British Rail Class 76
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The British Rail Class 76, also known as Class EM1 (''Electric Mixed-Traffic 1''), is a class of 1.5 kV DC,
Bo+Bo A Bo+Bo (UK usage) is a locomotive with two four-wheeled bogies with articulated connection between them and with all axles powered by individual traction motors.Encyclopædia Britannica, Volume 18, 1969 Edition, p1118 Table IV, SBN(GB) 85229 004 ...
electric locomotive An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electricity from overhead lines, a third rail or on-board energy storage such as a battery or a supercapacitor. Locomotives with on-board fuelled prime movers, such as diesel engines or gas ...
designed for use on the now-closed Woodhead Line in Northern England.


''Tommy'' — the prototype

The prototype, LNER No. 6701, was completed at
Doncaster Works Doncaster Railway Works is a railway workshop located in Doncaster, England. Also referred to as The Plant''", it was established by the Great Northern Railway in 1853, replacing the previous works in Boston and Peterborough. Until 1867 it u ...
in 1941 to a design by
Sir Nigel Gresley Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (19 June 1876 – 5 April 1941) was a British railway engineer. He was one of Britain's most famous steam locomotive engineers, who rose to become Chief Mechanical Engineer (CME) of the London and North Eastern Rail ...
, but electrification of the Woodhead Route, together with construction of 69 similar units, was delayed by the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. It was tested on the few sections of 1500 V DC lines owned by the LNER, but had not worked any great distance by 1947 when it was loaned to
Dutch Railways Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and th ...
to help with their post-war shortage of locomotives. In September 1945, the LNER assigned it the classification EM1; previously it had been unclassified. The prototype locomotive, renumbered 6000 in June 1946, remained on Dutch Railways until 1952 when the Woodhead electrification was complete. While in the Netherlands, it gained the name ''Tommy'' after the nickname given to British soldiers and ran for the rest of its working life with a name plate, which included an explanation of the origin - "So named by drivers of the Netherlands State Railway to whom this locomotive was loaned 1947-1952". It was renumbered to 26000 following the formation of
British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...
. When new, the locomotive had Westinghouse air brakes and dual air and vacuum brakes were provided for the train. For operations in the Netherlands, the vacuum brake equipment was disconnected. When returned to Britain, the vacuum brake was restored but the air brake for the train was removed. 26000 ''Tommy'' was used in everyday service, alongside the other EM1 locomotives equipped with train heating boilers. It was withdrawn in March 1970 and scrapped at Crewe two years later, when passenger services were withdrawn over the Woodhead route and several locomotives became surplus to requirements. The time in the Netherlands had shown that the design did not ride well at high speed due to the bogie design. The buffers and couplings were mounted on the bogies which were then linked together by a drawbar, a feature intended to remove stress from the superstructure. It was also felt that the cabs were too small with poor visibility.


Production locomotives

Between 1950 and 1953, a further 57 locomotives were built at Gorton locomotive works,
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, to a modified design; these were also classified EM1. There were also to have been 24 built at
Darlington Works Darlington Works was established in 1863 by the Stockton and Darlington Railway in the town of Darlington in the north east of England. The main part of the works, the North Road Shops was located on the northeast side of the Stockton and Darl ...
, but these were cancelled. Electrical equipment was supplied by
Metropolitan-Vickers Metropolitan-Vickers, Metrovick, or Metrovicks, was a British heavy electrical engineering company of the early-to-mid 20th century formerly known as British Westinghouse. Highly diversified, it was particularly well known for its industrial el ...
, who completed the final assembly of the locomotives at Dukinfield Works. They were later reclassified as Class 76, under the
TOPS Total Operations Processing System (TOPS) is a computer system for managing railway locomotives and rolling stock, known for many years of use in the United Kingdom. TOPS was originally developed between the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP), S ...
classification scheme introduced on 28 March 1968. The locomotives were fitted with twin diamond-shaped pantographs. At certain points on the Woodhead Line, notably in the vicinity of steam locomotive water-columns, the electric
overhead lines An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as: * Overhead catenary * Overhead contact system (OCS) * Overhead equipmen ...
were as high as 20 feet above the tracks. The pantographs had to stretch to almost their full height to reach the wires at some points, as BR practice utilised both raised in normal Woodhead operation in order to maximise current collection under any weather condition. Although mainly intended for freight working, the locomotives also regularly worked Woodhead Line passenger services – especially after the sale of the
Class 77 Class 77 may refer to: * British Rail Class 77, a British electric locomotive *Class 77, a designation for EMD Series 66 operated by Euro Cargo Rail in France * DRG Class 77, a German tank locomotive class with wheel arrangements 2-6-4T or 4-6-2T ...
locomotives to the
Netherlands Railways Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and th ...
in 1968. Fourteen locomotives (26020, 26046–26057) were fitted with steam heating apparatus. Thirteen of these gained classical Greek names. The names were removed in 1970, after the discontinuance of passenger services in January of that year.


Brief stay in Essex

The first section of the Manchester to Sheffield "Woodhead" route, between and
Wath Wath may refer to: Places in England * Wath, Cumbria, a U.K. location * Wath (near Ripon), a village in Harrogate district, North Yorkshire * Wath, Ryedale, a village in North Yorkshire * Wath-in-Nidderdale, a village near Pateley Bridge in Har ...
, was not electrified until 4 February 1952. The lines between
London Liverpool Street Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It is the t ...
and had already been electrified in September 1949, using the same 1500 V DC system. On 27 October 1950, the first two locomotives to be completed, nos. 26001 and 26002, were sent to Ilford depot in
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
for trials; these were joined in early 1951 by 26003–26010. The trials involved a variety of trains, passenger and freight, including tests of the regenerative braking system on Brentwood bank, which has a gradient of 1:103 (0.97%). In June 1951, the ten locomotives were sent north to Wath, where the overhead lines had recently been energised, for further trials.


Brakes and controls

The locomotives were fitted with air brakes and
regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...
; the latter, which could only be used at speeds between , caused current to be fed back into the wires during the long descents on both sides of the
Woodhead Tunnel The Woodhead Tunnels are three parallel trans- Pennine long railway tunnels on the Woodhead Line, a former major rail link from Manchester to Sheffield in Northern England. The western portals of the tunnels are at Woodhead in Derbyshire and ...
and so assisting any train which was ascending at the time.
Rheostatic braking Dynamic braking is the use of an electric traction motor as a generator when slowing a vehicle such as an electric or diesel-electric locomotive. It is termed " rheostatic" if the generated electrical power is dissipated as heat in brake grid ...
was also fitted several years later as an additional safety precaution; this was effective below . Train brakes were operated by vacuum. From November 1968, thirty of the locomotives were modified for multiple unit (M.U.) control. This became particularly important from January 1970 with the introduction of "Merry-Go-Round" coal trains from South Yorkshire to Fiddlers Ferry Power Station near
Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
, operated by two Class 76s (and banked by two extra locomotives up the Worsborough incline between
Wombwell Wombwell () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. The town in the 2011 census was split between a ward called Wombwell, as well as small parts that fell under two other wards called Darfield (specifically ...
and
Silkstone Silkstone is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, between the towns of Barnsley and Penistone. The parish includes the village of Silk ...
). Such trains became the mainstay of the Woodhead Line in the 1970s. Locomotives fitted with M.U. control were also given train air brakes; the last nine conversions had their train vacuum brakes removed at the same time. A "Clearcall" intercom system was fitted, allowing communication between the drivers of the leading pair and the banking pair of locomotives via the overhead line. An early version of this system had been tried on six of the locomotives in the late 1950s, but had been abandoned as unsatisfactory following tests concluding 26 May 1960. Beyond the Woodhead Line, the trains to Fiddlers Ferry were diesel-hauled west of Manchester.


Liveries

As delivered, the locomotives were painted black (as in the main photograph). From the late 1950s onwards, Brunswick green was adopted, with small yellow warning panels on the cab ends. From the late 1960s and until withdrawal, the Class 76s started to appear in British Rail monastral blue with yellow cab ends.


Withdrawal

The fortunes of the Class 76s were inextricably tied to the fate of the Woodhead Line. The reduction of the freight traffic on the Woodhead Line, plus the ending of passenger services, resulted in the early withdrawal of several locomotives. By the late 1970s, the locomotives were amongst the oldest in service and yet one of the most reliable classes, on account of robust design on British Rail, and replacement would ultimately become necessary. However, in July 1981, the closure of the Woodhead Line, between Hadfield in the west and Penistone in the east, resulted in the withdrawal of the entire fleet. The final service was operated in the early hours of 18 July 1981 by 76006 and 76014, hauling freight to Manchester. Class 76 had served well, having been built to an evidently sound design and cared for well by the maintenance teams of
Reddish Reddish is an area in Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. south-east of Manchester city centre. At the 2011 Census, the population was 28,052. Historically part of Lancashire, Reddish grew rapidly in the Industrial ...
and
Wath Wath may refer to: Places in England * Wath, Cumbria, a U.K. location * Wath (near Ripon), a village in Harrogate district, North Yorkshire * Wath, Ryedale, a village in North Yorkshire * Wath-in-Nidderdale, a village near Pateley Bridge in Har ...
. Most were still entirely serviceable when withdrawn. Apparently the
Netherlands Railways Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS; ; en, "Dutch Railways") is the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands. It is a Dutch state-owned company founded in 1938. The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest in the European Union, and th ...
were interested in their purchase for their heavy freight trains mainly from the North Sea Europoort inland following a good service record of the protype 6000 (Tommy). But controversy regarding the closure of the Woodhead line, BR's policies and of the government of the day plus BR's intention to avoid embarrassment regarding a sale for further use thus discrediting their claims of expired working life from their traction policies as it happened back with the sale of the
class 77 Class 77 may refer to: * British Rail Class 77, a British electric locomotive *Class 77, a designation for EMD Series 66 operated by Euro Cargo Rail in France * DRG Class 77, a German tank locomotive class with wheel arrangements 2-6-4T or 4-6-2T ...
as well the greater age of the class 76s compared with the class 77s back in 1968 didn't result in sale for further service. Accordingly, the remaining locomotives were scrapped, many at the yards of Booths of Rotherham, apart from a single preserved example now in the
National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant r ...
,
York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
. Image:British Rail Class 76 Cab 05-11-12 07.jpeg, The drivers controls of a Class 76 Image:British Rail Class 76 Cab 05-11-12 08.jpeg, Controls and gauges in a Class 76 cab Image:British Rail Class 76 Bogie Coupling 05-11-12 05.jpeg, Coupling between bogies on a Class 76


Preservation

One locomotive has been preserved by the
National Railway Museum The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant r ...
along with at least one cab from another locomotive, 76039, at Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) in Manchester. The preserved locomotive, 26020 (later 76020), was specially chosen because it was built with
stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...
handrails and had been exhibited at the
Festival of Britain The Festival of Britain was a national exhibition and fair that reached millions of visitors throughout the United Kingdom in the summer of 1951. Historian Kenneth O. Morgan says the Festival was a "triumphant success" during which people: ...
. Later, it was the locomotive that pulled the opening day train through the
Woodhead Tunnel The Woodhead Tunnels are three parallel trans- Pennine long railway tunnels on the Woodhead Line, a former major rail link from Manchester to Sheffield in Northern England. The western portals of the tunnels are at Woodhead in Derbyshire and ...
. It retains the stainless steel handrails, although they are currently painted over. A complete cabside from 76039 Hector and a door from 76051 are preserved, in original condition, at Barrow Hill Roundhouse. File:British Rail Class 76 BR 76 26020.jpg, 26020 at York NRM File:British Rail Class 76 Cab 05-09-17 106.jpeg, The cab of 76039 at Manchester MOSI File:17 BR 76 76051 -Mentor- BR 76 76001 (10).JPG, 76051 at Barrow Hill


Models

Heljan Heljan A/S is a Danish model railway company based in Søndersø. Originally specialising in decorations and accessories for model railways, it has now also developed a substantial range of rolling stock. It has diversified into modelling the Br ...
produce a 00 scale model of E26051 in BR Green with half yellow panels. Class 76 is being made as a kit and a ready-to-run model in OO gauge by Silver Fox Models.


See also

*
British Rail Class 77 The British Rail Class 77, also known as Class EM2, is a class of 1.5 kV DC, Co-Co electric locomotive. They were built by Metropolitan-Vickers in 1953–1954 for use over the Woodhead Line between Manchester and Sheffield. Description Seve ...
*
New South Wales 46 class locomotive The 46 class was a class of mainline electric locomotive built by Metropolitan-Vickers and its partner Beyer, Peacock and Company in England for the New South Wales railways department. History The locomotives were built at Bowesfield Works ...


Notes


References

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Further reading

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External links


EM1s: The Locomotives
''The Woodhead Site''
The LNER Electric Bo-Bo Class EM1 (BR Class 76) Locomotives
''LNER Encyclopedia''
Electric Locomotive Equipment for the Manchester-Sheffield-Wath Line - British Railways
''Railways Archive'' {{British Rail Locomotives 76 Bo+Bo locomotives Metropolitan-Vickers locomotives 1500 V DC locomotives Preserved electric locomotives Railway locomotives introduced in 1941 Standard gauge locomotives of Great Britain Freight locomotives