class 31's
 

Hi guys,
being an east anglian man it interests me that there is a rumour afoot that National express may be putting on a couple of class 31 units to haul passenger trains around east anglia................

anyone confirm or has info?wouldnt mind a gander at them!

just out of interest i saw a network rail 31 pulling or rather crawling with the network rail track inspection train in april this year, quite a lucky sighting!

Isn't the serrvice to Okehampton supposed to be top and taled by Class 31s - or has that not actually happened ? I find it difficult to keep up ...

I would rather see a Class 31 and rake of coaches, than I would a Class 158 and the constant revving when trying to pull away.

(At this moment in time, I can't go 'Trainspotting' as such for a while, due to a family bereavement and my Dad bless him, then my Partner who is undergoing Chemo, followed by my Youngest son who has to undergo an operation in the next couple of weeks.)

Sorry to hear all that Bramleyman. Hope better times are along soon & you can get back to relaxing with your hobby.

Sounds pritty good!! only class 31 ive seen was network rail one at crewe station few months back..................

Saw the entire class in the original D numbers.
The most interesting ones were the "Toffee Apple" D5500-D5519 all allocated to Stratford 30A.

This thread is making me feel my age! I saw most of this class before they left the Brush works. And it's a long time ago............:(

Regards, 62440.

The class 31 and class 15 were the first diesel electrics that I can remember at Wickford in my teens and the occasional class 37.

A Class 31 loco doing 40 mph, was like riding in a derailed big dipper. The windows fitted where they touched,and they struggled pulling 4 coaches, with five on you could grind the rail with these things.
The exhaust smoke was a pure health hazard, when you had to breath in un burnt Deisel fuel.
Best place for these machines is where they are now.
We took a rake of cartics from Wakefield Westgate to Donny, and when we approached Castle Hills Junction, we were put up the Brodsworth Pit Branch.
We got 4 tics off the main lines, with another eight hanging accross the GN Main Line.
As a result of this we had to sand the line with our mashing cans and all the 31 did was slip like walking on ice rail grinding the rail at 3 mph .
The Donny signalman put us up this branch. so he could run a late running HST past us. Silly signal man, delayed the HST for another hour.

I worked on 31s in the late60s & early 70s a then they were a good engine even @ 75 mph.
Worked ECS with 12-14 on out of Kings Cross with little trouble.

On March 16th 1993, we started the electrification of Leeds/Bradford/Ilkley/Skipton roads.
We collected the trains from the Depot at Donny.
At first we had Class 31s on the jobs, but these engines were rusting to bits, always failing shutting down, and could not pull the skin off a rice pudding.
After a month these time expired locos were removed from these duties, and replaced with Class 47's, which was a marked improvement on the 31's.
At this time, class 31's were on Sheffield to Cleethorpes jobs, with 4 coaches, cos thats all they could manage..
Dont forget that these engines may have been ok in 1970, but 23 years later, they were on the slide.

thats pritty dam good......:)

Morning mate, I am sure I speak for all us when I say Our thoughts are with you at this sad time.

48111

I too have had very severe family problems in the recent past, and I would not wish what me and my wife had to contend with on anyone.

Well as we work the "Daily trip" of life, we never know what we will pick up along the way.
I am sure there are many of us who can relate to some family tragedy or massive problem.
I know I can.


48111

Yes Peter, and having had to deal with personal tragedy makes us more sympathetic to others when tragedy or misfortune strike.

Absolutley mate.

Do I hear the words Class 31s, Oh how I rember the days of the
Liverpool-Blackpool Northwest Express always almost hauled by a Class 31.

The best place for Class 31 Traction theese days is in my Veiw anyway the Nene Valley Railway with 31108.

In reality the Preserving of such fantastic Lomotives is good but in someways premature thogh being very few and far between Loco Haulage arrorund but yet it seems to be on the increase.

Most recently i exprerinced the WAG Express between Crewe & Chester spot on id say.

We at Saltley worked regularly on class 31's on the Birmingham-Norwich-Birmingham trains in the days before class 156/158 were put on these trains.
We quite often had six coaches on these services and a good 31 just about managed to keep time,if you got a "ropy" one then you could forget all about running to time !On odd occasions we used to get a class 25 instead and they too made hard work of it,but you got a much better "ride" with a 25 although if there was any rough bits of track you certainly knew about it!

In the 80's I frequently used the South coast to North-east services from Birmingham to Sheffield. Often the loco from Birmingham was a 31 instead of the booked 45/47. Loads were 6 or 6+van. The 31 would usually time the train to Chesterfield but could'nt do the same on the 1 in 100 climb to Bradway tunnel - we were usually 5 late into Sheffield.

As an aside, it seems incredible that they used to change the engines at Brum, sometimes having done the same at Reading!

The reason for the loco changes at Reading and Birmingham New Street on the "Cross Country" trains was two fold firstly locomotive diagrams(for servicing purposes) and secondly to ease congestion at Reading and New Street by avoiding "Run Round" moves.

Wasn't a great fan of the 31's, much preferred a 25 ;).However, there was an occasion when I was on 31403 one evening. Went out to Hanslope junction to assist a failed 87 on an up express. The ETH cables were attached which in theory would reduce the power available. to my amazement we were able to reach 90mph once over the uphill at Tring. On arriving at Watford, a blue fault light came up. No loss of anything, so I put my cloth over it and carried on to Euston. On arrival, the 31 was steaming like a good 'un. I shut her down to keep the fumes down. This also helped her to cool down. When the demic. was removed, I returned to Bletchley light engine with no ill effects to the loco., and the class up a notch in my estimation. :D

Compared with today's ubiquitous European wide Class 66 the Class 31 is almost a friendly little locomotive. Responsive straight air brake making it ideal for shunting. I worked on them regularly on Kings Lynn expresses and sometimes when pressed into service on Norwich - Liverpool St trains due to shortages of a 47. My abiding memory of them creeping around Stratford Station at 15mph was they sounded like a bag of cans!

I remember those trains coming through Nuneaton Trent Valley platforms 5 going East and platform 2 going to "Brum".
Some of the 31s on those trains did sound rough though as I remember.
It is funny I always associate the 31 with that working because that is what I remember them most on.Those trains were never Nuneaton jobs but we saw them every day.

48111

Hello mate, what happened to the ones that worked the Bedford branch one I beleive was named Bletchley Park ?
Are they still about...although I doubt it now, but you never know.

48111

Yeah, they're still about, but what they are used for I don't know. When working on the Bedfords with them, I had an auxiliary gen. blow on one. A representative from the owning company (whom I knew as he was an ex RSI from Bletchley) was on board at the time, so he knew it was the loco. and not me. We terminated at Woburn Sands, and was able to use the emergency crossover, and get back.

31601 "BLETCHLEY PARK, STATION X". Belonged to the now defunct Fragonset Company, now owned by Railway Vehicle Engineering and based at Barrow Hill. It's now named "Gauge O Guild 1956-2006".

They will always be Brush Type 2 to me! My home was Norwich and I worked in Birmingham in the early 80s so got used to the run across country... it seemed to take for ever.

I know this is not the question and answer section but who can tell me the D number of the model sold by Triang. I have a green one but, of course, the same model was sold in BR blue in later years.

Any one know?

D5578 Blue Livery, D5572 Green Livery : bought to you by the power of google!

Thanks mate.

48111

Morning mate, "Mmm" thats a shame that it has been renamed, I wonder why the Bletchley name was taken off, after all Bletchley park is a name of history for the country.

48111