50149 said:
They may be common to you, but think about people such as myself and Julian (WSX) where DRS 37s are not at all common in fact I have never seen a DRS 37 or 20 for that matter down my stretch of line at all!!
THANK YOU J! :notworth:
I'm glad you got there before me, I might have made a multi-paragraph rant about how most of us in the South and West don't see/have never seen a 37, how the chaps who see the DRS 37s every day/week should be grateful they have the chance and how lucky the ones on the tour next weekend are to get haulage and tons of miles behind them!
Personally, it's not such a big deal in terms of seeing 37s, as I've seen many 37s in the last 2.5 years. That was helped by living in South Wales for a while, what with Margam and Canton depots both heavily loaded with 37s back when I first started number crunching proper in February 2004 (when I equipped myself with Locomotives and Diesel Multiple Units books. EMUs and carriages came later). Of course, that changed soon enough, and we were loaded up with 66s. A 37 still has that 'head-turning' effect on me. Whenever I see one, I want a shot of it (unless it's another shot in the same location of the same one, then it gets pointless, unless I'm doing a photo diary of the trip), more so a confirmation of its ID to make sure I've marked it off. In sighting terms, I am very lucky to see the amount of 37s I have, with so many trips to so many locations. Mind, some of it has been helped by the privatisation of the network, which makes the scene interesting by changing it every week or so. Loco-hauled services on the Rhymney line helped me get haulage and mileage behind some 37s too, which I admit is something I consider myself to have been lucky to do when I did really.
I can't recall the exact number, but I believe it's more than 70 different 37s I've seen. Considering the fact 37s are rather rare these days, especially non-/4s, this is something I've very proud of.
I feel sorry for those who have never seen a 37 in the flesh. The sight, the sound, the feel of true, raw power at the helm...