if the 350bhp diesel shunter had not been invented....

Radyr had an 08 turn, during 1973, that was a full shift, covering Pontypridd goods yard, Treforest coal yard, & Treforest estate. It went up as far as Maesmawr, on the up relief, and then joined the up main to Pontypridd. You had to allow about 15 minutes for the train to get to Pontypridd up loop, and that was a long time for occupation, which was normally about 6 minutes. On the downward direction, it was always turned in at Maesmawr, regardless of traffic requirments at Treforest Estate. I seem to remember that it took about another 18 minutes to reach Walnut Tree Junction (Taffs Well), where it would go over to the down relief.

Regards,
Ian.

 

I seem to remember that it used to be a 16xx pannier turn, due to axle loading in Treforest Estate. The coal yard at Treforest was formed up on the old up relief line, running back from Pontypridd up loop. I can remember Glamorgan County Council having salt delivered to Pontypridd Goods yard, with a class 40, and about 60 vac fitted 5 plank wagons, ex Shrewsbury. He took a pilotman from Canton, and the train was split in Ponty's up loop, as it was too long to be accepted into the goods yard. The regular parcels turn to/from Pontypridd was a class 25.

Don't think I would have liked to have seen a 37 venture down to Treforest Estate!

Regards,
Ian

 

From memory, I think you will find that most DE shunters were geared for a maximum of 20 mph.

 

All 08 shunters that I've worked on were restricted to 15m.p.h. There is a clear red line on the 15mph graduation on the speedo. From my memory, although I never worked on one, the 09 was resticted to 27 1/2 m.p.h.

 

It is specifically the 94XX's that were supposedly unnecessary, the 57xx's and 16xx's were indeed up to date replacements for Victorian panniers. You'd have expected rather less of them to be required as they would spend less time in works etc. BR tried several ways to find uses for the 94XX's, but as I said earlier many of them were hardly used at all - I imagine if a 57XX was available and could be used it was. And the other regions never were keen on transfers from the GW - too many non-standard details.

There was a good article on them (the 94XX's) in Bylines (I think) about two years ago.

 

Didn't 57xx tanks work empty stock from Clampham yard to Waterloo towards the end of steam?