37901 - Eastleigh Works

[fgwrich]

Whilst browsing Flickr, I've Just come across this picture of a rubbed down and prepped for paint 37901 down in Eastleigh Works. Does anyone know who the former "MIRLEES PIONEER" is owned by these days (being an ex Pres loco) and when it moved down from either Leicester / Canton or St Leonards?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/64657...-28sGtGH-L5H5be-29QzDEt-L5H4yx-29Q5jgg-MGhfwm

 

[Y186520]

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R22105/2018/07/26/advanced

1306 St Leonards Easleigh on 26th July dragged by 66846

Info from https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/wrgen/conversations/messages

 

[Ciderking]

The paper stuck on the side window says Colas.

 

[Brian Aylott]

The paper stuck on the side window says Colas.

How old is the paper!
It was Colas owned before
Brian

 

[Ciderking]

How old is the paper!
It was Colas owned before
Brian

Unfortunately I'm not an expert on the age of pieces of paper.

 

[TimboM]

The paper you can see is actually copies of the Transit Certificate issued by Colas for when it was moved - nothing to do with who owns it.

As to who does, doesn't seem very clear at the moment, but suggestions are either Europhoenix, Victa or Colas. Might well be more of a clue once it appears out of the paintshop at Eastleigh.

 

[FOCTOC]

Its going to Europhonix, Colas have sold it on as not conforming to their fleet requirements.

 

[JohnMcL7]

Its going to Europhonix, Colas have sold it on as not conforming to their fleet requirements.

How many 37's do Europhoenix currently have?

 

[Cowley]

Another question for those that know: How easy would it be to source parts for the engine fitted to 37901 these days?
Does it share many parts (i.e heads/injectors etc) with the same unit fitted to a class 60?

 

[JKB]

Another question for those that know: How easy would it be to source parts for the engine fitted to 37901 these days?
Does it share many parts (i.e heads/injectors etc) with the same unit fitted to a class 60?

I worked for Mirrlees on the Class 37/9 and Class 60 projects. I'm pretty sure we converted the heads on 901 and her three 6MB275T engined sisters to Class 60 spec when we did the F Exams at Doncaster. The injectors will be the same but I think the fuel pumps have slightly different elements. The governors, water pumps, oil pumps, turbochargers and intercoolers are completely different but as far as I can recall all the engine internals are interchangeable. The chap who owned 901 also had its original power unit but I don't know if he sold his stock of spares with the loco.
Spares common with the 8MB275T engines in the Class 60s will be available from MAN who now own Mirrlees (a sore point with me and plenty of others), plus an ex-Mirrlees chap has set up his own company in Stockport to work on the 60s with their current owners. I don't know for sure, but I expect he sells parts as well.

 

[Cowley]

I worked for Mirrlees on the Class 37/9 and Class 60 projects. I'm pretty sure we converted the heads on 901 and her three 6MB275T engined sisters to Class 60 spec when we did the F Exams at Doncaster. The injectors will be the same but I think the fuel pumps have slightly different elements. The governors, water pumps, oil pumps, turbochargers and intercoolers are completely different but as far as I can recall all the engine internals are interchangeable. The chap who owned 901 also had its original power unit but I don't know if he sold his stock of spares with the loco.

Excellent JKB. Thanks for that and welcome to the forum.
Was the Mirrlees power unit in the 37/9s fairly reliable? They always seemed to be out and about working when allocated to Canton without much time stopped for repairs.
I may of course have false memories from this time distance...

 

[JKB]

Cheers Cowley.
I think it's fair to say that 37901-4 were pretty reliable. The biggest problems I can remember, and as you say, it's a long time ago, were with the radiators and silencers.The radiators were made by a company called Spirol Tube and supplied by Brush Traction who project managed the conversions. They seemed to be constantly leaking and I got sick of changing them. As far as I know they're still leaking!
The silencers were made by Gloster Saro and had to be a very complicated shape to fit in the available space, bearing in mind that standard 37s don't have silencers. They were made from Spanish stainless steel of dubious quality and cigarette paper thickness so they were very prone to cracking and blowing their stuffing all over the place. They were chucked out in the end and the loco's reverted to a straight-through exhaust.
The engines themselves were pretty good, the odd leak aside, and if Class 38 had gone ahead I think it would have had 6MB275T engines.

 

[cclass]

Hi Guys took some photo's yesterday 17th December 37608 & 37901 both at Leicester there are also two others numbers not known

 

[theblackwatch]

Interesting stuff there @JKB concerning the commonality of spares with Class 60s. Out of interest, do you know if the spares had a commonality with the engines that were fitted to 4 HST power cars (43167-170) in the mid-late 1980s as well?

 

[43096]

Interesting stuff there @JKB concerning the commonality of spares with Class 60s. Out of interest, do you know if the spares had a commonality with the engines that were fitted to 4 HST power cars (43167-170) in the mid-late 1980s as well?

There would have been very little commonality as the HST engines were the MB190, a high-speed engine running at 1500rpm, whereas the MB275 is a slow-speed engine running at 1,000rpm and designed for very different duty cycles.

 

[cclass]

37608 & 37901 both at Leicester as 16 December