Virgin 57 and voyagers

[ATW Alex 101]

UP to about 7 years ago a virgin 57 used to pull old virgin mk2s ( i think) from holyhead to Manchester picc.

Was this under Arriva or Virgin or even virgin cross country?
Why using long distance stock anyway? its done now with sprinters even.

Also how come the 57's when first brought by virgin came in the current livery when the old livery was still being used.

and what did they use them for as pendolinos never ran up to wales (I dont think anything from london did) up unitl about 3-4 years ago?? I suppose they were used for hauling broken down 87,s, HST,s and 47,s. But even then what if a pendo or voyager was broken down and needed a 57 what would they do as they werent fitted with dellner couplings.

P.s Has anyone got photos of voyagers coupled to 57s or to any other unit thats not a voyager of the same type e.g not a virgin voyager coupled to another voyager. Things Like a cross country voyager coupled to a meridan would be acceptable. Even one stuck to a pendo would be nice.

Thanks for reading my lenghty list of demands! sorry about this though I am new and joined this site to find out shedloads of stuff so you might get alot of stuff from me!!

 

[TomJ93]

I think the Voyagers, like the desiros etc, are coupled to each other when one breaks down.

 

[miked]

i think i read on wikipedia that voyagers can't be coupled to the meridians, well not in service anyway, something to do with the electrics i think.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

I think the Voyagers, like the desiros etc, are coupled to each other when one breaks down.

Do you meen they couple together or a desiro coupled to a voyager??

If you meen coupled to eachother i dont meen that i meen couple to a train of a differnet type

 

[90019]

IIRC, Meridians and Voyagers can couple mechanically, but not electrically. I think the same goes for Voyagers and Pendolinos.

 

[ainsworth74]

Was this under Arriva or Virgin or even virgin cross country?

Seven years ago would have meant either First North Western or Virgin Cross Country. However I was under the impression that the North Wales Coast line route between Holyhead and Manchester was run by FNW using 37s+Mk2s, rather than 57s.

Also how come the 57's when first brought by virgin came in the current livery when the old livery was still being used.

Presumably because they were making the move to the new livery but hadn't repainted the rest of the rolling stock yet.

and what did they use them for as pendolinos never ran up to wales (I dont think anything from london did) up unitl about 3-4 years ago??

Fairly sure that there have been Euston to Holyhead services for decades. They were intended for use on diversions (away from wires) and as rescue locomotives (hence the name Thunderbirds).

But even then what if a pendo or voyager was broken down and needed a 57 what would they do as they werent fitted with dellner couplings.

I would assume there was some sort of converter available to take the 57s coupling and attach it to a Voyager/Pendolino. Eventually of course they gained Dellner couplings to make life simpler.

Things Like a cross country voyager coupled to a meridan would be acceptable.

Your probably not going to find an image of a 222 coupled to a 220/221 as they are incompatible and can't work in service together. Also fairly unlikely to have been used as a rescue unit as well I would have thought.

sorry about this though I am new

Welcome aboard

 

[d1015fan]

There's always been an Irish mail service from Euston-Holyhead, I'm pretty sure its been a HST originally but also electric to Crewe and 47 loco change at crewe for thr NW coast

got a photo from last march of 57303 and 390014 coupling up on the SO pendo service to Holyhead and and a couple of pictures of XC 221130 and 220028 coupled at Newton Abbot from last August.

 

[matt]

In 2005 and 2006 a class 57 and marks 2 was used on a Manchester to Holyhead diagram.

 

[Ibex]

P.s Has anyone got photos of voyagers coupled to 57s or to any other unit thats not a voyager of the same type e.g not a virgin voyager coupled to another voyager. Things Like a cross country voyager coupled to a meridan would be acceptable. Even one stuck to a pendo would be nice.

Credit to whoever took it (no idea who).

 

[MCR247]

There was trials with a pendolino working with a SV and a video somewhere. I think they were so VT was sure they could rescue each other before sending 57s off lease or whatever

 

[krus_aragon]

Also how come the 57's when first brought by virgin came in the current livery when the old livery was still being used.

and what did they use them for as pendolinos never ran up to wales (I dont think anything from london did) up unitl about 3-4 years ago?? I suppose they were used for hauling broken down 87,s, HST,s and 47,s. But even then what if a pendo or voyager was broken down and needed a 57 what would they do as they werent fitted with dellner couplings.

Virgin's fleet of 57s, the 57/3 subclass, were ordered specifically by Virgin. They were rebuilds of older Class 47 locomotives, ordered for 'thunderbird' duties, rescuing breakdowns.

They didn't originally have the dellner couplings fitted on the front. At this point, they'd have been in the same position as any other locomotive, and have to use an emergency coupler (carried by the voyager/pendolino) to link a pendolino to the loco's buckeye coupler. The dellner couplers were added to make it easier for the 57s to take pendolinos for a tow on diversions away from the wires (the emergency coupler comes with a low speed limit). This also meant that a pendolino (with full kitchen) could be dragged to Holyhead and back on a daily basis.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

View attachment 4203

Credit to whoever took it (no idea who).

Thats stuff im looking for. Thanks very much for that! Where was this and what went wrong with the voyager?

 

[MCR247]

I presume it failed, not sure he'd know as it isn't his photo

 

[brillopad]

Thats stuff im looking for. Thanks very much for that! Where was this and what went wrong with the voyager?

It's at Totnes, Devon.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

In 2005 and 2006 a class 57 and marks 2 was used on a Manchester to Holyhead diagram.

Do you know what this was operated under?? VXC, FNW, ATW

 

[MCR247]

ATW I presume, wouldn't have been VXC and FNW weren't around then

 

[matt]

ATW I presume, wouldn't have been VXC and FNW weren't around then

It was ATW