British Diesels and Electrics: October 2020

Windhoff Multi Purpose Vehicle (MPV)

The fleet of Multi Purpose Vehicles has, as the name suggests, a number of roles on the British railway network. A key role being rail cleaning and weed killing. The vehicles were bought by Railtrack to allow the withdrawal of a variety of ex-revenue earning vehicles performing these roles [1] and are based off Windhoff's Cargosprinter unit.

DR98904 RHTT duties through Huyton

Information
Number built:	32
Built:	1999-
Builder:	Windhoff
Motor:	2 Railpac diesels
Power:	710 hp (530 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	Bo-Bo

MPVs usually operate in pairs, one of the units being unpowered. Most of the vehicle (apart from the cab) is a flat bed - the engine, transmission and other machinery being under the floor in the manner of a DMU. This allows for equipment modules or pods to be installed as per the duty required, such as tanks for rail head cleaning (RHTT) duties.

Similar vehicles perform a variety of other duties on the network such as the double ended High Definition Switches & Crosses Video Inspection Train.

DR98909 on RHTT duties at Erdington

DR98958 at Leamington Spa

Another view of RHTT at Huyton

[1] Colin J Marsden, Rail Guide 2016 (Ian Allan, 2016) p. 218

Kinlochleven Works Electric Locomotives

An aluminium smelter was built at Loch Leven in the Scottish Highlands in the early 20th century. Part of the work involved the creation of a dam to produce electricity for the smelter but there was plenty of surplus electricity. The village of Kinlochleven, where most of the workers lived, became the first village in the world to be supplied with electricity. Electricity also powered a short (just less than a mile long) railway which ran from the smelter to a quay at the head of Loch Leven. The railway, which was the first electric railway in Scotland, opened in 1906. Two locomotives were built for the 914mm gauge railway by Dick, Kerr.

Information for original locomotives
Number built:	2
Built:	1906
Builder:	Dick, Kerr of Preston
Motor:	2 Dick, Kerr electric motors (550v DC OHLE)
Power:	70 hp (52 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	4wWE

The locomotives were powerful for their size. They could haul up to 30 tons. They were joined by two other, similarly powered, locomotives built by Metropolitan-Vickers in 1947. The railway was closed in 1960.

One of the locomotives at work [1]

[1] "The Kinlochleven Works of the British Aluminium Company", The Electrical Journal (December 4 1908) p. 297

Class 90

The Class 90 were the last locomotives ordered by BR before sectorisation [1]. The Class 90 was a development of the Class 87 (and indeed originally were to have been called the Class 87/2 - though the final result was sufficiently different to lead to the creation of a new class). They replaced the first generation AC Electric locos Classes 81-85s. The Class 90s are mixed traffic locomotives and have been used on express passenger and heavy freight services [2]. These days usually the latter.

Freightliner 90 049 heads through Stafford

Information
Number built:	50
Built:	1987-90
Builder:	BREL Crewe
Engine:	GEC G412CY traction motors (25kV AC OLHE)
Power:	5, 000 hp (3, 728 kW) - continuous 7, 860 hp (5, 861 kW) - maximum
Wheel arrangement:	Bo-Bo

As built they were capable of 110mp/h but just over half the class became dedicated freight locomotives (Class 90/1) with the top speed reduced to 75mp/h, on these locomotives the electric train heating was also isolated and the brakes improved. After privatisation these were eventually converted back to 90/0 (though some were reclassified as 90/2 for a time).

The Class 90 currently serves with Locomotive Services, Freightliner and DB Cargo. They have also served with Grand Central, Greater Anglia, GNER and Virgin Trains in the past. One example, 90 050, is out of service following a fire.

Freightliner 90 042 heads through Stafford light engine

DB 90 040 and friend head through Stafford

90 026 leads a convoy through Bletchley

Freightliner 90 046 and friend head through Stafford

Another double header though Stafford! This one led by DB 90 024

[1] Gavin Morrison, AC Electric Locomotives (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 59
[2] Colin J Marsden, Traction Recognition (2nd Edition) (Ian Allan, 2008) p. 90

RTV 31 Tracked Hovercraft

The Tracked Hovercraft was an attempt at a new type of high speed train. It combined the hovercraft and linear induction motor to lift a train a short distance above a specially built track or guideway. This was more efficient as rolling resistance was largely eliminated. A research team worked on the Tracked Hovercraft project in the 1960s, this team later falling under the National Physical Laboratory. British Rail showed little interest in the project, by now concentrating on the Advanced Passenger Train.

RTV 31 at Railworld

Information
Number built:	1
Built:	1972
Builder:	Tracked Hovercraft
Motor:	Linear induction motor

Work on a test train and track began in 1970 in Cambridgeshire. A 6.4 km track was built and in 1973 the test vehicle Rail Test Vehicle (RTV) 31 managed to travel at just over 100 mp/h (167 km/h) on the test track. On the full length planned test track, which would have been 32 km long, it was thought the train could go 300 mp/h (480 km/h). As can be seen from the photographs, the RTV 31 did not use conventional tracks rather an elevated single track.

However, the project was by now under threat due to political and budgetary pressures. BR was going ahead with the APT (which used existing tracks) and was also looking into Maglev, which used a similar concept to the Tracked Hovercraft. Funding for the project was cancelled in 1973 as it was thought the project would not be ready for real world use until the 1980s at the earliest and would require a dedicated rail network. RTV 31 survived the cancellation and since 1996 has been preserved at Railworld in Peterborough along with a short section of track.

Despite appearances the RTV 31 did not carry any passengers

Side view of RTV 31

The hovercraft lifting pads can be seen behind the tow bar

Blackpool Corporation English Electric Balloon Car

With their Art Deco streamlined styling these Blackpool Corporation trams must be considered one of the most iconic first generation electric trams ever built, and also the longest lived with some still serving in the Blackpool fleet. The trams were built in the mid-1930s as part of the modernisation of the Blackpool tram fleet which also included the Boat Car and Brush Railcoach. The first thirteen trams built had open topped and were originally known as the "Luxury Dreadnought" class. The second batch of fourteen trams were fully enclosed with central doors and stairs and gained the nickname "Balloons". During the Second World War the open topped trams were fitted with top covers. The trams had a large passenger carrying capacity, later modifications increased the capacity to ninety four.

249 preserved at Crich in original livery

Information
Number built:	27
Built:	1934-35
Builder:	English Electric
Motor:	2 EE305 electric motors (600v DC OHLE)
Power:	104 hp (86 kW)

The Balloon trams were the backbone of the Blackpool fleet for decades, being regularly updated and refurbished. One even appeared in Coronation Street, running over a character!

In 2012 the Blackpool tramway was converted to a light rail system with new modern rolling stock but nine Balloons were modernised and retained in service to supplement the fleet. Others have been retained as part of the heritage fleet or preserved elsewhere. Indeed only a small number of the original fleet of twenty seven trams have been scrapped.

Another view of 249

The streamlined Art Deco styling is apparent here

Douglas Southern Electric Tramway Double Decker Toastrack

Open sided trams with bench seating, known as "toastrack" trams were popular in seaside towns and attractions such as at Blackpool. These trams, which were built for the Douglas Southern Electric Tramway on the Isle of Man, were unusual in being double decker toastracks (usually such trams were single deckers). They ran along the Douglas Marine Drive on a ledge cut from the cliff face.

Douglas Number 1 at Crich

Information
Number built:	14
Built:	1896
Builder:	Brush Traction
Motor:	2 Westinghouse 12A electric motors (DC OHLE)
Power:	50 hp (37 kW)

The tram had a capacity of seventy five passengers, passengers could only board and alight from one side of the tram due to the cliff face. The tramway ran until 1939 when the line was closed due to the Second World War. After the war No. 1 was restored and is now preserved at Crich Tramway Museum. The tramway on the Isle of Man never reopened.

No. 1 at Crich

The steps can be clearly seen in this view

Getting on isn't allowed this side!

Ruston and Hornsby 88DS

Ruston & Hornsby began producing these small diesel mechanical shunters in 1942, 254 were eventually built during the 1940s and 1950s [1]. They were mostly sold to industrial users and had sufficient power to shunt short rakes of wagons in smaller industrial and factory networks.

299099/1950 at Tyseley

Information
Number built:	254
Built:	1942-1950s
Builder:	Ruston & Hornsby
Motor:	Ruston 4VPHL diesel
Power:	88 hp (66 kW)
Wheel arrangement:	4wDM

The 88DS was a versatile design, it came with a number of options for gauge and two weights (seventeen and twenty tons). The locomotives usually used compressed air for starting (the air generated using a small Ruston petrol or diesel motor) though electric starting was fitted on some locomotives which needed to operate in flameproof environments.

Although most 88DS locomotives built were for industrial users, seven were also bought by British Railways' North Eastern Region for it's departmental fleet [2]. These were withdrawn in 1970 [3].