First class 57 to go for scrap?

[Spaceship323]

i saw 57004 leaving Crewe diesel depot today on a low loader. The loco looked to be heavily stripped with no roof panels and not much inside the body. Presumably it's going for scrap?

 

[Nym]

There’s plenty of scrap condition 57/0s out there. They just havnt faced the cutting torch yet

 

[HamworthyGoods]

i saw 57004 leaving Crewe diesel depot today on a low loader. The loco looked to be heavily stripped with no roof panels and not much inside the body. Presumably it's going for scrap?

It was stripped for spares for the GWR 57s.

 

[150249]

I was wondering when this one would finally go. Shame. It was the first train I got to go in the cab of

 

[12LDA28C]

Good riddance.

 

[ExRes]

Good riddance.

Can't agree with you at all, Freightliner were royally shafted by Rfd/EWS and left with the bottom of the barrel crap, without the 57s Freightliner would probably have gone belly up and allowed Burkhardt a total monopoly over the UK freight market, all 12 of the 57/0s should be preserved for that fact alone

 

[Doomotron]

Good riddance.

Because?

 

[metrail]

i saw 57004 leaving Crewe diesel depot today on a low loader. The loco looked to be heavily stripped with no roof panels and not much inside the body. Presumably it's going for scrap?

When I was young there were lists of locos/trains that were withdrawn and lists of new ones. Is there a list these days available?

 

[12LDA28C]

Because?

I much prefer the 47s. They don't call 57s 'bodysnatchers' for nothing. Also if I'm not mistaken the 57/0s weren't particularly reliable when first introduced, on more than one occasion I saw a shiny new (failed) 57/0 hauled dead on a liner by a 47, the locos they were intended to replace. And how many times have GWR had to hire in a DRS 57 due to poor availability of their own fleet?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2023 ==

When I was young there were lists of locos/trains that were withdrawn and lists of new ones. Is there a list these days available?

Where did you see these lists? Various railway books provide historical information and a simple TOPS enquiry will show which current locos are in traffic, stored or withdrawn.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Where did you see these lists? Various railway books provide historical information and a simple TOPS enquiry will show which current locos are in traffic, stored or withdrawn.

I think he's referring to the lists that were published monthly in the magazines to update the Combined Volume?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Can't agree with you at all, Freightliner were royally shafted by Rfd/EWS and left with the bottom of the barrel crap, without the 57s Freightliner would probably have gone belly up and allowed Burkhardt a total monopoly over the UK freight market, all 12 of the 57/0s should be preserved for that fact alone

Preserving all 12 would be overkill, no? Surely just one or two would suffice.

 

[metrail]

I think he's referring to the lists that were published monthly in the magazines to update the Combined Volume?

Correct

 

[Nym]

Just preserve the prototype one... 57601 is already with WCRC and showing no signs of long term failure.

 

[ExRes]

Just preserve the prototype one... 57601 is already with WCRC and showing no signs of long term failure.

57601 the prototype? surely that came well after the 57/0s had been delivered

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2023 ==

Preserving all 12 would be overkill, no? Surely just one or two would suffice.

I certainly wouldn't expect that, it's just an example of how much I hated Burkhardt and his EWS cronies

 

[Nym]

57601 the prototype? surely that came well after the 57/0s had been delivered

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 6 Jul 2023 ==

57601 is the prototype for ETS and arguably the most 'special' of them.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I certainly wouldn't expect that, it's just an example of how much I hated Burkhardt and his EWS cronies

Surely the fault there is with the privatisation process and regulatory system which allowed a near-monopoly to form?

As the kids say, "don't hate the player, hate the game".

 

[Tony2]

I much prefer the 47s. They don't call 57s 'bodysnatchers' for nothing. Also if I'm not mistaken the 57/0s weren't particularly reliable when first introduced,

The 47s suffered far worse problems when introduced, resulting in an extremely expensive rectification programme and engine derating which eventually improved reliability.

Read about the woes here:

A Sulzer Engineer's Memories 1965-1979

www.derbysulzers.com

 

[D365]

There’s plenty of scrap condition 57/0s out there. They just havnt faced the cutting torch yet

I'm struggling to recall how I ended up in this particular conversation, but I recall somebody, somewhere, mooting a proposal for bodysnatching a bodysnatcher..!

 

[Wyrleybart]

Can't agree with you at all, Freightliner were royally shafted by Rfd/EWS and left with the bottom of the barrel crap, without the 57s Freightliner would probably have gone belly up and allowed Burkhardt a total monopoly over the UK freight market, all 12 of the 57/0s should be preserved for that fact alone

Not sure about that.
Burkhardt had the chance to buy all six units - Transrail Loadhaul Mainline Parcels RfD and Freightliner, but bought the first four. At that time RfD were allegedly losing a million pounds a week, but he bought that too, much to the chagrin of the RfD employees.

IIRC Freightliner had the multi 47s and some 90s as well as the 86/6s so weren't too bereft of power. Freightliner chose to acquire some 66/5s which were taken out of the 66/0 build (around 66150 I believe)

The 57/0s have near 60 year old bodies and bogies so are getting on for life expiry, unless a bombload of cash is spent on another heavy bodyshell refurb on them, but they aren't really competitive with the 66 in terms of haulage capacity. WCRC obviously like the ETH fitted 57/3s, but one 57/0 has never run since being bought from Advenza, so clearly not a "gotta have".

 

[45076]

Has anyone found out where it has gone for final disposal yet?

 

[fgwrich]

From a separate thread about a Mk2 near Stafford.

I now believe that the carriage I saw was on its way to J.Watson Metal Recyclers of Common Road, Stafford, which is first turn right, next turn left from the A513 eastbound. There was an ex-DRS Class 47 (or at least the body shell) in their yard when I cycled past this afternoon.

Has anyone found out where it has gone for final disposal yet?

 

[45076]

From a separate thread about a Mk2 near Stafford.

thanks

 

[12LDA28C]

The 47s suffered far worse problems when introduced, resulting in an extremely expensive rectification programme and engine derating which eventually improved reliability.

Read about the woes here:

A Sulzer Engineer's Memories 1965-1979

www.derbysulzers.com

I'm well aware of that, but the point is that 57s were supposed to be a big improvement over the 47s they were converted from, which I believe wasn't the case.

 

[43096]

I'm well aware of that, but the point is that 57s were supposed to be a big improvement over the 47s they were converted from, which I believe wasn't the case.

They were substantially more reliable than a Duff. The original plan was for Freightliner to convert over 30 of them, but the Class 66 production line was open and EMD would take orders for relatively low quantities of locos. The ROSCOs were also prepared to lease them so Freightliner didn't have to find the up-front cash to finance them.

It's interesting to note that there was an earlier Railfreight Distribution proposal to re-engineer Class 47s. It included new cabs (something like a Class 92 cab) and engine/generator replacement with a GE power unit, presumably a V12 7FDL. A real shame that never happened.

 

[Benters]

The 'Class 47' I saw in J Watson & Sons' scrapyard, Stafford ,on 5th July 2023 was in fact the bodyshell of 57004 which had been brought there by low-loader from Crewe earlier in the day.
Watsons must work fast as it was gone two days later. It has been confirmed as scrapped on the website www.47soton.co.uk

 

[Wyrleybart]

They were substantially more reliable than a Duff. The original plan was for Freightliner to convert over 30 of them, but the Class 66 production line was open and EMD would take orders for relatively low quantities of locos. The ROSCOs were also prepared to lease them so Freightliner didn't have to find the up-front cash to finance them.

Didn't know it was up to thirty.

It's interesting to note that there was an earlier Railfreight Distribution proposal to re-engineer Class 47s. It included new cabs (something like a Class 92 cab) and engine/generator replacement with a GE power unit, presumably a V12 7FDL. A real shame that never happened.

Agree with you a 47/57 fitted with a 7FDL would be rather nice. I remember watching CSX 5555 switching at Orlando's Taft yard many years ago. Lots of chug !!!

 

[61653 HTAFC]

It is quite funny to think that 30-40 years ago 47s were nicknamed "duffs" by enthusiasts on account of how ubiquitous they were, yet nowadays they (and their rebuilt 57 counterparts) are more sought after for haulage and sighting than 37s.

 

[co-tr-paul]

OK....let's get one thing straight. The GWR fleet of 4 has a daily requirement of 3 and operate a prestige service. So any little fault gets over publicised. No room for servicing or maintenance hence the DRS or previous NR or VT hire requirement. Now that 312 is directly hired from ROSCO that should ease. However, expect 312 to operate more as one million mile G Exam is about to roll out on the GWR fleet making them almost like a new loco. Don't belive the wibble of the past. They are one if the most reliable old school loco fleet left on the network.

 

[xotGD]

are more sought after for haulage and sighting than 37s

I beg to differ!

 

[12LDA28C]

It is quite funny to think that 30-40 years ago 47s were nicknamed "duffs" by enthusiasts on account of how ubiquitous they were, yet nowadays they (and their rebuilt 57 counterparts) are more sought after for haulage and sighting than 37s.

In that case 57003 working a main line passenger train today must've got some people excited...