£28.99
Stephen Marshall & Roger Geach
Publication Date: 2019
Format & Edition: Hardback, First Edition
Pagination: 147 Pages, 150 Illustrations
Condition: New
Genre: Diesel & Electric Locomotives
Status: Available
Synopsis
Class 37s in the Far West by Stephen Marshall and Roger Geach.
There were over 300 English Electric Type 3 locomotives built from 960 onwards, later known as Class 37. They were not seen regularly in the far West Country until the 1970s.
This book tells the story of the class 37s working in the West Country on the freight and passenger services west of Taunton and Yeovil Junction. Freight Traffic was the reason the locomotives were first sent west and particularly the clay trains in Cornwall. Later they were used on other flows including oil services, coal, infrastructure, cement, Speedlink and the stone trains from Meldon Quarry. Use on passenger service was unpredictable covering for failures or hauling relief services. However many different class 37s have worked passenger services in Devon and Cornwall and we list all known workings by the class in a separate table in both date and locomotive numerical order.
Stephen Marshall and Roger Geach recall some of the trials and tribulations of attempting to ride behind the class in the west. Photographic coverage is extensive recording passenger, high-speed train drags, Railtours, freight workings and even the annual weed killer services on branch lines.
There are over 150 different full colour images which date from the nineteen seventies through the eighties and nineties into the millennium. As well as the local-based engines we also show some of the visitors to the Region. We list the locomotives that were allocated to Plymouth Laira depot. Different liveries are shown from the rail blue era through to the Railfreight grey era.
This book should be of interest to local historians; anyone interested in the West Country Railway, Class 37 enthusiasts as well as modellers who wish to study train consists and views from the past.