Toilets on locomotives

[Tracked]

I believe a similar pressure differential issue afflicted some recent British passenger stock.

Was it the Mark 4's, when going through tunnels?

 

[Taunton]

Also because the urinal was so inaccessible on the move alternative locations used ?

Isn't this why railways were built with periodic tunnels?

 

[hexagon789]

Was it the Mark 4's, when going through tunnels?

I had an idea it was HSTs until the pipework was modified but there was a tunnel where the issue meant HSTs had a lower permitted speed through the tunnel than conventional trains. I'm sure this came up in an old thread, but I can't find it presently to refer to

 

[Pigeon]

Isn't this why railways were built with periodic tunnels?

Oh, if it's too much to wait another couple of minutes for Blea Moor, Ribblehead will do...

 

[Richard Scott]

Believe that peaks had proper toilets in the engine compartment. Also most mainline locos had cookers in the cabs

Peaks had a urinal in the boiler room.

 

[102 fan]

Indeed. I got pissed on by a second man once.

Accidentally I hope!

 

[Pigeon]

I thought the loco had sprung a water leak until I realised what it was...

Peaks may have had a urinal in the boiler room, but this chap preferred the view of the lineside scenery approaching Ribblehead.

 

[OldandRambling]

It is over 45 years since I worked as a "secondman" at Stratford MPD, and I can't quite trust my memory these days...

Someone asked me about "restroom" facilities on the diesel locomotives, and I replied that there were none, we managed to answer calls of nature when we could.

I since wonder if I did actually see some sort of steel mini urinal facility on one or two mainline locos?

We had type 37, 31, and 47 as our mainline engines.

 

[hexagon789]

It is over 45 years since I worked as a "secondman" at Stratford MPD, and I can't quite trust my memory these days...

Someone asked me about "restroom" facilities on the diesel locomotives, and I replied that there were none, we managed to answer calls of nature when we could.

I since wonder if I did actually see some sort of steel mini urinal facility on one or two mainline locos?

We had type 37, 31, and 47 as our mainline engines.

On the contrary most first gen diesels and electrics had a urinal, some even had a proper toilet with folding washbasin.

 

[wolfman]

Class 37 had a toilet in the engine room close to the cab,and a curtain for privacy.

 

[Juniper Driver]

Class 37 had a toilet in the engine room close to the cab,and a curtain for privacy.

Yeah I remember 37s having these but can't remember if 47s had the same.

 

[OldandRambling]

Gosh, how could I forget such things? Maybe we didn't drink as many enamel "billy cans" of tea as I remembered!

 

[hexagon789]

Yeah I remember 37s having these but can't remember if 47s had the same.

47s had a urinal

 

[Big Jumby 74]

40's did, number 2 end, and Peaks had the full works just behind the Number 2 end cab, complete overhead flush tank. On the subject of Stratford, wonder if the 15/16's had anything - probably not enough room, and only designed for trip working anyway.

 

[75A]

33 & 73's didn't.
Memories of the tunnel after leaving Salisbury

 

[cadder toad]

37's had a urinal and I think 47's. I do not remember any curtains for privacy (who else would be there?). I used to do work underneath on shed (usually brakes) Anywhere near the urinal always stunk

 

[Enthusiast]

The production Deltics originally had a toilet and washbasin in the nose at one end. They were removed when the air brake conversion was carried out.

 

[hexagon789]

who else would be there

Secondman?

 

[david1212]

37's had a urinal and I think 47's. I do not remember any curtains for privacy (who else would be there?). I used to do work underneath on shed (usually brakes) Anywhere near the urinal always stunk

While I can't recall where I have read about corrosion repairs required because of the outfall from the loco toilet, urinal or if not fitted a location used as a substitute.

 

[lordbusiness]

I'm finding this thread fascinating and slightly horrifying at the same time.

Personally I think I would have held on unless in really desperate circumstances.

Thread drift- On slightly related note, I spent a significant part of my previous career flying as ALM on C130 Hercules military transports where the toilet facilities where similarly rudimentary- two urinals- one at each end of the freight bay and a chemical toilet (elsan) tucked inside the 'ducks tail' by the cargo ramp. We did get corrosion problems in the plumbing and occasionally a blockage in the urinal.
I spent a couple of years as one of the 'tac demo' (display) crews where the end of the display involved a Khe- Shanh style tac descent to land (2000ft approaching the threshold- nose over to land) for which the chemical toilet was always removed due to quite a lengthy period of negative g. On one particular display (Duxford) we nosed over and discovered that the rear urinal had blocked and the contents reappeared, floating in mid air before depositing themselves all over the ramp. Took some cleaning up before we could fly home.

I once spent virtually the whole of a 7 hour leg from Senegal sitting on the elsan after a dodgy local meal- should have declared myself unfit to fly but it would have meant delaying the whole flight and probably another 48 hours stuck there.

Don't ask me about arrangements on a CH47 Chinook!

 

[Juniper Driver]

47s had a urinal

30 something years since I was last on one although memory is coming back a bit I do remember them on the 37s.

 

[MP33]

I went to an exhibition of various rolling stock at a station and a class 47 was available to look around. On the right hand side of the cab there was a electric ring for cooking. There was also a big red button, which when pressed rang a fire bell. What use that was I do not know as it had to be kept pressed to ring the bell. in a emergency no doubt you would leave the locomotive and not worry about the bell.

 

[hexagon789]

I went to an exhibition of various rolling stock at a station and a class 47 was available to look around. On the right hand side of the cab there was a electric ring for cooking. There was also a big red button, which when pressed rang a fire bell. What use that was I do not know as it had to be kept pressed to ring the bell. in a emergency no doubt you would leave the locomotive and not worry about the bell.

I thought it was called the "Fire Alarm Test Button", ie for checking the fire alarm was working rather than sounding it!

 

[43096]

I thought it was called the "Fire Alarm Test Button", ie for checking the fire alarm was working rather than sounding it!

On HST power cars the fire alarm test button, as well as the obvious of testing the fire bells, also stopped the local engine (using engines stop shut down both power cars). That worked fine until someone realised (in the MTU era when power cars caught fire more regularly...) that if you had a power car fire and pressed fire alarm test to shut down the engine it also inhibits the fire detection system for a short period, which would prevent the Inergen fire system activating, which is not what you'd want. So the fire alarm test button on the test was changed to local engine stop and a new fire alarm test button was provided on the cubicle.