Line Speeds

[CVR1865]

Manna, and Stevie G
That is some top descdiption there. I was transported there myself.

Mr BB,
You are a minefield of this information sir, thank you very much I am a more knowledgable man than when I got up this morning.

Thanks
Simon

[StevieG]

G'Day Gents

Thanks Gents, such a common sight in the early 70's, to us, but then we also had the other side of the coin.....pushing a blast of hot smelly smokey air in front of us as we exited Hotel tunnel, looking at the sweating commuters waiting on the dusty wooden platform, at last we could open our windows and get rid of the fumes that had seeped into the cab, from the hellhole that we had just come through, coming to a jerkless stop, just off the end of the platform, I had to open the door of the cab to allow me to lean out a bit further, to see round the curve of the dingy platform to see the porter who would relay the guards signal, the windows of the coaches were being opened with a bang, as our passengers tried to cool the compartments down.

'Right away mate' you could hear the controller being opened, whistles could be heard being blown on other platforms at the 'Cross' a hiss as the brakes were released, we moved! the engine got louder, building up power, clattering over the points, cool diesel smelling air drifted through the cab, but my shirt was still stuck to me, walking back to my seat I saw the Brush 4 come along side as we entered Gasworks tunnel, racing the Cambridge Buffet, through the darkness of the tunnel, two 12 cylinder engines bellowing against the brickwork, getting warmer again, I though to myself, my driver would never have heard me with the windows open, Ahhh, daylight, Belle Isle.

Stevie G, Didn't always get to see the view, you described, unless the driver had let me have a go, but KX was a busy place in the evening rush, as you were leaving, there would often be a train pulling out of York Road, going down the 'Drain'

manna

PS. Depresses you a bit to remember, what a railway we had then, to what you have now

Brilliant manna!
I feel like I've just come up from Kings Cross (Met.) station in the cab with you and your driver.
definitely 2-1 to you!

[StevieG]

[ Duplicate Post deleted.]

[manna]

G'Day Gents

I'm glad you liked our little trip down memory lane, even though it's 35 years since I've done a trip out of Moorgate, I can still remember it as clear as yesterday.

manna

[strang steel]

Did anyone drive the other type 2s (or type 1s) in that area during the late 1950s / early 60s?

It would be interesting to know how a Baby Deltic or the short lived class 21 compared to a 31.

And also what a class 15 was like to drive, or even a 16 - but I dont suppose there were many opportunities with the latter class as they seemed to fail after a few miles, or just pottered around East Anglian branch lines.

[Mickey]

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[StevieG]

" Did anyone drive the other type 2s (or type 1s) in that area during the late 1950s / early 60s?

It would be interesting to know how a Baby Deltic or the short lived class 21 compared to a 31. .... "

Or the also short-lved in the area, BRCWs (later 26s or 27s?), and the 24s. (?)

[JeffB]

I drove the BRCW Sulzers, ie D5300s. Only trouble with them was that they were not quite strong enough. I liked them, not quite as good as a 31 though. The North British D6100s were in my eyes very poor, prone to failure. I did,nt like them at all, they were not very succesfull in the London area and did,nt last very long at all.
The Paxmans I did like, did a lot of work on the Edgware branch with them, but there again, not quite strong enough. I think that why BR chose the class 20.
The Baby Deltics were not to bad a drive, when you got one that was working, failed quite often. It was a scaled down version of a 55, which I did like. The Baby Deltics used to smoke a lot, more than the 55s, and often looked as if they were laying a smoke screen.
Not impressed with the 24s, in my opinion they were a cheap build of engine, and there allways seemed to be a funny smell about them. A canvasy smell.
The 31s were allways the better engine, had they been slightly stronger they could have given the 37s a run anyday. We had one, D5835 I think it was that had a souped up engine in it, 2000hp I think, and we worked a 10 coach train from Doncaster to London and it more than managed it. If BR had persevered with it I dont think they would have needed the 37s.

[manna]

G'Day Gents

Like Micky says, most secondmen at KX had, had a drive of a 31, the boiler was easy to operate, warm and comfortable, provided you had an arm rest, if not, you fell off if you nodded off !!

I was lucky to have driven all the regular types of loco in the KX area, IE. 08,31,40,45,46,47and 55, I did manage to get on the footplate of a baby Deltic and a Paxman class 15, but not when they were running.

Now to enter un-charted territory, did the class 31's have a de-rated class 40 engine, if so why didn't they, fit a bigger engine to them, it would have made so much difference to them as a class, they would have been perfect for the Cambridge buffet, and inner suburban workings, would have speeded it up no end, did work a Welwyn train out of the Cross once with a 47, could have been there 10 minutes early if we'd have tried

manna

[52A]

It was a derated 37 engine. There was a field full of useless Mirrlees engines at Doncaster after the changeover, don't know what became of them.

[StevieG]

G'Day Gents
" .... I was lucky to have driven all the regular types of loco in the KX area, IE. 08,31,40,45,46,47and 55, .... " manna

Interesting about 45s. When I was one of the KX Div'l Control (GN House)'s Traction Controller's assistants in '74 -'77, whenever we learned there was a 45 coming up road (typically on a Leeds with Holbeck men), we usually had to do our utmost to get it 'turned round' onto something that Holbeck or similar men worked back, as, although 46s weren't usually a problem, mostly, Kx area, and I think most Peterborough, men didn't sign 45s.
I even think, once or twice, when all else failed and we got lumbered with one, Midland men came over from Pancras/Cambridge Street/Cricklewood to take it out of our way.

[Mickey]

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[Mickey]

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[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

I could impersonate an EE type 4 or a Sulzer type 2 but never the Brush type 2! Still, in my spotting days, the Mirrlees engines had gone and they'd been replaced by EE units.

[Mickey]

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