British Rail Class 76

The lead model, LNER No. 6701, was built at Doncaster Works by Nigel Grezley in 1941, but because of World War II, the electrification of the Woodhead line and the release of 69 production units were delayed. The prototype was tested on LNER lines electrified with 1500 V DC, but did not work on long routes until 1947, when it was leased to Nederlandse Spoorwegen , which lacked locomotives after the war. In September 1945, LNER assigned the locomotive type EM1 (Electric Mixed-Traffic 1 - “electric mixed type”).

In June 1946, the prototype was numbered 6000. From 1947 to 1952, he worked on the Dutch railways while electrifying the Woodhead line. In the Netherlands, the locomotive received the nickname " Tommy ", which was worn by British soldiers . The plate with the nickname was fixed on the locomotive, the explanation was also given there: "This nickname was given by the drivers of the Dutch state railway, which rented the locomotive from 1947 to 1952." After the formation of the British Railways, the locomotive was renumbered 26,000.

Initially, a Westinghouse air brake and an air and vacuum brake system for the train were installed on the locomotive. When operating in the Netherlands, vacuum brake equipment was turned off. Upon returning to the UK, the vacuum brakes were returned to work, and the air brake system for the composition was removed.

The 26000 Tommy was used along with other EM1 type locomotives until 1970, when passenger traffic on the Woodhead Line was discontinued. Due to the excess of locomotives for freight transportation, in March 1970 the Tommy was decommissioned and scrapped two years later at Crewe Works ^[2] .

During operation in the Netherlands, it was found that the design of the trolleys does not provide comfortable movement at high speed. To eliminate the deficiency, buffers were installed on the carts, and they themselves are interconnected. Also, the drivers noted the tightness of the cabin and poor visibility.

In 1950-1953, the Gorton Locomotive Works in Manchester built 57 locomotives for an improved design. They were also classified as EM1 ^[3] . Darlington Works was supposed to build another 24 copies, but the order was canceled. Electrical equipment was supplied by Metropolitan-Vickers, which completed the assembly of locomotives at Dukinfield Works. After the introduction of the TOPS classification system on March 28, 1968, the locomotive type was designated Class 76.

The locomotive is equipped with two diamond-shaped pantographs . At some points on the Woodhead line, especially in the immediate vicinity of the engine columns, the contact network was stretched at a height of more than 6 m, and in order to maintain contact, pantographs had to rise to the limit. On the Woodhead line, both pantographs of the locomotive were usually used.

The locomotive was mainly intended for freight traffic, but also regularly carried out passenger ones. Driving of passenger trains became more frequent in 1968, after the sale of Class 77 locomotives to the Netherlands. Fourteen locomotives (No. 26020, No. 26046-26057) were equipped with a steam generator for heating the train. Thirteen of them received the names of ancient Greek characters. Names were removed in 1970 after the termination of passenger traffic in January.

Essex Work

The first section of the Woodhead line from Manchester to Sheffield - between Dunford Bridge and Wat - was not electrified until February 4, 1952. At the same time, the line from Liverpool Street to Sheffield Station was electrified with a direct current of 1500 V in September 1949, so on October 27, 1950 the first two locomotives, No. 26001 and No. 26002, were sent to Ilford Depot in Essex for testing. At the beginning of 1951, they were joined by No. 26003-26010. During the tests, locomotives drove a lot of trains, passenger and freight, and passed the test of regenerative braking system at Brentwood station, where there was a slope of 1: 103 (0.97%). In June 1951, all ten locomotives were sent for further testing north to Wat, where the contact network was recently put into operation ^{[5] [6]} .

Brakes and steering

The locomotives were equipped with air brakes ^[7] and a regenerative braking system. The latter could only be used at speeds between 25 and 90 km / h. At the same time, the engines of the locomotive worked in the generator mode and gave the current back to the network, for example, during a long descent on both sides of the Woodhead Tunnel , thus helping trains that were lifting at that moment ^[8] . Later, a rheostatic braking system was installed on the locomotives as an additional safety measure. This system worked efficiently at speeds below 32 km / h. To inhibit the composition, a vacuum system was used. Since November 1968, thirty of the locomotives were modified to be able to use many units in the system ^[9] . Its capabilities have been actively used since January 1970, when the so-called "roundabout" of coal trains from South Yorkshire was introduced to the Fiddlers Ferry power station near Widnes . Two Class 76 couplings worked on the route, which were additionally added to two more on the rise of the Warsborough between Wobwell and Silkstone. In the 1970s, these trains became the main traction of the Woodhead Line ^[10] . Locomotives equipped with a system of many units also received an air system for braking trains, and the last nine simultaneously had a vacuum system dismantled. To communicate the drivers of the lead and slave locomotives, the Clearcall system was introduced, which transmitted the signal through the contact wire ^[11] . An early version of this system was tested on six locomotives in the late 1950s, but was eventually found to be unsatisfactory, the tests ended on May 26, 1960. Outside the Woodhead Line, west of Manchester, coal trains for the Fiddlers Ferry power station were driven by diesel locomotives.

Coloring

On delivery, the locomotive is painted black. Since the late 1950s, Brunswick green has been used for painting with the addition of small yellow warning stripes at the ends. From the late 1960s through to decommissioning, Class 76 was painted blue (British Rail monastral blue) with yellow ends.

The fate of Class 76 was inextricably linked with the fate of the Woodhead line. The reduction in freight traffic and the end of passenger traffic led to the early decommissioning of several locomotives.

In the late 1970s, these electric locomotives were one of the oldest in operation, due to the high reliability inherent in the design. But the need for a type change in the future became apparent. However, following the closure of the Woodhead line between Hadfield in the west and Penistone in the east in July 1981, it removed all remaining locomotives of this type from the lines.

Class 76 has proven itself over the years of service thanks to a successful design and quality service at the Reddish and Wat depot. At the time of decommissioning, most locomotives were in good condition. After decommissioning, all locomotives, except one, were scrapped, most were dismantled at Rotherham. The surviving copy is in the National Railway Museum in York .

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  Motion controls

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  Governing bodies and devices

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  Trolley connection

Saving

One copy of the Class 76 electric locomotive, No. 26020, is kept at the National Railway Museum . A cabin from another locomotive, No. 76039 Hector, is located at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

Locomotive No. 26020 (later No. 76020) was chosen for preservation because it had a special detail: its handrails are made of stainless steel , since the locomotive was intended for the Festival of Britain . In the 1950s, he opened a route through the new Woodhead Tunnel. Currently, stainless handrails are painted over.

The lateral part of the cabin from No. 76039 "Hector" and the door from No. 76051 are in original condition stored at the Depot Barrow Hill Museum.

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  No. 26020 at the National Railroad Museum in York

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  Cabin No. 76039 at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester

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  Parts No. 76051 at the Barrow Hill Depot

Class 76 was produced at scale by Silver Fox Models ^[12] .

• Boddy, MG; Fry, EV; Hennigan, W .; Hoole, Ken; Mallaband, Peter; Neve, E .; Price, JH; Proud, P .; Yeadon, WB (April 1990). Fry, EV, ed. Locomotives of the LNER, part 10B: Railcars and Electric Stock. Lincoln: RCTS. ISBN 0-901115-66-5 .
• Strickland, David C. (September 1983). Locomotive Directory: Every Single One There Has Ever Been. Camberley, Surrey: Diesel and Electric Group. ISBN 978-0-9063-7510-5 . OCLC 16601890
• BR Main Line Gradient Profiles: The Age of Steam. - Hersham: Ian Allan , January 2003. - ISBN 0301 / A.

• Hooper, John. EM1 & EM2: An Illustrated Historical Review of the Manchester, Sheffield, Wath, Electric Locomotives - 76s & 77s. - Book Law Publications, 2014 .-- ISBN 9781909625198 .
• McManus, Michael. Ultimate Allocations, British Railways Locomotives 1948 - 1968. - Wirral. Michael McManus
• Bellass, Eddie. Reddish convoys roll ( unopened ) // Rail Enthusiast . - EMAP National Publications, 1983. - May. - S. 17 . - ISSN 0262-561X .
• Clough, David N. The dream that faded (neopr.) // Rail Enthusiast . - EMAP National Publications, 1983. - June. - S. 30-35 . - ISSN 0262-561X .

• EM1s: The Locomotives The Woodhead Site
• The LNER Electric Bo-Bo Class EM1 (BR Class 76) Locomotives LNER Encyclopedia
• Electric Locomotive Equipment for the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath Line - British Railways Railways Archive