The LNER Encyclopedia

does anybody know why 9F locos were called "spaceships"

When you see one side on as a small boy, what you see is a big boiler 'floating' above the frames.

Now whether it's the boiler looking like a horizontal rocket, or the large clear space betwen the boiler underside and the frame tops that led to the name I don't know: but 'spaceships' they certainly were in the common usage of my boyhood trainwatching companions.

See also 'Arrer', 'Bed Iron', 'Bigmet', 'Bongo', 'Concrete mixer', 'Jazzer', 'Knick knack', 'Pep', 'Racehorse', STREAK!

I wasn't around then, but I thought it was a partly ironic name - they were contemporary to real spaceships!

(as well as being large and relatively advanced as British steam goes)

'Banjo' Trip cock arm that worked in conjunction with the trip cock apparatus fitted to Brush type 2 locos for working over the Widen lines.

The locomen's slang term for the 'trip cock arm' that was fitted to the trip cock apparatus that was fitted to I presume all the Finsbury Park Brush type 2s (class 31s) during the 1960s & 1970s for working over the 'Widen Lines' between Kings Cross York road and Moorgate and the return journey from Moorgate to Kings Cross platform no.16. I presume the steam locos that preceded the diesels and also worked over the Widen lines were also fitted with 'trip cocks' but that was before my time.

During the time that I was a secondman at Kings Cross for about 18 months between 1974-75 the usual thing for the secondman to do was when the train a rake of 5 or 6 Inner suburban non-corridor stock (block enders) was running into Kings Cross York road platform was to climb down from the loco cab the secondman's side as the loco stopped and climbed down onto the ballast and 'put the banjo arm down' then to climb back into the cab of the loco just before the driver received the 'right away' from the guard and away we would go into the darkness of the tunnel at the end of the York road platform and then twisting and turning in total darkness down the falling gradient until appearing into semi-darkness at Kings Cross L.T. Junction and joining the Midland railway for the run over the Widen lines to Moorgate.

The morning of the Moorgate underground crash in February 1975 I was booked on a diagram with a driver to work a Welwyn Garden City to Moorgate train formed of a Brush type 2 (class 31) and a rake of Inner suburban coaching stock over the Widen lines to Moorgate arriving at Moorgate around the time of the crash on the Northern line section down from Drayton Park but rarely for me I went sick during the early hours of the morning of the crash and heard about it later that same morning.

9f's were known as "stinks" around Leicester, the only time I heard the name spaceship was referred to a Crostie boilered one I think it was at Derby.

Hi "Spaceships why?well we truly hadnt seen anything quite so fantastic/out of this world before in'55 blk monsters to a childs eyes, the Dub d 2-10-0's never reachin south &I witnessed the "brand new" locos running in light to the Cross Goods yard in those years for return workings, the dbl/chimney members also, before the their allocation north for the fast fish trains,a sight to be hold in full flight entering the Northern Suburbs of London, what of the others?never saw the early WR allocations, but the Crosti's yes!with drivers/fireman wearing "French"style goggles, down to Brent Sidings(Cricklewood) also saw the late WR 922xx @ Southhall&Banbury,but the 18A(toton)9F's could be found @ Willesden MPD, along with Cricklewood MPD, after bringing in the Stonebridge Park Power Station coal/coke?trains. Now the strangest thing, was their a green painted member before 92220?my notebooks shows 92118 in green, not the drk green, but a lighter shade of green, as seen on some Crewe overhauled unlined "Brits"my notebook of the day tells me so & I had yet @ that age to smell/take maryjane ha.

Toffee Apple Brush type 2 diesel locos.

'Toffee Apple.' The driver's controller on the early series Brush type 2s (non-headcode box in the roof) allocated to the GE section. The locos 'controller' which was known by the slang name 'toffee apple' was similar to a brown coloured 'toffee apple' on a metal stick which slotted into the drivers side of the desk in front of him. When the loco crew 'changed ends' the driver would take the toffee apple controller out of the driving desk and take it with him to the rear cab. On the more conventional Brush type 2s (with the headcode box in the roof) the locos controller was fixed in position in the driver's desk in both end cabs and was on a metal bar with a red coloured round 'nob' at the end of it. When I did a short time as a secondman at Stratford MPD during 1979 that depot still had a few 'Toffee Apple' Brush type 2s.

Below A non-headcode box in the roof Brush type 2 at Birmingham New Street possibly in the late 1970s(?) and well off the GE section of the Eastern region. I think the first 20 odd locos in the number series were without headcode boxes in the roof and also had the 'toffee apple' controllers but I am not 100% certain about that?.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_R ... ham_NS.jpg

Hi Mickey &others the toffee apple "brush"type 2's 1250hp,was the controller removable from cab ends a&b?seem to remember "Mr Hardy"of Stratford/Woodford Halse amongst other sheds &regions, relating a story of the controller breaking off?I could never figure how they were" 30A" based but I could never find them on the GE?. except in the early days, till I spied them out of Ripple Lane(sub shedded there) sometimes D/headed on the petrol tank trains or pottering around the yards in close proxmity to Fenchurch St along with the EEtype 1's from Devons Rd.So a few of the D552X 1250hp?no head code from Ipswich MPD @ the "street" but by that time maybe1365hp before the Mirrelles(engine flat bed cracks) disaster that caused a few stomach ulcers&nervous breakdowns with that engineering company's staff sadly...jj

I must admit rockinjohn & others I use to like the Brush type 2s (later class31) although I preferred the locos with the headcode boxes in the roof at either end of the loco which was the majority of the class I thought it made them looked more balanced looking somehow?.

The Brush 2s were easy to drive (todays traction have computers and data recording software installed) starting up from cold the driver would occasionally go into the engine compartment to make sure the 'guvnor button' was pressed then come back out into the cab and put his 'loco key' into the driving desk and start the engines up and let them run for awhile then pull the AWS handle down (top right on the engine compartment wall behind the driver) and at the same time cancel the AWS horn!.

To actually move the loco (when preparing the loco make sure both handbrakes in both cabs AREN'T SCREWED DOWN) once the locos air has built up put the 'selector handle' on the drivers desk in the 'forward' position and then take the 'loco brake' off and open the loco controller a notch or two and away you would go!.

It was always good moment as a secondman when your driver would say "Do you want to drive?." or your sitting on the loco at Cambridge on a Kings Cross return working and your driver would say "You wanna take her back up?".

Back to the diesel days on B.R. of the 1960s & 1970s...

"So you want to come on the railways and be a secondman (fireman)?. First rule lad buy a tea can because locomen drink plenty of tea."

Hi all well never saw the early Brush type2's @ the Cross but lots of headcode variants passed thru before they got to 30A & of course many new members became based @ (34B) or (FP),nice &shiny, but I knew it was the death kneel for my much beloved N2's/L1's &living on the "creep", found it a bitter pill to swallow their departure after all those years of witnessing the same,seem to remember an early Brush (no Headcode)blue D5518?(81A) or with another tops replacment # on parcels to Reading/Didcot etc bit unloved@ the "factory" they not sure what to do with it, Ripple Lane could tell 'em!Still remember an headcode variant D5835(41A) powering up the "Creep" light, ex Clarence Yard, for the rtn "Sheffield Pullman" hauled it quite regularly for a spell before /during the E/E type3? period of (41A)members, late afternoon/early evening, sure did sound different with 2000hp...jj

Hi all toffee apples, was that just the first 20?,because others followed mainly "32B" based that didnt get to the "street"that often,never say never, that had no headcode fitment,but remember an accident victim that had "later"headcode one cab end but not @ the other! # long forgotten,one strange thing that happened late on a Sun Nights(possibly other nights) in the mid'60's on my arrival ex Maryland local EMU, I witnessed was a regular EE3 67xx/68xx from Cardiff Canton ex Harwich, a fill in turn I suppose before its return To South Wales via Harwich/March or Temple Mills?jj

Hey rockingjohn, was you at Stratford shed?. When I came back on the railways in 1979 I was a secondman at Stratford loco for around 9-10 months before going back into the signalling grade at the start of 1980. When I was at Stratford my regular driver was a bloke called Johnny Allvash (I think that's how you spelt his surname?) Johnny was alright he was a Eastender who was living at Plaistow at that time I recall and I remember as well as him driving the Brush 2s he also did a lot of work on the 1949 'tramcars' between Liverpool street & Shenfield.

Also do you remember a old Stratford driver called Jack he use to show up at Kings Cross back in the late 1960s & early 1970s and stand chatting with the loco spotters at the end of the old no.10 platform on a Saturday afternoon plus he also use to sell black & white photographs of steam locos from a briefcase there is an old thread on him on this site.

rockinjohn wrote: ↑Tue Sep 08, 2020 5:50 am Hi all toffee apples, was that just the first 20?,because others followed mainly "32B" based that didnt get to the "street"that often,never say never, that had no headcode fitment,but remember an accident victim that had "later"headcode one cab end but not @ the other! # long forgotten,one strange thing that happened late on a Sun Nights(possibly other nights) in the mid'60's on my arrival ex Maryland local EMU, I witnessed was a regular EE3 67xx/68xx from Cardiff Canton ex Harwich, a fill in turn I suppose before its return To South Wales via Harwich/March or Temple Mills?jj

Here is a rather underexposed photo of a 31/0 at Liverpool Street in April 1976.

Hi Mickey not a railwayman,but one who thought there's more to this than numbers! &studied routes/workings, the unusual, noted along with enjoying the mundane everday scene that was soon to disappear, sadly the late'50s/early '60s was a time for mixed emotions, the shiny new & less than well maintained steam.got to the point where I just couldn't face the rundown of steam, to hard, whether @ any of the London terminals, talking to drivers @ Marylebone, who just about got there on an up working, to fail the loco on arrival, thanks Cricklewood @ least they got home!A strange time not recommended for the faint hearthearted railywayman or otherwise.jj