grumpy's trains
EM2 at Sheffield Victoria
Seven class EM2 Co-Co electric locos were built at BR's Gorton Works in 1953/4 to operate passenger services between Manchester (London Road) and Sheffield (Victoria) over the Woodhead route following its electrification at 1500v DC.
When built, they were painted in a lined black livery, but this was later replaced by Brunswick Green; some - including 27004 'Juno', seen here at Sheffield Victoria - went on to receive a blue livery, the colour being similar to that applied to the initial fleet of electric locos acquired for the WCML 25kv AC electrification scheme.
This image has been scanned from an undated 35mm slide, and my best guess is that it was taken on a Friday afternoon late in 1966 or early in 1967. However, I'm unsure about this as the loco does not carry a yellow warning panel, nor does it seem to have had the 'E' prefix added to its number.
These locos weren't really suitable for the Woodhead route; they had a rating of just under 2500bhp and a top speed of 90mph - much to much for hauling short trains over a route which - according to Beeching's second report - had a maximum speed of 60mph. The smaller class EM1 (class 76) Bo-Bos were more than adequate for this service, and I wasn't surprised when the EM2s were all withdrawn in about 1968 and subsequently sold to NS for further use in Holland.
EM2 at Sheffield Victoria
Seven class EM2 Co-Co electric locos were built at BR's Gorton Works in 1953/4 to operate passenger services between Manchester (London Road) and Sheffield (Victoria) over the Woodhead route following its electrification at 1500v DC.
When built, they were painted in a lined black livery, but this was later replaced by Brunswick Green; some - including 27004 'Juno', seen here at Sheffield Victoria - went on to receive a blue livery, the colour being similar to that applied to the initial fleet of electric locos acquired for the WCML 25kv AC electrification scheme.
This image has been scanned from an undated 35mm slide, and my best guess is that it was taken on a Friday afternoon late in 1966 or early in 1967. However, I'm unsure about this as the loco does not carry a yellow warning panel, nor does it seem to have had the 'E' prefix added to its number.
These locos weren't really suitable for the Woodhead route; they had a rating of just under 2500bhp and a top speed of 90mph - much to much for hauling short trains over a route which - according to Beeching's second report - had a maximum speed of 60mph. The smaller class EM1 (class 76) Bo-Bos were more than adequate for this service, and I wasn't surprised when the EM2s were all withdrawn in about 1968 and subsequently sold to NS for further use in Holland.