Grids (Class 56)

[Phoenix]

The recent goings on with the Class 56 situation has got me thinking and well we currently have 4 soon to be 5 mainline class 56's but I was just wondering about two thing's.

1.which of the 5 are of Romanian build
2.What are the cosmetic differences between a UK grid and a Eastern European built Grid.

 

[EE Type 3]

There isn't many differences between the Romanian and British grids.

56312 (56003) is Romanian. Can't think of any others

 

[16CSVT2700]

56001-56030 were the only Romanian built grids.
56031-56115 were built by BREL Doncaster
56116-56135 were built at Crewe.

Main differences between the Romanian build and the others is the curved cab side windows

 

[Phoenix]

What about the size of the grids on the front of the loco as some are full size and some are half covered but then half grid?????

 

[16CSVT2700]

They were mostly interchangable. 56040 has the smaller grid cover yet it is a BREL machine

 

[Phoenix]

Well cheers guy's I now know all I needed to thanks.

 

[37402]

They were mostly interchangable. 56040 has the smaller grid cover yet it is a BREL machine

Not 100% correct, horn grille covers weren't interchangeable...

Confusing the Romanian/British split are 56031-055 which, although British built machines, retained the cleaner Romanian style cab fronts.

 

[metrocammel]

There isn't many differences between the Romanian and British grids.

Not sure if it was just urban myth, but apparently the Romanian 'grids' were built very shoddily, and thus were very unreliable.

 

[EE Type 3]

Not sure if it was just urban myth, but apparently the Romanian 'grids' were built very shoddily, and thus were very unreliable.

I think your right James, it was sorted out in the early EWS days IIRC. To be fair I wouldn't expect quality from Romanina hock:

 

[class56fan]

early grids were not reliable, poor workmanship. alot of failures in early years
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

early grids were not reliable, poor workmanship. alot of failures in early years

 

[Muppet56097]

early grids were not reliable, poor workmanship. alot of failures in early years
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

That's true to an extent, but in reality the greater part of the problem was just design. There were a number of weak aspects to the design, and they always reflected in availability problems. None of them are really attributable to poor workmanship.

• Engine Camshaft keys
• E70 brake problems (generally)
• Traction motor earth faults due to ingress of sludge from hydrostatic fan leaks
• A tendency to collect rain water internally
• Low water level shut down due to coolant surges and insufficiently large header tanks (initially).
• Awful start system on earlier 56s with start contactors in a stupid place and prone to failure

and many, many more.

They were designed in a hurry, and it showed. The general difficulty attached to maintenance in such a cramped engine room with no bodyside doors didn't help either. They just weren't fitter friendly. The money spent by Loadhaul and Transrail to correct or mitigate some of the design weaknesses made a difference, but it is only cost effective to do so much.

 

[class56fan]

thanks 56097
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
1/2/09 56091 on eastleigh

 

[alpha_9]

Never been a big fan of 'Grids'. Looking at it in retrospect it might have been wiser to have put a stop to any further building after the first Romanian built batch and concentrate on devolping what would become of course the Class 58 instead (imagine what the difference would have been if we had 155 or more 'Eggtimers' with only those 30 'Grids' to worry about! (not that they would have lasted that long anyway)).

 

[D9521]

I also thought the easy way to tell them apart was the size of the horn grill on the front but it seems im wrong now Next time any of you see 56312 (56003) next to another 56 look at the bottom of the cab :P you'll notice a differance there which FusionRail has pointed out to me the bottom of the cab has been cut off due to a cock up somewhere along the line.

 

[Muppet56097]

I also thought the easy way to tell them apart was the size of the horn grill on the front but it seems im wrong now Next time any of you see 56312 (56003) next to another 56 look at the bottom of the cab :P you'll notice a differance there which FusionRail has pointed out to me the bottom of the cab has been cut off due to a cock up somewhere along the line.

Not really. It is just a case of removing the skirt that sits around the bottom of the (earlier style) cab. Very common to remove it on 47s too. The later ZF built 56s and the ZC ones had a different design of cab and didn't have the skirt in the first place.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Never been a big fan of 'Grids'. Looking at it in retrospect it might have been wiser to have put a stop to any further building after the first Romanian built batch and concentrate on devolping what would become of course the Class 58 instead (imagine what the difference would have been if we had 155 or more 'Eggtimers' with only those 30 'Grids' to worry about! (not that they would have lasted that long anyway)).

56s are more capable locos than 58s. Nastier to maintain, but better at the job they were designed for. 58s just don't hold their feet as well, which is a bit of a weakness in a heavy freight design.