What did I see? big yellow train
Discussion
Tonsko said:
I saw that NMT at Wolves once while sat there waiting for mine. The diesel locomotive (one with the squashed nose like a bulldog) made such an incredible noise pulling out!
That would have been a class 37 - fantastic engines:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detai...
I live on the line to Sellafield so they come through here every day with the flasks. The speed limit increases just before the station when travelling south so they are always on full chat and can be heard all over the town...
Also a good video here that shows the length of that ballast train.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvTZMBR28z8
Rick101 said:
NMT runs with Class 43 power cars.
43013, 43014, 43062. All maintained by East Coast.
It looked like the 'Class 37' mentioned above. Maybe the '43' was broken? The yellow carriages that followed it had desks on one side with computer monitors, and what looked like a meeting room at one end. They might have been doing something else though - I'm really only guessing that it was the NMT 43013, 43014, 43062. All maintained by East Coast.
Edited by Tonsko on Friday 20th February 10:05
tight5 said:
HOBC.
High Output Ballast Cleaner .
Regularly work this and the shorter 'TRT' version, very heavy and takes some shifting at around 3,300tons all up. Getting it up to the 60mph maximum needs a good old shove from the rear end driver, especially climbing out of Northampton. The first time I worked it I had to relieve the front end driver at Bedford Station while my mate waited on the platform to relieve the rear end man, it took eight minutes to get the rear end in the platform so he could get on! Once on the move though it doesn't feel that heavy to drive, until you need to make your first brake application on sighting adverse signals.High Output Ballast Cleaner .
Edited by P5Nij on Friday 20th February 13:51
As Tight5 will probably confirm we always drove these with just the one loco - the rear loco would be manned and running but isolated and providing no additional traction.
Personally I hated working them - the trains themselves were no bother, it was the in-fighting and bickering of the staff once you got to the site - as mentioned before, too many vested interests and too many cooks making the lives of drivers and signallers needlessly awkward.
Personally I hated working them - the trains themselves were no bother, it was the in-fighting and bickering of the staff once you got to the site - as mentioned before, too many vested interests and too many cooks making the lives of drivers and signallers needlessly awkward.
Tonsko said:
It looked like the 'Class 37' mentioned above. Maybe the '43' was broken? The yellow carriages that followed it had desks on one side with computer monitors, and what looked like a meeting room at one end. They might have been doing something else though - I'm really only guessing that it was the NMT
The 'New Measurement Train' itself is the Class 43s (or Intercity 125 if you prefer):Edited by Tonsko on Friday 20th February 10:05
However there are several other Network Rail measuring/surveying trains such as this one which will be what you saw:
legzr1 said:
As Tight5 will probably confirm we always drove these with just the one loco - the rear loco would be manned and running but isolated and providing no additional traction.
Erm, yes, provisionally.If the front driver didn't need any help from the back, he wouldn't ask for any.
BUT some of the places I've worked the HOBC to/from, you did NEED both locos at full tilt !
legzr1 said:
Personally I hated working them - the trains themselves were no bother, it was the in-fighting and bickering of the staff once you got to the site - as mentioned before, too many vested interests and too many cooks making the lives of drivers and signallers needlessly awkward.
Yeah, trains and ES (engineering supervisor) were no bother.But the worksites.......
HaroldBishop said:
class 37 - fantastic engines:
I can't agree there.I HATED working those locos.
Slow, loud, uncomfortable, cold, crap view.
HaroldBishop said:
However there are several other Network Rail measuring/surveying trains such as this one which will be what you saw:
I'm old enough to remember when these magnificent Class 37s Diesel Locomotives were called English Electric Type 3s.... Commuting up to Liverpool Street and Kings Cross Stations in 1960 and later, these were brand new ex-works machines and used on station pilot and other light duties until ready to enter service. In BR corporate green, white and silver, they always looked and sounded magnificent. A nice before and after day at the office experience for the then eighteen year old transport enthusiast setting out on a career in the city. The trains I regularly commuted in were steam hauled by 0-6-2 Tanks which shuttled back and forth on those sub-urban services in north and east London. Other steam locomotives had nameplates on them like Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and Arsenal but, the old memory aint what it was. Another had Oliver Cromwell which I later saw at speed outbound with an express to East Anglia whilst I waited on Stratford Station for my local train.Great days gorn forever.
NR also run a smaller a measurement train usually 3 coaches and 1 loco with the trailing coach working in pushpull mode(ex Scotrail Mk2 driving trailer) I think this a structure gauging train,it was tucked away at Longsight(Manchester)one night this week with a class31. NR have recently converted a handful of ex West Coast driving van trailers, extra lights and forward facing cameras were some of the obvious mods. In total I've seen as many as 3 NR trains in the same day, BR led the world for research until privatisation came along.
tight5 said:
I can't agree there.
I HATED working those locos.
Slow, loud, uncomfortable, cold, crap view.
I don't think they were that good!I HATED working those locos.
Slow, loud, uncomfortable, cold, crap view.
tight5 said:
If the front driver didn't need any help from the back, he wouldn't ask for any.
BUT some of the places I've worked the HOBC to/from, you did NEED both locos at full tilt !
Fair enough, out of Birtley Jcn was the steepest place I ever worked it lol.BUT some of the places I've worked the HOBC to/from, you did NEED both locos at full tilt !
There are concrete sections in places. Where it suits is a good solution. Far higher installation cost and greatly increased risk of flooding but more stability and lower maintenance .
Don't know that much about it but think it's called slab track. Seem to recall it bring installed in a few tunnel renewals.
Don't know that much about it but think it's called slab track. Seem to recall it bring installed in a few tunnel renewals.
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