LICKEY BANKERS
STEAM banking up the 1-in-37 Lickey incline, to the north of Bromsgrove, gave way to diesels in 1964 and initially it was EE Type 3 (Class 37s) that took over. However, in August 1967, ‘Hymeks’ Nos. 7021-25 were allocated to Worcester for use as bankers – used alone, in pairs, or sometimes as triples, depending on the load. The locos were specially adapted by having their first gear locked out. This was because the first to second gear change was set to occur at 26mph, which was a typical speed up the incline, and locking out the first gear prevented excess wear of the transmission due to hunting between first and second gear under power.