Railways around Coventry

Hi all No matter where I have been, I look forward to this. I am still a trainspotter at heart. A class 66 waits in platform 4, with a load of empty flats for clearance to Stechford, where it will take the freight-only line north towards the new freight depot at Hams Hall.

One of my many photo's that were taken in Coventry

The 3F looks like this one just leaving Cov goods yard

Hi all Whilst there were minor variations in the detail of the 3F & 4Fs, the major difference was that the 4Fs had train heating whereas the 3Fs did not originally. As the demand increased for temperature control on freight trains, many 3Fs had a steam heat pipe added, so it was common in the fifties to see the 3Fs, working stopping passenger trains as well. Stratford to Broom was a case in point. I loved that line. It had all of the charm & romance of a country branch line, not in Devon or anywhere else, but right on our doorstep. Thank you for the photo. Bril! ps. The steam heat pipe was used to power refrigeration equipment, as well as heating, in much the same way as gas was used to power fridges, that were common in caravans at one time. Our railway engineers of past years were very innovative in coming up with solutions to a whole host of requirements. The ShakespeareRoute Please, click on the link & enjoy a nostalgic trip as I do so often. My parents often drove to pick fruit at Broom & I was always delighted to spend hours on Broom Junc' station. There were not a lot of trains, but I so enjoyed the out of the way place that it was. In good weather I must add!

Hi all A link to a flickr site picture of a Class 3F working a stopping passenger train at Kings Norton, in the B'ham area. Obviously fitted with a steam heating pipe for use on a passenger train on an early spring day. Late 1950s.

Was there also a difference in power? you will have to excuse my ignorance as unfortunately i was born too late, in 1964, to appreciate the 'real' steam days my twilight loco days were the old diesels like the Deltics so whilst I have a better than average knowledge of steam than others of my 48 years you 'old boys' (pardon the expression) are way above me in the study of steam locomotives, some of the conversations on here remind me of when I was in the Great Central Club in Woodford Halse with the old drivers and firemen talking away, there was also a very large model layout of the Woodford yards in the top room of the clubhouse that you would have liked Phillip Andy

Hi Andy, & thank you for your comments. From time to time, both 3 & 4Fs received slightly different size wheels, which might have either increased the turn of speed or the drawbar. I am not an expert & would love any of our members to enlighten us on this. Looking at my old fifties train spot guides, even the 2Fs were similar in power output.

Hi again You say OLD deltics. Now I do feel old! I saw one of the prototype deltics passing Shilton in 1958/9. Then as a dad, taking my son to Grantham to watch the last days of them running.

When I used to go down to London in the early 80's Kings Cross was the first port of call to see the last of the Deltics, there was an old railway photographer that used to be on the right hand platform up by the Gasworks tunnel that used to sell his old photographs out of an old BR leather bag, I bought one for 25p and that was one he had took of DP2 Deltic prototype 2 pulling out of KX, it still has his stamp on the back, this is now a common image with the drivers head out of the window, I think DP2 was also called the 'Baby Deltic'? Best not digress too much as I'm getting a long way from Coventry

Afraid not Catshed. The Class 23 or 'Baby Deltic' had a different body with a shortened nose and single Napier Deltic power plant: LINK DP2 had a regular Deltic body and 'proper' diesel engine of the type used in the later Class 50: LINK

Hi My memories of the three prototype Deltics were as in this pic, once again from Flickr. From the mid fifties, they could be seen on the WCML as well as the ECML. The Baby Deltics were really a flop. They were Co-Bo wheel sets as built, but were modified as time went on. I saw one fail in Coventry. Another pic from Flickr of Baby Deltics waiting for the chop. Innovation in the design of locos was very important. Win some, lose some. I remember watching steam engines shunting where there were piston drives to the tender wheels, giving the loco a huge drawbar, but maintenance was also huge.

Thanks for the info chaps, I get rusty on these subjects these days, this is my memento of the Deltics, this being one of the many con-rods from 55003 'Meld' (D9003), she was scrapped in 1980 I think and you wouldn't want to drop it on your foot

Hi Catshed It is a real pleasure for me to learn from you. Your enthusiasm for the nuts & bolts of subjects that I mostly only see from the outside is breathtaking. I bet that con-rod would not fit on your motorbike, hey!

Thanks Philip, I think the old Triumph would grumble at carrying that let alone it be fitted to it, and would rather have my Triumph engine as those Napiers were (so I'm told) a right old pain in the neck to maintain and needed more specialised tinkering than the normal diesels, I love the sound they make though, it's unique and can still remember them accelerating through the Gasworks tunnels, but I'd much rather have heard a 9F working hard on the old GCR

No I didn't see that one, and I missed another one that came through a few months ago