THE BRIGHTON MOTIVE POWER DEPOTS

 STORIES FROM THE SHOVEL

  Ron Terrill

 I can’t remember if I mentioned a couple of memories of working at Kingston Wharf (Shoreham) but my first time at Kingston Wharf I was on a B4class when I had a Guage Glass blow on the climb up to the weigh-bridge with 2wagons of coal! 

At Brighton as a 'Passed Fireman,' I went diesels training at Stewarts Lane to learn 350hp diesels shunting, 204hp drewry diesels shunting locos, and D.E.M.U.s (Oxted, Hampshires and Hastings), they were all basically the same. I also learnt Crompton Parkingsons also at Stewarts Lane and later on electro-diesels which saw all my diesel training completed. I eventually got my made up to driver on the 2nd May 1966 at Brighton Mixed Traction.

MY EARLY DAYS ON THE JUICE

On  the 6th January 1969, I transferred to Brighton E.M.U.T. where I had to learn arrange of E.M.U. stock including the early various main line & suburban units (Subs (Marys), Nelson & Puls & Pans) at Wimbledon and at Selhurst I learnt the then, modern E.P. units including various main line & suburban units (1951, 1957 & 1963 stock (E.P.B. units, C/BEPs, C/BIGs, BIGs, Veps, etc ).

In my early days on the E.M.U.’s in the late 60s, I remember working on the Redhill-Reigate shuttle with a two car Metropolitan - Vicars & Nutcracker unit, and on leaving Reigate Bay platform I had moved about 5 feet when the road spread and I became derailed, Fortunately I didn’t foul the main line.
On another occasion I worked a train to Victoria where we detached the rear 4 cars and worked all stations to Coulsdon North  on returning to Victoria I reached Purley Oaks where a train (8 car Mary) had come to grief. I contacted the signalman and he asked me to investigate why he was there so long. I secured my train and walked forward to the train (about 50feet ahead) as I walked along checking the shoe fuses as I went on the near side all OK. I met the driver who said it was impossible for an 8Sub to get gapped!  I checked the fuses on the other side and they all had blown! I told the driver to paddle up the front 4car while I detached the power jumper between units. After changing the fuses in the front unit I reconnected the power jumpers removed all paddles and power was restored with minimal delay.

We use to work Departmental trains, such as the weed-killer trains which we used to run back in the steam days and later on with diesels, electric Snow & Ice units which in later years double up as Sandite trains.  Being a ‘Night Owl’, I used to work the Snow & Ice and Sandite trains quite a lot; it tested my route knowledge, because it took us over some western routes as well as London suburban lines. Horsham, Sutton, Epsom, back via Hackbridge, to Streatham, then to London Bridge via Knights Hill and Bermondsey, London to Tulse Hill via Crystal Palace and back to London Bridge then down to Horsham via Sutton up to Three Bridges and back on home soil. I liked the challenge!!

With the amalgamation of the two depots I found myself having to re-learn diesels which included classes 37s, 47s & 56s and learn the new 319s units and Motor Luggage Vans.

Another memory I was working back from Bedford about 1994 and approaching St Albans on the up local when I saw a man waiving a red flag I place the brake handle straight to emergency,  I was still doing 90 mph. Apparently they were cutting trees down from beside the track and one of the trees had fallen on to the overhead wire. As my speed was reducing, I could see the tree ahead so I pressed the pan/down button and by the time we hit it I managed to go under the tree and run into the station at St Albans where the train was terminated. I went over to the fast line and went home pass.

 Ron Terrill and his trainman Jeff Edisbury at Eastbourne with the 'Sussex Belle' on the  11th September 1993

Does anybody have a copy of this film? 

We had a severe weather forecast, Chucks asked me to take a 73 to Stewarts Lane and bring back as many engines as possible, because of the very bad weather that we were expecting! On arriving at Stewarts Lane the engines were all prepared and running, 6 in all. We were asked to leave 2 at Redhill, then 2 at Three Bridges, then the 3 for Brighton. On arrival at Redhill, I took the front 2 into the Loco sidings, they were a class 47 & 56, then went back to the station, to the leading engine, class 33, and continued to Three Bridges were we left a class 33 and 37. We then went back to the remaining engines 73, 37,73, and took them to Brighton were we left them at L.W.S., and walked back to the depot. On arriving back at the depot, I was told that Redhill men didn’t know class 56's, so I went back to L.W.S..to take one of the 73s up to Redhill to exchange with the 56 and bring back to Brighton.

I was Booking on one morning at 03:30 a.m. and going pass by Taxi to Clayton Tunnel North where I relieved a crew on a ballast train Headed by 2 class 73s. I eventually left the site on the wrong road to Preston Park then crossed right road to Hove where I could changeover from Diesel to Electric working to continue on route to Chichester Yard. All went well until approaching Drayton, where the Fire Alarm sounded and the leading engine failed! And we come to a stand. After isolating Fire Alarm system on leading engine I went to the leading cab of the rear engine and started the diesel engine and with my second man in the cab of the lead engine (with the emergency brake)we continued on to Chichester Yard with me driving from the rear engine. We left the dead engine on the buffers in the sidings and run around the train where we continued on to Three Bridges Yard to stable the train! After passing through Hove and climbing the bank through Cliftonville Tunnel we were getting slower and slower so I started the diesel engine and when the Electric overloaded I switched to diesel and it kept us moving until we got over the hump to Withdean where I could return to electric working. All went smoothly for the rest of the journey to Three Bridges considering the train loading was for 2 engines!

Ron Terrill Collection

Ron Terrill in the cab of a class 47, waiting departure at Brighton with the 'Sussex-Scot' train.

When we were learning 319s and road learning to Bedford, at first we only had 317s from Farringdon to Cricklewood and back to Moorgate, hence we signed routes in Cricklewood Depot and St Pancras main line Station. Some of the routes came back from memories of steam days, when we use to work over some strange routes to places like Gospel Oak, Neasdon, Willsden & Brent. But in those days we had a pilot-man, most of the time . Some times we would we would be booked relief at Longhedge Jcn. And no one would turn up so we would continue on to Kew Jcn then on to Acton South to Neasdon, then Dollis Hill then Cricklewood. After about 2 weeks we got our first 319 but the only difference was they had no shoes.  

I don't know whether I should mention fiddles, most worked perfectly but I did have a couple that went wrong. Once I spent the night at Guildford doing a fiddle with a Redhill man (but was successfully covered).  

Another one that went wrong, I should have got relief at West Worthing and ended up sleeping in the lobby at Portsmouth Harbour. Happy Days!