TRIVIA - What's your birth loco?!

[D1511]

Hi folks,

I was just browsing through one of the numerous reference books that most of us probably have, and I came across a loco with a build date on the day I was born.

Class 37, no D6853 (later 37153) was completed on the day I was born at the English Electric Vulcan Foundry in Newton-le-Willows, and was allocated to 87E Landore. (I just missed two Claytons the day before!)

What's your birth engine?

(BRDatabase will quickly tell you!

BRDatabase, locomotive allocations, withdrawals and scrapping details in the UK

Locomotive history, railway statistics, steam, diesel and electric locomotives UK

www.brdatabase.info

 

[Strathclyder]

No locos for me as far as I can tell (April 1996), certainly no British ones (no doubt I have a birth loco over in the US for instance).

The closest UK mainline examples are the last 5 59/2s (specifically 59206), which arrived at Newport in August 1995 and all were in traffic by October. The closest units would likely be the Class 325s.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

An interesting exercise, but I'm not sure how wise it is to reveal one's entire date of birth on a forum.

 

[Ken H]

June 56. Nothing for my birth date (it was a Sunday). But for June 56 there were 8 class 08's and 5 steam engines
But we did see D 2/1 11148 delivered on the 18th, a Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 shunter

10 built. non survive

 

[TheSmiths82]

I won't say the exact fleet number, but it is a class 56.

 

[Dai Corner]

The website isn't working for me, but if I share my 1960 birthday it's probably something like a Cl37, 45 or 82.

 

[hexagon789]

Meanwhile, I'm not really sure if there is anything!

Possibly a unit of some form, but what was under construction in 1997 - too early for even the MM 170/1s I think?

 

[popeter45]

prob one of the earlier class 66's

 

[Harvester]

An interesting exercise, but I'm not sure how wise it is to reveal one's entire date of birth on a forum.

Agreed! So I will just add that mine is sometime between Peppercorn A2 60534 and 60535 entering traffic.

 

[Busaholic]

Could only tell you my birth year encompasses the Merchant Navy, Peppercorh and West Country/Battle of Britain steam locomotives still being built, so I'm spoiled for choice! I have a soft spot for the Merchant Navy class, though.

 

[30907]

I missed the London trams by a few days.

 

[AndrewE]

Well, if I have read https://www.brdatabase.info/locomotives.php?loconum=21853 correctly, I have a 1918-built LNER 2-8-0, works number is my ddmyy!
Don't think I actually have a british loco with the running number though.

 

[ac6000cw]

In my birth year a unique loco emerged from Metropolitan-Vickers - E1000 (later E2001), the very first British 25kV AC electric loco, rebuilt from the second (18100) Western Region gas-turbine loco.

That'll do nicely as a 'birth loco'

 

[Herefordian]

None for me, unfortunately. The nearest one is 56076.

However, my Dad's is D5070, later 24070.

 

[SuspectUsual]

I'm sat somewhere in between the last of the 50s and the first of the 87s

 

[32475]

None on the day I was born (1960) but being born on a Sunday I’ve come across several photos of steam trains taken on that very day. I imagine many more photographers were around at weekends than Mondays to Fridays.

 

[Benters]

My ' birth loco' could be one of several released to traffic in July 1962:
Class 45 D53 Royal Tank Regt.
Class 46 D171-4
Class 40 D396-7
Class 52 D1006 Western Stalwart,
D1035 Western Yeoman
Class 07 D2990-1
Class 08 D4135-9/72-3/86-9
Class 27 D5393-6/8-402
Class 31 D5848-51
Class 37 D6745-7/68
Class 35 D7049-3
Class 83 E3305 (E3100)

Using my exact birthdate would narrow this down somewhat.

 

[norbitonflyer]

I won't say which, but I share a birthdate with a 9F, a D29xx shunter, and a Class 10 shunter. I seem to have outlived all three!
DMUs and EMUs I only have information to the nearest month, but that month has
seven class 101 twin units
three class 103 twin units
four class 104 quads
nine class 105 twins
two class 108 twins
three class 116 triples
three four-wheel railbuses from different manufacturers

Five of these 70 dmu vehicles have been preserved, although some are in a worse state even than me!

five class 411 4CEPs
ten class 414 2HAPs

 

[contrex]

I was born a week before 4-EPB 5006.

 

[Benters]

Further to my previous post, I've been on BR Database and narrowed down my 'birth loco' to three possibles, each within one day of my actual birthdate:
Class 27 D5405
Class 31 D5851
Class 35 D7043

 

[Matey]

GWR 4-4-0 Dukedog class No 9025. Built Swindon April 1939 as number 3225. That's the nearest I can get!

 

[Bevan Price]

Nothing on my (censored) birthday, but round that period, LMSR was building Stanier 8F 2-8-0s and 4MT 2-6-4 tanks, and GWR was building Halls, Pannier tanks and 28xx 2-8-0s.

 

[ls2270]

Meanwhile, I'm not really sure if there is anything!

Possibly a unit of some form, but what was under construction in 1997 - too early for even the MM 170/1s I think?

The Class 365s might be a good bet for that time at a guess?

 

[D6130]

According to BR database, no locos actually entered service on my birth date, but D3359 (08 289) and 11716 (later to become D2716) entered service the day before....and D3390 (08 320) and D8010 (later to become 20 010) entered service four days later. Somewhat surprisingly, no BR Standard steam locos entered service that day....although a fair number did so subsequently.

 

[ls2270]

Class 87 loco 87001 for me about 3 months after I was born!

 

[delt1c]

I have a 9F which super me a

 

[Ianigsy]

Class 87 loco 87001 for me about 3 months after I was born!

I also fall into the seven year gap between D449 and 87001.

 

[Irascible]

Nothing built in my birth year, or the year after. As above.

 

[Tracked]

Without saying which one, A 56, which is what I thought it would be. 2 Days after me, just down the road at Doncaster Works

 

[Springs Branch]

When I first glanced at this thread late at night, I crazily mis-read the OP and imagined you matched your birthdate in YYMDD computer format with a loco number (bad luck if born on e.g. 25 November - too many digits).

So, looking up my birthday this way, I had a LNER A3 "namer". And I was just a bit too young to have had Flying Scotsman.


Having re-read the thread premise, my 'proper' answer is a month with a long list of new locomotives, including representatives from steam, diesel and AC electric types. But, specifically for me, one of the Class 40s.