Re English Electric Type 40's Diesel Locos
Dear Alan,
I thought I would write about my time as a driver at Healey Mills Depot......
The information below is just from memory, and abit about being trained on these locos`s.
I hope it will give you a slight insight into these locomotives.
I drove these locos from 1964 until they were withdrawn in 1984.
Just a short history of my railway employment:
I started as engine cleaner on 12 October 1942 , age 15 yrs 2 months, at Sowerby Bridge Loco, West Yorks , 25E, this changed to 55E in later years, I passed for firing duties, on local trips aged 16 only , and made booked fireman aged 17 years. Passed loco drivers 2 days examinations to drive 14 years service age 29, known as a passed fireman.
Drove accordingly to requirements and seniority and route availability. Left the Depot after 21 years 2½ months owing to shed closure on 12 January 1964 .
Started grade driver at Healey Mills West Yorkshire, the following day being Sunday, I was given a day to sort out my locker and my issue of rule books etc.
This was the only time that I can recollect that strict seniority was not adhered to, namely senior drivers first etc. Drivers at our depot were booked piecemeal according to their diagrams to proceed to York to do their basic training on our first main line diesel locomotives type 4s namely class 40.
The total training only took 3 weeks to convert to the new traction.
First week
In the loco shed , six drivers from our depot and two loco inspectors were split into groups of 3. One group would start at number 1 end in the driving cab and the other group at number 2 end and work from one cab to the other. We would spend about 6 hours every day for 5 days going around the locomotive asking questions with regards to all parts of the loco and how to regain power if we were to come across a fault etc. We were told how to isolate or deal with loss of power to the defective traction motors; how to isolate defective cylinders, compressors or burst air pipes and how to change various fuses. You were being trained to keep these locomotives running and how to rectify most of the small faults yourself.
Week 2
All into classroom, with a brilliant lecturer named John Hart, who gave us a marvellous complete understanding re performance of this new modern traction.
He answered our questions, never once failing in his reply. He would lecture for one hour then answer any questions for say half an hour. This carried on for five days in the lecture room at Leeming Road opposite York Station, and finish on the Friday at 4pm .
Final Week
Accompanied by the two previous loco inspectors we would work say 10 empty coaches York to Scarborough , Scarborough back to York, and same again. Three drivers drove there, another three drove back. Two trips per day for two days. Two further days worked loaded coal trains to various places. And also empty wagons, back to York .
Last day all six of us, together with two loco inspectors, were asked various questions, each answering in turn.
As we were passed drivers, your own loco inspector would now pass you all out independently to drive this type of traction, one whole day each for exam, our loco inspector Jack Mitchell was the man in charge.
At Healey Mills we were driving 11 weeks on steam, 1 week on type 4, and so on, finishing say 11 weeks on type 4's, one week on steam, up to the last days of steam. All wagons at this time were the old unbraked type, no vacuum, only just a few maybe.
We worked shipping coal for Germany , Holland , Denmark and so on. With these locos on say 3 diagrams from our depot daily, empty wagons to Brodsworth Colliery to be loaded via Stainforth, Scunthorpe , Thorns, Wrawby Jnction, Barnetby down to Immingham. Unload our (usually) 38 wagons about half hour under hoppers, run round train, empties back to Healey Mills say 60 miles each way.
We also worked these locos on coal as far as Blackburn 45 miles, working back out of Taylor St sidings. Also one train daily to Preston Dock from Port Clarence being tanks relieving York men at Healey Mills, this was usually 16 tanks.
Power stations we loaded to Wakefield , Thornhill, Elland, Agecroft, Whiteburk, Padham, Middleton Jn, plus a few more. Pits were Brodsworth, Southemsall, Castle Hill, Park Mill, Grimesthorpe, Thorhill, Park Mill, Enely Moor, Prince William, Wooley Darton plus others. We would work about 4 trains daily, on our local trip diagrams.
Some of the type 4 loco's were fitted with water scoops to catch water on troughs for extra boiler water if needed. But I never used them. All troughs in our area had been removed. Firemen later called secondmen had one week's training at Holbeck loco Leeds to operate boilers for train heating, I worked these locos on passenger turns to Blackpool for say up to 3 years and sometimes as far as Crewe .
A very good loco, the one failing I found, were bad sanding equipment, the sand used to get wet in boxes due to condensation, causing failure of the sand onto the rail for adhesion.
One of our fitters or electricians invented an electricity coil to be placed into base of the sand box, heating the sand. Excellent! It kept the sand bone dry and they worked perfect where fitted. We had to give a report regarding the above, they were just fitted in the boxes at one end of the loco.
One of the trips I can remember on the Class was..
From Healey Mills to York about 35 miles each way and return, leaving our depot about 1030, 10 bogies weight about 220 ton, I was stopped for signals at Wakefield Kirkgate. Head loco inspector boarded saying I will ride with you to York and back Harry Jameason(spelling) was his name. The loco, 40126, is the train robbers engine. Brought out to work this special on its last trip, above your head, was painted in small black paint were the words “This is the train robbers loco” and the date was given.
We had about a 5 hour break at York before being relieved back at Healey Mills.
I used to keep all my Aslef diaries with all dates in, but disposed of them about 15 years ago.This had every loco I had driven, and also all the diagrams we had at Healey Mills .
At Healey Mills I was passed on shunting locos Class 20, 24, 25, 31,37,40,45,46,47,and the last class I passed out on was the 56.
It is now 22 years since I left the railway, age 60 and 3 months, and my age is now 82.
I was offered early retirement, which I took, and did a bit of part time work as a gardener.
I hope this is of some interest to you.
Regards
Patrick Farrell
Retired Driver
Healey Mills
40072
By Neil MacDonald
Gateshead
I was a Passenger Guard at Newcastle in 1976 and one evening between Christmas and New Year I worked a relief train from Newcastle to Edinburgh.
This train had started from King's Cross and terminated at Edinburgh.
Upon our arrival at Edinburgh the engines were changed. The engine which worked in from King's Cross went to Haymarket Shed and we were given 40072 to work the Empty Coaching Stock (ECS) which was destined for Bounds Green Carriage Sidings, London.
We were to work the ECS as far as Newcastle, to save starting the boiler, (and I can't remember if 40072 even had a boiler), I rode in the rear cab. All was uneventful until near Drem when there was such a bang from the nose end at the back cab and we lost power. After a short time power was regained but it was obvious something was wrong as whenever my Driver opened the regulator the electrics in the cabs were obviously receiving too much power. The driving desk panel lights glowed very brightly until one by one they burned out. The cab heaters became really hot and I remember thinking that I had never been on such a well heated Class 40!. They eventually gave out as well.
I learned later that an auxiliary generator had burned out and all the electric power was coming from the engine's main generator. My Driver stopped at East Linton Signal box to report that we would soon be a complete failure and requested a fresh engine. We then carried on to Dunbar where after quite a wait a crew from Millerhill arrived with a fresh engine for us. The fresh engine was used to dump 40072 in the sidings and it was later towed to Haymarket. We had left Edinburgh Waverley about 2100 and by the time we eventually got to Newcastle it was about 0200.
At Dunbar we had stopped on the Up Main Line so following trains passed us by using the Platform Line so we didn't really delay any other traffic.
To the best of my knowledge 40072 was never returned to traffic and was finally withdrawn in 1977.
Hope you found this of interest.
Regards.
Neil MacDonald
Gateshead.
