Least favorite class of loco?

[25322]

Single 25's could take on anything let alone a brace.

They would often fall foul of what they were doing, but I've been over Talerdigg with a single 25 pulling a dead un and a full train (10 bogies). Topped it at a snails pace but it did the job.

Then been on another that couldn't take 24 empty MCV's up the grade from Leek Brook Junction to Cauldon Low. Had to set back drop of half a load and then try again. When the peds came along they would occasionally take the full 24 up if it was dry rails, but generally they dropped of half a load at Leek Brook first.

Although all time Ped story has to be ballasting at Norton Bridge. Drop the ballast and then take a run at it. gridning halt as the baalast plough digs in. couplings groan and a pair of Peds come to stand with engines hammering away. Sparks and all from wheels and exhaust.

Mind rather have the Peds than the Sheds.

 

[O L Leigh]

I've no loco experience, but I do have a soft spot for the old Goyles.

My old school overlooked the railway yard at Bury St Edmunds, so we'd see loads of them on all manner of workings. The most memorable working I saw was a single Goyle that had been sent to rescue a dead Duff and it's Freightliner train for Felixstowe. Anyone who knows the line knows that it's a long climb out of Bury to Cattishall crossing, and it doesn't end there. There is still Elmswell Bank to contend with (click). The plucky little loco managed it.

O L Leigh

 

[37401]

There is still Elmswell Bank to contend with (click). The plucky little loco managed it.

O L Leigh

blimey!

get a 20 on load 8 up that

 

[jonhewes]

Yeh sorry! I was actually getting ahead of myself. I was talking about 58's finding work in other countries but didn't check where i had put it!

I think my point about the 67 remains valid. They may very well have found work in other areas, but that is kind of the point i was making. They have found work - they didn't have work to do. The fact that they now have work to do isn't a reflection on the reason as to why they were built and it is luck rather than judgement that they are now of reasonable use.

To a point, however, EWS' initial reason for building them was for use on Mail, East Coast Thunderbird, Charter and Royal Train work. The Class 66 is not fast enough for many of these duties and lacks ETH, while the 47/7s were considered to be life expired and a liability on railtour work.

Between the time that the Royal Mail contract was lost and the upsurge in timetabled passenger 67 operations, they were still used on Charter, Freight, RHTT, Thunderbird and Royal Train duties.

Although not to everyone's taste, they have proven to be reliable assets and the traction of choice for any serious train operator looking to use diesel loco hauled coaching stock.

Their reliability and minimal maintenance requirements make them far preferable to the 47s they replaced. The fact that such a small fleet of locos can lose one of it's main duties and then become a highly sought after passenger loco in a unit only railway is testament to this.