Experimental vehicles in everyday use

[Helvellyn]

BR continued a long tradition of experimenting with new technology in everyday use. There will be examples from steam days (and pre-BR) that people can recall but a few I can immediately recall to start the thread. This excludes purpose built prototypes such as the Class 89, Class 210, HST or APT (-E and-P), etc.

Class 86/1
86101-86103 were fitted with Class 87 style bogies and traction motors to trial the equipment. They were modified to run at 110 in the mid-1980s like the rest of the 87s.

Class 87/1
The 36th Class 87 emerged as 87101 with a different model of traction motor but more importantly it was fitted with Thyristor control versus the traditional Tap Changer. At sectorisation it became a Railfreight loco so getting passenger haulage became even rarer!

Class 47/6 / 47/9
Accident damaged 47046 was rebuilt first as 47601 to trial the Class 56 engine and traction motors. It was further rebuilt as 47901 to trial the same equipment for the Class 58. In the latter guise it was allocated to the Construction sub-sector at Cardiff whilst the Class 58s were allocated to the Coal sub-sector at Toton.

Class 37/9
This sub-class was effectively a Class refurnished to the 37/7 heavyweight specification but the EE engine was replaced by a Mirrlees one in the initial batch (37901-37904) and Rushton one in the second batch (37905-37906). I believe this was to test new engines for a proposed new Type 3 (Class 38) but it was never progressed. A different version of the Mirrlees engine was uses in the Class 60.

Class 58, 58050
The last built Class 58 was fitted with SEPEX control (SEParately EXcited traction motors) to improve adhesion, particularly when starting heavily loaded trains. It was successful and used in the Class 60s but was removed from 58050 to make it a standard locomotive.

Class 43, 43167-43170
These four power cars had their original Paxman Valenta engines replaced by Mirrlees engines to see if better reliability and fuel efficiency could be achieved. I think the results were mixed and the power cars would eventually be re-engined to test the Paxman VP185 engine that was used to re-engine a number of power cars in the early days of privatisation before all ended up in Midland Mainline Power Cars.

Class 455/9, 5915-5920
The final six Class 455s were fitted with Chopper control in place of the traditional camshaft control, which would eventually be used on third generation EMUs such as the Networker. When refurbished under South West Trains in the late 2000s they reverted to the standard camshaft control.

Mark 3 experiments
A number of Mark 3 vehicles were fitted with different bogies in the 1980s, including variants of the BT10. One, however, given a more radical trial was 12140 that was fitted with SIG bogies as eventually used on the Mark 4s. It retained these into Virgin Trains days but it's non-standard nature meant it was an early withdrawal (and scrapped) once the Pendolinos came online.

Certain Mark 3s were also used for trial refurbishments. FO 11011 gained a universal toilet, IC80 seating and the early style InterCity livery with a cream band above the cant rail. Two of the third batch HST sets gained this livery and IC80 seats in First, but reverted to standard IC70 seating in the fleet refurbishment scheme of the mid-1980s to early 1990s.

TF 41178 (converted from TS 42011) and TCSD (Trailer Conductor Standard Disabled) 45084 (converted from TGS 44084) were prototype refurbishments in the early 1990s for a proposed mid-life refurbishment of the Mark 3s with a number of seating modifications and other trial equipment (electronic reservation displays in parts). The TCSD was intended to move the Conductor centre train on a HST and provide a full disabled loo as well as wheelchair space that would be adjacent to the buffet.

10200/10201 were the prototype Modular catering vehicles. Converted as RSMs (from redundant HST TRUKs) with low back seats they were subsequently converted to RFMs with normal first class seats.

 

[edwin_m]

You would often see a little black plate near the cab door mentioning an experiment on that loco.

On the way to a University interview I travelled between New Street and International on the Mk1 that was re-bodied with Leyland National components, rather like an unpowered bogied Pacer. I later joined BR Research and worked for someone who was instrumental in designing it, as well as the Maglev peoplemover that I tried out the same day.

There was a project there to look at radio positioning equipment for trains. Before the days of GPS a class 87 was fitted with a Datatrak, which was a long-wave radio locator used on security vans. It utterly failed to work anywhere near overhead line.

 

[ac6000cw]

The five class 48's (D1702–D1706) were built as an experimental variant of the class 47 in 1965-1966, fitted with the V12 Sulzer 12LVA24 engine. All were rebuilt with a standard 'twin-bank' 12LDA28 engine by 1971, becoming class 47s.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Another experimental 455 was 5912, whose trailer vehicle was used to evaluate plug doors in advance of the Networker programme. As the modifications to the door apertures made conversion back to standard uneconomic, the trailer was replaced with 67400 from one of the Class 210 prototypes - making the unit recognisable because of the different design of rainstrips over the doors in the trailer vehicle.

5913 also acquired a vehicle converted from a class 210, no 67301, when its original motor coach was written off after a concrete mixer lorry fell on its roof.

That vehicle, 67400, was also part of unit 7001, an experimental unit converted from class 210 carriages, again as part of the networker programme, and used in passenger service alongside the 455s.

 

[172007]

150001 and 150002 the "Scuds" two off prototype 3 car Sprinters still in service. Both had sliding crew doors which the rest if the /0 fleet didn't have, each had different engines and 150002 spent time as a test bed for the class 158 and was numbered as a class 154 before reverting back to 150002

 

[52290]

One of the oddest experiments of the steam age were the ten 9F's, 92020-92029, fitted with Franco-Crosti double boilers. They looked like they had been designed by Picasso and were eventually fitted with normal boilers. All them were allocated to Wellingborough but they did get pressed into service on summer excursions to Blackpool.
In the 1970's I did meet some of their Italian cousins, the class 741 had a double boiler like the 9F's but the class 743 had a triple boiler, making it look even odder. Both classes were conversions from the class 740 2-8-0's. I think that the Italians were pleased with their locos, at least they never converted any back to a single boiler.

 

[randyrippley]

how about the type3/4 variants of the class 30?
the Paxman Warship?

 

[Ash Bridge]

Class 42 Warship D830 Majestic was a one off in the fleet, being fitted with 2 Paxman YJXL engines as opposed to all other class members in which the standard power units were a pair of BS Maybach MD650s.

 

[Taunton]

D1000 Westerns had some experimental one-off liveries. D1000 itself was light yellow ("Desert sand"), while D1015 was bronze. Given that most were built red, with a few green, and BR then standardised on blue, it's a shame nobody got a photo of four of them together in blue, green, red and yellow.

Warship D870 had experimental horns in a roof housing over the cab. D830 had Paxman engines which sounded about an octave higher than normal.

There were a whole lot of experimental Mk1 main line carriages done in 1957 by various builders, who seem to have been given free rein with what to do. All seemed to have notably less seating that standard, and were not followed up.

A few years later the XP64 set was a full rake, with concertina sliding external doors which were not only harder to push open but the runners were a maintenance nightmare. The coaches lasted, the doors didn't.

 

[Beebman]

Another 9F experiment was the Giesl ejector fitted to 92250 in an attempt to improve overall fuel consumption.

 

[trebor79]

One of the oddest experiments of the steam age were the ten 9F's, 92020-92029, fitted with Franco-Crosti double boilers. They looked like they had been designed by Picasso and were eventually fitted with normal boilers. All them were allocated to Wellingborough but they did get pressed into service on summer excursions to Blackpool.

I'm sure I've seen photographs of crosti-boilered 9F's running iron ore trains to Consett.

 

[matchmaker]

Class 303 unit 035 was fitted with sliding plug doors and thyristor control.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 11 Sep 2023 ==

I'm sure I've seen photographs of crosti-boilered 9F's running iron ore trains to Consett.

Think the 9Fs on the ore trains had to be fitted with air compressors to operate the wagon doors.

 

[Magdalia]

All 174 of the Modernisation Plan diesel locomotives were originally intended as one big experiment!

how about the type3/4 variants of the class 30?

D5507 (temporarily 1450hp in 1958), D5545 (1600hp) and D5835 (2000hp) were all Brush Type 2 power unit experiments with the Mirrlees power unit. But the most significant was D5677, the prototype for the EE power unit.

D6123 is similarly significant as the prototype NBL Type 2 with a Paxman power unit.

The five class 48's (D1702–D1706) were built as an experimental variant of the class 47 in 1965-1966, fitted with the V12 Sulzer 12LVA24 engine. All were rebuilt with a standard 'twin-bank' 12LDA28 engine by 1971, becoming class 47s.

Class 47/6 / 47/9
Accident damaged 47046 was rebuilt first as 47601 to trial the Class 56 engine and traction motors. It was further rebuilt as 47901 to trial the same equipment for the Class 58.

Another significant Brush Type 4 experiment was D1960 and D1961 as the prototypes for the dual wound alternator providing both ETH and auxiliary power, subsequently being retrofitted in various class 47s, class 45s and class 31s.

One of the oddest experiments of the steam age were the ten 9F's, 92020-92029, fitted with Franco-Crosti double boilers.

Another experiment on standard steam was Caprotti valve gear fitted to 71000 Duke of Gloucester and 30 Standard 5s.

Class 455/9, 5915-5920
The final six Class 455s were fitted with Chopper control in place of the traditional camshaft control, which would eventually be used on third generation EMUs such as the Networker. When refurbished under South West Trains in the late 2000s they reverted to the standard camshaft control.

Experimental EMUs include the retractioned and refurbished 317722, and 365524, which was the prototype for in cab aircon but with an ugly square box on the front not a smiley face.

 

[norbitonflyer]

There were a whole lot of experimental Mk1 main line carriages done in 1957 by various builders, who seem to have been given free rein with what to do. All seemed to have notably less seating that standard, and were not followed up.

There were at least twelve: four open firsts - E3081-E3084 - with 33 or 36 seats compared with the standard 42 in 1st Class - two TSO E4637 and E4638, three corridor firsts M13220-M13222 and three corridor seconds M25455-M25457. Two each were built by Birmingham RC&W (3081, 4637) Cravens (3082, 4638) Metro cammell (13220, 25455) and Gloucester RC&W (13221, 25456), the other four by Doncaster Works (3083, 3084, 13222, 25457) All the open vehicles had non-standard seating arrangments, with some face-to back "airline" style. E3083 is almost entirely face to back, and recognisable by the large number of small windows, one for each row of seats (having the windows line up with the seats remained standard practice until the Mark 3s). I use the present tense because it is preserved, and operates on the Severn Valley Railway. I believe it is the only survivor, although Longworth is unclear on the fates of E3081 and E3084, which seem to have been used on the Dart Valley Railway at some point

The Cravens vehicles had a very unusual appearance - E3082 seen here in departmental use: it was cut up in 1987

(Informastion from Hugh :Liongworth's invaluable cataloguing of all Mk 1 and Mk 2 stock

 

[ac6000cw]

Think the 9Fs on the ore trains had to be fitted with air compressors to operate the wagon doors.

Correct.

But air compressors on steam locos were hardly experimental, even in the UK - there had long been air-brake fitted steam locos around e.g. some major pre-grouping railways used air-braked passenger stock.

 

[Snow1964]

Swindon works built prototype mk2 First Class carriage 13252 in early 1963, year before XP64 rake came about

 

[Helvellyn]

Some interesting responses. Although I excluded purpose built prototypes I see a few have been mentioned!

Besides the two Class 150/0 prototypes that are approaching 40 years in service the two Metro-Cammell Class 151 prototypes faired less well with less than ten years service. The Class 140 prototype faired even less well!

The two Class 210 DEMU prototypes have been mentioned in passing and were unusual in that four of the seven vehicles were rebuilt as the Networker prototype (Class 457/Class 316).

There were quite a few experimental coaching stock conversions including Booth Car 1106, Bar Car 1883 and Self-Service Restaurant 1800 - the latter converted from a Mark 2F TSO and reprofiled inside to mimic an APT!

Wasn't there also a Class 83 built with Thyristor control from new as a prototype?

 

[6Gman]

One of the oddest experiments of the steam age were the ten 9F's, 92020-92029, fitted with Franco-Crosti double boilers. They looked like they had been designed by Picasso and were eventually fitted with normal boilers. All them were allocated to Wellingborough but they did get pressed into service on summer excursions to Blackpool.
In the 1970's I did meet some of their Italian cousins, the class 741 had a double boiler like the 9F's but the class 743 had a triple boiler, making it look even odder. Both classes were conversions from the class 740 2-8-0's. I think that the Italians were pleased with their locos, at least they never converted any back to a single boiler.

My understanding was that the Crosti equipment was blanked off/ removed but the original boilers were retained, leaving a loco which was slightly inferior to the standard locos.

My only recollection of seeing one was in c.1967 working an oil train through Chester, presumably by then Birkenhead-based.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Wasn't there also a Class 83 built with Thyristor control from new as a prototype?

would this be E3100 @Helvellyn which was fitted as a test bed with silicone rectifiers unlike the mercury arc type found in the rest of the class, it also utilised transductors in its power control set up which ultimately led to the development of the later thyristor control technology fitted to 87101.

 

[ac6000cw]

with silicone rectifiers

They are made from silicon (without the 'e') i.e. the element (in an extremely pure crystalline form), not the synthetic polymer than contains silicon. (Sorry, a bit of electronic engineer's pedantry )

 

[Taunton]

My understanding was that the Crosti equipment was blanked off/ removed but the original boilers were retained, leaving a loco which was slightly inferior to the standard locos.

My only recollection of seeing one was in c.1967 working an oil train through Chester, presumably by then Birkenhead-based.

The Crosti equipment was a confounded nuisance, not only for filling the cab with smoke due to the odd positioning of the exhaust, but also as the combustion gases were circulated much further and cooled more, the sulphur content mixed with steam to produce sulphurous acid, which attacked and corroded the steel components.

The Italians even developed a "double Crosti", with two supplementary water preheaters underneath, where the gases went back but then forward again, to exhaust through the conventional chimney, which may have overcome the cab smoke issue but made the gases even cooler and more acid.

 

[randyrippley]

The Crosti equipment was a confounded nuisance, not only for filling the cab with smoke due to the odd positioning of the exhaust, but also as the combustion gases were circulated much further and cooled more, the sulphur content mixed with steam to produce sulphurous acid, which attacked and corroded the steel components.

The Italians even developed a "double Crosti", with two supplementary water preheaters underneath, where the gases went back but then forward again, to exhaust through the conventional chimney, which may have overcome the cab smoke issue but made the gases even cooler and more acid.

I wonder if burning anthracite rather than steam coal would have resolved that? Hotter flame, and less sulphur.
Though I suppose you'd then have to redesign the firebox and grate........

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Besides the two Class 150/0 prototypes that are approaching 40 years in service the two Metro-Cammell Class 151 prototypes faired less well with less than ten years service. The Class 140 prototype faired even less well!

The class 140 still exists though, being stored up in North East Scotland... though it's out in the open so I'd hesitate to call it preserved. Remember seeing it from the car park of the Glenfiddich Distillery where I'd just done the tour... for a moment I wondered if I'd overindulged!

The 151s survived out of use and stored near Crewe for many years, there was even talk of Riviera Trains(?) restoring them as "spot hire" units due to a shortage of DMUs in the early 2000s... unfortunately they were then attacked by vandals and damaged beyond economical repair.

 

[Ash Bridge]

They are made from silicon (without the 'e') i.e. the element (in an extremely pure crystalline form), not the synthetic polymer than contains silicon. (Sorry, a bit of electronic engineer's pedantry )

Oops! And I’ll bet you’ll have already guessed that I’m going to put the blame on auto correct/ pre-emptive text for that embarrassing little typo @ac6000cw?

 

[The Crab]

My understanding was that the Crosti equipment was blanked off/ removed but the original boilers were retained, leaving a loco which was slightly inferior to the standard locos.

My only recollection of seeing one was in c.1967 working an oil train through Chester, presumably by then Birkenhead-based.

On the Bidston to Shotton ore trains the ex-Crostis were allowed ten wagons as opposed to eleven for a standard 9F. I don’t remember seeing "8F" on a Crosti's cab side and I've never found a photo of an engine clean enough to read the power classification. Anyone?

 

[ac6000cw]

And I’ll bet you’ll have already guessed that I’m going to put the blame on auto correct/ pre-emptive text for that embarrassing little typo @ac6000cw?

Of course

would this be E3100 @Helvellyn which was fitted as a test bed with silicone rectifiers unlike the mercury arc type found in the rest of the class, it also utilised transductors in its power control set up which ultimately led to the development of the later thyristor control technology fitted to 87101.

Yes, it was. Eventually converted to a standard class 83.

As I assume it was built by 1962, I suspect this was the first BR electric loco with silicon rectifiers, with the early class 85s fitted with germanium rectifiers probably being the first BR electric locos with solid-state rectifiers. Compared to some other countries, 87101 was late to the 'Thyristor control' party in 1975, with locos like the pioneer Swedish ASEA Rc1 appearing in 1967.

A couple of quotes re. E3100 from the The AC Locomotive Group website (my bold):

English Electric had always been at the forefront of developing new technologies, and at their insistence, the British Transport Commission agreed to allow the last locomotive (E3305) to be built as a test-bed for Transductor Stepless Tap-Changer control. Financed mainly by EE, the loco was fitted with Silicon rectifiers (as opposed to the Mercury-Arc of the rest of Type AL3), rheostatic brakes and the new control system, and was used in tests for several years. Outshopped as a 100 mph Type A loco, numbered E3100, its appearance was also non-standard, with the three corridor-side windows being replaced by louvres. Tests with this loco proved remarkably successful, and provided BR and EE with valuable knowledge for the development of future designs.

The early careers of standard Type AL3 proved rather more troublesome than that of E3100. Major problems with the water cooled Mercury-Arc rectifiers developed, resulting in the entire Class being withdrawn in 1969 and put to store. English Electric put forward several proposals to cure the problem, but it wasn't until the authorisation of the northern section of the WCML electrification that the plans were carried out, and Silicon Rectifiers fitted to the fleet during refurbishment at Doncaster in 1973-74. E3100 was also converted to a standard Class 83 at this time, not because of any failure as a test bed, but because very few drivers had been trained on it. As a consequence,it was non-standard and difficult to diagram for day-to-day operation. The class was renumbered into the 83001-83015 series, E3100 becoming 83015.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I am pretty sure that E3100 never, ever ran in service, only on test trains (usually coupled to the ex LMS "Test Cars' and with wires draped from the cab window etc down the bodyside). To have seen E3100 on a proper train would have elevated the status of any local trainspotter. And the limitation of traction knowledge supports this - probably a couple of Crewe drivers???

 

[Rescars]

I think I read somewhere that back in the 1900s the GWR tested/piloted its ATC (AWS) system on the Fairford branch. During this period the distant signals were removed, with total reliance being placed on the ATC system instead. Only locos fitted with the (prototype) ATC equipment were allowed to work the branch. So there must have been a small pool of locos fitted with this experimental equipment very much in normal traffic. No doubt other have more details.

 

[contrex]

Surprised no-one seems to have mentioned the fibreglass-bodied Mark 1 compartment coach, S1000S, used in public service on the Hayling Island branch and the Clapham Jct/Kensington Olympia unadvertised service. Built on an underframe salvaged from the Lewisham disaster, I believe.

 

[robert thomas]

I am pretty sure that E3100 never, ever ran in service, only on test trains (usually coupled to the ex LMS "Test Cars' and with wires draped from the cab window etc down the bodyside). To have seen E3100 on a proper train would have elevated the status of any local trainspotter. And the limitation of traction knowledge supports this - probably a couple of Crewe drivers???

It certainly ran in service. My records show that I was hauled by it on 4 seperate occasions between September 1965 and October 1966 on each occasion from Crewe to Manchester or vice versa. It seemed to be regularly booked on the 11.55 Cardiff-Manchester from Crewe.