Help identifying an old diesel loco

[Kite159]

I was hoping to get a lovely picture of a steam engine today of the Andover to Stratford-upon-Avon service, however it has a diesel at the front doing all the work, and I can't figure out what class it is

Any ideas?

(This is when an expert will pop up and say instantly it's a class X)

 

[starrymarkb]

Common or Garden 47

 

[MK Tom]

Yep it's definitely a 47 haha. A very common ubiquitous class that is still in daily service to this day.

 

[Kite159]

Ta

I'm guessing (looking at the Wikipedia page for the west coast railway company and seeing it started from Southall) it would have been either 47237 or 47746. Went though the station at a high speed, so didn't get a chance to get another good picture after that one), a couple other photographers were annoyed it was at the front and not the steamer

 

[DarloRich]

How can someone not know a class 47? Kids today. Don't know they are born.............

 

[Kite159]

It was foggy and I was standing on a bridge, it was gone in a flash.

 

[Maxfly]

Could have been mistaken for a 57 maybe

 

[Muzer]

I was thinking of going, but didn't fancy waking up early enough. Glad I didn't now

 

[Engineer]

Yes it was Class 47 #47746 West Coast Railway Company owned. Passed Slough at 0530 this morning 23.04.2014. Nice Sultzer diesel sound.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Yup, as others have said it's a duff.

SpooooOOOOOn

 

[the sniper]

It was foggy and I was standing on a bridge, it was gone in a flash.

I think it's rather that you didn't know what it was in the first place rather than the numerous adverse conditions you list. It's nothing to be ashamed of, everyone learns these things for the first time at some point!

 

[Kite159]

I was expecting to see 34046 Braunton pulling the train rather than the class 47, took me by surprise as it looked different going past than the pictures on wikipedia (the front yellow bit).

I still have much to learn

 

[Beveridges]

How can someone not know a class 47? Kids today. Don't know they are born.............

The 47 is not a common type today. Most of the general public have only ever seen Units, 66s and Steam engines.

 

[plastictaffy]

I think you'll agree it sounded much nicer than some dirty smelly Kettle though?? Many moons ago, when Virgin had the XC franchise, they used to run out of New Street with 6 or 7 mark 2's behind them. They'd try very hard to burst your eardrums on departure. I can hear it now...........

 

[Ploughman]

How many people on here are now feeling very old when a diesel is younger than they are?

 

[cjmillsnun]

I think you'll agree it sounded much nicer than some dirty smelly Kettle though?? Many moons ago, when Virgin had the XC franchise, they used to run out of New Street with 6 or 7 mark 2's behind them. They'd try very hard to burst your eardrums on departure. I can hear it now...........

Was a Pax on IC and V XC many times before the vomiters arrived. Both on their HSTs and the Duff/Mk2s. Those were the days

 

[daikilo]

I'm not feeling old, I was just born before the diesels entered service so had the pleasure of travelling every time behind a steamer, except when it was a merseyrail electric.

 

[theageofthetra]

Why are 47's called duffs?

 

[Strathclyder]

Why are 47's called duffs?

I think it's either something to do with the amount of smoke they produce from a standing start or the noise that the horn makes. I'm not 100% sure on either of those theories, although I'm sure someone more knowledgeable than I can clarify things.

 

[Smudger105e]

Why are 47's called duffs?

I believe it was something to do with haulage. There were so many of them about that when a DAA* got one on their train it was 'duff' haulage.

Spoon is because of the sound the horns make when blown. Listen at 1:21 on this video, some say it sounds like the word spooon as the horn is blown!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RCmzInKAtE

* An enthusiast

 

[DarloRich]

It was foggy and I was standing on a bridge, it was gone in a flash.

i was being slightly facetious! Apologies for any offense

 

[Engineer]

Why are 47's called duffs?

I always believed they were called duffs, because the Western Region allocation were so unreliable when introduced. Gricers also hated them for various reasons, displacing steam or popular diesel locomotives classes. The North East maintained 47's were much more reliable, from my own experience. When the 50's were retired off the Waterloo Exeter run, drivers would thrash a 47 on a regular Network South East Saturday bash, to try to keep time, the Sultzer diesel sounded great. The now beloved 43's IC125 Paxmans were also suffering poor reliability at the time, but having two power units meant delays were minimised by limping home on one engine.

 

[Warbonnet]

I was hoping to get a lovely picture of a steam engine today of the Andover to Stratford-upon-Avon service, however it has a diesel at the front doing all the work, and I can't figure out what class it is



Any ideas?

(This is when an expert will pop up and say instantly it's a class X)

Please please please don't take this the wrong way as I mean no malice but its just that I find it absolutely staggering that you don't know what a 47 is!
They are / were the UK's most common mainline diesel loco and have been about since 1961. At one time you couldn't go anywhere (almost) in the UK without seeing the bloody things!
I guess you must be 100% removed from all things diesel
Mind you, there are also a lot of steam loco's about that I couldn't indentify either!

 

[bluegoblin7]

Please please please don't take this the wrong way as I mean no malice but its just that I find it absolutely staggering that you don't know what a 47 is!
They are / were the UK's most common mainline diesel loco and have been about since 1961. At one time you couldn't go anywhere (almost) in the UK without seeing the bloody things!
I guess you must be 100% removed from all things diesel
Mind you, there are also a lot of steam loco's about that I couldn't indentify either!

Why is it 'absolutely staggering'? Not everyone has the same or as large an interest in others. Different people are interested in different aspects of the railway, and so will know different things.

It is comments such as this that make me feel that the enthusiast community can be an extremely hostile environment at times - not everyone knows (or wants to know!) everything. Surely that's one point of forums such as this?

 

[No Fault Found]

Why is it 'absolutely staggering'? Not everyone has the same or as large an interest in others. Different people are interested in different aspects of the railway, and so will know different things.

It is comments such as this that make me feel that the enthusiast community can be an extremely hostile environment at times - not everyone knows (or wants to know!) everything. Surely that's one point of forums such as this?

Very well said

 

[Domh245]

For those of a younger generation, the class 47 is a rarity, Most of the stuff we see are units, and most of the locos we see are 66s, especially for those who don't go out spotting or bagging haulage. Whilst 47s once were common as muck, It certainly doesn't seem that way now. I only know about "classic" traction from simulators and Wikipedia!

 

[cjmillsnun]

Why are 47's called duffs?

Because they were the most common locomotive on British Rail. It was the Class 66 of its day on freight services (but also did express pax work). For a spotter, it was a duff spot.

 

[plastictaffy]

Was a Pax on IC and V XC many times before the vomiters arrived. Both on their HSTs and the Duff/Mk2s. Those were the days

They certainly were. I find it sad that most enthusiasts today only really have knowledge of units, and often wait hours to see something a bit different. It was only, what, 15 years ago that you could get the 'orlidge we spoke of.......
47807 coming up the Lickey on a summer saturday with 8 mark 2's and a dead 47817. I remember one of them was purple.........
My heart actually aches to be able to take a step back in time to hear (and feel!!!) that again.
The Deltic (9016, was it?) that was swiped by VXC for a couple of weekends - I meant to go and sample it, but like everything else, it was finished before I got round to it.
37/4's on half a dozen mark 2's going along the North Wales Coast - 37426 sticks in my mind. *goes all misty eyed*

 

[matchmaker]

How many people on here are now feeling very old when a diesel is younger than they are?

Hell, yes! In fact there are some steam locos (not Tornado) that I'm older than

 

[34D]

Very well said

Thirded. Yes