Incredible machine. Some of these 87s when in good condition could regularly put out well over 7000 hp. A very simple locomotive, no computers just a tap changer transformer and four traction motors, and enough power to pull the top off a mountain.
Oooh, I love that satisfying clunk as the breakers open/close through the neutral section and the fans powering up again. Also the electrical hum when the handle is held in 'run up' - she's definitely drawing some amps! This is the perfect '87 video. You get just about every sound they make. I miss them so much.
Great video,i used to drive 81's 85,86 and the 87's and this brought a lot of great memories flooding back.by far the 87's were the best even better than the 90's which i drove
Hellfire tapchanger action! Love the neutral section breaker noise with the 'engine' room door kept open. No simple pull on power controller and let it all happen; drivers really needed to 'drive' these AC locos.
@@theblacktrainboy373 The tapchanger draws current from (or indeed 'taps into') the main transformer for the traction motors. It's basically a widget consisting of electrical contacts of differing voltages operated by a camshaft mechanism. On these locos there are 38 taps. The tapchanger is manually controlled directly from the driver's desk where, by to-and-fro of the master controller, he does all the 'notching' to increase/ decrease/cut voltage in steps as required. Tapchangers are ancient history now. All locos built since the 1980s have automatic 'stepless' control using new-fangled stuff called electronics(!)
@@ChangesOneTim also the traction motor sound since 2007 I was 3 at the time I'm mainly around Tottenham hale and the class 317 have the same traction motor sound as the 87 and many other trains like class 321 and 319 I don't get it but i wish I could see these trains in real life down in North London there are no exiting trains besides alexandra Palace
@@theblacktrainboy373 All recent trains have 3-phase AC instead of the traditional DC traction motors. DCs have the good old rising note sing-song compared to the AC's pyschedelic-style random whining
Fantastic.....I was lucky enough to have been a secondman at Stonebridge Park on the WCML in the old BR days in the mid 80's...got to drive a few of these under supervision ...awasome...the whine noise from the rheostatic breaks takes me back there lol !...brilliant vid, thanks.
The throttle has six notches: off, run down, step down, hold, step up, run up. The majority of the throttle movement shown is hold/step up/hold/step up etc. where the driver is probably keeping the ammeters just on the green/yellow threshold to obtain maximum safe acceleration. When slowing for the power section gap and speed restrictions he uses the run down position to let the system automatically and quickly reduce power to the traction motors to nil.
The only time I rode in an 87, was 87 019 from Euston to Wolverhampton. I regularly ride 86s and 90s on Anglia. I have also done a 91 from Kings Cross to York, and a 73 from Victoria to Gatwick. Plus driven a V63 / 630 "Gigant" in Hungary !!
Hi there, fascinating, I only drive diesel electrics, so nice to see how different an electric loco is to drive!! Keep up the hreat work, and thanks for posting, worthy of 5 stars!!
Superb video... great to hear that superb sound again and yes what a steady ride it was too at speed, one the best pieces of such video I have seen. Surprised Turner wasnt in the cab with the 87 working M44.... Nice one though, many thanks.
The Driver had to on his mettle 100% of the time whist driving these locos. These locos had to be "driven" and required constant attention from the driver.
I get to thinking that the driver must spend alot of time watching those ampmeters but i spose it must come with experiance on how much and how often to knotch up! Great vid.
@MrHaynestrainvideos I used to drive these back in the 80's. You had a bank of ampmeters that showed the power going to the motors so you just kept the needles out of the red, but with the 87 you would have wheel slip before hitting the red LOL
I had been watching the farewell Class 87 clip where the train was eventually cancelled. I could not believe what I was watching. When I posted the comment, for some reason my browser flipped out and took me back here, the previous clip I had watched.
The driver runs down the power to the traction motors from his main power handle in anticipation of the 'neutral section' ahead. This is a short section of the overhead electrical contact wire which is made up of glass beads. It is necessary to keep the power supplies separate either side of the neutral section because the electrical current probably comes from different feeder stations, and thus could be at different phases. Otherwise, the transformer/tap changer will be severely damaged.
At neutrals it's the auto power control magnets on the track that open the loco's breaker thereby avoiding the risk of the pantograph drawing along the earthed (i.e. dead) piece of wire. Running all taps down prior to each neutral is as much to do with quickly regaining traction power afterwards as it is to do with avoiding snatching/ jerking through sudden power loss. If you hadn't completed run-down you'd waste time after power is restored before being able to run up again.🤪
This handle controls the power setting of the loco. I think Class87 loco's have 38 setttings, called "taps". Pulling the handle back from the center, "on" position, selects the next higher setting, pushing it forward the next lower one.
It's in England on the West Coast Main line North: Departure from Royal Mail supply on direction by Carluke (first station on movie) at Carstair and Carlisle.
86/1, 86/2, 86/4, 86/6 87 & 90 all ride pretty well due to the "flexicoil" springs between the bogie and the loco body. 86/0 & 86/3 were pretty bad but nothing by comparison to an 81 or 85! I have heard that 83's were pretty smooth but have never been on one.
83's were nice, 82's and 84's rode lovely even at 100mph. 86/1's 86/2's and 87's rode beautifully, a pleasure to work on, clean,warm and all the AC locomotives cabs had, to my mind, this great smell..warm oil, ozone....can't explain? I wish someone had bottled it... Eau d'AC, I would buy by the pint!
I noticed some fairly loud equipment spooling up when the brakes are used - or possibly when they are released. Would that be the compressors by any chance?
@55022RSG Ah of course, it would be the cooling fans for the resistor grids then. I'd forgotten the 87s had that, as I'm so used to the diesels *not* having it in the UK.
Class 87s are absolutely awesome locomotives I would rather have haulage behind them rather than the pendelinoes and the plastic unit's such as the class 801/803/proper locomotives
Hi, love all the different noises going on here. (I remember being fascinated by the 87's & 86's for the first time in 1980 Euston Station on route to Preston Lancs) -- Q? = were all transformer cooling fans switched on/off automatically???
@@Bendover-tq2qf You didn't say anything at all, if its a possibility you've changed accounts then Branson had to get new trains as it was in the franchise agreement. As much as I'm not a fan of him its more to UK train franchises than you think. Rail franchises are there to make a profit, Branson obviously doesn't share your love for class 87s but neither would I if I knew revolutionising the route would earn myself and my shareholders more money.
It's the power controller. Used to run up or down the tapchanger, a device that varies the power output from the main transformer to the traction motors.
Yes.There are 6 positions. OFF, RUN down, NOTCH down, HOLD, NOTCH up and RUN up. At low speed you would use the individual notch up to add power then at higher speed use RUN up (or down) to control the power.
+Celtic Saint Some trains have them for communication, so if a car stalled on the track they would call the phone and warn the train o tell them to stop
As a former UK railwayman with noise induced hearing loss I'm curious to understand what noise levels a driver would be exposed to in an 87. Listening even in this video gives the impression that it is loud and a driver has no hiding place to get away from it. The AC locos sounded great when those fans whirred up but at what price?
