A ‘37’ AT 60

One of the oldest Class 37s has just celebrated its 60th anniversary at the Great Central Railway, the Heavy Tractor Group’s No. 37714 being the 25th-built member of the f leet but the 11th-oldest survivor, as Paul Bickerdyke discovers.

DESPITE its high number within the fleet, No. 37714 is actually one of the oldest Class 37s and on August 21 celebrated its 60th anniversary with a special day of running at the Great Central Railway. The first English Electric Type 3 No. D6700 (later Class 37 No. 37119/ 37350) had entered traffic on December 2, 1960, but No. 37714 followed just eight months later on August 25, 1961 as the 25th member of the class No. D6724. Like many of its hard-working and versatile classmates, the Series 1 machine (those built with a split headcode box) enjoyed a varied career around the country, spending time allocated to depots such as Stratford, Thornaby, Motherwell and Cardiff Canton. It became No. 37024 in 1974 under the TOPS renumbering scheme before being chosen as one of the refurbished ‘heavyweight’ fleet in 1988, which saw its headcode boxes replaced with a flat cab nose and central marker lights.

Beefed-up

British Rail had decided to refurbish its Class 37s in the mid-1980s as they were then a ‘mid-life’ 20-25 years old (even though some are still going on the main line today at 60!). This programme created a number of new sub-classes, one of which was the Class 37/7. These were given extra ballast weight to provide greater starting tractive effort for heavy freight work, the locos weighing in at 120 tonnes versus around 100 tonnes for a standard ‘37’. Class 37/7 locos chosen from the Series 1 fleet (the former Nos. 37001-119) were renumbered upwards from No. 37701, while those from the Series 2 fleet (former centreheadcode Nos. 37120-308) were renumbered downwards from No. 37899. These all had Brush electrical equipment, but a further eight refurbished locos were fitted with alternative GEC electricals, becoming Nos. 37796-799 (Series 1) and 37800-803 (Series 2) in the process. A total of 44 locos were eventually converted to Class 37/7: 23 from Series 1 and 21 from Series 2 (including the four from each series fitted with GEC equipment). Typical duties for them included steel trains around South Wales and the North East, as well as coal trains in the South Wales Valleys. By the time they passed into EWS ownership in 1996, however, many of their dedicated duties had been taken over by Classes 56 and 60, which were themselves displaced by new Class 66s from 1998.

“Typical duties for them included steel trains around South Wales and the North East, as well as coal trains in the South Wales Valleys.”

Home and away

No. 37714 was briefly named Thornaby TMD from late 1992 to early 1993 during its time at the Teesside depot, then after passing into EWS ownership it received the operator’s red and gold livery in 1997. After being stored in October 2000, a new life beckoned working on railway infrastructure projects in Spain, being sent there at the end of May 2001 sporting GIF light blue livery – initially as No. L031, but then becoming No. L26.

It was repatriated to Britain via the Channel Tunnel in August 2012, becoming part of the DRS fleet a year later in August 2013 and finding use as a ‘super shunter’ at Daventry International Railfreight Terminal (DIRFT) from November that year alongside classmate No. 37703.

Using a heavyweight ‘37/7’ for shunting duties was never going to be ideal, however, which led to it being returned to Barrow Hill in November 2015 for attention, and while

there visited the Great Central Railway in March 2016 as a star guest at the line’s spring diesel gala.

It was here that the Heavyweight Tractor Group became involved. DRS had considered putting the loco up for sale, but decided to loan it out to preservation instead. The HTG was formed specially to take care of

No. 37714, and a loan deal was arranged that eventually led on to the group acquiring the loco at the end of 2017.

Life in preservation

Whilst still on loan at the end of 2016, the HTG took the loco by road to Loram, Derby, to be painted back into the triple grey livery it had received in 1988, the ‘newold’ look being publicly launched at the

Great Central Railway’s spring diesel gala in March 2017.

The group found the loco to be generally in good condition; some work was needed on the injectors, but the engine, bogies and bodywork were essentially sound. One bonus, especially for its use at the GCR, was the discovery that the vacuum brake equipment was all still in place. BR usually removed this in the 1980s refurbishment programme, the locos being returned to service with air brakes only. But on No. 37714 the vacuum brake system was simply isolated and the gauges painted over – probably left in place on purpose as part of the extra ballast weight added to the ‘37/7s’ – and it was a relatively straightforward matter to make it operational again.

The loco was officially named Cardiff Canton at Loughborough GCR on March 17, 2017 along with a plaque dedicating the loco to the memory of Paul Fairfax, who was instrumental in the introduction of the Class 37/7 sub-class to the South Wales depot in the late-1980s.

The loco has been based at the GCR ever since, its extra weight making it more expensive to transport by road to other lines. Longer-term, however, there is the prospect of more cost-effective movement by rail once the GCR and GCR(Nottingham) – the latter now renamed the Nottingham Heritage Railway – are reconnected via the reinstated bridge over the Midland Main Line and the main line connection at the northern end.

A true survivor

Of the first 25 Class 37s built, 14 have been scrapped (Nos. 37001/37707, 37002/37351, 37004, 37006/37798,

37008, 37010, 37011, 37012, 37013, 37014/37709, 37015/37341, 37019, 37020/37702, 37021/37715); six have been preserved (Nos. D6700/37119, 37003, 37009/37340, 37017/37503, 37023, 37034/37714); and five are still owned by main line operators (Nos. 37005/37601, 37007/37604, 37016/37706, 37018/37517, 37022/37608). This means No. 37714 is the 11th oldest surviving Class 37 and the sixth oldest in preservation.

Of the 44 refurbished Class 37/7 ‘Heavyweight’ fleet, just seven survive – five Series 1 locos (Nos. 37703, 37706, 37712, 37714, 37716) and two Series 2 (Nos. 37800, 37884). No. 37714 is the thus second oldest of these after No. 37706 (the former No. D6716/37016). ■

PAUL BICKERDYKE Above: The HTG’s No. 37714 at Loughborough Central on August 21, as the group celebrated the loco’s 60th anniversary with a special running day at the GCR.

Inset: Close-up on the anniversary headboard.

JOHN FORD/COLLECTION DAVID FORD No. 37714 began life as green-liveried No. D6724, the 25th-built EE Type 3 in August 1961. Five years later in October 1966, the split-box Series 1 machine is pictured in this superb period shot heading the 12.00pm Newcastle to Lincoln train at Chaloners Whin Junction, south of York.

Although carrying Metals sector decals, No. 37714 is pictured passing Lincoln on July 15, 1993 with a westbound tanker train from Lindsey Oil Refinery.

Class 37-hauled passenger trains were rare in Cornwall, but No. 37024 famously made it all the way to Penzance on July 27, 1985 after working throughout on the 1V32/10.30 relief train from York. It is pictured at the Cornish terminus having run round, and would work the train back north again the following day.

HAWTHORNE COLLECTION The loco received BR blue livery and was renumbered under TOPS as No. 37024 in February 1974 – it being pictured in July 1981 receiving attention at Doncaster Works.

BRIAN HALL Right: After its return from Daventry to Barrow Hill, the opportunity was taken to use the loco in the GCR’s spring diesel gala in 2016 – when it is pictured at Kinchley Lane on March 20 heading south from Loughborough Central to Leicester North.

CREATIVE COMMONS/FOULGER RAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHY Above: After being retired by EWS, the loco was sent to work in Spain as GIF No. L26, returning in August 2012 and seen the following month on September 15 (behind the traffic sign) awaiting onward movement at Dollands Moor yard, Kent. The full line-up was (from left) Nos. 37800 (nose just visible), 37884, 37714 and 37718, with Nos. 37703 and 37716 out of shot.

CREATIVE COMMONS/TERRY FOULGER/FOULGER RAILWAY PHOTOGRAPHY The loco was refurbished in 1988 and left Crewe Works that October as ‘Heavyweight’ Class 37/7 No. 37714 in the Trainload Metals sector. On January 2, 1993 it is pictured paired with No. 37884 at Redmire, North Yorkshire, having arrived with HRT’s ‘Wensleydale Lament’ tour from King’s Cross.

Privatisation in the mid-1990s saw the loco pass to EWS ownership, with a repaint into the company’s red and gold livery following in 1997, as pictured at Immingham depot on November 11, 1998.

No. 37714 spent autumn 2013 at Barrow Hill, being pictured there after a repaint into a basic version of DRS blue livery ahead of a move to Daventry International Railfreight Terminal for use as a ‘super shunter’ from November 2013 until November 2015.

HTG The end of 2017 saw the HTG acquire the on-loan loco from DRS, members of the group pictured at Loughborough on December 22 for the formal handover.

Left: After the GCR gala in 2016, DRS loaned No. 37714 to the care of the specially-formed Heavy Traction Group, which took it to Loram in Derby at the end of the year for a repaint into Railfreight triple-grey livery. The Type 3 is pictured at Loram sporting branding by Morris Lubricants, which helped sponsor the work.

By March 4, 2017 the loco had been transformed into its new retro-look, complete with Metals sector decals. Note the spacing on the loco’s number, which had yet to be rectified. Its Cardiff Canton nameplates are also already in place, but official naming was to follow.

The first public outing in grey livery was at the GCR’s spring gala in 2017 – it seen approaching Rothley with a southbound working on March 18.

A cab view from the secondman’s seat as No. 37714 approaches Rothley from the south on August 21.

PAUL BICKERDYKE A view of the cab on August 21 as the driver prepares to depart Leicester North during the running day to celebrate the loco’s 60th anniversary.