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Regular Double Headers

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Ianigsy

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Summer Saturdays in Anglia land used to see plenty of pairs of 31s on holiday trains. Usually it was the Birmingham - Yarmouth that would produce as well as trips from Liverpool Lime Street later in the 80s

Yes, happened quite a lot when Type 2s or 3s were rostered for a train which really needed Type 4 level ETS. See also North Wales coast circa 2000 when 2x37 were booked for a Sunday afternoon turn from Holyhead to Birmingham connecting with the ferry. I also remember one snowy winter in the 1990s when pairs of 31s were put on the normal loco hauled turns in case of failure.
 
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Elecman

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Before electrification of Weaver to Glasgow, many London- Scotland expresses were double headed class 50s
 

shap summit

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I can remember triple headed class 37s passing through Bristol Temple Meads in the 70s I think hauling stone from South Wales for the building of the M5 motorway.
 

d9009alycidon

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Researching some old magazines revealed that in 1966 the Western Region introduced a new "high speed" timetable employing pairs of Class 37's which had been re-geared. The loco's were D6875-D6892 and there were two rosters:
1- 0820 Swindon to Paddington, 1245 Paddington-Bristol, 1615 Bristol-Paddington (using the xp64 set)
2- 0845 Paddington to Bristol, 1115 Bristol-Paddington, 1445 Paddington-Bristol,, 1815 Bristol-Paddington using a repainted blue and grey 370t set on commonwealth bogies. The trains were permitted to run at 100mph between mp 11 & 29.5 and 43 & 63.75 on the down main, and between mp 63.75 & 43.75, and 43.25 & 10 on the up main.
Must have been a fantastic run to witness
 

33017

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Researching some old magazines revealed that in 1966 the Western Region introduced a new "high speed" timetable employing pairs of Class 37's which had been re-geared. The loco's were D6875-D6892 and there were two rosters:
1- 0820 Swindon to Paddington, 1245 Paddington-Bristol, 1615 Bristol-Paddington (using the xp64 set)
2- 0845 Paddington to Bristol, 1115 Bristol-Paddington, 1445 Paddington-Bristol,, 1815 Bristol-Paddington using a repainted blue and grey 370t set on commonwealth bogies. The trains were permitted to run at 100mph between mp 11 & 29.5 and 43 & 63.75 on the down main, and between mp 63.75 & 43.75, and 43.25 & 10 on the up main.
Must have been a fantastic run to witness
I'm sure they regularly worked some south Wales trains, too. My father has a phot of a pair at Neath on a down Paddington - Swansea train.
 

randyrippley

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Researching some old magazines revealed that in 1966 the Western Region introduced a new "high speed" timetable employing pairs of Class 37's which had been re-geared. The loco's were D6875-D6892 and there were two rosters:
1- 0820 Swindon to Paddington, 1245 Paddington-Bristol, 1615 Bristol-Paddington (using the xp64 set)
2- 0845 Paddington to Bristol, 1115 Bristol-Paddington, 1445 Paddington-Bristol,, 1815 Bristol-Paddington using a repainted blue and grey 370t set on commonwealth bogies. The trains were permitted to run at 100mph between mp 11 & 29.5 and 43 & 63.75 on the down main, and between mp 63.75 & 43.75, and 43.25 & 10 on the up main.
Must have been a fantastic run to witness

an old wives tale: they weren't regeared. i suspect they had different braking materials, but its long been established that the gearing wasn't touched
 

70014IronDuke

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I'm sure they regularly worked some south Wales trains, too. My father has a phot of a pair at Neath on a down Paddington - Swansea train.

They did. But I'm not sure on the use of 'regularly'.

IIRC, the use of 2 x Cl 37 started in April or May 66. (If I've got it wrong, someone will soon correct me.)

It was soon deemed, however, that the extra wear and tear on the locos was not worth the time gained. I don't know how this was ascertained. The Cl 37s in S Wales had excellent miles per casualty figures, but then they were 98% used on rumbling mineral traffic. It would be interesting to study the effect of the higher-speed, higher intensity work on the mpc figures. Anyone got any old MRs which must have dealt with the subject in that year.

I think the last pair workings petered out in the August, so we are talking about 3 months at most. Interesting that you mention Neath, however, as I can imagine that the extra power on the difficult Cardiff - Swansea section DID make a difference, but perhaps BR weren't too worried about the 5 - 8 mins (my guess) that this would have saved, the emphasis being on PAD-Newport/Cardiff and PAD-Bristol schedules.
 

70014IronDuke

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... I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of any variety of Peak actually working in multiple apart from possibly 97403 being paired up with the class 24 - 97201, although I seem to remember that 45s were rostered as a tandem pair on a Midland mainline turn at some point back in those days.

In the 60s there was a Leeds - Bedford overnight 'fish' train (I think it carried one or two fish vans, probably from Hull or Grimsby) which became, by around 64, one of the last turns for a Jubilee on the Midland south of Leicester. Of course, over time as diesels were delivered, it became a Cl 45. (I think it was probably late 65 or early 66 when steam ended on this turn.)

When it was steam, the loco worked back to Holbeck light engine (at least, at the southern end of the line it was thus), but when it was a 45, it would be attached as a pilot to a northbound semi-fast which departed Bedford at about 09.10, so it would have been ex St Pancras at about 08.20.

Not sure when this practice ended, it may well have stopped with the April 66 timetable, which was totally re-written with the new WCML electrictrified service - but for a year or so, the semi-fast frequently had 'super' power.
 

70014IronDuke

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Locos could operate in multiple with locos with the same multiple code.
In this image of a Cl31 you can see the blue star on the yellow bit
gallery_6667_1629_214238.jpg

... .

OT - Gosh, that looks a handsome locomotive in what you'd imagine would be a boring colour scheme. If only they'd made the BR Double-Arrow in chrome, it would have topped it off.
 

delt1c

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Dont know if it would be classed as double headers, but WHL had the 37+ETHEL for a while.
 

33017

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They did. But I'm not sure on the use of 'regularly'.

IIRC, the use of 2 x Cl 37 started in April or May 66. (If I've got it wrong, someone will soon correct me.)

It was soon deemed, however, that the extra wear and tear on the locos was not worth the time gained. I don't know how this was ascertained. The Cl 37s in S Wales had excellent miles per casualty figures, but then they were 98% used on rumbling mineral traffic. It would be interesting to study the effect of the higher-speed, higher intensity work on the mpc figures. Anyone got any old MRs which must have dealt with the subject in that year.

I think the last pair workings petered out in the August, so we are talking about 3 months at most. Interesting that you mention Neath, however, as I can imagine that the extra power on the difficult Cardiff - Swansea section DID make a difference, but perhaps BR weren't too worried about the 5 - 8 mins (my guess) that this would have saved, the emphasis being on PAD-Newport/Cardiff and PAD-Bristol schedules.
Just had a quick look at his moves for the period concerned. Although mostly living in Manchester while attending University, he managed to have the following pairs:

27/11/65 - D6881 + D6882 Swindon - Paddington (dep. 16.55) - this was a tour
18/04/66 - D6891 + D6892 Neath - Cardiff (dep. 08.35)
03/09/66 - D6892 + D6879 Bridgend - Neath (dep. 11.56)

He's never been one for writing down actual train details when travelling, only departure time. Without access to a timetable, I'd guess the latter two trains were 08.20 Swansea - Paddington & 09.00 Paddington - Swansea (I suspect the '08.20 Swindon - Paddington' mentioned in post 64 is a typo for 08.20 Swansea - Paddington).
 
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70014IronDuke

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Just had a quick look at his moves for the period concerned. Although mostly living in Manchester while attending University, he managed to have the following pairs:

27/11/65 - D6881 + D6882 Swindon - Paddington (dep. 16.55) - this was a tour
18/04/66 - D6891 + D6892 Neath - Cardiff (dep. 08.35)
03/09/66 - D6892 + D6879 Bridgend - Neath (dep. 11.56)

He's never been one for writing down actual train details when travelling, only departure time. Without access to a timetable, I'd guess the latter two trains were 08.20 Swansea - Paddington & 09.00 Paddington - Swansea (I suspect the '08.20 Swindon - Paddington' mentioned in post 64 is a typo for 08.20 Swansea - Paddington).

D6881+2 seemed to be a long-time pairing - though I'm not sure they were always coupled from November 65 (that may have been a one-off run?).

I saw them both at Landore on 15/08/66 (it's not certain they were coupled up, but they are noted down in sequence) and again together at Goring on 18/08/66.

I also have D6892+79 at Goring on 26/08/66. I'm pretty certain that the latter two observations they were paired on S Wales services, but I have noted that as such at the time.
 

nlogax

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Mostly Glasgow-ish. Mostly.
Double-headed 73/1s with 8TCs on Waterloo <> Poole fasts in the late 80s and very early 90s in the overlap of REPs leaving and 442s entering service. Usually on 91 headcodes although I'm sure I saw one or two on the 92 semi-fasts as well.
 

D1537

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Booked double-headers for locomotives of different classes would be an interesting one. I can think of;

Euston-Stranraer overnight boat train, booked for 27+47 from Ayr to Stranraer, although the pilot was often a 20, 25 or 26 instead.
Devon banks pilot on the Penzance sleeper, booked 31+50 but could really be anything they had (and the 50 was often a 47)
Through steam-pipe fitted Class 20 pilot for the 37 on the MO West Highland sleeper circa 1983 (although sometimes worked on other days if railhead adhesion was poor).
One of the MML morning passenger trains was booked 47/4+45/1 at one point, although it inevitably got any combination of the two classes.
 

70014IronDuke

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I don't know it it's been mentioned upthread, but the "celebrated" Metrovick Cl 28s were regularly double-headed on Manchester Central - St Pancras trains in 1959-60. And on the "Condor" overnight express goods Brent - Glasgow. Well, as regularly as they could be, given that they were always blowing up. I think the powers at be gave up on them around October-November 1960, as the first Cl 45s began to be delivered.
 

Cowley

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I don't know it it's been mentioned upthread, but the "celebrated" Metrovick Cl 28s were regularly double-headed on Manchester Central - St Pancras trains in 1959-60. And on the "Condor" overnight express goods Brent - Glasgow. Well, as regularly as they could be, given that they were always blowing up. I think the powers at be gave up on them around October-November 1960, as the first Cl 45s began to be delivered.
My Dad used to see the Metrovicks on the Condor going through North London. I’d love to have seen (and heard) that spectacle.
He said that they were phenomenally noisy!
 

Trials

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Definitely remember being on some double 31's on Barrow - Lancaster leg of Barrow to London Train in the 80's. An 86 or 87 would take over at Lancaster
 

70014IronDuke

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My Dad used to see the Metrovicks on the Condor going through North London. I’d love to have seen (and heard) that spectacle.
He said that they were phenomenally noisy!

Though I saw and heard them during their last 3 months or so in traffic (including on the Condor a few September evenings before it got too dark to see), I really can't remember the noise, or if they were noisier than anything else. (Well, we only had a couple of Sulzer 2s for comparision, although the first Cl 45s appeared around September 60). I do have this impression that they screamed - but that may well be just from reading stuff in recent years.
 
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