Westerns in the Westcounty

[martyn williams]

Some great video footage of these wonderfull locos
[video]http://youtu.be/VWikXJMu7ro[/video]

[martyn williams]

Brand new knackerd loco taken by road from Newport docks, it fell off its strops and dropped 15 foot......... oops
[video]http://youtu.be/_41zepPH6is[/video]

[topkit]

Thanks Martyn just two words first of all 'Maybach Music' bring alot of my railway day memories back, those class 40 sound good too. The western leaving Westbury on full power reminds me of leaving London Bbidge with class 33's running down to New Cross Gate then full power up through Brockley bank train heat off to get a bit more power fantastic stuff, I do miss those days, any ideas if the westerns ever venture onto the southern region south east area. One of my old railway mates had a fair bit to do with the diesel traction group when they had the Western, Hymek and the Warship up on the North York Moors Railway but i lost touch with him pity as i would love to get up behind the controls again.

[martyn williams]

The Westerns are a special loco, when I was at Swindon works one of the instructors took us up to Paddington on the footplate of Western Sultan D1056, what a run.We had 11, on about 400 ton. We were hitting 95 mph no problem. The heat and the smell of those diesels were something else.. Because of their hydraulic transmission the seem to put away from stations faster than a diesel electric.
In my opinion, the Maybach at full power makes the best diesel music of any machine on the planet
Glad to see D1062 has had a sucessfull test after engine work.Love to see this loco on mainline use again after having a part in saving it from being cut up in 1975.
I was at Newport docks when the 70 fell off the crane, it could have sunk the ship in the dock. I think that loco whent back to Canada via Liverpool dock.
Martyn

[martyn williams]

The class 40's are a 2000 hp V16 diesel electric, one of the class 's claim to fame was it hauled the mail train that got robbed in 1963, the loco on that train is in preservation, think its in the Midlands
Martyn
Link on info of loco involved ,great train robbery 1963
This was probably the most famed diesel loco, but for all the wrong reasons. On Boxing Day 1962 it was hauling the up Midday Scot when it collided with the rear of a Liverpool to Birmingham express due to driver error, killing 18 passengers and injuring 33. On 8th August 1963 it was hauling the overnight West Coast Postal and became involved with the 'Great Train Robbery'. In 1964 a secondman was electrocuted by the overhead wire while working outside the loco. Finally, in 1965 the loco suffered total brake failure on the approach to Birmingham New Street. Luckily in this case, the train was diverted into another platform at the last minute by a quick-thinking signalman, and smashed into the back of a freight train, injuring only the guard.
Cut up at Doncaster Works BREL in April 1984
http://www.railblue.com/pages/Class%2040/40126.DN.010484.htm