paging Sweller

Did I imagine it or are these
http://www.locoperformance.co.uk/images08/2002svr1008.jpg still hauling
commuters between Caerphilly & Cardiff?

I didn't get a close look as it was going over a bridge above me at 8.45,
but the livery was similar.

 

Keelworm emerged from their own little world to say

<proud>

 

Keelworm says...

Heh, I think there's quite a few closet train spotters on here...

Not bad, but personally I prefer it in the 4-4-2 double bogie with
snotter intake configuration myself.

 

I prefer "with an interest in machinery" - I certainly wouldn't go out with
a notebook, pen and anorak, but I do find steam engines fascinating - but in
the same way I find old planes/boats/big machines in general fascinating.

 

<rest of ukrm backs away from the weirdo>

 

dwb says...

One doth protest too much, methinks.

 

"Lovely"?!? It's fucking purple!

 

Is that an English Electric ? there used to be loads of them up and
down the line to the steel works in Ebbw Vale

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Thought that was Bears motto

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You've become worryingly fixated. Seek help before it's too late.

 

Different thing, that's a Deltic (made by EE) an express passenger engine
mainly found on the East Coast Mainline - replaced by the HSTs - finally
withdrawn in 1982.

What you've seen is the Class 37 [1] (made by EE) amusingly referred to
as Welsh Deltics, spotters call them Growlers, Tractors and the like. We
called them 37s.


[1] Crap picture culled from Google
http://www.nnrdiesels.org.uk/37032march.jpg

 

It's owned by 'Porterbrook', one of the ROSCOs (Rolling Stock Leasing
Companies) and that's their house colour; historic engine or no historic
engine.

Hey, if you've been given half the valuable bit of the railway (the
rolling stock) for about £20K and then allowed to rent them back to the
railway (who bought the fuckers in the first instance) at a price you
name I suppose you can paint them whatever colour you like.

 

Not 'still'; it'd be a special trip or series of trips. Either that or
Wales and Borders are low on stock and are hiring it in (which I doubt).

Having said that they've been using a rake of 4 or so Mk2 coaches top and
tailed by a pair of shagged 31s on the Cardiff - Brightons the last
couple of years.

 

sweller emerged from their own little world to say

Shows what I know, then.

I take it from your use of the past tense that they are not used for posh
folk in the South East? It looked really out of place as the usual site on
that line would be a flimsy looking Arriva job.

 

I think you are imagining things if you saw a preserved Deltic running a
commuter service in Wales. The commuters would not never get near the
train for the enthusiasts.

I would hazard a guess that it might be a class 37 (which looks a bit
like a deltic in terms of shape) as these have been used to do loco
hauled trips when DMUs are unavailable or provide too little capacity.

 

I'll ask Ponder he drives trains down there maybe he knows what it's
doing.

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Well someone had to wise crack but I didn't expect it to be you.

 

mmm shiny things

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They still use them regularly for commuter trains from Ystrad Mynach to
Cardiff.

Usually that kind of loco with 3-4 old Inter-City carriages behind it.

Katie used one twice a day for her commute when she was in Cardiff -
have to say I was astounded myself, but I do like watching them go past
on the line at the top of the hill near us.

 

I used to be at Aberystwyth (loco hauled passenger) then Westbury
(freight) where 37s were much in evidence; we had them at Brighton but
only on engineering trains.

Since privatisation (1997) I haven't worked them and the Southern Region
being an electric railway we don't have locos on passenger trains.