The Worst Thing To Ever Run On The Network

[RichmondCommu]

Hi everyone,

Hopefully the thread title tells you everything you need to know. My vote goes to the class 84. Along with my twin brother I was an avid spotter from the mid 1970s until 1984 and yet I never saw a class 84. The reason being that by all accounts they were useless with the transformers and traction motors all having serious issues. The first permanent withdrawals started to take place in 1977 and they were all gone by 1980.

Right, over to you! You can literally have anything; wagons, carriages, units, locomotives......

Best wishes,

Angela.

 

[pdeaves]

Hopefully the thread title tells you everything you need to know. My vote go's to the class 84. Along with my twin brother I was an avid spotter from the mid 1970s until 1984 and yet I never saw a class 84. The reason being that by all accounts they were useless with the transformers and traction motors all having serious issues. The first permanent withdrawals started to take place in 1977 and they were all gone by 1980.

Do we look at 'old stuff' with modern eyes or 'then' eyes?

Right, over to you! You can literally have anything; wagons, carriages, units, locomotives......

Passengers?

 

[HOOVER29]

Hi Angela,
Locos it has to be the class 91 followed by the class 31.
Class 91 are ok at speed it’s the pace that they get there.
As for the 31’s, over weight & under powered.
Units, it has to be the pacer.
Ok they’ve given solid performance over the years on & on smooth continuously weld track they’re ok but junctions & jointed track is another story.

 

[edwin_m]

Plenty of diesel classes in the 1950s were intended to be small batches of prototypes but ended up being ordered in large quantities when BR decided to get rid of steam more quickly. Most of them proved to be pretty useless. I'd nominate the Metrovic Co-Bo as not only falling into that category but also looking stupid because of missing a set of wheels.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Do we look at 'old stuff' with modern eyes or 'then' eyes?

The are no rules or restrictions!

 

[The Nomad]

Four carriage Voyagers, because nothing so short should do such long distances between large conurbations where people might reasonably hope to get a seat.

 

[bramling]

Hi everyone,

Hopefully the thread title tells you everything you need to know. My vote goes to the class 84. Along with my twin brother I was an avid spotter from the mid 1970s until 1984 and yet I never saw a class 84. The reason being that by all accounts they were useless with the transformers and traction motors all having serious issues. The first permanent withdrawals started to take place in 1977 and they were all gone by 1980.

Right, over to you! You can literally have anything; wagons, carriages, units, locomotives......

Best wishes,

Angela.

Class 700.

Uncomfortable and noisy interior that normally stinks of plastic. And not exactly progressing well in the reliability department either.

 

[Darandio]

Anything from the era of Steam. That should please a few of you.

 

[TRAX]

Anything pre-1996.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

I agree the Co-Bo Metrovicks were probably the worst but the Class 17s were even more noticeable thanks to being built in such large numbers. Known as Claytons, though many were actually built by Beyer-Peacock (of Hymek fame), BR ordered 117 of the damn things straight from the drawing board. Built 1962-1965 all were withdrawn by 1971 with few lasting more than 5 years in service: makes the 9Fs look long-lived! Their early withdrawal did lead to an extra 100 Class 20s being built over and above the originally intended order.

However if I had a Tardis I would certainly go back to see them in action: by all accounts they were very claggy!

 

[GrimShady]

Voyagers!

 

[Cowley]

I agree the Co-Bo Metrovicks were probably the worst but the Class 17s were even more noticeable thanks to being built in such large numbers. Known as Claytons, though many were actually built by Beyer-Peacock (of Hymek fame), BR ordered 117 of the damn things straight from the drawing board. Built 1962-1965 all were withdrawn by 1971 with few lasting more than 5 years in service: makes the 9Fs look long-lived! Their early withdrawal did lead to an extra 100 Class 20s being built over and above the originally intended order.

However if I had a Tardis I would certainly go back to see them in action: by all accounts they were very claggy!

There’s the preserved one - D8568. I’ve been behind it a couple of times and it is pretty claggy.

 

[Iskra]

If you look back at the early days of the railway, when the railway had a complete monopoly on travel over anything but the shortest of distances, I think you will find the winner there. People travelling in open wooden wagons, without toilets, without seats on a pretty dangerous network with nonexistent or primitive signalling with profit put totally ahead of health and safety. Hundreds died each year.

Some of the BR engines were mechanically unreliable. Voyagers might smell. Pacers might bounce. But, they get you to your destination without risk of serious injury or death.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Definately Voyagers. Stinky toilets on wheels...

 

[Clayton]

I agree the Co-Bo Metrovicks were probably the worst but the Class 17s were even more noticeable thanks to being built in such large numbers. Known as Claytons, though many were actually built by Beyer-Peacock (of Hymek fame), BR ordered 117 of the damn things straight from the drawing board. Built 1962-1965 all were withdrawn by 1971 with few lasting more than 5 years in service: makes the 9Fs look long-lived! Their early withdrawal did lead to an extra 100 Class 20s being built over and above the originally intended order.

However if I had a Tardis I would certainly go back to see them in action: by all accounts they were very claggy!

Oi, I resemble that! I saw them every year at my Scottish granny’s, as she had the Ayr line behind her house. I thought they were great, we called them ‘Scottish diesels’. MInd you I was only 9 or so.

 

[Master29]

What about North British class 21 and 29 as well as the BR class 22`s. Ugly and unpopular. One wonders why Hornby kept reproducing them for so long. I suppose they had their fans.

 

[geoffk]

e.
As for the 31’s, over weight & under powered.
Units, it has to be the pacer.
Ok they’ve given solid performance over the years on & on smooth continuously weld track they’re ok but junctions & jointed track is another story.

The 31s have earned their money several times over. I would go for 140001, the flying brick.

 

[delt1c]

Had some good runs behind 84,s in the 70's

 

[TheSel]

Oi, I resemble that! I saw them every year at my Scottish granny’s, as she had the Ayr line behind her house. I thought they were great, we called them ‘Scottish diesels’. MInd you I was only 9 or so.

I'm not sure you should admit to resembling that !

 

[Darandio]

The Leyland Coach also might take some beating. http://www.traintesting.com/leyland-coach.htm

 

[keith1879]

"Worst" is a very wide category. The NBL diesels of class 24 were ghastly. As a passenger the most overheated journeys I have ever made (to the point of almost fainting) were quite recently on Pendolinos - (previously BR DMUs in the 1960s could have that effect in Winter). How about the Kitson-Still patent locomotive tried out on the LNER ....by all accounts it barely worked at all.

 

[Clansman]

The 230s

 

[Ash Bridge]

Had some good runs behind 84,s in the 70's

Early 70s and still at school, took a trip up to Bury with another train fanatic (first and only trip on a class 504) and stored in what is now the East Lancs Railways Buckley Wells shed were a selection of class 83 & 84 AC electric loco's along with E26000. Was very surprised that these came back to life after being stored dead for several years. I'm pretty sure 'Tommy' returned from the dead also for a shorter spell.

 

[hooverboy]

The 31s have earned their money several times over. I would go for 140001, the flying brick.

I've got a bit of a soft spot for the 31's. yes they are overweight and underpowered, but they are a bagful of fun to be dragged behind.Certain locos just have that little bit of charisma about them as they open up and give you lots of whistling and burbling.
actually quite nice to drive too...i was lucky enough to have a go of one on an open day many moons ago

 

[Elecman]

The Fell Locomotive

 

[NorthWestRover]

Glad to see the 31s getting some support. Yeah, not got the glamour of the Whistlers, Hoovers or Deltics, but I liked them.

 

[big all]

if you where to choose a company that didnt make the transition from steam to deisel it would be the poor north british or"NBL"
shunters lasted well
warships poor
scottish and western type 2s poor performance although the reengined 29s started to perform better
D8401s not good short lived
and was it class EL4s 84000-09

 

[RichmondCommu]

As much as I loved the Class 40s for the noise they made I always felt that like the blokes at the gym they were over weight and not very powerful.

 

[Bevan Price]

"Worst" is a very wide category. The NBL diesels of class 24 were ghastly. As a passenger the most overheated journeys I have ever made (to the point of almost fainting) were quite recently on Pendolinos - (previously BR DMUs in the 1960s could have that effect in Winter). How about the Kitson-Still patent locomotive tried out on the LNER ....by all accounts it barely worked at all.

NBL diesels were Classes 21, 22 and 29 (the latter being re-engined 21s). Class 24s were Sulzers, mostly built by BR.

The "Fell" diesel, 10100 was pretty unreliable. And from the passengers' viewpoint, we would have been better without all the Pacer-related designs.

Some of the 1st generation dmus built by Clayton were also dire - everything that could rattle seemed to rattle. They cured the rattling in later Clayton dmus, but these had Rolls Royce engines, and seemed to be a bit fire-prone.

(Edit):-
As martinsh points out, I should have written "Cravens" dmus, not "Clayton".

 

[NorthWestRover]

As much as I loved the Class 40s for the noise they made I always felt that like the blokes at the gym they were over weight and not very powerful.

That made me laugh