The 47's

[Deathbyteacup]

One of my favourite classes of loco, indeed it was one of the first Hornby loco's I ever owned, along with a 142 which came in the box with it, but that's another story.

Anyway, I was just reading the class47.co.uk pages and I can't help but feel that this class was jynxed somehow.

http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_feature_421.php

I am not sure if this level of accidents is normal for any class of loco but to me that seems to be an impressive list of accidents, many resulting in fatality and premature scrapping.

Infact several wrote themselves off before seeing a full year of service, and in the 1980's two locos wrote themselves off in two seperate accidents in two consecutive days?

If most classes of loco have such a colourful accident history does anyone know of similar pages? I found it a good read.

[Trev]

Good choice for one of your favourite classes Dbtc.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that the class was jinxed though. In numerical terms they were the largest class of diesels (main line locomotives), and they were used over the whole country on a huge variety of different trains. So I suppose that whenever an accident was 'waiting to happen' there was a good chance that a Brush 4 would be the unfortunate locomotive.

I don't know of a similar site to the Class 47 site, but I bought 'Traction' today. There is a good article and some previously unpublished pictures of the derailment of 50041 'Bulwark' at Paddington in 1983. Well worth a read.

[John H-T]

There is a similar site for the 37's. I will try to remember to post the link when I get home.

[keir1163]

A great choice of loco. My fav too!

i was up at the colne valley on saturday and they have a 47 in for restoration and shares are available at a fiver a go!
if you want details let me know................it was called 'Geordie'

Originally Posted by Deathbyteacup

One of my favourite classes of loco, indeed it was one of the first Hornby loco's I ever owned, along with a 142 which came in the box with it, but that's another story.

Anyway, I was just reading the class47.co.uk pages and I can't help but feel that this class was jynxed somehow.

http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_feature_421.php

I am not sure if this level of accidents is normal for any class of loco but to me that seems to be an impressive list of accidents, many resulting in fatality and premature scrapping.

Infact several wrote themselves off before seeing a full year of service, and in the 1980's two locos wrote themselves off in two seperate accidents in two consecutive days?

If most classes of loco have such a colourful accident history does anyone know of similar pages? I found it a good read.

[paul miller]

Fabulous looking locos. Always looked as though they would cope with anything.
After the two tone green livery, I thought the Silver Jubilee ones from Stratford where the best. Though to be fair they looked good in any livery.
Paul.

[Deathbyteacup]

Originally Posted by Trev

I wouldn't go as far as to say that the class was jinxed though. In numerical terms they were the largest class of diesels (main line locomotives), and they were used over the whole country on a huge variety of different trains. So I suppose that whenever an accident was 'waiting to happen' there was a good chance that a Brush 4 would be the unfortunate locomotive.

That is a good point, however I just find a lot of the stories interesting, such as the two incidents in as many days and of course the infamous story of the clairvoyant who predicted 47216 would have a fatal accident and begged British Rail to renumber it in TOPS, and then shortly afterwards it crashed anyway.

However I suppose as you say with a large volume of these loco's out there, there is room for such "coincidences".

Originally Posted by paul miller

Fabulous looking locos. Always looked as though they would cope with anything.
After the two tone green livery, I thought the Silver Jubilee ones from Stratford where the best. Though to be fair they looked good in any livery.
Paul.

They do indeed have a look about them that I can't tangably explain but draws me. I think they could cope with anything, the fact many have been converted to 57's, while possibly unpopular I don't know (is zombies derogatory? ) it is a testament to (at least in basic design) the fact that if it's not broke, don't fix it.

[John H-T]

The link for the Class 37 site as promised:

http://www.c37lg.co.uk/

[Trev]

There is a thread about jinxed locomotives here.

http://www.railwayforum.net/showthre...ghlight=jinxed

[Deathbyteacup]

I see 47 216 is featured heavily.

I think I may have read that thread a long time ago while Googleing.

[Dynamo]

Thats a very interesting piece there Deathbyteacup. I see that an incident that I had back in 1983 is mentioned there, though I was told that the blame lay in other quarters. It says in that report:-

47367 : NEVILLE HILL : 3.5.83 • • •
On May 3rd 1983 47367 was working a Teeside to Hunslet East Oil Terminal block tank train when it ran into the back of an ecs working to Red Bank near Neville Hill, Leeds. As a result substantial damage was caused which included 47367's No.1 end cab being destroyed when the rear mail van rode up over the buffers of the loco. 47367 was being driven by an inexperienced Thornaby driver who failed to obay subsidary signal and stop short of any obstruction. The Driver was at fault as he was signalled down the Up goods under subsidary signals, meaning "proceed at caution as far as the next subsidary signal and be prepared to stop short of any obstruction"..The Healey Mills recovery train was called to the scene and 47367 was moved to Neville Hill TMD, and later to Crewe Works for repairs. Thanks to Andre Kent of the SF47 Group.

Now then, here's my side of the story. I entered the loop with a heavy train and probably wasn't travelling along as slowly as I maybe should have done, but at the same time, something strange was happening with the train in front. It appeared to be moving towards me as I approached it. I was questioned by my boss a few days afterwards and one of the questions asked was "was the train you hit coming towards you?" to which I said I wasn't sure. All I was interested in was slamming my brakes on as hard as possible. After that I never heard another word about the incident for a good ten years. There was no inquiry and no blame was laid at my door.

One day I was talking to a Traction Inspector called Jimmy Hatch and the incident was mentioned. I told him I thought it was strange that nobody had ever come back to me about the incident. He was shocked that I'd heard nothing about it in the meantime. He told me that the signalman had taken the blame for it because apart from the fact that he shouldn't have been turning my train in on top of another train like that, he was also allowing a shunting movement to take place. The parcel train had stopped at the light at the end of the loop, detatched the loco, gone into the sidings and picked up a few more vans, gone back onto his train in the loop, and then propelled his train back behind the light. Thats when I was approaching it. I only actually hit the back of the van doing a very slow speed, but because of the weight on my loco, the van sprung up over the buffers of my engine and pranged the front where the headcode indicator is.

Read into both reports what you will. The only thing I will add to it is that if the railways had deemed me to be guilty as the first report said, I'm bloody sure that I'd have had my knuckles well and truly rapped, even considering that I was supposedly "inexperienced" (I'd been passed as a driver for 18 months at this time), but I can honestly say that I've never heard anything official about the incident since.

Here's some pics I have just found of the smash.

http://www.sf47group.co.uk/html/Gall...ill1983_1.html

http://www.sf47group.co.uk/html/Gall...l030583_a.html

http://www.sf47group.co.uk/html/Gall...l030583_b.html

http://www.sf47group.co.uk/html/Gall...l030583_c.html

http://www.sf47group.co.uk/html/Gall...l030583_d.html

Cheers. Ewan.