i.e. suggesting the 08 was designed by LMS but 09 by BR? Possibly reading too much into it.

 

[Harbon 1]

Is it meaningful that the caption says BR-design standard 0-6-0, i.e. suggesting the 08 was designed by LMS but 09 by BR? Possibly reading too much into it.

Were the 09s not 08s originally?

 

[Royston Vasey]

Were the 09s not 08s originally?

Some conversions and some from new IIRC

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Were the 09s not 08s originally?

Not all of them, no. There were originally (I think) twenty-seven 09s built for the southern region. In around 1990-92ish a handful of 08s were converted (not sure what this involved, but presumably raised the speed to 27mph) to 09/1s and 09/2s.

 

[BritishRail83]

I can remember as a kid being taken with Mum and My Brother to the Tarn ( a park with a pond) at Mottingham next to the Dartford loop line in SE London, and going right up to the railway fence and seeing an 09 light engine on the down line and the Driver waving at us out of the cab window. it had probably come from Hither Green and heading for Hoo Junction? It was the first time I had seen one.

 

[455driver]

That'll be the wheel rods

And more importantly, the traction motors needed to be demeshed so they didnt turn with the wheels.

Edit-
I have a slide of 08210 passing through Moorthorpe under its own power on transfer from York to Tinsley, now that would have been a long day for the driver!

 

[RichmondCommu]

And more importantly, the traction motors needed to be demeshed so they didnt turn with the wheels.

Edit-
I have a slide of 08210 passing through Moorthorpe under its own power on transfer from York to Tinsley, now that would have been a long day for the driver!

I'm assuming that must have been early on a Sunday morning?

 

[causton]

I'm assuming that must have been early on a Sunday morning?

...and then late on a Sunday evening as well, by the sounds of things at that speed!

 

[irish_rail]

Class 08s do sometimes still replace a class 57 taking sleeper ECS to and from Paddington to Old Oak Common.

Also, now and then down here at Plymouth we take an 08 from Laira into Plymouth station when turning a HST power car.

 

[fgwrich]

Class 08s do sometimes still replace a class 57 taking sleeper ECS to and from Paddington to Old Oak Common.

Also, now and then down here at Plymouth we take an 08 from Laira into Plymouth station when turning a HST power car.

And further down at the other end of the line, The Long Rock 08 now comes back out to drag the Night Riviera back into Long Rock Depot - a job that was previously just propelled from the rear with the 57.

 

[83G/84D]

And further down at the other end of the line, The Long Rock 08 now comes back out to drag the Night Riviera back into Long Rock Depot - a job that was previously just propelled from the rear with the 57.

Only if:-

a) The 08 is serviceable.
b) There are two drivers available as one still has to be on board the 57.

 

[9K43]

When Holbeck Shed shut all the shunting work came across to Healey Mills.
This was in the shape of K60/61/62/63/64/65.
These trips were to sevice all the sidings in and around Leeds.
We signed on at 05:00 Hrs for a service car from the Mill to Holbeck.
The trips were made to the tip at Hunslet East, Neville Hill, and other locations, Such as the Freight Liner Terminal at Stourton.
At HM we had my names sake; 9K43, which went any where between the Mill up to Sowerby Bridge and Halifax. and Castleford.
This was in the early 1990., and all this has now gone.

The best job was freight Liner Shunt, Sign on at 16:02 and going home at 19:30hrs on a bad day.

 

[Kentish Paul]

And further down at the other end of the line, The Long Rock 08 now comes back out to drag the Night Riviera back into Long Rock Depot - a job that was previously just propelled from the rear with the 57.

What are the rules on propelling now ?

As a past resident of Penzance I well remember (1970's) locos propelling coaches out of the station back to either Long Rock or the down sidings (2) next to the sea.

I also remember light engine trips from Long Rock to Penzance where the driver and second man would stay in the London end cab. This meant that after gaining the up line from the depot the trip back to Penzance would entail hanging out the window to observe the signals !

Always done at full power with much clag. (I shut my eyes and still hear the Maybachs).