Rail traction in the 1940's

[Bob Price]

How common were diesel and electric traction during World War 2 in the UK?

My thoughts are that the significant majority of traction was steam powered with the exception of a few EMUs and diesel railcars.

Any thoughts?

 

[Gloster]

There were a small but growing number of shunting locos, a development that dated back to before the war. There was little other diesel traction except for, if I remember correctly, very limited use of US-ATC locos. There were a number of odd lines with electric-traction, but the main area for EMUs was the SR, which had electrified down to the south coast.

 

[Bob Price]

Thanks, thought that was the case. It is the US Army locos I am looking at. I am compiling a YouTube video on some of them. Just wanted to make sure I had my facts right.

 

[Gloster]

Tourret’s book would probably be the source of information on how much use they saw. My copy is still packed away somewhere, so what I wrote is from my increasingly inefficient memory.

 

[Snow1964]

The Southern Railway introduced 2 electric locos during WW2 and even put overhead wires in couple of locations.

But they also stored lots of mainline EMUs with restaurant cars during WW2

 

[Merthyr Imp]

The Great Western Railway introduce a number of diesel railcars in the 1930s, mostly single units.

 

[Bevan Price]

Until at least the mid-1950s, in some parts of the country you could go a whole year and not see a single diesel or electric train, even when travelling away from your home area.

 

[ac6000cw]

Outside of southern England, the Wirral, Mersey, and Liverpool - Southport railways were all electrified before WW2, as were the Tyneside local services, Manchester-Bury-Holcombe Brook and Lancaster- Morecambe-Heysham.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Altrincham to Manchester London Road was also electrified to a 1500v DC (overhead) standard, in 1931.

 

[ac6000cw]

Down south, the Euston - Watford 'DC' lines were electrified, as well as of course various parts of the Southern Railway system.

 

[Beebman]

In the north-east the two NER ES1 electric locos worked on the Newcastle Quayside branch from 1905 to 1964.

 

[RichJF]

Just after WW2 in 1949, five Alco S1 switchers were ordered by the Steel Company of Wales at Port Talbot. Pre-dates any sort of large scale UK diesel loco building.

 

[Irascible]

How common were diesel and electric traction during World War 2 in the UK?

My thoughts are that the significant majority of traction was steam powered with the exception of a few EMUs and diesel railcars.

Any thoughts?

Despite British builders supplying a number of main-line diesels abroad, there was little interest domestically - so as was said, in the 1940s outside of industrial & main-line shunters, nothing until the Ivatt/EE pair in 1947. Bulleid's precursors to the class 40s didn't show up until 1950.

The Woodhead line was supposed to be electrified pre-war, but that didn't happen until the 1950s either. The SR had a couple of electric locomotives in the war. There were a bunch of stored ex-NER electrics also, but nowhere to use them.

 

[billio]

In the 1940's there was an electric railway at Kearsley Power Station, near Bolton. I can remember this in operation in the mid 60's, passing the power station every day on the way to and from work. The system used overhead transmission.

 

[contrex]

My thoughts are that the significant majority of traction was steam powered with the exception of a few EMUs and diesel railcars.

I wouldn't call the Southern Railway fleet "a few" EMUs. At one time it was the biggest electrified railway system in the world. Plus you had the Lancaster-Morecambe, Liverpool, Tyneside, Manchester-Altrincham, Manchester-Bury, and the LMS London area fleets, not to mention the London Underground.

 

[Bob Price]

I wouldn't call the Southern Railway fleet "a few" EMUs. At one time it was the biggest electrified railway system in the world. Plus you had the Lancaster-Morecambe, Liverpool, Tyneside, Manchester-Altrincham, Manchester-Bury, and the LMS London area fleets, not to mention the London Underground.

Fair point, Southern were pioneers in this respect. I am thinking of someone sitting on a station in Wales and their reaction when a 65 tonne diesel loco comes thudding through. In 1940's wartime this would have been a bit of a head turner

 

[Taunton]

Thanks, thought that was the case. It is the US Army locos I am looking at. I am compiling a YouTube video on some of them. Just wanted to make sure I had my facts right.

I'm not aware of any USATC diesels operating outside of military bases in the UK. They were principally sent to places like Iran or the Soviet Union where steam loco operation was difficult.

The GWR actually did their second build of diesel railcars right in the lowest period of WW2, although they had been ordered before it started.

 

[Irascible]

In the 1940's there was an electric railway at Kearsley Power Station, near Bolton. I can remember this in operation in the mid 60's, passing the power station every day on the way to and from work. The system used overhead transmission.

Thanks, I was trying to remember that one. There was also the Harton Electric Railway ( which I think most people are more familiar with as the Westoe Colliery line, but that was only a part of it ) which was on the larger end of things for industrial railways.

 

[Strathclyder]

I wouldn't call the Southern Railway fleet "a few" EMUs. At one time it was the biggest electrified railway system in the world. Plus you had the Lancaster-Morecambe, Liverpool, Tyneside, Manchester-Altrincham, Manchester-Bury, and the LMS London area fleets, not to mention the London Underground.

Don't forget the Glasgow Subway, which had been converted from cable haulage to electric traction between 1935-37, though the archaic method of lighting the passenger compartments of the cars - the current for which was collected from rails mounted on the walls by pick-up shoes on one side of the cars - remained in use until the system was closed for it's complete overhaul in May 1977.

 

[Bob Price]

This is the video I was researching for. And yes, the USATC diesels did have a few excursions outside depots.