The cold start up and test running of English Electric Class 37403 at Bo'ness Scotland on 21st December 2021. The loaded test run can be seen at : • 37403 loaded test run ...
I have a colleague at work ( I’m HGV driver ) hello if your reading Who owns a diesel electric loco just like this one, back in the 90’s British rail where selling off some old rolling stock & he bought one for just 25,000, scrap value. After transporting it via HGV to a private railway line, he & a group of experts rebuild it & now it’s back out working that he hires out. A company just offered him 4,000,000 for it. It’s great being an HGV driver because everyone thinks we’re losers but we’re not!! The turbo barely fits on a U.K. pallet, it’s massive & the pistons are the size of a basket ball all 16 of them. It weighs 108 tonnes
The fire breathing dragon emerges from its cave...... The 37 has such a distinctive sound there's no other engine you can hear and identify before you see it. These were the main engines that ran near my grandads house when I was a boy and I have had such an affection for them ever since.
I worked on the Sulzer engines all through the1970s when I was working in Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness.I used to hear them running in the test bed next to the machine shop I was working in at the time.Some of these diesel locos are sometimes still used on the coastal line between Barrow and Carlisle.I remember going to see one of the first ones that had been built on display at Barrow station in the late 1950,s.Little did I know that I would be working on the same engine many years later.I know we made thousands of spare parts right up until 1981. Mike Docherty.
Reminds me of the bus depot first thing on a winter’s morning in the 70s after the fleet had been started up, we had to walk through the fog to get to the workshop to clock in. Sometimes you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Someone phoned the fire brigade one morning, with all the smoke billowing out of the doors they thought the depot was on fire.
Wow. I work for a ~100 bus school district, we have diesel buses pre- and post- diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) requirement and we just started buying gasoline buses. This is my 3rd year working thru the Minnesota winter and I've definitely felt 'gassed' on those cold mornings but hardly any of it is visible. Blows me away how much emissions standards have done. Not to imply it was remotely acceptable to delay switching everything to a nuclear electric grid 60 years ago instead of building coal plants like it was going out of style...
Now thats what I call a Growler! - love the things, used to be woken up by them in South Wales Growling along (often double headed) hauling the longest coal train you could ever see, was actually a comforting regularity in my life that was pretty chaotic when young.
I used to work in Manchester Victoria East Junction signal box, and had them parked up right under the large windows, It was a race to close the windows when they started them up especially in hot weather.
Excellent video! Hats off to the workers who got this engine back on the rails. When people see a train pass few have an appreciation for the level of effort and skill required behind the scenes to keep to keep these running. Thank you for posting!
@C Nosprandt, yea there is so much involved in maintaining rails and the machines that run on them. We see these multi-ton machines run on rails which appear to be solid steel that won't bend or break BUT it was pretty stunning to see that after the fasteners and everything are removed & you lift the rail with a machine, the rail just waves about like a snake.
This is the best looking train ever. It brings back so many child hood memories as we used to have 2 coal mines about 7 miles apart closer if you walked and these locos were used to move coal from silverdale colliery over to Holditch colliery Newcastle under Lyme
Ayup me duck! I remember sometimes my mum's car getting stopped at the Barlaston level crossing and seeing usually one of these pulling what seemed like miles of coal trucks to the storage fields for Meaford Power Station B!
If that’s an old eastfield traction depot springburn Glasgow 37 I probably drove it up the west highland line to Oban many times when I was a fireman 1974 in the winter they were never shut down the plume of smoke and fumes that hung over the depot was unbelievable best engine ever my uncle Jim Matthew was a mainline driver at eastfield spent many great shifts wit him as my driver on the ghost train to Oban he would let me drive up and back down best time of my life
I agree. What a workhorse. They even sold some to the French and possibly Hungary after the BR ballsup/breakup. I had a train set as a kid and it was a 37. Many, many moons ago.
great work lads, the euphoria of it all coming together after all the hard work, mixed with the bottom clenching hope that its all going to hold together !!, love it
FAB! So good to see 37 403 running. @1:25 “we’re gonna need a bigger fan….” So glad no Baby Sulzers were harmed. They sound FAB too! Cheers Ross, building a layout at East Coast DCC
At 1:00 I actually thought that man was closing the door to enhance the fumes, then at 3:34 it looks like the class 37 is appearing on stars in their eyes!
Great to see a Scottie, at Derby RTC on 1980's I was involved in fitting flange lubrication to the Scotties Nice to see double heading on test, at Derby loco the heavy general repairs were double headed Derby to Leicester to line prove before entering service.
I didn't know that about that breed of dog, I just thought both colours were just westies. Thanks for the enlightenment . Have a goodun -bud the painter-
Great wee clip and the 37 sounds very good, we’ll done to all involved in the refurb!! Can’t wait to see/hear her on 29th if it’s still on!! Thanks. Ken
I can still hear these double heading the iron ore trains up the 1 in 35 stretch at Annfield Plain in County Durham on the Consett branch, full bore all the way, sweet music...
Adding large, high volume cfm exhaust fans at both ends of the shed, one end sucking air in & the other pushing air out, would greatly if not completely reduce the exhaust smoke issue. Just an observation.
Oh my. Why would you even think of starting it inside? Pull the thing outdoors and THEN start it. Literally everything in that shed is going to have a layer of Unburned oil on it…
That 37 coming out of the shed through the smoke would have been a crackin advert for the engine! Love the old 37s such a powerful thing,and a cold start is always a good watch,almost like coming back from the dead every time seemjng happy to be alive again! Ya cant keep a good diesel down!
One would have thought they would have took it outside the shed with a shunting loco to start rather than fill up the shed with all that smoke? Not productive to employee health concerns and coating the shed in smut and soot. 37403 reminds me of an ALCO start up, renown for smoke! I like the little white Scottie dog on the side. Nice clip.
@@ednorton47 Because the smoke trapped inside will never enter the atmosphere? 🤣 (especially when they open up all the doors and windows) You eco-boys really lack some fundamental reasoning skills.
@@JohnHughes2002 Apologies, but next time, perhaps include a smilie at the end? There are so many certified nutcases with the IQ of a broomstick out there, that there's no way to tell who's joking and who's dead serious. 😉
Ah, nothing like a graceful emergence from its own smoke cloud. Who needs a fog machine? Seriously though, 37 my favorite British locomotive. Wonderful work and thanks for keeping her alive. (Also hello to the adorable little Sulzer too!)
Just love the sound, but choking on the smoke . I'm glad that there are engineers to fettle these machines for all to remember and not lost to the scrapyard.😁Thanks for the video. Bye the way I think a lot of the rails need replacing unless it's my eyes !!!!
hi, great video, the 37 is sounding really good, glad its back on track,well done to the engineers who gave the engine a makeover, Have they still got the hybrid DVT with a JCB engine in it ? a really interesting machine.
Two suggestions: 1st Close all the door and workers inside, then make a bet who will last longer. One who leaves 1st pays for all rounds in bar. One that leaves last has next Friday free... 2nd Did any of you figured out the loco can be pulled out and cranked outside? Yes, that would ruin point 1...
Please excuse my ignorance as I'm not a locomotive engineer but a former automotive mechanic, but if this is the first start for a very long time, do you not check around to make sure it's not puking oil/coolant/fuel? And if that is part of the start up process would it not be prudent to pull it out side with another loco, and start up or there, to save the engineer's lungs? 😂
My Scammell Crusader with a Rolls Royce 305 Eagle engine used to smoke like that on a cold start... They all used to do it...👍👍...great video...I love these old diesel's they sound fantastic...
@@BONESS27001 I look after my mother's westie. Such a loyal little dog.. Keep up the good work and keep preserving those great trains. Regards from Ireland
One of the best 37 videos - very enjoyable with action and awesome shots of this powerful beast. Although it did sound like it was being disturbed from a nice long rest. Back in the day, did cold starts take so long with so much groaning and smoke?
Quite true!I remember Laira sheds Plymouth in late sixties, and early seventies when class 52s were left running , certainly overnight, for days at a time.
@@123LooKey I can tell you without a doubt when I was a fireman out of eastfield traction depot springburn Glasgow 1974 all the engines were left running during the winter as they would not start again on there own if an engine shut down it had to be taken into the sheds and the fitters would get it running class 37 27 20 were all the same
@@iainf they were all left running during winter nights as you could not get them to start I was a fireman at eastfield traction depot Glasgow 1974 onwards
Amazing machines, used to watch go past at local station as a kid, stood on bridge as they passed under with what seemed an unlimited amount if coal wagons on tow back in the 80s
Hah should bottle that as 'Scotch Mist, Diesel flavour 37'.. Hope the new shed architect has incorporated some d-mn big extraction fans or are they on Santa's list?.!!! ☺
