As a kid from Crewe with a 6p platform ticket on Crewe station in the mid 80s, the 37s were always my favourite. Once in a while we would see one of the rather grim BR livery units with the Scottie dog on the side. Strangely they were always the ones i liked seeing.
These days they seem to all have different liveries, which makes it easy to identify them from afar! There is one that still wears the scottie dog and the Regional Railways livery, I think it's Concrete Bob, 37 425. It comes past my house regularly during the autumn and early winter on the RHTT as you can see from the footage in this video!
@@hullhistorynerd I noticed the one in your video. 😁 The ones I recall had that gloomy BR dark blue/grey matt colour which on the best of days made them look dirty and a big, white Vinyl Scottie dog.
Not so sure about the type 1. The 20s were undoubtedly excellent, reliable machines, but type 1 work was in free fall . The type 1s spent most of their lives operating in pairs, effectively type 4s. . The last 100 should never have built BUT MORE 37s instead,
They also did very well indeed with the "Thumper" DEMUs for the Southern...using (I think) similar EE diesel engines,they lasted in service nearly 60 years and the engine note was so distinctive it gave them their nick-name...
You are right. The 37 is by far the best locomotive on the network to this day and the best sounding. I was fortunate enough to cab ride them on an odd occasion when working on the railway. Great video, very informative and well presented. New subscriber 👍
Ace little vid. Class 37's is a fav. I liken the sound of a 37 to a Merlin engine in a spitfire, lanc, mossie, Growling away. Sounds kool, sounds like victory. Keep up the good work.
There used to be an old disused Railway brick hut next to the Brid to Hull line, just north of the Wansford Road crossing in Driffield, where there was a pedestrian crossing, at the end of Meadow Road. Me and my friends at around 11 years old, would climb onto the flat concrete roof, which had a substantial overhang, so was quite difficult to negotiate. The highlight of our adventure, was to wait for a 37 to come thundering past. You could hear one coming as far away as Nafferton!! Obviously not being entirely braindead, we definitely didn't stand up or dance around, we all laid flat, with our hands gripping the edge of the roof so tightly, I swear it left finger impressions in the concrete!! The sheer terror of that rolling thunder hurtling past, at what was probably a metre and a half away, was exhilarating to say the least. The standard 4 or 5 carriage passenger trains were a bit of an anti climax compared to the adrenaline fueled thrill of the 37s. and the Square nosed ones. I also around the same time, befriended the Station Master/Signalman at Driffield station, and I often during summer hols, would sit in the Signal box at the end of the platform, he'd let me close the gates with the 'ships wheel', or change the signal. Again, made all the more thrilling when a 37 or a Deltic came thundering through as a no stop, goods train!! Your little trip down memory lane, has triggered my wonderful memories, that are indelibly etched into my being. 🙏🏻😊.
Many thanks for this the 37s are one of my favourites. As well as their RHTT work at York they are still a frequent visitor to the station during the rest of the year. Just can't enough of them, their sound is just magical. Long may they continue.
I can remember, in the 90s, when the china clays came through Hereford and they used to have 2 growlers on the front . Sometimes they'd had to stop. Listening to them start up again and then synchronise immediately before pulling off was something else!!!
That's the best video about the class 37's I have ever seen. Well done, you should be on T.V! I was glad to see 37401, the first 37 I ever had a cab ride in. She was nicknamed Mary Doll in Scotland. Long live the wonderful 37's, they work snowploughs in Scotland to clear the way. The roar of a 37 at full chat is something to savour.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Also I'm so jealous that you've had a ride in the cab, that's awesome. Kate is genuinely considering going to a heritage railway that offers the diesel driving experience as she really, really wants to drive a 37!
@@hullhistorynerd 37401 was at the Bo'ness and kinneil Railway a few years ago, that's when I cabbed Mary doll. DRS lent it to us for a while, then took her back when they needed 37 4's. She was the last operational 37 with EWS. We also have 37025 and 37403 here.
@@alistairshaw3206 hi alistair the DRS class 37 that you were on could well have been one i drove when I was a fireman out of eastfield traction depot Glasgow 1974 DRS bought quite a few class 37s and class 20s and refurbished them also my brother was a driver with DRS OUT of Carlisle he actually drove the same class 37s that I drove well over 20 years later I kept a logbook and all the books that I was given when I attended the training collage with BRITISH RAIL THEY were fantastic books all about the engines unfortunately I lost everything when my mother passed away as it was all ina box in her house I always ment to take them to my own house but never got round to it clad you enjoyed your day at Bo’ness
Can't beat them. I've even started calling the Euro Phoenix 37s "Reapers" as you always see them dragging much younger stock to their grave. You hear it first, look up and see that big bird with some sorry looking EMU behind and just know it's going to the big siding in the sky, but that 60 year old tractor goes on to find it's next victim.
Who ever built the class 37 did 2 things one build a diesel with the reliability of an LMS Black 5 also use a cult sorcery to make these locomotives immortal never to be scrapped also go every where do anything train duties
Fantastic. heard a wonderful sound from my bedroom and looked out the window........online sleuthing took me to 'Pathfinder Tours' and then bought me here. A Brilliant picture of the Britain of my youth. Thank you.
A mate of mine is involved in the restoration of a 37, he's nuts on them and has got me into them, the sound is wonderful and I'm not sure you'll ever find anything like them out there anymore. And that was a very good video on them, thank you!
An excellent report on the class. 37’s have always been a favourite of mine and, yes, it’s because of the sound. I used to lie in bed as a kid hearing them work flat-out in multiple on the MGR and Consett ore trains. That noise still does it for me, it’s absolute magic!
This was an excellent piece and very informative - up there with BBC Documentaries and I especially liked the bits spoken on camera. Liked and subscribed!
Thankyou, glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully I'll be doing more of these as time rolls on, and there's plenty of railway history content on the channel too if that is your thing!
now that's a diesel! I remember them being introduced. Always exciting to see a new one, all shiny and loud. I always called them 'English Electric Type 3's' but with respect now call them, Class 37..Looked bigger and more powerful than they were. Fond memories of journeys onward from Inverness to wick and Thurso. Thank you a great little film.
I was born after TOPS was introduced, I've never known them as anything but 37s, but of course Type 3s are what they were for many years. I would never begrudge anyone using the name that they grew up with!
Subscribed. Love the 37s since that time they nearly deafened me on a quiet walk by the river here in Essex. They seem to have a lot of history around here and East Anglia in general.
finally a history video about class 37 aka British Railway's tractors. I just subscribed to this channel. can you please do a history video about class 47?
Certainly will, my aim is to cover all of the classes! The biggest obstacle is getting footage of some of them, but I did get my first 47 shot last week, so the ball is rolling!
Nice feature on the Growlers . They are my second favorite loco class behind another EE build .. The Hoover’s my dear class 50’s . EE just have that magic method of making power into noise that is likable .
@@hullhistorynerd Ahh yes my friends 50’s 007 & 044 . Oh excellent looking forward to that . A 50 i am involved with should be out next year 50021 Rodney on various preserved lines .
The sight and sound of these awesome locos was amazing in the Welsh valleys on heavy freight trains and later on the service to rhymney south Wales was 37 heaven for many years
Great video about a great loco. I remember seeing them going to-and-from the docks on the high-level line when I lived on De Grey Street. But my best memory of them is back in the early Eighties when I used to stand right next to the Saltburn line in Marske when they came by with potash trains. Many a penny piece met its end there.
A small correction, the 37 / 9 came about because BR was starting to look at possible replacement for most of its mid power range locos at that time ( 31, 33, 37, etc. and to the future type 5 locos, the power unit of the class 58 was begining to show a few worrying issues in service and it was looking like the well proven EE lump was reaching the limits of what it could do. The 37 / 9 was a working test bed for a future power unit for a type 3 to 4 loco around 2000 hp. And a future type 5 loco 3000 + hp. The units in the 37 / 9 where both capable of supplying more than their rated 1800 horse's but where derated to that figure to allow the locos to work hand in hand with the rest of the 37 fleet to compare there verious attributes , the Ruston units ( a straight 6 ) seamed to be up to the job but was plagued by oil leaks . The Mirrlese again a staight 6 was well on top of the job it was having to do but vastly derated in its output as it used the standard 37 alternator , The outcome of the trial was a little clouded, the choice of a future midd range loco came to nothing and BR had to make do with what it had, hence the 37s, 47 s, lived on a while and the future was seen as an all big loco railway hence the order of 100 type 5 locos, the class 60 using the 8 cly version of the Mirrlese to give 3 100 hp. These locos have been game changers with their ability to work trains of up to 4000 tons single handedly. The powerunit did suffer a few problems in its early days but with a few minor mods became one of the most reliable engine's on the railway, the more you can work it hard and keep it hot the better it becomes , long live the MB 275 !
Excellent stuff, very well done. I really hope this channel takes off with this Diesels series. I'm looking forward to seeing much more from this channel.
I'm looking forward to making more! The series went on the back burner for a while as the first couple of videos didn't seem to find much of an audience, and travelling around for footage was more difficult for me, but lots of people recently found the Class 20 video, which made my day! I love looking into the histories of these locos, and I've already got outlines for videos on the Class 50, 47, the 08/09 etc shunter family, and the 125 class 43, as well as a single big episode of the Western Region's diesel hydraulics!
@@hullhistorynerd Maybe your channel just needs some time to grow. Are you on any Diesel Facebook Groups? I will share this video on some Class 37 groups I'm a member on to spread the word so more like minded people see your videos.
Between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth they run class 97 basically a 37 with the ETCS fitted as this route was chosen for a test route. Recently timber logs have been delivered to Aberystwyth by road, off loaded to a siding, then loaded onto suitable bogied wagons, the load is hauled by a 97 with a 37 in tandem, because the load is heavy and there is a steep bank between Machynlleth and Caersws, the journey is to Chirk, as you say the engines have the best sound, and many enthusiasts watch the departure just to hear the engines. Also the load of logs by rail removes tens of lorries from rural Welsh roads, this is a very favourable arrangement. The 97's are network rail and all yellow, and based in Shrewsbury.
They're back doing the rounds on the railhead treatment trains this autumn, so if you're anywhere between York, Hull and Scarborough, you've a chance to enjoy them every week!
I cannot tell you how much I recommend the York railway museum, I went about 3 years ago when I went to York for the first time. Seeing the Mallard, Japanese Bullet Train upclose is amazing I'm no train spotter no way but I love history and how far we have come in technology. Just subbed to HHN from a colleague and I'm hooked on your videos
The National Railway Museum has been one of my favourite places ever since I was about 5 years old! If you ever get chance, they have another site up near Darlington called Locomotion, with even more locos and coaches and exhibitions.
Scratching my diesel itch itch here, sir. :) The 37s are among my fave diesels, along with 55s/Deltics & 56s. Fun (useless lol) fact: the prime mover in the LMS diesel twins (the English Electric 16SVT) was also used in the Bulleid trio (10201-203; aka Class D16/2), the Class 40 (as the EE 16SVT Mk2), the DP2 prototype & the Class 50 (as the EE 16CSVT; the same engine with the addition of a intercooler). It didn't end with the 50s though, as a extensively reworked version of the powerplant ended up being used in the Class 56 (as the Ruston-Paxman 16RK3CT) and the associated Class 47 testbed (47601). If one listens to a 56 under power in the right conditions, the distinictive EE-esque thud-thud can clearly be heard.
Not useless facts at all, that's awesome info that I did not know! Cheers for that, that's probably going to get a mention in the class 50 video in the future!
@@hullhistorynerd Not a problem; when I said useless, I meant useless to those not as into diesels as us lol Looking forward to your 'Hoover' vid, as well as your 'Grid' vid. :)
You have excellent taste in locos, for me it's always been Deltic first but more recently the 37 has grown on me for its character and I've always liked the sound of a 56 under load (also Valenta powered hst for it's sound).
I'm from Hull now living in South Yorkshire. My Grandad worked for British Rail, he'd take me and my brother on train journeys with him. Happy days. Would of been early 70s and I'm sure we rode on 37s out of Paragon station.
I’ve always been an English Electric nerd; they couldn’t do any wrong in my opinion, but like you, the 37 will always be my favourite. I have a love for the Class 40, 50 and Class 55 as well, but the 37 really is the dogs nuts! The design, the sound. Superb! I just love them. As a basher I chased them countrywide back in the 80s and 90s (The West Highlands etc in Scotland were epic times. The memories I have!), with bashes when I could in the naughties and up to present - North Wales coast, East Anglia and rail tours. It’s good to see someone else with a similar passion like mine. There are several 37 videos on my channel, if you care to look. The majority are taken from work, but there is some spicy thrash to be heard.😉 I have watched about 7 or 8 of your videos so far and as such I have subscribed. Carry on the great work! Simon
When I was seven I used to get out of bed and stand at the fence at the end of the garden and watch a couple of 37s pull a long mineral train past at 02:00. Wave at the driver and wave at the chap in the brake van. My first solo overnight trip from Edinburgh to London was in a BR Mk2 corridor coach being dragged by a 37. I'm starting to think the buggers might outlast me.
I love the 37s too. I’ve got a BR Blue Hornby one I bought second-hand from Myton College Model Railway Show in Leamington Spa when I was 6, and have had the privilege of riding on trins pulled by 37s at the Severn Valley Railway and on a charter service along the Settle to Carlisle line over the Ribblehead Viaduct. I think it’s a combination of their general appearance, including the variety of different liveries they seem to have, not to mention that burbling engine sound. Definitely up there along with Class 42s, 47s, 20s, 52s & 08s as my favourite BR diesels.
I used to have two Hornby 37s when I was a kid, my grandad used to scour the second hand listings in the Hull Daily Mail and get boxes of old model train gear. I was gutted to find that my ex-inlaws, who had been looking after all of that stuff so I could one day give them to my kids, , sold them without asking me.
Excellent as ever! I have seen these locos in use still from time to time myself.. 60 years! Not sure if I want to be reminded of THAT one.. Happy Christmas to you and all your team, and a merry New year! 🎄☃️🌲
The Type 3 EE locos were excellent for cross country work. In the mid sixties they were used on the Harwich Boat Train, Harwich - Manchester Piccadilly and return. Their timetable was tight but regularly arrived before time at Manchester.
You chose one of my favourite locos! I doff my proverbial hat to you, sir! My dad always said they were draughty machines though. The main reason the mirrlees and Ruston equipped variants were heavier is because concrete slab weights were added to increase adhesion, and their slower nature earned them the nickname “slugs”. The different prime mover experiments went on to be the power plant for the class 60s. 👍🏻
I've heard a few ex drivers say they were loud and uncomfortable to drive, but in the context of the age, sitting down in an enclosed cab was a very new thing for train drivers! Good to know so many people share my love for the old tractors!
@@hullhistorynerd they are one of the greatest success stories of BR. My dad gave me a short cab ride round Immingham loco way back when he was not long passed out as a driver and I remember it so well to this day! Unfortunately, he now has dementia but he still has his sense of humour and good cheer! A true legend and gentleman. Always listen to the old hands, their stories are invaluable to history!
Really enjoyed that. I love the 37s (not quite as much as Deltics), and enjoy seeing the RHTT thru Hessle each autumn. Just one thing, when you mention the Type 4 power group, the pic labelled as a Class 40 is actually a Class 37!
Damn, you're right. I just looked back through my other shots from that place and I have one of the Peak from the other side and you can *just* see the edge of a number 3 at the start of the TOPS number. D'oh!
First engines I worked on when I started on BR. The noise compressor at one end, the loud was bell in the cab. We use to double header them on the Tilcon train until the replaced them with the class 60s, which constantly Failed! We took them down to KG Dock too from baglan Bay to saltend also on the night engineering jobs tipping ballast etc. That cab door was a bit difficult sometimes to open from climbing back up the steps lol good times though.
Yeah, I'd seen a few stories about the noise and discomfort of actually driving these beasts. Doesn't stop Kate from desperately wanting to have a go at driving one though!
@@hullhistorynerd the battery bank was removed , it was oil spillage and debris that was under the cabinet, we were cutting them out in what was known as Ten shop or the erecting shop in those days . I personally had three fires and obviously I’m talking years ago I’m 57 now but just a young pup at the time . So loved Crewe locomotive works.
They're certainly my favourite, although I must confess that my eye was caught by the Class 42 Warship at the East Lancashire Railway a couple of months ago...
Another fantastic short documentary with some fantastic shots! Class 37s are also one of my favourites! I was surprised you didn't touch upon the Network Rail Class 97/3s, 37s converted to departmental classification with one of the two fuel tanks removed and replaced with ETCS/ERTMS for the Cambrian line, these still being the only locos (excluding units) cleared for the Cambrian Line since 2011. Very nice nonetheless and I look forward to more in the series.
I had to to a lot of chopping and editing - sometimes a script seems to be all info-dump and no story, so some things didn't make it in, like the departmental 37s and the concrete weights in the 37/9s. Editing is hard, but it does keep the video focussed!
@@hullhistorynerd I would have thought something on the 97/3s would have been interesting but I understand - trying to keep the video interesting. Perhaps if you ever get any footage of the 97/3s, you could make a separate mini 2 minute video. Just a thought.
I love the 37. I got a shot on the Fort William Mallaig line in 1986. I didnt mind the splut spluts but they were all claped out by the time they came north. The Sulzer engine always sounded like it was push the crank out with its bottom knocking. The English Electric was and is raw power with a tune from tick over to flat out that anyone over a certain age gets exited to hear and see. I also drove the Harry Potter train before he was born.. A amazing experience. I only wish i had a camera on the days i had the helm.
Excellent video, love the 37's , I hope in the future you do a video on both the Deltic's and the humble DMU's ... With Selby being my local station I remember many of these with either Hull, York, Leeds or Doncaster on the destination board... As for the Deltics, my primary school window looked out on the railway south of Selby where it crossed the canal near Brayton crossing... the howl of the two stroke diesel being far more interesting than what was happening in class!
I've already an episode on the Class 121 bubblecar units, and rest assured, once I get enough footage together, I'll most certainly be doing an episode on the Deltics! Theirs is an important part in the dieselisation story, the short lived and slightly troublesome stop gap between the disappointment of the early Type 4s and the monster Intercity 125 units!
on the other hand, you've just made the case for steam. There were far more Black fives 840 of them,than class 37. It's an enduring myth that diesels were essential for British rail, but they were only ever meant as a stopgap between full electrification. The early Labour Government where quite happy for a new class of BR steam locomotives. We had the know how, we had the Coal and in fact in West Germany Steam engines continued to be used in the fifties and early sixties simply because economically there was no alternative. Rail in this country was slow because it was basically worn out, New locos would not change that, they needed new track bed. Moreover in the sixties we still didn't have oil, The Americans did because they'd found oil earlier in the century.
No I know, and well made too may I say. But this got me, the need for a steam boiler on the Old mkI coaches, because they were the direct descendants of the Stanier, Thompson and Maunsell steel stocks which were, of course designed for Steam engines, so despite the liking for diesels, they really didn't plan very well.
A couple of months ago, I saw on live.rail-record that a Class 37 Network Rail Test Train was running down to Brighton and back. It was something 01:50 AM. I stood at my window, and I could hear the wonder of these mighty beasts 5 miles away. When it entered Pyecombe tunnel, it was like a lion roaring in the jungle. If you get a chance to see one, do so whilst you can.
I get to see them twice a day, they're currently running the RHTT right past my house! They're magnificent, the whole house shakes when the driver gives it some welly coming out of the station!
Thanks that was excellent... Is there a finer sight on the network than a 37 working hard? I don't think so... And the sound of these vintage locomotives is intoxicating just wonderful so let's all thankTHE ROG, NETWORK RAIL, COLAS RAIL FREIGHT, and others for keeping these wonderful vintage locomotives in fine fettle and working on the network
Used to see pairs of them pulling mineral trains past an office were I orked in the mid 80s. Then they were supplanted by single Class 59s. Still used to see them pulling container trains though.
Note that the Type 3 Class 33 was an evolution of Type 2 class 26s/27s not the class 25. Basically a higher powered version in the same body with greater fuel capacity which utilised space available due to not having a steam boiler.
Another brilliant video. I like the quote at the end.. "A Reakly useful engine' was that a nod to thomas the tank engine? ... Have a fab Christmas and new year, look forward to your videos next year :).
Certainly do, I've got plans to eventually cover all of the major diesel electric and diesel hydraulic locos, though it might take me time to collect the footage!
Great and informative video. Thank you. It’s nice to know some of the history behind the nationalisation of the railways and the requirements that the different areas had. I personally love the 37s. The Swiss Army Knife of loco. It can do just about anything. I used to see them running around in DRS livery a few years ago. Not sure if they are still in service now though. Maybe someone can tell me? Again great video. Happy Christmas and all the best for 2022
I saw that same double ended rake travelling through hull a few weeks back, my research told me it clears debris from tracks but I could be wrong. Was weird seeing br livery running on our current railways
Yes, they're known as rail head treatment trains, or RHTT for short. Last year the old Class 20s were doing the job as well as the 37s, the year before that it was just the 20s. You can see some footage of the Class 20s hauling the RHTT on my Class 20 video, in fact!
Regarding the Western region acquisition of diesel hydraulic locomotives, it was not so much a passion of W R management, but instructions from B R HQ. They wanted some hydraulic transmission as a trial, to allow comparison with diesel electric locos. W R was told to get D H locos or wait years for D E locos. DH locos need more maintenance but are lighter and so faster for their power output. I am sure W R would have chosen a 37 from the beginning if offered.
Possibly, except there was a widespread belief among the Western Region's engineers that diesel electric locos of the power needed for mainline passenger services wouldn't be able to haul their own weight plus the required train lengths up some of the many gradients in the area. As you mention, diesel electrics are heavy, really heavy, and the problems with the Class 40 really justified these concerns. They tried experiments with gas turbine, but the efficiency just wasn't there. Diesel hydraulic fit the bill perfectly; high tractive power low weight. Although, granted, there were some hurdles there at the higher power band - namely that their Type 4 would need two engines and two transmission systems! The Region's landscape and gradients determined their need to try diesel hydraulic in those early days; when the tech improved and the class 37 and later 47 demonstrated a much improved power to weight ratio, the hydraulics were retired and 37s became a common sight in the area.
As a child and train fan. I would lay in bed at night and could hear the Class 37s coming past long before their arrival such was the noise. Literally my most favourite Diesel. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Liverpool Street station was mega noisy with these locos being moved about along with Class 47s, and Class 08 pilots. It was dirty, noisy and grimy. Am I wrong to miss that?
The engine development by E.E. is intriguing. The basic engine block uses a 12" stroke with a 10" bore. In the class 20 a V-8 produced 1,000hp. In the class 40 a V-16 was double the number of cylinders and double the horsepower at 2.000hp. So you'd think that the V-12 in the class 37 would be halfway in-between at 1,500 hp. But it wasn't. It was 1,750. And the same block in a different set up in a 31 was 1,470hp.
By the time of the Type 3/Class 37 EE had developed their engine to use charge cooling, which allowed higher boost levels from the turbos and so more power. That allowed their rated power for rail traction to be increased from 125hp per cylinder (as in the Type 1/20 and Type 4/40) to 168hp per cylinder. That made the 12-cylinder version put out just over 2000hp, and EE had sold locomotives with that power rating to East Africa and Australia. But BR didn't need more Type 4 locos and so for the Type 3/37 the engines were de-rated to 1750hp. That's part of the reason why the 37s were (and are) so reliable and long-lived - their engines and electrical machinery are all specced for much higher power outputs so even when worked 'flat out' are not anywhere near their limits. For the 31s (which are Type 2s despite the number) the EE engine was replacing the 1250hp Mirrlees engines. The original electrical equipment was retained but couldn't handle more than 1500hp, so the EE engines were delivered without charge coolers and rated at 1470hp - the same output you guessed at for a Class 20 engine with four extra cylinders. The ultimate development of the EE engine was the Ruston-Paxman 12RK in the Class 58 - a V12, still with the same 10-inch bore and 12-inch stroke, making 3300hp at 900rpm - twice the power of the Class 37's 12CSVT at only 50 more turns per minute.
Enjoyed that. Lots I didn't know. Do you know what I love about the 37's..it like they're alive, they have such a character about them and that's pretty special for a machine I respect and appreciate alot of the diesals, the 58's, the 50's the 47's the 20's , the 08's even...but the 37s are special. When you hear one or see one, you're 10 years old again, mega 👍dragons of the track 👍
As a kid from Crewe with a 6p platform ticket on Crewe station in the mid 80s, the 37s were always my favourite. Once in a while we would see one of the rather grim BR livery units with the Scottie dog on the side. Strangely they were always the ones i liked seeing.
These days they seem to all have different liveries, which makes it easy to identify them from afar! There is one that still wears the scottie dog and the Regional Railways livery, I think it's Concrete Bob, 37 425. It comes past my house regularly during the autumn and early winter on the RHTT as you can see from the footage in this video!
@@hullhistorynerd I noticed the one in your video. 😁 The ones I recall had that gloomy BR dark blue/grey matt colour which on the best of days made them look dirty and a big, white Vinyl Scottie dog.
Incredible that these locos are still used today. Can you imagine flying in a DC6 or having an Anglia as your daily driver..
The English Electric design team hit a sweet spot with the Class 37 and 20. These locos just kept going while others came and went.
So true
Not so sure about the type 1. The 20s were undoubtedly excellent, reliable machines, but type 1 work was in free fall . The type 1s spent most of their lives operating in pairs, effectively type 4s. . The last 100 should never have built BUT MORE 37s instead,
They also did very well indeed with the "Thumper" DEMUs for the Southern...using (I think) similar EE diesel engines,they lasted in service nearly 60 years and the engine note was so distinctive it gave them their nick-name...
This was a great analysis on the Class 37. I can’t wait to see more from this channel.
I'm looking forward to doing them myself! Just need to travel a bit to start getting some more footage together.
@@hullhistorynerd Class 47's next?
@@james.black981 it really depends what locos I can gather footage of over the next month or so!
You are right. The 37 is by far the best locomotive on the network to this day and the best sounding. I was fortunate enough to cab ride them on an odd occasion when working on the railway. Great video, very informative and well presented. New subscriber 👍
Ace little vid. Class 37's is a fav. I liken the sound of a 37 to a Merlin engine in a spitfire, lanc, mossie, Growling away. Sounds kool, sounds like victory. Keep up the good work.
There used to be an old disused Railway brick hut next to the Brid to Hull line, just north of the Wansford Road crossing in Driffield, where there was a pedestrian crossing, at the end of Meadow Road. Me and my friends at around 11 years old, would climb onto the flat concrete roof, which had a substantial overhang, so was quite difficult to negotiate. The highlight of our adventure, was to wait for a 37 to come thundering past. You could hear one coming as far away as Nafferton!! Obviously not being entirely braindead, we definitely didn't stand up or dance around, we all laid flat, with our hands gripping the edge of the roof so tightly, I swear it left finger impressions in the concrete!! The sheer terror of that rolling thunder hurtling past, at what was probably a metre and a half away, was exhilarating to say the least. The standard 4 or 5 carriage passenger trains were a bit of an anti climax compared to the adrenaline fueled thrill of the 37s. and the Square nosed ones. I also around the same time, befriended the Station Master/Signalman at Driffield station, and I often during summer hols, would sit in the Signal box at the end of the platform, he'd let me close the gates with the 'ships wheel', or change the signal. Again, made all the more thrilling when a 37 or a Deltic came thundering through as a no stop, goods train!! Your little trip down memory lane, has triggered my wonderful memories, that are indelibly etched into my being. 🙏🏻😊.
The hull history nerd is brilliant & I'm sure all his followers wish him a very merry Christmas.
Why thank you! And a merry Christmas to you and yours as well!
Merry Christmas!!! 🥰
Excellent presentation from someone who not only knows his history but also passes on a genuine enthusiasm for the topic. Respect!😁
Got to agree, 37s have such a sound that you feel aswell. Very well put together history of such a iconic loco class
Many thanks for this the 37s are one of my favourites. As well as their RHTT work at York they are still a frequent visitor to the station during the rest of the year. Just can't enough of them, their sound is just magical. Long may they continue.
Let's hope so, they're venerable elders of the railway these days!
Who doesn't like the sound of a class 37, like a male lion in anger.
Top channel.
I can remember, in the 90s, when the china clays came through Hereford and they used to have 2 growlers on the front . Sometimes they'd had to stop. Listening to them start up again and then synchronise immediately before pulling off was something else!!!
Lovely production, thanks for sharing.
Thankyou, glad you enjoyed it! Always a rush when one of my UA-cam inspirations enjoys something I made :)
A really nice and informative video on one of my favourite locomotives of all time. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
That's the best video about the class 37's I have ever seen.
Well done, you should be on T.V!
I was glad to see 37401, the first 37 I ever had a cab ride in. She was nicknamed Mary Doll in Scotland.
Long live the wonderful 37's, they work snowploughs in Scotland to clear the way. The roar of a 37 at full chat is something to savour.
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! Also I'm so jealous that you've had a ride in the cab, that's awesome. Kate is genuinely considering going to a heritage railway that offers the diesel driving experience as she really, really wants to drive a 37!
@@hullhistorynerd 37401 was at the Bo'ness and kinneil Railway a few years ago, that's when I cabbed Mary doll. DRS lent it to us for a while, then took her back when they needed 37 4's. She was the last operational 37 with EWS.
We also have 37025 and 37403 here.
@@alistairshaw3206 hi alistair the DRS class 37 that you were on could well have been one i drove when I was a fireman out of eastfield traction depot Glasgow 1974 DRS bought quite a few class 37s and class 20s and refurbished them also my brother was a driver with DRS OUT of Carlisle he actually drove the same class 37s that I drove well over 20 years later I kept a logbook and all the books that I was given when I attended the training collage with BRITISH RAIL THEY were fantastic books all about the engines unfortunately I lost everything when my mother passed away as it was all ina box in her house I always ment to take them to my own house but never got round to it clad you enjoyed your day at Bo’ness
Can't beat them. I've even started calling the Euro Phoenix 37s "Reapers" as you always see them dragging much younger stock to their grave. You hear it first, look up and see that big bird with some sorry looking EMU behind and just know it's going to the big siding in the sky, but that 60 year old tractor goes on to find it's next victim.
Ha! They should give those particular locos an all black paint job with yellow front panels and a bone coloured lining round the windows.
"The big siding in the sky" brilliant!
They’re also technically storks carrying brand new 196s around bringing life
Who ever built the class 37 did 2 things one build a diesel with the reliability of an LMS Black 5 also use a cult sorcery to make these locomotives immortal never to be scrapped also go every where do anything train duties
Excellent vid - thank you. I never ever wanna see a time when there aren't any 37's - nothing is better. A die hard fan
Fantastic. heard a wonderful sound from my bedroom and looked out the window........online sleuthing took me to 'Pathfinder Tours' and then bought me here. A Brilliant picture of the Britain of my youth. Thank you.
A mate of mine is involved in the restoration of a 37, he's nuts on them and has got me into them, the sound is wonderful and I'm not sure you'll ever find anything like them out there anymore. And that was a very good video on them, thank you!
An excellent report on the class.
37’s have always been a favourite of mine and, yes, it’s because of the sound. I used to lie in bed as a kid hearing them work flat-out in multiple on the MGR and Consett ore trains. That noise still does it for me, it’s absolute magic!
It really is. Both Kate and I still feel that excitement when they thunder past our house with the RHTT!
This was an excellent piece and very informative - up there with BBC Documentaries and I especially liked the bits spoken on camera. Liked and subscribed!
Thankyou, glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully I'll be doing more of these as time rolls on, and there's plenty of railway history content on the channel too if that is your thing!
This was far superior to a (modern) BBC documentary. Informative, interesting, some music but not overpowering, and no preachy crap.
Very interesting, love your programmes,and the 37 is my favourite also. Nothing quite like the sound xx
now that's a diesel! I remember them being introduced. Always exciting to see a new one, all shiny and loud. I always called them 'English Electric Type 3's' but with respect now call them, Class 37..Looked bigger and more powerful than they were. Fond memories of journeys onward from Inverness to wick and Thurso. Thank you a great little film.
I was born after TOPS was introduced, I've never known them as anything but 37s, but of course Type 3s are what they were for many years. I would never begrudge anyone using the name that they grew up with!
Another superb upload my good man ,this is good enough for TV !!
Subscribed. Love the 37s since that time they nearly deafened me on a quiet walk by the river here in Essex. They seem to have a lot of history around here and East Anglia in general.
finally a history video about class 37 aka British Railway's tractors. I just subscribed to this channel.
can you please do a history video about class 47?
Certainly will, my aim is to cover all of the classes! The biggest obstacle is getting footage of some of them, but I did get my first 47 shot last week, so the ball is rolling!
Nice feature on the Growlers .
They are my second favorite loco class behind another EE build ..
The Hoover’s my dear class 50’s .
EE just have that magic method of making power into noise that is likable .
I was just gathering some shots for a future episode on the 50s last weekend! A pair were running a charter train to Beverley.
@@hullhistorynerd Ahh yes my friends 50’s 007 & 044 .
Oh excellent looking forward to that .
A 50 i am involved with should be out next year 50021 Rodney on various preserved lines .
The sight and sound of these awesome locos was amazing in the Welsh valleys on heavy freight trains and later on the service to rhymney south Wales was 37 heaven for many years
Great video about a great loco. I remember seeing them going to-and-from the docks on the high-level line when I lived on De Grey Street. But my best memory of them is back in the early Eighties when I used to stand right next to the Saltburn line in Marske when they came by with potash trains. Many a penny piece met its end there.
A small correction, the 37 / 9 came about because BR was starting to look at possible replacement for most of its mid power range locos at that time ( 31, 33, 37, etc. and to the future type 5 locos, the power unit of the class 58 was begining to show a few worrying issues in service and it was looking like the well proven EE lump was reaching the limits of what it could do.
The 37 / 9 was a working test bed for a future power unit for a type 3 to 4 loco around 2000 hp. And a future type 5 loco 3000 + hp.
The units in the 37 / 9 where both capable of supplying more than their rated 1800 horse's but where derated to that figure to allow the locos to work hand in hand with the rest of the 37 fleet to compare there verious attributes , the Ruston units ( a straight 6 ) seamed to be up to the job but was plagued by oil leaks .
The Mirrlese again a staight 6 was well on top of the job it was having to do but vastly derated in its output as it used the standard 37 alternator ,
The outcome of the trial was a little clouded, the choice of a future midd range loco came to nothing and BR had to make do with what it had, hence the 37s, 47 s, lived on a while and the future was seen as an all big loco railway hence the order of 100 type 5 locos, the class 60 using the 8 cly version of the Mirrlese to give 3 100 hp.
These locos have been game changers with their ability to work trains of up to 4000 tons single handedly. The powerunit did suffer a few problems in its early days but with a few minor mods became one of the most reliable engine's on the railway, the more you can work it hard and keep it hot the better it becomes , long live the MB 275 !
Excellent stuff, very well done. I really hope this channel takes off with this Diesels series. I'm looking forward to seeing much more from this channel.
I'm looking forward to making more! The series went on the back burner for a while as the first couple of videos didn't seem to find much of an audience, and travelling around for footage was more difficult for me, but lots of people recently found the Class 20 video, which made my day! I love looking into the histories of these locos, and I've already got outlines for videos on the Class 50, 47, the 08/09 etc shunter family, and the 125 class 43, as well as a single big episode of the Western Region's diesel hydraulics!
@@hullhistorynerd Maybe your channel just needs some time to grow. Are you on any Diesel Facebook Groups? I will share this video on some Class 37 groups I'm a member on to spread the word so more like minded people see your videos.
@@philbailey8082 I am in a few groups (I really enjoy looking at everyone's photos and stories), but thankyou, any help is always appreciated!
Between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth they run class 97 basically a 37 with the ETCS fitted as this route was chosen for a test route. Recently timber logs have been delivered to Aberystwyth by road, off loaded to a siding, then loaded onto suitable bogied
wagons, the load is hauled by a 97 with a 37 in tandem, because the load is heavy and there is a steep bank between Machynlleth and Caersws, the journey is to Chirk, as you say the engines have the best sound, and many enthusiasts watch the departure just to hear the engines. Also the load of logs by rail removes tens of lorries from rural Welsh roads, this is a very favourable arrangement.
The 97's are network rail and all yellow, and based in Shrewsbury.
I have always loved ❤ the 37 sound you could feel in your chest as they rolled by, and the size of the 37 was impressive
They're back doing the rounds on the railhead treatment trains this autumn, so if you're anywhere between York, Hull and Scarborough, you've a chance to enjoy them every week!
I live in the States now, but when I was younger I lived there and love watching the trains
Another gem of a channel discovered.
Thankyou, glad you're enjoying the content! I mostly do local and railway history, but I will be aiming to do the diesel episodes more frequently now!
What a wonderful Christmas upload you done.Thanks for sharing.
Thanks very much for replying to my comment.Have a Great Christmas see you in the New year. Take Care & Stay Safe.
I cannot tell you how much I recommend the York railway museum, I went about 3 years ago when I went to York for the first time. Seeing the Mallard, Japanese Bullet Train upclose is amazing I'm no train spotter no way but I love history and how far we have come in technology.
Just subbed to HHN from a colleague and I'm hooked on your videos
The National Railway Museum has been one of my favourite places ever since I was about 5 years old! If you ever get chance, they have another site up near Darlington called Locomotion, with even more locos and coaches and exhibitions.
Excellent summary of the dieselisation plan - a fascinating phase of British Railways.
Always remember being stood at Wigan north western and being amazed by the 37s powering through. Also had a class 37 on a train set.
Scratching my diesel itch itch here, sir. :) The 37s are among my fave diesels, along with 55s/Deltics & 56s.
Fun (useless lol) fact: the prime mover in the LMS diesel twins (the English Electric 16SVT) was also used in the Bulleid trio (10201-203; aka Class D16/2), the Class 40 (as the EE 16SVT Mk2), the DP2 prototype & the Class 50 (as the EE 16CSVT; the same engine with the addition of a intercooler). It didn't end with the 50s though, as a extensively reworked version of the powerplant ended up being used in the Class 56 (as the Ruston-Paxman 16RK3CT) and the associated Class 47 testbed (47601). If one listens to a 56 under power in the right conditions, the distinictive EE-esque thud-thud can clearly be heard.
Not useless facts at all, that's awesome info that I did not know! Cheers for that, that's probably going to get a mention in the class 50 video in the future!
@@hullhistorynerd Not a problem; when I said useless, I meant useless to those not as into diesels as us lol Looking forward to your 'Hoover' vid, as well as your 'Grid' vid. :)
You have excellent taste in locos, for me it's always been Deltic first but more recently the 37 has grown on me for its character and I've always liked the sound of a 56 under load (also Valenta powered hst for it's sound).
I'm from Hull now living in South Yorkshire. My Grandad worked for British Rail, he'd take me and my brother on train journeys with him. Happy days. Would of been early 70s and I'm sure we rode on 37s out of Paragon station.
I used to love being at a station early enough s a kid to watch and hear a 37 start up, especially on a really cold morning 👍
I’ve always been an English Electric nerd; they couldn’t do any wrong in my opinion, but like you, the 37 will always be my favourite. I have a love for the Class 40, 50 and Class 55 as well, but the 37 really is the dogs nuts! The design, the sound. Superb! I just love them. As a basher I chased them countrywide back in the 80s and 90s (The West Highlands etc in Scotland were epic times. The memories I have!), with bashes when I could in the naughties and up to present - North Wales coast, East Anglia and rail tours. It’s good to see someone else with a similar passion like mine.
There are several 37 videos on my channel, if you care to look. The majority are taken from work, but there is some spicy thrash to be heard.😉
I have watched about 7 or 8 of your videos so far and as such I have subscribed. Carry on the great work! Simon
Excellent video about one of my favourite locos. The engine could be heard from miles away.
When I was seven I used to get out of bed and stand at the fence at the end of the garden and watch a couple of 37s pull a long mineral train past at 02:00. Wave at the driver and wave at the chap in the brake van. My first solo overnight trip from Edinburgh to London was in a BR Mk2 corridor coach being dragged by a 37. I'm starting to think the buggers might outlast me.
There is certainly a hard core of 37s that just resolutely refuse to give up, and I'm 100% there for it.
I love the 37s too. I’ve got a BR Blue Hornby one I bought second-hand from Myton College Model Railway Show in Leamington Spa when I was 6, and have had the privilege of riding on trins pulled by 37s at the Severn Valley Railway and on a charter service along the Settle to Carlisle line over the Ribblehead Viaduct. I think it’s a combination of their general appearance, including the variety of different liveries they seem to have, not to mention that burbling engine sound. Definitely up there along with Class 42s, 47s, 20s, 52s & 08s as my favourite BR diesels.
I used to have two Hornby 37s when I was a kid, my grandad used to scour the second hand listings in the Hull Daily Mail and get boxes of old model train gear. I was gutted to find that my ex-inlaws, who had been looking after all of that stuff so I could one day give them to my kids, , sold them without asking me.
Your voice is so smooth it makes the video even better
Ha I hate the sound of my own voice, editing these videos is often quite the trial for me!
25/12/2021 - there are two x class 37 stood at York railway station alongside a Class 66
Excellent as ever! I have seen these locos in use still from time to time myself.. 60 years! Not sure if I want to be reminded of THAT one.. Happy Christmas to you and all your team, and a merry New year! 🎄☃️🌲
Thank you, and Happy Christmas to you and yours as well!
Enjoying your vids a lot in a sea of medicore stuff. Great work. Have a great Christmas and look forward to more in the new year 😎 Thanks!
Thankyou, and glad you're enjoying them. Have a good Christmas yourself! Plenty more videos to look forward to in the new year...
The Type 3 EE locos were excellent for cross country work. In the mid sixties they were used on the Harwich Boat Train, Harwich - Manchester Piccadilly and return. Their timetable was tight but regularly arrived before time at Manchester.
You chose one of my favourite locos! I doff my proverbial hat to you, sir!
My dad always said they were draughty machines though.
The main reason the mirrlees and Ruston equipped variants were heavier is because concrete slab weights were added to increase adhesion, and their slower nature earned them the nickname “slugs”.
The different prime mover experiments went on to be the power plant for the class 60s. 👍🏻
I've heard a few ex drivers say they were loud and uncomfortable to drive, but in the context of the age, sitting down in an enclosed cab was a very new thing for train drivers!
Good to know so many people share my love for the old tractors!
@@hullhistorynerd they are one of the greatest success stories of BR. My dad gave me a short cab ride round Immingham loco way back when he was not long passed out as a driver and I remember it so well to this day!
Unfortunately, he now has dementia but he still has his sense of humour and good cheer! A true legend and gentleman.
Always listen to the old hands, their stories are invaluable to history!
Thanks for this video, always a treat to learn about British railway history. Merry Christmas from across the pond 🎄
Glad you enjoyed it, and merry Christmasto you as well!
Really enjoyed that. I love the 37s (not quite as much as Deltics), and enjoy seeing the RHTT thru Hessle each autumn. Just one thing, when you mention the Type 4 power group, the pic labelled as a Class 40 is actually a Class 37!
Damn, you're right. I just looked back through my other shots from that place and I have one of the Peak from the other side and you can *just* see the edge of a number 3 at the start of the TOPS number. D'oh!
@@hullhistorynerd It looks like 37009 at Ruddington, but I may be wrong, although they do have 46010 there too 😉
Wow I have learned so much by watching this. Fabulous post.
Lovely moving pictures legendary class 37
First engines I worked on when I started on BR. The noise compressor at one end, the loud was bell in the cab. We use to double header them on the Tilcon train until the replaced them with the class 60s, which constantly Failed! We took them down to KG Dock too from baglan Bay to saltend also on the night engineering jobs tipping ballast etc. That cab door was a bit difficult sometimes to open from climbing back up the steps lol good times though.
Yeah, I'd seen a few stories about the noise and discomfort of actually driving these beasts. Doesn't stop Kate from desperately wanting to have a go at driving one though!
Great video Jim - always been inspired by the Class 37!
I worked on the re engine modification at Crewe locomotive works , we had a few fires removing the internal battery box with o/a cutting equipment.
Wow, that sounds dicey! Was it the battery that was catching fire?
@@hullhistorynerd the battery bank was removed , it was oil spillage and debris that was under the cabinet, we were cutting them out in what was known as Ten shop or the erecting shop in those days . I personally had three fires and obviously I’m talking years ago I’m 57 now but just a young pup at the time . So loved Crewe locomotive works.
Absolutely brilliant video.
Fantastic documentary
Well presented.
Enjoyed watching this one, the Class 37s is a favourite of mine, enjoy seeing them and sound epic.
They're certainly my favourite, although I must confess that my eye was caught by the Class 42 Warship at the East Lancashire Railway a couple of months ago...
The 37s are my favourite. I used to see them going to west Burton and high marnam, while on the way to school at retford in the mid 80s.
7:00 Is that 37 attempting a somewhat off-key rendition of "On Ilkely Moor Bar t'at"?
Wow these engines are quite simply the best engines & their rumble is poetry in motion 👏🇬🇧the class 37 is a beast!🙏
These are my favourites. I live in Cornwall and I don't think there are any down here. I would love to see one in action.
Thanks for another enjoyable and informative video...
Another fantastic short documentary with some fantastic shots! Class 37s are also one of my favourites! I was surprised you didn't touch upon the Network Rail Class 97/3s, 37s converted to departmental classification with one of the two fuel tanks removed and replaced with ETCS/ERTMS for the Cambrian line, these still being the only locos (excluding units) cleared for the Cambrian Line since 2011. Very nice nonetheless and I look forward to more in the series.
I had to to a lot of chopping and editing - sometimes a script seems to be all info-dump and no story, so some things didn't make it in, like the departmental 37s and the concrete weights in the 37/9s. Editing is hard, but it does keep the video focussed!
@@hullhistorynerd I would have thought something on the 97/3s would have been interesting but I understand - trying to keep the video interesting. Perhaps if you ever get any footage of the 97/3s, you could make a separate mini 2 minute video. Just a thought.
Having said that, I have loads of footage of the 97/3s that you could use, with a credit at the end, if that's of any use.
Love the 37. Best piece of kit on the system.
Great video about a great class of locomotives
Excellent video..one of my goals in life is to travel long distances just to witness this marvelous machine.
1:12 That locomotive is now preserved at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Very well presented.
Cracking video mate, sure I've seen you in Queens a couple of times, next time I'll say hello.
That certainly wouldn't have been me, I'm afraid, I don't really do pubs!
I love the 37. I got a shot on the Fort William Mallaig line in 1986. I didnt mind the splut spluts but they were all claped out by the time they came north. The Sulzer engine always sounded like it was push the crank out with its bottom knocking. The English Electric was and is raw power with a tune from tick over to flat out that anyone over a certain age gets exited to hear and see. I also drove the Harry Potter train before he was born.. A amazing experience. I only wish i had a camera on the days i had the helm.
Very informative. Great as usual. Thank you... Glen. 😊😊😊😊
Excellent video, love the 37's , I hope in the future you do a video on both the Deltic's and the humble DMU's ... With Selby being my local station I remember many of these with either Hull, York, Leeds or Doncaster on the destination board... As for the Deltics, my primary school window looked out on the railway south of Selby where it crossed the canal near Brayton crossing... the howl of the two stroke diesel being far more interesting than what was happening in class!
I've already an episode on the Class 121 bubblecar units, and rest assured, once I get enough footage together, I'll most certainly be doing an episode on the Deltics! Theirs is an important part in the dieselisation story, the short lived and slightly troublesome stop gap between the disappointment of the early Type 4s and the monster Intercity 125 units!
@@hullhistorynerd Really looking forwards to it 👍
great train video
on the other hand, you've just made the case for steam. There were far more Black fives 840 of them,than class 37. It's an enduring myth that diesels were essential for British rail, but they were only ever meant as a stopgap between full electrification. The early Labour Government where quite happy for a new class of BR steam locomotives. We had the know how, we had the Coal and in fact in West Germany Steam engines continued to be used in the fifties and early sixties simply because economically there was no alternative.
Rail in this country was slow because it was basically worn out, New locos would not change that, they needed new track bed. Moreover in the sixties we still didn't have oil, The Americans did because they'd found oil earlier in the century.
I don't believe I was making the case for anything, I was just telling the history of the class 37 loco and the circumstances around its creation!
No I know, and well made too may I say. But this got me, the need for a steam boiler on the Old mkI coaches, because they were the direct descendants of the Stanier, Thompson and Maunsell steel stocks which were, of course designed for Steam engines, so despite the liking for diesels, they really didn't plan very well.
Loved the class 37 and this video
Thankyou sharing
A couple of months ago, I saw on live.rail-record that a Class 37 Network Rail Test Train was running down to Brighton and back. It was something 01:50 AM. I stood at my window, and I could hear the wonder of these mighty beasts 5 miles away. When it entered Pyecombe tunnel, it was like a lion roaring in the jungle. If you get a chance to see one, do so whilst you can.
I get to see them twice a day, they're currently running the RHTT right past my house! They're magnificent, the whole house shakes when the driver gives it some welly coming out of the station!
Thanks that was excellent... Is there a finer sight on the network than a 37 working hard? I don't think so... And the sound of these vintage locomotives is intoxicating just wonderful so let's all thankTHE ROG, NETWORK RAIL, COLAS RAIL FREIGHT, and others for keeping these wonderful vintage locomotives in fine fettle and working on the network
Couldn't agree more....Class 37...iconic engine....😊
Great vid. Bonkers that they're still in service after like 60 years.
My favourite diesel always,thanks lad
Is the driver at 10:10 trying to play Ilkla Moor Baht 'At on a train horn?
Used to see pairs of them pulling mineral trains past an office were I orked in the mid 80s. Then they were supplanted by single Class 59s. Still used to see them pulling container trains though.
My fave diesel locomotive is the 37, great👍video....realllllyyyyy enjoyable.😊
Nicely done 👍🏻
I’ve always loved English Electric locomotives, and the 37 is right up there.
Note that the Type 3 Class 33 was an evolution of Type 2 class 26s/27s not the class 25. Basically a higher powered version in the same body with greater fuel capacity which utilised space available due to not having a steam boiler.
Yes, I'm dyscalculic so I always get 25/26/27 very mixed up - even worse when I know that two of those classes are basically similar platforms!
Another brilliant video. I like the quote at the end.. "A Reakly useful engine' was that a nod to thomas the tank engine? ... Have a fab Christmas and new year, look forward to your videos next year :).
Absolutely it was a Railway Series reference, I grew up on those books in the 70s! Have a good Christmas yourself!
Excellent video, do you plan any more like this?
Certainly do, I've got plans to eventually cover all of the major diesel electric and diesel hydraulic locos, though it might take me time to collect the footage!
Great and informative video. Thank you. It’s nice to know some of the history behind the nationalisation of the railways and the requirements that the different areas had. I personally love the 37s. The Swiss Army Knife of loco. It can do just about anything. I used to see them running around in DRS livery a few years ago. Not sure if they are still in service now though. Maybe someone can tell me? Again great video. Happy Christmas and all the best for 2022
They most certainly are still in service; much of the footage I captured for this video was taken this year, up to only a few weeks ago!
@@hullhistorynerd that’s great to know. Thank you
I saw that same double ended rake travelling through hull a few weeks back, my research told me it clears debris from tracks but I could be wrong. Was weird seeing br livery running on our current railways
Yes, they're known as rail head treatment trains, or RHTT for short. Last year the old Class 20s were doing the job as well as the 37s, the year before that it was just the 20s. You can see some footage of the Class 20s hauling the RHTT on my Class 20 video, in fact!
Regarding the Western region acquisition of diesel hydraulic locomotives, it was not so much a passion of W R management, but instructions from B R HQ. They wanted some hydraulic transmission as a trial, to allow comparison with diesel electric locos. W R was told to get D H locos or wait years for D E locos.
DH locos need more maintenance but are lighter and so faster for their power output.
I am sure W R would have chosen a 37 from the beginning if offered.
Possibly, except there was a widespread belief among the Western Region's engineers that diesel electric locos of the power needed for mainline passenger services wouldn't be able to haul their own weight plus the required train lengths up some of the many gradients in the area. As you mention, diesel electrics are heavy, really heavy, and the problems with the Class 40 really justified these concerns. They tried experiments with gas turbine, but the efficiency just wasn't there. Diesel hydraulic fit the bill perfectly; high tractive power low weight. Although, granted, there were some hurdles there at the higher power band - namely that their Type 4 would need two engines and two transmission systems! The Region's landscape and gradients determined their need to try diesel hydraulic in those early days; when the tech improved and the class 37 and later 47 demonstrated a much improved power to weight ratio, the hydraulics were retired and 37s became a common sight in the area.
Prefect choice of Locomotives history
I'm with you there. The class 37 is a true classic all rounder and a sound that is..... 🎵🎶🎵👂
As a child and train fan. I would lay in bed at night and could hear the Class 37s coming past long before their arrival such was the noise. Literally my most favourite Diesel. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Liverpool Street station was mega noisy with these locos being moved about along with Class 47s, and Class 08 pilots. It was dirty, noisy and grimy. Am I wrong to miss that?
I'm lucky enough to still get them thundering past our house twice a day during autumn as they run our local railhead treatment trains!
The engine development by E.E. is intriguing. The basic engine block uses a 12" stroke with a 10" bore. In the class 20 a V-8 produced 1,000hp. In the class 40 a V-16 was double the number of cylinders and double the horsepower at 2.000hp. So you'd think that the V-12 in the class 37 would be halfway in-between at 1,500 hp. But it wasn't. It was 1,750. And the same block in a different set up in a 31 was 1,470hp.
By the time of the Type 3/Class 37 EE had developed their engine to use charge cooling, which allowed higher boost levels from the turbos and so more power. That allowed their rated power for rail traction to be increased from 125hp per cylinder (as in the Type 1/20 and Type 4/40) to 168hp per cylinder. That made the 12-cylinder version put out just over 2000hp, and EE had sold locomotives with that power rating to East Africa and Australia. But BR didn't need more Type 4 locos and so for the Type 3/37 the engines were de-rated to 1750hp. That's part of the reason why the 37s were (and are) so reliable and long-lived - their engines and electrical machinery are all specced for much higher power outputs so even when worked 'flat out' are not anywhere near their limits.
For the 31s (which are Type 2s despite the number) the EE engine was replacing the 1250hp Mirrlees engines. The original electrical equipment was retained but couldn't handle more than 1500hp, so the EE engines were delivered without charge coolers and rated at 1470hp - the same output you guessed at for a Class 20 engine with four extra cylinders. The ultimate development of the EE engine was the Ruston-Paxman 12RK in the Class 58 - a V12, still with the same 10-inch bore and 12-inch stroke, making 3300hp at 900rpm - twice the power of the Class 37's 12CSVT at only 50 more turns per minute.
Enjoyed that. Lots I didn't know.
Do you know what I love about the 37's..it like they're alive, they have such a character about them and that's pretty special for a machine I respect and appreciate alot of the diesals, the 58's, the 50's the 47's the 20's , the 08's even...but the 37s are special. When you hear one or see one, you're 10 years old again, mega 👍dragons of the track 👍
I'm the same, I love diesels, but these ones make me a little bit giddy when I see them roaring past!