Diesel/Freight Locos on the Underground

Sorry, I do not know dates, times etc. But this may still help.

At least on some journeys the experimental British Railways Gas Turbine locomotive was used on services out of Marylebone which were routed via Amersham, also I feel sure that a HST has travelled to Marylebone via Amersham.

At least one experimental self-propelled diesel train was evaluated on the Chesham branch in the days before it was electrified.

In the 1990s there was a railtour using Class 205 diesel units on the Metropolitan line, including what by then was the Jubilee line to Stanmore.

I think it was Class 25s which took over from steam locos on goods services on former mainline routes on the Northern and Central lines. I believe that these also hauled some of the summer excursion trains from Loughton to various destinations, including south coast seaside towns. I do not know if summer excursions also ran from High Barnet or Edgware via Mill Hill East after WW2. Alexandra Palace would have been out of scope here, as whilst electric rails were installed they were never energised and the route never saw electric trains.

I do not know whether steam or diesel locos hauled the Railway Correspondence & Travel Society (RCTS) special to Edgware via Mill Hill East before the section between Edgware & Mill Hill East was closed.

Then there were the BR diesel multiple units which ran to Epping on what were nominally staff trains until early 1970. Possibly these are what later became known as Class 105. Their destination blinds are reputed to have included places such as Epping and Ongar, as if the passenger services to these places had not been transferred to electric tube trains in the late 1940s.

There were coal trains into South Harrow gas works which had to reverse at Rayners,

and the steam workings through Turnham Green and Hammersmith to Lillie Bridge are well documented somewhere on these boards

I recall seeing GT3 crossing the bridge by Pinner station on a down service. I thought it looked fantastic!

It could well have been a 66 to be fair, I really can't remember - it just surprised me greatly at the time

20 142 at Hillingdon, December 2013 on a 'Steam On The Met' event (still image from video)

Class 66 locomotives run annually over the Met on the Network Rail Rail Head Treatment Train; indeed these will start appearing shortly on driver familiarisation runs.

It is quite funny watching them run though a station that the LU Sandite train has just run though 10 minutes previous xD

15s (D8200s) used to work freight to Loughton, Epping, Ongar; also to Edgware.

15s, 16s (D8400s), BT2s (D5500s) were common on East London line on excursions to south coast - this was posted upthread, but the wording there was 'occasional', in fact they were quite regular. Some of those excursions originated at Loughton; others at main line locations such as Chingford; reverse in main line Liverpool Street thence via Shoreditch.

25s - common on the Met, as were 27s when allocated to ML sheds; 24s when allocated to GN and GE sheds - 24s were very common in the widened lines and Snow Hill on ER-SR freight, they took over from steam; wonder if there is confusion here between 24s and 25s ?

Not sure if any 26s did these workings, they too were at GN sheds.

Ref 14s, never heard of that, just wondering is there perhaps some confusion between a main line 0-6-0DH 14 and the 0-6-0DH Sentinels LT used to have ?

Thread has reminded me to ask a question.

10800.

This is known to have been evaluated by LT as one of the diesel traction options for north of Rickmansworth.

But did it actually come on to LT metals anywhere for this ? Evaluation doesn't imply it had to. I've never seen any records or photos of this.

LT's evaluation appears to have taken place during the time 10800 was allocated to Plaistow. It was allocated there - on loan only - from 25/12/1954 to 26/02/1955; before then it was allocated to Norwood Junction, and after then to Rugby.

10800 allocation to Plaistow was not specifically for LT evaluation, it was was there for LTSR line trials for possible parcels etc work, and for things like Tilbury boat trains, all part of the LTSR electrification plans and how to deal with non-electric workings.

Returning to LT topicity for 10800, the only other two snippets of gen I have managed to collect is that one contemporary journal reported it as being 5 in too high for Met. line tunnels south of Finchley Road (but again it did not have to get on to LT metals to identify that), and that LT were also after an electro-diesel version. Both these two items suggest LT was actually interested in something more than just north of Rickmasworth.

I have personally (albeit it a long time ago) trawled through the NBL diesels archives in the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and there was no record of any NBL electro-diesel version, at least not in the form of drawings or other technical documentation includings tenders and offers etc.

Having now asked this question about 10800 on LT, I'm sure someone will now point me to a book that I've missed !

I remember seeing B R 060 diesel shunters on the meat trains to Smithfield

The 66-hauled RHTT water jets only. It has not been timetabled behind the RAT for many years; it runs in front of. In the event of disruption or significant adhesion problems the RAT can generally operate additional trips ad hoc.

RAT: Rail Adhesion Train
RHTT: Railhead Treatment Train

Correct. The RHTT only covers the Mains, the RAT covers all branches but not the north/southbound local nor the north/southbound Main (but can be diverted in emergencies).

It could have been no later than 1956 as I was with my father who passed away early in the next year. I remember him pulling me back further back towards the wall as this lot clattered through leaving a strong smell of diesel. So what it was I don't know.
Didn't the WR have a couple similiar 0-6-0s of their own?

Normally the RAT covers the local north of Harrow through North Harrow, Pinner and so on. Presume you meant south of Harrow?