Deltic D9013 The Black Watch
Posted: Sat Feb 02, 2013 3:27 pm
I would like to relate you an incident regarding the above locomotive in 1964 at KX Passenger Loco.
The locomotive had arrived at KX on a scheduled service and the crew had been relieved at the platform end as usual.
After the ECS had left it was then normal practise for the loco to be serviced at KX Passenger Loco.
The movement was done by running to the platform end and then waiting for the shunt board to come off. The locomotive would then move forward into Gas Works tunnel to the limit of shunt board.
When the ground shunt signal, which was now to the rear of the locomotive, came off the loco would reverse into the milk yard siding and then forwards on the Passenger Loco.
At times the Passenger Loco could be quite full of engines either being refueled, serviced or just waiting their next turn of duty so great care had to be taken if this was the case to avoid the risk of collision.
On this particular day another locomotive had been stabled on one of the roads but not sufficiently clear of the points to allow a long locomotive like a Deltic to pass.
Unfortunately the crew on D9013 failed to take this into account as they passed the stationary locomotive.
The net result was that the two can into contact exactley half way down D9013's side. The brass crest was torn off of D9013 and fell onto the ballast.
I was good friends at this time with another passed cleaner (who shall be nameless) and he witnessed this incident and quick as a flash pocketed the top part of the brass crest. This crest was made in two parts, the top part had the crown and crest and the part underneath had the brass "X"
He then left the Loco yard and came back to the messroom on platform 10 and relaid the story to me.
I was very interested in acquiring this at the time so I said to him " I'll give you 10 bob for it" He dully accepted so the deal was done and a 10 Shilling note exchanged hands. Ten Shillings in old money is equivelent to 50p today but as the average weekly wage for manual workers in those days was £16.50 you can see it was a fair amount.
I did not see him for a couple of days but when we did bump into each other he was in a fairly agitated state. It would appear that he was seen picking up the crest from the ballast and this was reported to the running shed forman.
He was quietly taken to one side and told that if it was not returned the matter would be taken further and he would more than likely get the sack and possibly charged with theft.
Needless to say I returned it to him and he returned the money and having returned the crest no further action was taken against him.
I was interested to read on the Naier Chronicles website a couple of years ago that D9013 The Black Watch was shopped at Doncaster in April for six days when amongst repairs undertaken was "Bodyside fractures were welded". http://www.napier-chronicles.co.uk/13-64.htm
The locomotive had arrived at KX on a scheduled service and the crew had been relieved at the platform end as usual.
After the ECS had left it was then normal practise for the loco to be serviced at KX Passenger Loco.
The movement was done by running to the platform end and then waiting for the shunt board to come off. The locomotive would then move forward into Gas Works tunnel to the limit of shunt board.
When the ground shunt signal, which was now to the rear of the locomotive, came off the loco would reverse into the milk yard siding and then forwards on the Passenger Loco.
At times the Passenger Loco could be quite full of engines either being refueled, serviced or just waiting their next turn of duty so great care had to be taken if this was the case to avoid the risk of collision.
On this particular day another locomotive had been stabled on one of the roads but not sufficiently clear of the points to allow a long locomotive like a Deltic to pass.
Unfortunately the crew on D9013 failed to take this into account as they passed the stationary locomotive.
The net result was that the two can into contact exactley half way down D9013's side. The brass crest was torn off of D9013 and fell onto the ballast.
I was good friends at this time with another passed cleaner (who shall be nameless) and he witnessed this incident and quick as a flash pocketed the top part of the brass crest. This crest was made in two parts, the top part had the crown and crest and the part underneath had the brass "X"
He then left the Loco yard and came back to the messroom on platform 10 and relaid the story to me.
I was very interested in acquiring this at the time so I said to him " I'll give you 10 bob for it" He dully accepted so the deal was done and a 10 Shilling note exchanged hands. Ten Shillings in old money is equivelent to 50p today but as the average weekly wage for manual workers in those days was £16.50 you can see it was a fair amount.
I did not see him for a couple of days but when we did bump into each other he was in a fairly agitated state. It would appear that he was seen picking up the crest from the ballast and this was reported to the running shed forman.
He was quietly taken to one side and told that if it was not returned the matter would be taken further and he would more than likely get the sack and possibly charged with theft.
Needless to say I returned it to him and he returned the money and having returned the crest no further action was taken against him.
I was interested to read on the Naier Chronicles website a couple of years ago that D9013 The Black Watch was shopped at Doncaster in April for six days when amongst repairs undertaken was "Bodyside fractures were welded". http://www.napier-chronicles.co.uk/13-64.htm
