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The LMS
Dynamometer car No:1 M45050 was built by the L&Y in 1912 and was used by
the Testing Section at RTC until about 1970.
It is preserved at MRC, Butterley and has
been restored to its original condition - have a look
here for
more information and pictures |
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Here it is in
2009 in its 1938 condition after having been restored by the Princess
Royal Class Locomotive Trust at Swanwick. Look
here for more information and photographs
PRCLT |
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The first
conversion to a Test Car carried out at RTC was a
former BR/GWR autocoach built by BR in Swindon to Diagram A38, Lot 1736
and was formerly number W233W. It was re-numbered DW150375 not
long after its arrival at RTC. Originally in maroon livery it was
re-painted and equipped with a hand-cranked generator set and became
Test Car 1. Later a more permanent conversion was undertaken. It is
pictured on a test train in RTC yard with two BSC bogie tippler wagons
circa 1972 |
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Test Car 1 - note
its original GW bogies and long elegant buffers - on a test train with a
35t hopper. Also note the headcode on the class 47 - 1T 21 - a favourite at
the time.
Author |
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Test Car 1 was
repainted into
chocolate and cream for the GW150 celebrations in 1985 although it never
carried this livery as an autocoach. Note that it
now has B4 bogies and very much altered buffers. Another picture has
come to light on Neale Harrison's Fotopic site of TC1 outside the Loco
Works in chocolate and cream
here. Look
under '35mm slide scans' at the RH middle of the second page. |
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LMS Dynamometer
car No:2 numbered M45051 and pictured at Derby in 1949- not sure what
happened to this |
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Pictured in
crimson and cream BR livery this is the Thompson-designed ex-LNER Dynamometer Car
DE320041, completed in 1951. |
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Renumbered
DB999500 and now in maroon livery the vehicle later became Test Car 2
when transferred to the DM&EE at the RTC. It is not certain but it was
probably re-painted into the red and blue livery of the departmental
test vehicles and re-numbered ADB999500. It had an
unfortunate demise in an accident on the Crewe - Winsford slip brake
testing work in the mid-1970's when the vehicle under test failed to
stop and collided with the Test Car at low speed. Fortunately nobody was
seriously injured, just shaken but the vehicle suffered irreparable
damage. It was dumped at Crewe
Coal yard for a number of months before being cut up on site.
|
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The second Test
Car 2 ADB 975397 in the EDU around 1990 was converted from a Mk1 BSK. |
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Another view of
Test Car 2 ADB 975397 in the workshop |
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Test Car 2
ADB975397 pictured at Crewe station on 10th August 1992 on what appears
to be a slip and brake test train.
Simeon Gaskill |
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TC2 in its new
Serco livery in 1998 - it is now retired and is resident at Ruddington
Heritage Centre, Nottingham. Note the incorrect number 976397 which
should be 975397 |
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Test Car 3 was
the former LMS dynamometer Car No:3 M45049 built during the war and is now part of the National
Collection. |
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The interior of
M45049 as built |
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Test Car 3
pictured in the prototype HST formation on its first test run from Derby
in February 1973. By this date the vehicle had been repainted into the
corporate department test vehicle livery of red and blue.
Author |
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Dynamometer Car
No:3 cosmetically restored and pictured at Barrow Hill, Chesterfield on
16th February 2006 Martin
Barnsdall |
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BR Western
Region Dynamometer Car -
Built at Swindon in 1947 as a third class corridor carriage to a design
by F W Hawksworth, on lot number 1691, this vehicle originally carried
the number W796W and is pictured here when freshly outshopped at Swindon. |
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It was withdrawn
from service and extensively converted in 1961 to become the BR Western
Region Dynamometer Car, renumbered as DW150192. |
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Look
here for a
colour picture in chocolate and cream on Ron Fisher's Fotopic site when
new. It became Test Car 4 when
transferred to the RTC and was re-painted from chocolate and cream to
blue and red much to the disgust of the ex-Swindon engineers |
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Prototype Brush diesel
No:1200 'Falcon' with the Western Region Dynamometer Car in chocolate and
cream livery somewhere on the old GWR in the early 1960's. On the
completion of the RTC and the formation of the DM&EE the vehicle was transferred to Derby to become
Test Car 4.
Unknown |
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The Western
Region Dynamometer Car pictured on the Lickey Bank with a 600 ton test
train hauled by Brush prototype locomotive 'Falcon' in February 1962
Brush Traction |
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Prototype BC&W diesel
No:D0280 'Lion' with the Western Region Dynamometer Car in
chocolate and cream livery just north of Bromsgrove Station at the
bottom of the Lickey Incline in August 1962
AEI/Brian Webb Collection |
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Test Car 4 now
in red and blue livery pictured in the EDU being rigged for a test on 2nd April
1982.
Colin Marsden |
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Test Car 4 pictured at Crewe Basford Hall sidings in
1972 After de-commissioning, it was purchased privately for preservation in 1983 and moved
to the Foxfield Railway the same year, but subsequently sold to the
group restoring BR 4-6-2 71000 "Duke of Gloucester", as a support coach
and is currently resident at Steamtown, Carnforth.
Unfortunately
it is now reported as being in a poor condition having being stored
outside at Carnforth since 1994
Author |
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The later Mk3
version of Test Car 4 behind a class 47 at the test track in 1999. This
was originally part of the prototype HST (originally E10000 then
W40000), then it was converted into R&DD Lab Coach 15 'Argus' and later
became DM&EE's Test Car 4.
Test Car 4
RDB975984 was to have been scrapped in early
2003 but was rescued and now forms part of the New Measurement Train -
below
Author |
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RDB975984 is now part of the NMT - pictured
here near Wingfield, north of Ambergate on 11th May 2006
Author |
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TC4 as Lab Coach 15 ' Argus'
in R&DD
livery and numbered RDB975984. It was finally transferred
to the DM&EE. Here is 'Argus' at Eastleigh on 21st July 1987 on what
looks like a gauging test.
Neil Walkling |
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Test Car 4 in
Serco livery at Crewe ETD in 3rd May 1997
© Vince |
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Inside Test Car
4.
Author |
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The first Test Car 5 was
converted from a BSK and numbered ADB975051. It is pictured in the loop at the top of the RTC yard
when new on 22nd December 1972. It is still in existence at Peak Rail in
Rowsley where it was moved in May 2007. However it has had a hard life,
since being disposed of by the DM&EE, having all its windows welded up and was
used for a long time in the Crewe Works test train fleet.
See here for a
recent photo |
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The second Test Car 5 was
the former R&DD Lab 6 'Prometheus'.
numbered RDB975422 This was converted from a
Mk1 SK W34875 in 1975 but has now been scrapped. |
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Test Car 6
was converted at RTC from a Mk2C coach and renumbered RDB975290.
Pictured at the RTC in 1982 Colin
Marsden |
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Pictured on a
class 92 test train TC6 is shown here on 7th September 1994 at Carlisle
Upperby Simeon Gaskill |
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Test
Car 6 in Sangatte, France in January 1994. |
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Test Car 6 pictured
at Glenfinnan
behind a class 37 loco fitted with the 'self-steering bogie' |
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Class 89 at Old
Dalby with Test Car 10, another Mk3 coach conversion from the
prototype HST, in tow with
R&DD's test coach Lab 6 'Prometheus' |
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The overhead
line test vehicle MENTOR ADB975071, which was normally based St Andrew's
Wharf, Derby, near the CM&EE offices at Nelson Street, was operated by the Testing Section
for a while in the mid 1980's |
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Former LMR
overhead line test vehicle
'MENTOR' at St Pancras in the early 1980's when testing the BedPan
electrification scheme. Note that it belongs to the CM&EE (London
Midland Regional Engineers based at Nelson Street, Derby) and not DM&EE
but is classified as Test Car 3.
There had been a Test Car 3 in the DM&EE's fleet in the form of the
ex-LMS dynamometer car M45039 but by this time it had been
decommissioned. This designation was only short-lived as far as I
remember. |
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MENTOR in
NR's all-over yellow pictured at the RTC Derby on 8th March 2005 |
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A line up of the
DM&EE test cars in 1987 - from left, TC1, TC2, MENTOR, TC6 and TC10 with
the class 89 loco |
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A view of the
yard at RTC in the late 1980's. In the foreground is Lab One No:RDB975000 and one
of the APT-P vehicles which was converted into a test coach. Also in the
picture in the mid-distance is Test Coach Argus
RDB975984 (later to become Test Car 4 and now in the
NMT), Laboratory 21
RDB977089 and a class 155 unit. Note the
Provincial liveried class 150/1 units on Etches Park depot in the
background. |
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Auxiliary Test
Vehicle RDB 787319 was the former high speed freight vehicle HSFV4 and
is seen here at the RTC in February
1983. For more information and pictures look here
Colin Marsden |
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Former high
speed freight vehicle HSFV1 at RTC in the early 1980's. For more
information about RDB511023 and pictures look here
Dave Bower |
