Centre-panelled standard class 37/0's. Other than the Tinsley batch (259 to 268) these were all originally allocated to the Western Region, but by the mid-60's some had ventured to Scotland and the North East of England. The final refined form of the design without the front end clutter due to the doors which weren't needed anyway. Welsh ones kept their frost grilles, while most had no steam heat boilers except 247, 260-268 and the Welsh boilered batch - 37175 to 37192. Re-allocations in later years took them all over the UK.

Class 37/0 splitbox photos. The original design which appeared on 119 members of the class, the headcode box split either side of the connecting doors which were never used in anger. Original allocations saw these allocated to the Anglia section of the Eastern Region and the North Eastern Region, the latter mainly for freight work. The early 1980's saw movement of many former Anglian boilered locos to the Scottish Highlands.

Swansea and points West on the main line to Fishguard Harbour and the Branches to Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock. Includes the Rhymney - Fishguard diagrams of the recent past, but see the Class 50 section for Logs to Fishguard. Also Landore open day in 85.

The transition between steam heat class 37's and the electric heat class 37/4's as the latter began to dominate workings from late '85 on the West Highland lines and early '86 out of Inverness. I miss the combination of a steam-heat 37 on a set of mark 1's and 1S07 up Cowlairs incline from Glasgow's Queen Street station, and being kicked off the Internal overnight at Inverness in the wee small hours!

These are scans from slides, and cover 1983 and 1984. See also the collections for Scotland, Wales and RUGEX's. Highlight of this section was the famous Gloucester triangle diagram Empties Canton to Gloucester, 16:50 Gloucester to Weston, 18:45 Weston - Bristol and finally the appropriate 2B37 19:45 Bristol to Cardiff!
The miners strike helped by providing plenty of otherwise spare 37s released from coal traffic - even Carmarthen had a spare 37 on hand. We always said only Arthur Scargill and the Pope could get this many Welsh 37's on passenger trains!

Days which brought out the best in British Rail - Welsh Rugby matches in Cardiff. Valley Lines played their part in later years as did the Marches line but proper Rugex's went West after the game!!! the highlight was probably 37162 to Milford Haven while 37298 (Ivor the Engine) was a more rateable thrash up Cockett in my view! A self-imposed rule in the '80's not to carry a camera if I went to the game is regretted now as I thus don't have photos of some of the best runs!

The Tyne Tees Explorer allowed us to compare the Superb Landore maintained 37180+37266 with a couple of North Eastern crates 37059+37095 with 40118 to keep the sparring groups apart. 37205 to Souhend central, 37266 up the Central Wales and a cameo from 37301 on a Kettlex.

Various slides from the Cambrian lines in that great Summer of 1985 and onwards through the Summers of 1986 and 1987. 37180 was kept away all Summer of '85 but did manage to get to Shrewsbury in '86 to watch the action one weekend. It's hard to remember now how big some of these 37's were!

One of those weekends where everything went well. I thought I'd blown it by letting 37052 go at Birmingham on the overnight to Paignton - but I was on 37189+220 at the time. I gained 10 new class 37's for haulage that weekend and this selection shows what bashing was all about. The winners in order were 37220, 37179, 37240, 37197, 37172, 37052, 37209, 37015, 37136 and 37298. Hellfire!!

37013 on a Bristol York relief should have had 37100 in a supporting role until a not very useful Saltley Seagull intervened. 1987 was also the year of the Grantham - Skegness reliefs which made a change to the Cambrians even if our overnights were frozen out by the missing glass from Derby's waiting room window! The year when real became more important than mileage! Diverts and Drop-downs!

37260 Steaming away broke the monopoly of Electric train heat in Scotland, but the addition of some snow in February increased the variety for photographs. The 18th of February meant the end of class 37's heating trains using boiling water - I'm still waiting 21 years later for a preserved class 37 to repeat the feat! Come on SRPS Gunny etc.

BR's most versatile locos except for the very low ETH index. Large logo gave way to Railfreight Triple Grey and then Big T Transrail, Mainline, Scotrail, and EWS, EW&S, Royal Scotsman, Green and Margam Special! DRS Compass is the latest -What next Yellow? I'd prefer Eastfield White stripe or plain blue! The livery doesn't matter, strange to think that they have now spent longer refurbished as ETH locos than they did as Real! I still think of the 4 batches: Eastfield 1 (401-413), Inverness (414-421), Eastfield 2 (422-425) and Canton (426-431) but that had changed by Spring 1989! Pete South said bashing 37's was like a roller coaster ride - well the ride still rolls on! I've placed these in numerical order as that is how the prints were arranged in the photo albums. For other 37/4 photos also see West Wales, Railtours & Excursions, Pathfinder's Land Cruise, General 87, and Scottish sections.

Cheaper than a full mid-life overhaul, these locos kept the diverts and drop-downs, and the EE generator. They also gained CP7 bogies like the refurbished ones which resulted in an 80 mph top speed unlike the 90 mph of the standard locos. 37350 gained celebrity status and 7 weeks of glory on Passenger trains from Bristol in May and June 1989.

A selection of scans of refurbished class 37's, these were all designed to be freight locomotives, unlike the 37/4 passenger ones and the class 37/0 which had originally been designed as mixed traffic locomotives. During the mid-life overhaul the English Electric Generator was replaced by a Brush Alternator, or a GEC one for 796-803, the 37/7's also gaining body strengthening and a few tonnes of concrete to slow them down a bit!

When Cardiff Valley Lines/ Tren y Cwm was a separate TOC and lead by Tom Clift with R.M.Kenny in a supporting roll we had some great additional services. Barry Transport Day specials and others allowed us to sample loco hauled - class 37 usually, to exotic places like Cwmbargoed, Aberdare, Merthyr and Penarth, but also Tenby, Paignton, Stratford-upon-Avon and Chester. The cab views were taken when I had an official cab pass, all I can say once again is a big thank you to Valley Lines staff and management for their help and friendliness! 'Fast Frequent and Friendly!'

Pathfinder's annual jaunts to Inverness and points North and West.
Easter 2003 saw 'The Orcadian' with 37411+418 covering the Far North line to Wick, while Easter 2004 saw the 'Lord of the Isles' routed to Kyle of Lochalsh with 37109+37174 and 37401.
2007's 'Orcadian' offering used 37406+410 and covered Wick, Thurso and Kyle, while having the 37's from Preston allowed us to sample Shap, Beattock and Druimachdair in 1 day - Superb!

SRPS Excursions, Spitfire, Kingfisher, Past Time, Pathfinder's Buffer Puffers and others. See also Valley Lines Specials and Pathfinder's Scottish Landcruise sections. The only way we get mainline thrash these days, as EWS's famous five (or is it 2 now!!) are supported by 37248 (Chitty), DRS and hopefully the Network Rail 97/3 (301 to 304!!+305??) yellow perils before too long!

Still awaiting allocation they'll stay in this holding pool until I can sort them out - whether that is simply finding the details or if they need re-scanning because they were over cropped or missed too much detail! I'll get round to them eventually - honest!

They'll stay here in this holding pool until I find a home for them all.

Their English Electric pedigree ensures some rateable thrash - none more than 40150 on 1M16 on load 13 over the Long drag. 40122 as D200 kept the flag flying for many a year.

The final year of loco hauled trains on the daytime Cardiff to Fishguard Harbour service saw class 50's instead of class 37 haulage. I also sampled the class over most routes on the Western Region as well as Portsmouth to Waterloo and the Marches and the relevant photos will be located here. 500 of these and only 50 duffs would have been better!

The trains go slower and the mileage is less but the day's out can be great. Diesel Galas or individual trips at well maintained locations like Toddington or Oxenhope remind us of the old days. I must thank those volunteers who maintain the preserved lines so we have somewhere to run our favourite locos in the 21st century.

This is where the seminars, and other similar photographs are to be found. Remember, if you're on a 37 tour you could well end up here.

Coal traffic in the East Midlands, Summer passengers ervices to Skegness, and some rare ones in Scotland, but they usually went round in pairs. Bombs, Choppers or Wardrobes at least they were English Electric.

Brush Type 2s. Overweight and underpowered they at least had been re-engined with a derated version of EE 12SVT. Goyles Peds or Brians, in the early 80's they'd let them out on the ECML singly on load 12, while in 88 they went to Paignton (sometimes) while we suffered Pwllheli on type 3s - madness!

Spitfire's Christmas Cracker and pathfinder's Industrious Trader. Some more class 37 haulage

Love 'em or loath 'em, I think the railway landscape is poorer for their passing - at least when the trains were loco hauled you could always hope the duff / spoon / strummer would fail, especially if they were under virgin's cross-country franchise.

The Southern Region's answer to type 3s, which spread their wings to replace steam heat on the Western Region in the early 80's. See also West Wales, South Wales etc

Needing the line I leapt to Hendon to get the Farringdon to Moorgate line before it closes in March. Overhead problems at Farringdon in the morning meant I had to wait until the evening peak to cover the line. Shame no 37s to this London Terminus!!

Another Pathfinder Easter Landcruise jaunt, this time based on Fort William rather than Inverness. Unfortunately problems with 37406 who's engine seized at Grayrigg caused a few problems and dampened spirits, but an enjoyable weekend nonetheless.