S15 825

Ive just been browsing some photos on the internet and i was curious to notice that S15 825 has what appear to be 2 pipe fittings on a bracket underneath the left hand side on both the front and rear buffer beams.

These look suspiciously like air brake pipes but without the valves/hoses attatched.

this is a picture taken in 2004 and the loco doesnt appear to have them

http://morebloodytrains.fotopic.net/p10362547.html

These are pictures from this year show these pipe ends/brackets

http://william.fotopic.net/p55846681.html Tender
http://sam.fotopic.net/p55644828.html engine

Is this part of an airbrake system being progressively fitted to the engine? or possible through piping to allow it to work/be rescued by a mainline engine so fitted?

The big question im asking: Is the engine being upgraded to work on the national network as a whole and not just on the Whitby branch? I.e fitting of air brake equipment, OTMR etc?

If not what is the point in adding these pipes?

Answers greatfully recieved

 

You're right about the brackets being for air brake pipes. I think that there was a plan to through pipe it to enable it to travel over Network Rail if requird but I don't think it is on the agenda at the moment. I've never heard of any plan to fit full air braking. Will ask the question next time I'm around if I remember.

 

if u look closely there is pipe's on the loco for air brakes

 

Presumably you mean "white pipe" + main res, not air brake?

As Steve says above, I've never heard of a plan for wider mainline certification. Wouldn't be easy to get either (or any running if you did), due to low maximum permitted speed. The Essex Loco Group have been kind enough to fit their engine with TPWS, etc., to allow this Moors based loco to be used on Whitby services. I can't see the need for "through pipes" if she's only working on the branch. We've got to have a designated T'bird loco, (ie D7541 normally), all of which are Vac braked. All nearer than any EWS, etc locos too.

 

Think you would find it quicker to get a rescue loco from Thurso or Penzance than get D7541 removed from the siding,repaired,TPWS fitted,certified and to Whitby.
D7628 is a much more effective thunderbird.

 

Never ask an NYMR driver to tell the difference between twp similar or similarly numbered locos - prime example was when the driver for one of the Bullieds (34027 or 34072) turned up to oil up to find the rostered driver of the other one (34072 or 34027) had already done it having had a bit of a Duty Board Reading failure!

 

Thanks for the replies chaps much appreciated

Surely an S15 would be like a black 5 speed wise 60mph? i would have thought gauging would be more of an issue.

If there is no wider plan to upgrade her to mainline running what is the point in the time and expense invested in fitting this pipework? As you have said the NYMR had a Vac braked rescue loco and im assuming the stock is vac only. Just seems a bit bewildering. I would love to see an S15 available for mainline running.

828 to Holyhead was a bit of a monster.

 

Sorry, I got mixed up. 7541 is now the local site of Special Scientific Interest, due to the interesting species of moss and lichen growing on it.

 

When 828 was mainline Matt she was limited to 60mph running.

 

Thanks Shoddy thought this was the case. Did you experience any problems with getting paths for her? Were there any gauging issues?

 

Wasnt old enough to be involved at the time support crew wise. Dont think there were any problems though as she went all over the place.

 

777 has recently had gauging problems, and has been refused a number of trips around the Southern Region. As far as I can tell, the problem is platform edge clearence. Last time she went through Culham she was down to walking pace, same as a Hall. Her cab profile is pretty conservative and locos with larger cabs (e.g. Duchess of Sutherland, Nunney Castle) rattle through there unchecked. The main difference between an N15/King Arthur and an S15 is the wheel diameter. The S15's wheels are smaller so the cylinders will be lower, so I expect an S15 will have more problems with platforms than an N15. The other problem that I've heard mentioned with S15s is hammer blow and associated rough riding. IIRC, they had a few bridge speed limits imposed in the "good old days".

 

I asked the loco owners rep today and was told that there is no present intention to complete the work of through piping, which was startd wityh the possibility of use elsewhere. If a 'customer' came along and wanted the loco for use elsewhere on Network Rail (beyond Battersby) they would look at the business case and the costs of completing the work.

 

What do you think of the S15 Steve? I missed working on Bluebell's 847 by six months.

How does it compare to, say, a Black 5?

 

Well, apart from the fact that you can't really sit down to drive the thing and the regulator really only has three positons: shut, small valve open (which does nothing) and big valve fully open I reckon that it is pretty damn good. Like a Black 5, I've never known anyone be short of steam on our S15. It is crude but definitely does the job and has more brute force than a black 5. The sands are a major let-down. Gravity sands on the front wheels are Ok but you've only got the tender sands for reverse running and they are usually either empty because someone has knocked the lever open or blocked because the pipe is full of damp sand. Oh, and not much fun running tender first in a snow storm!