31191 departs from Kings Cross with what appears to be a passenger train (rather than empty stock) as it seems to be steam heating the train, 22nd January 1977.
Locomotive History
31191 was built by Brush at the Falcon works, Loughborough as D5614 and it entered traffic in May 1960, allocated to Finsbury Park MPD (which had just opened) for suburban passenger, empty stock and local duties on the southern end of the East Coast Main Line. It was built with a Mirrlees JVS12T 1250bhp engine with Brush electrical equipment. The Mirrlees engines were not successful and in 1964 a programme of works commenced to re-engine the fleet with the 1470bhp English Electric 12SVT engines with D5614 being released from Doncaster works in May 1966 so modified.. With the reduction in empty carriage duties in the late seventies with the introduction of HST’s and the loss of the suburban passenger duties due to electrification it had by 1982 migrated to Immingham for freight duties and by 1986 had lost its train heating capability with the isolation of its steam heating boiler. By 1988 it was allocated to Stratford. In 1998 Fragonset Railways purchased four redundant Class 31 locomotives (31186/91, 31459/68) and in 1999 31186/91 were modified with through electric-train heating wiring to enable to work in multiple with a class 31/4 and still heat the train regardless as to the position of the class 31/4 in the formation. 31186/91 were reclassified as class 31/6 and renumbered 31601/02 respectively. With the demise of Fragonset Railways 31602 was operated by British American Railway Services, carrying Network Rail yellow livery until stored at the Weardale Railway. It was broken up at Wolsingham (Weardale Railway) during June 2018.
Tags: 22nd January D5614 31191 31602 Epson 4490
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ADS1560 is a Ransomes & Rapier 45 ton Steam Breakdown Crane built for the Southern Railway in 1940 and is seen at its home depot, Hither Green MPD, 22nd January 1977. It was originally numbered 1560S and is one of a batch of six cranes (two allocated to the Southern Railway, 1560/61S and four allocated to the Great Western Railway, 16-19) ordered on Government account from Ransomes & Rapier as a war precaution immediately prior to the start of World War 2. They were design to a dynamic envelope conforming to the British Composite Loading Gauge and incoporate Stokes weight reliving bogies located one to the front of the crane carriage and one to the rear onto which some of the weight of the crane could be transferred. This gave these cranes a 15-ton axle load and together with the composite loading gauge allowed them to operate anywhere in the UK. It was renumbered ADRR95209 in the late 1970’s and was along with its sister ADS1561 (ADRR95210) the last steam breakdown crane in service with British Rail when withdrawn in 1989. Following withdrawal it was sold for preservation and the owner transferred the crane to the Birmingham Railway Museum, Tyseley. Unfortunatley after twenty one years in preservation it was broken up in April 2010. My thanks to David Withers for his assistance in preparing this caption. For further details regarding breakdown cranes I recommend the Breakdown Crane Association website – www.bdca.org.uk.
Tags: 22nd January ADS1560 High Speed Ektachrome Praktica LTL
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87017 awaits the “right away” from a wet Crewe station with a Northbound express, 15th January 1977.
Locomotive History
The engine was still less than three years old at this point in time having been built at Crewe works and released to traffic in March 1974. In May 1978 it was named Iron Duke and would remain on front line West Coast Main Line duties for almost thirty years until withdrawn in December 2003. After storage awaiting its fate at Long Marston it has been exported in November 2012 to Bulgaria for further use.
Tags: 15th January 87017
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73118 is seen here stabled between duties at Hither Green MPD on the 22nd January 1977.
Locomotive History
Originally E6024 it was built by English Electric at the Vulcan Foundry works and entered traffic in March 1966. In the late 1990’s 73118 (along with 73130) was specially modified and have had additional coupling equipment fitted, this being primarily used to rescue failed Eurostar sets, or to haul them over non-electrified routes. Since fitment they have rarely ventured from the confines of the Eurostar depot at North Pole. With Eurostar moving their operations to the new Temple Mills depot in 2007, the Class 73 locomotives became redundant, and 73118 has been loaned to Barry Island Railway in South Wales.
Tags: 22nd January E6024 73118
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47443 heads south towards Birmingham at Burton on Trent with an express made up of predominantly Mark II abc coaching stock, 29th January 1977.
Locomotive History
Originally D1559 it was delivered new to Darnell in March 1964. Originally fitted with a steam heating boiler it had, by this point in time, been replaced with a Brush BL100-30 alternator in order to provide electric train heating. It acquired the name North Eastern in May 1988 and remained in service until withdrawn in October 1993. It was broken up at Crewe Works by MRJ Phillips in November 1996.
Tags: 29th January
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