Bristol Bath Road Workbench

[lancer1027]

Hi Graeme, great to see you have started again . I look forward to some pics soon .

Rob :wave:

 

[Simon Dunkley]

"All Locomotives must......."

"...be blue"?

I quite fancy doing an ETH fitted loco, but I need to do some digging to see if BR had any in 1970.

Someone correct me if I am wrong, but weren't the "generators" (D1500-D1519, later 47 401 - 47 420) fitted with ETH from the beginning?
And these were the first 20 built, weren't they?
Also D1960 and D1961 were ETH fitted from new, but I suspect with alternators.
By the time 47/4 was introduced, there were well over 100 such locos, but I am not sure when conversion started, but there are certainly 22 examples you can choose from.

 

[Pennine MC]

"...be blue"?Someone correct me if I am wrong, but weren't the "generators" (D1500-D1519, later 47 401 - 47 420) fitted with ETH from the beginning?
And these were the first 20 built, weren't they?
Also D1960 and D1961 were ETH fitted from new, but I suspect with alternators.

Oh that's right enough, I'm sure I've read it somewhere else recently   Trouble is, none of them would have been Bath Road machines.

By the time 47/4 was introduced, there were well over 100 such locos, but I am not sure when conversion started, but there are certainly 22 examples you can choose from.

The first conversions, as opposed to as-new fits, were from 1972 onwards, more or less to coincide with the early builds of Mk2 aircons. Likely WR examples listed in the D&EG Loco Directory in front of me are 1601 - 04, 1753, 1932/37/40 - 42/45/46/48/49.  Of those, 1932 was a fairly well known oddity in early blue with arrows each end, I would imagine the others would be standard blue

 

[clarky]

Thanks for the comments chaps!

You are of course spot on! - The thing is, when I said; "do some digging to see if BR had any in 1970," I meant Bath Road, rather than British Rail.

The first 20 were Eastern Region Machines (in May 1970, they were mostly based either at Finsbury Park or York (with 1500 at Immingham, I think - Odd??). 1960/61 were both D05 (Stoke Division - essentially Crewe Diesel) based locos at the time.

I think that my new one's going to have to be a steam heated one after all!!

 

[Jordan or Plymouth Mad]

...The first 20 were Eastern Region Machines (in May 1970, they were mostly based either at Finsbury Park or York ...

47 408 was named "Finsbury Park", of course, when that Depot closed in 1983. That's my sum total of knowledge about Generator Duffs..... : :-[

 

[clarky]

She certainly was named "Finsbury Park," but that was much later when British Rail realised the commercial value of naming locos and put plates on everything that moved!!!

The change of heart started in the late 1970s with the Class 50s and the 87s

Back in 1970, the only named 47s were the Western Region ones with the plates on the lower bodysides.

I remember the 'generator' 47s well, they used to work all the London to Newcastle stopping services on the ECML, with the Deltics working the fast trains.

Graeme

 

[lancer1027]

Hi Graeme, im just about to start the mod for the boiler exhaust port on 47 262. Do you have any roof shots of what it needs to look like as im not totally sure on this subject . I dont want to get it horribly wrong
Also im looking forward to some up-date pics of Bath Road with the new buildings etc 

Rob :wave:

 

[clarky]

Hi Rob

I have got some pictures, but they're all in books and so I can't copy them.

There's a very clear picture on page 54 of "Class 47 Datafile - Part 4B" which shows 1626 at Kings Cross with a boiler exhaust just like yours.

It's easy to convert. All you need to do is completely fill in the existing (square) Heljan boiler exhaust so that it's totally flush with the bolted plate that it protrudes through. Leave the bolted plate that it protrudes through, so that when you've finished, it will look just like a large rectangular plate held down with bolt heads along all it's edges.

Next, carefully remove ALL the bolt heads from the other (smaller)blanking plate (which is positioned between the one that you've just filled in and the cab to bodyshell joint). Then, mark a rectangular hole, 1mm in from all of the edges of this plate and cut this out to form your new (rectangular) exhaust. the 1mm edge is left to form the exhaust flange. 

I hope this helps

If I can be of any more help, let me know.

Graeme

 

[lancer1027]

Thanks Graeme, that will be very helpful. If i need any further help i will give you a shout. Cheers mate

Rob :wave:

 

[lancer1027]

Hi Graeme, i have managed to find a pic of 47 209 with a fairly good shot of the roof. However from the pic it shows the boiler exhaust port behind the bulkhead has some square'ish mesh over it .This pic is in the "Profile of the 47's". Is this the right sort of boiler port for 262 or is it different

Rob :wave:

 

[clarky]

Hi Rob

That's most definitely the right one!

From my list above, 1859 (47209) and 1962 (47262) both had the Universal Stones boiler.

The ones that I've seen, had the mesh further down in the exhaust, rather than visible on the roof line.

Cheers

Graeme

 

[clarky]

I've numbered the new Brush 4 Today.

Settled on 1591, which was a Cardiff based loco in May 1970.

I couldn't find a blue Bath Road machine!

1591 would have visited BR regularly, so that's good enough for me!

Graeme

 

[lancer1027]

Hi Graeme, nice to see some activity on your newly acquired 47 .
Can we have some pics and some progress pics of BBR please

Rob :wave:

 

[clarky]

You most certainly can Rob.

I'd like to get a bit more done first, so that you can see a real difference from my last ones.

I'm only just getting going again after the summer.

Pics soon! - Promise!

Graeme

 

[lancer1027]

Top lad  I look forward to them

Rob :wave:

 

[D1054]

Top lad  I look forward to them

Rob :wave:

+1 here!  I'm just working on Heljans 47 484 being turned into 47 484! (For a Club member) and an un-numbered body courtesy of "The Snapper" into 47 083 for me!

 

[lancer1027]

I to am working on my Heljan 47, 47262's boiler exhaust to be precise . Just acquired some mesh of a mates surplus steam heat mesh off his 45 ;D.

 

[Phill Dyson]

Just a thought, but didn't other regions loco's work as far as Bristol at this time & Hydraulics tended to then work services further west ? .............so 47's  from other regions would be on Bath Road ?  :scratch:

Phill  :wave:

 

[clarky]

They most certainly did Phill and I really should have a bigger spread of 47s than just Western Region machines! - You're absolutely right.

The next loco to go through the works will probably be a JLRT Peak, which I'm doing as 99 (3rd Carabinier) and will be my acceptance that there was a world outside of BR WR.

The 47 steam exhaust looks fabulous Rob!

Just the job

Graeme

 

[lancer1027]

Hi Graeme, thanks for the kind words. Would be interested in the peak build and how you motorize it Of course with plenty of pics

Rob :wave: