Dear all,

I was glancing through an old combined volume yeserday (gosh, what a
myriad of classes there were to be seen in winter 61-62) and noticed
how many departmental locos there were.

Got me wondering, what exactly were the criteria for a loco to be thus
classified ? Was/is it merely that the department pays for the costs,
and only it can use the loco?

I would have thought so, but I remember that ED3 appeared at Bedford in
the mid-60s and, AIRI, used to be used on ordinary shunting turns.

Also noticed I had ER departmental loco 39, a Y1 I think it was (sorry,
book not here with me) underlined.

Can't remember seeing this, but somebody said it was in store at
Cambridge, so i guess that is where i saw it c 1961. But wonder if
anyone here can confirm

Do departmental locos still exist ?

best regards, Kester

wrote in message 
news:1126112477.554852.94680@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

> Do departmental locos still exist ?


Yup, they do, but not in their own number series (such as EDx or 97xxx). 
Departmental locos that spring to mind are:

Network Rail:

Class 31:

31105
31233
31285

HST power cars:

43013
43014
43062
43067
43154

Class 73:

73212
73213

Jarvis/Fastline:

Class 56 (undergoing overhaul):

56045
56124

The lines are a little more blurred these days as EWS, Freightliner and GBRf 
all have various locomotives allocated to pools for dedicated infrastructure 
work, and various shunters are assigned to Works that would have been 
classed as departmental in BR days. Various companies supply locomotives for 
test trains.

-- 
*** http://www.railwayscene.co.uk/ *** - currently out of action due to 
stuffed DNS
Rich Mackin (rich-at-richmackin-co-uk)
MSN: richmackin-at-hotmail-dot-com

wrote


> Got me wondering, what exactly were the criteria for a loco to be thus
> classified ? Was/is it merely that the department pays for the costs,
> and only it can use the loco?


It was my understanding that departmental locos were used for non-revenue 
trains and generally only in 'closed' sites, or locations such as locomotive 
works or permanent way sites (Dinsdale Sleeper depot was one such).

In over ten years of watching trains during the steam era, I never once 
recall seeing a departmental loco work 'out on the main line' although 
common sense suggests this did happen, if for no other reason than to allow 
them access to main depots or works for maintenance or repair.

John.

Rich Mackin wrote:

>  wrote in message
> news:1126112477.554852.94680@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > Do departmental locos still exist ?
>
> Yup, they do, but not in their own number series (such as EDx or 97xxx).
> Departmental locos that spring to mind are:
>
> Network Rail:
>
> Class 31:
>
> 31105
> 31233
> 31285
>
> HST power cars:
>
> 43013
> 43014
> 43062
> 43067
> 43154
>
> Class 73:
>
> 73212
> 73213


There is a third one, but the number escapes me, ex Gatex

Also what about 86901 and 86902? - the loadbank locos, which still have
one operative motor bogie and as such are 1600BHP locos (I have the
pleasure of operating this pair)


Richard

wrote in message 
news:1126201025.388142.5700@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

> There is a third one, but the number escapes me, ex Gatex


Ah yes, 73141?


>
> Also what about 86901 and 86902? - the loadbank locos, which still have
> one operative motor bogie and as such are 1600BHP locos (I have the
> pleasure of operating this pair)


Oops, forgot those two. :-$

-- 
*** http://www.railwayscene.co.uk/ ***
Rich Mackin (rich-at-richmackin-co-uk)
MSN: richmackin-at-hotmail-dot-com

D7666 wrote:


> Which reminds me of DS1169.
>
> I know what where and when it was DS1169 - but I have never known if
> there was a specific reason this non-standard machine was acquired
> second hand from Bristol Aviation (I'm quoting that from memory without
> looking it up). Just a case of the SR CCE wanting something that
> happened to be available or is there a history behind this deal ?



Guess this one remains a mystery then.


--
Nick

Kesterj@mail.interware.hu wrote:

> Yes, that is what I assumed too, as that is what practice appeared to
> indicate. (There was always that shunter tucked away at Reading,
> somewhere down below on a siding not far from the old Southern shed, I
> remember)


Ah yes - PWM 651 (or one of that small batch). PWM stood for "Permanent
Way Machine", IIRC.


-- 
Regards

Mike