The Implosion of the North British Locomotive Company | Falling due to Diesels | History in the Dark

[@caledonianrailway1233]

Thanks for taking my suggestion

[@lordcaptainvonthrust3rd]

Are you paying for the upcoming therapy? 😂😂😂😂👍👍👍👍

[@caledonianrailway1233]

@@lordcaptainvonthrust3rd ?

[@lordcaptainvonthrust3rd]

@@caledonianrailway1233 otherwise known as Lord Captain von Thrust III 👍

[@haydendegrow945]

Loved the video, bro! One of my favourite NBL products is South African Railways Class 15F no. 3007, known as the Train from Bloemfontein. It was moved from South Africa to avoid being scrapped and RETURNED TO SCOTLAND IN ONE PIECE! She now resides at the Glasgow Museum of Transport's Riverside Museum. It was featured on the show Monster Moves, in an episode called 100t Train. Not to be a gnit-picker though, but you mispronounced a few countries (I'm a geographer, this is a pet-peeve of mine). Tanzania is actually pronounced Tan-za-NEE-ah. It looks different, but...that's how it is. Also, Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) is pronounced SAY-lawn. Just hoping for you to avoid any more awkward situations in the future.

[@Ohiotrucker1]

Diseasels nice bill and Ben reference

[@dominicbarden4436]

NBL even built some of the GWR 57xx pannier tanks (not all of them were built in Swindon; some of them were also built by Kerr Stuart). Three of them: 7752 (L94), 7754 and 7760 (L90) survive in preservation. Two Kerr Stuart built engines survive as well: 7714 and 7715 (L89). If you're thinking of doing videos on other British locomotive companies: Beyer Peacock and Co's probably a good one to do, as a couple of people here have suggested. We had a lot of locomotive companies here in the UK though!

[@tomasbarbosa8654]

A manufacturer that also saw a lot of success with steam engines abroad was the germen Henschel & Sohn company. In Portugal a lot of our more recent steam engines were manufactured by them (Beyer Peacock also built some of our oldest trains like Andorinha, the oldest steam engine preserved in the Iberian Peninsula)

[@simonsadler9360]

Just 140 m North of my casita in Gaianes Spain ran El tren de Las Inglesas steam of course . & my late dad in the McAndrew shipping line used it , lots of early colour films ,.all locos brough here by ship , Beyer Peacock all named after the villages passed through. Still steam in Spain but far from here , with time will bus to Seville for steam , next year the Isle of Man for the T.T & steam. Well worthwhile Romania for the River Mures steam line , in winter every carriage has a free woodstove to heat & cook on .An over looked holiday destination , winter ski resorts cheap , good food & drink !

[@simonsadler9360]

At Vila Nueva y Geltru near Sitges saw some wooden rolling stock & 2 small steam locos , my ex & I had the Daily Mirror offer of £5.0 , didn't realise that Sitges was a popular gay resort , so funny ! Went there by Train from Barcelona .

[@gonzoengineering4894]

I think the thing that astounds me is that none of these companies had competent R&D departments. In fact NOBODY was doing primary research in rail tech until BR created their research division in 1964. If any of thess companies had thought to do so sooner, they'd probably be dominant players on the WORLD stage, at least until the great mass extinction of locomotive manufacturers in '08.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

That was one of the subjects I did a request for, well done. Some of the best products they made were the South African Railways classes 15F and 25. The class 25 was the largest and most powerful Northern type locomotive on anything narrower than the standard gauge of 4'8 1/2" producing 3000hp One of the class 25 was later rebuilt to the sole class 26 by SAR themselves in the 1980s and that one produced 4500hp and that was the most powerful narrow gauge steam locomotive ever. These could be the subject of a best locomotives video.

[@Paraffinmeister]

I have first hand experience with an NBL diesel, a small shunter. It suffered a failure of a small bearing in it's transmission and in order to reach said bearing, the cab, the fuel tank, a large part of the engine cowling and most of the transmission had to be removed... Quick note on their main line diesels, the class 21's when they were re-engined and became class 29's were very highly regarded. They were more powerful than most of the type 2s about at the time, the cabs were very comfortable and offered excellent visibility and they were exceptionally smooth runners. The only thing that sealed their fate was there were so few of the class 29's so they were deemed non standard.

[@Gordanovich02]

I suppose in a way the NBL is a bit of a microcosm of British industry in general; the assumption that the existing products will always be in demand and the inability and/or refusal to invest and adapt to new technology. Personally I always liked how the NBL mainline diesels looked, especially the Class 21 & 29, even if they were crap underneath.

[@johnthomas5966]

Your ability to research and turn out really intelligent and insightful videos in real quantity in all matters rail is really impressive. On matters that I am familiar with after a 40 year career in British and European Railways that by chance started in Glasgow you always hit the nail on the head. You should allow yourself a moment of pride.

[@josephberrie9550]

my father worked for NBL from 1945 until 1963 when the company went into liquidation and the works offices became Springburn college of engineering in Flemington ST which I attended from 1968 to 1972...all now gone icluding the caledonian carriage works

[@mlp-hot-rod5824]

I'd like for you to look into Crewe Works next. The entire town was built from the rail industry. All the steel, iron, copper, brass etc was sourced from the foundries in that one town. They were incredible. Little survives today, sadly. But its legacy lives on.

[@chefchaudard3580]

The 3-140C 231 Consolidation was built by NBL during World War I for the french railways. The type was designed in 1912 and built in GB because french factories were either too busy or occupied by the Germans. Reliable and powerful, the type was used up to the end of the steam era, being the last type still in service with the US built 141C Mikado, delivered in large numbers after WW2. It is preserved and is still running!

[@roberthuron9160]

Definitely,do a video on Beyer,Peacock,as they actually had a locomotive running on the Pennsylvania,and there were also engines on the Canadian National! You have to do a little roster research,as these were obscure,or one-offs! Thank you for your attention ☺️! Thank you 😇 😊!

[@MercenaryPen]

Beyer Peacock and Vulcan Foundry have to be high on the list for British locomotive builders that weren't railways in their own right

[@roberthuron9160]

@@MercenaryPen There is a bit of sideline railroad history! Peacock was working for the Manchester,Sheffield& Lincolnshire[later the Great Central],and helped establish the Gorton Works,so the Company and the railroad,also reinforced each other! See George Dow's trilogy on the Great Central,well worth the read!! Small beginning,large ends! Thank you 😇 😊!

[@pmaitrasm]

Absolutely. The heaviest locomotive east of the Suez Canal, the BNR Class-N Beyer-Garratt, was built by Beyer-Peacock.

[@lukemendel8197]

Also, railways in Britain tended to build/design their own locos, and outsource construction to people like NBL if their works were low on capacity.

[@pmaitrasm]

@3:46, Not Kaylan, it is Ceylon, pronounced Sail-on, as correctly pronounced @7:27.

[@MirkoC407]

Their German partners MAN are pronounced letter by letter. Up to around 1980 they separated their name by dots, then it was more clear: M.A.N - which stands for "Maschinenfabriken Augsburg-Nürnerg" meaning "machinery factories of Augsburg and Nuremberg"

[@kristoffermangila]

Speaking of NBL and the Philippines, NBL (and its predecessors) was the preferred locomotive builder for the Philippine National Railways' predecessor company (the Manila Railway Company) up until the 1920s. NBL locomotives were used up until dieselization on the Philippine National Railways in the 1950s. Curiously, The Philippines and South Africa has a rail connection through NBL: the South Africa Railways K class, a Hudson-type tank steam locomotive class, was originally built for the Manila Railway Company in 1914. Consisting of 7 units, they were built in 1914. But due to wartime disruptions due to WW1 (I.e. U-boats in the Atlantic), and a critical locomotive shortage on the SAR, NBL offered these seven locomotives to the SAR, which took delivery of them 1917. They served them in suburban commuter service between Randfontein and Springs, before being widrawn from service and scrapped in 1938.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

Love your pronounciations.

[@sirrliv]

Fun Factoid: Two of NBL's predicessors, Sharp Stewart and Dubs & Co. were among the 5 British locomotive builders to send the first steam locomotives to Japan in 1870-72. Sharp-Stewart's engines were considered the best of the bunch, so much so that 2 identical engines were ordered in 1873 for Japan's second major mainline between Kobe, Osaka, and Kyoto. One of these engines, originally JRG #23 later Bisai Railway #12, is the oldest operational locomotive in Japan and can be seen at the Meiji Mura Architectural Museum in Inuyama, near Nagoya. Meanwhile the Dubs engines have appeared on this channel before... on one of the Worst Trains Ever lists for their strange decision to make them el cheapo double-fairlies with no brakes. That said, Dubs did make a lot of successful engines for the Japanese market, several of which have survived into preservation.

[@pmaitrasm]

Sharp and Stewart built the DHR locomotives.

[@simonsadler9360]

I live in Gaianes Spain & have just been reading a little booklet on the Kelvedon Tollesbury light railway , went with mum to Kelvedon when I was 7 , steam of course carriages with balconies , the link to London as well , all gone now & from what I've heard a limited bus service , so right , start up the merc drive to Kelvedon or witham & pay a fortune to get to Liverpool Street stn , couldn't believe a single from Birmingham to London £80 . If I pay an annual fee of €25 , I can travel from Valencia to Paris on the H.S.T just €9 . Solar via inverters & safe nuclear power , €9 = £ 8.40 , what mileage on British bus for that . When we went by bus from Alcoy to Alicante ( flight to Stansted) didn't gave to prove my age , got the pensioner's price of €4.40 a journey of 1.75 hours !

[@johndonaldson3619]

We've an NBL Rx class steam loco still running here in South Australia.

[@fedel.g.1803]

*Muy bueno el video,* una lástima que esta empresa no exista más, acá en Argentina hay muchas locomotoras a vapor de esta marca (North British) que están rotas es su mayoría. La empresa ferroviaria provincial SEFEPA S.A. (hoy en día llamada por temas turísticos TREN PATAGÓNICO S.A.) tiene en reparación a una locomotora North British N° 121 de trocha ancha, en la localidad de Ingeniero Jacobacci, provincia de Río Negro. Saludos desde Argentina!!! *Very good video,* a pity that this company no longer exists, here in Argentina there are many steam locomotives of this brand (North British) that are mostly broken. The provincial railway company SEFEPA S.A. (today called TREN PATAGÓNICO S.A. due to tourism) has a North British No. 121 broad gauge locomotive under repair, in the town of Ingeniero Jacobacci, province of Río Negro. Greetings from Argentina!!!

[@FranquitoMV2004]

Pensana que era el único, capoooo🇦🇷

[@user-wl5hj9sv6e]

Nice history lesson in the NBL company works, and I'm really to hear about the diesel locomotives being built and didn't work well and right and all that. But at least the steam locomotives are still in use and put in railway museums.

[@user-wl5hj9sv6e]

Sorry.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

Excellent. Now do Birmingham Railway and Carriage Works. (Died due to too many orders, and being unable to fill them!)

[@simongurden9848]

Wasn't the class 33/2 something to do with their demise?

[@robertwilloughby8050]

@@simongurden9848 Certainly didn't help.

[@iankemp1131]

In a book on BRCW diesels it stated that at the end of the BR Modernisation Plan there were no more orders in the pipeline because BR was going to standardise on the Brush Type 4 (Class 47) rather than the BRCW Lion, and no more dmu orders. So although the company was still solvent, they wound it up at that point and reinvested the money in other directions. The Class 33/2s though did make a substantial loss because of the major changes in jigs and bodywork for a small class.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

There are even a few locomotives built by Dübs in preservation.

[@earthbaine9803]

Sorry to nit pick but i live in Glasgow its said glas go just so you know love the videos keep up the good work

[@Cheesewedge0524]

I say cover Englsh Electric company Next

[@cedarcam]

Yes The opposite of NBL We still have some of their diesel locomotives in everyday use today over 60 years old.

[@codynovaknz]

Their castings were far superior than some of the stuff NZR made when you compare some of the Ja's made in NZ they have cracks through their spokes on their driving wheels and looking at the NBL their wheels never had that problem. Also another great video

[@Shunteration]

"Ceylon" is pronounced "Tsei-lon", not "kay-len". Doesn't matter though, the name's no longer in use.

[@williamflowersrailfannerpr3808]

I love the video ❤

[@espenbjerke1905]

same story as every UK built German Diesels, UK companies thought they knew better and skimped on the quality of steel&alloys

[@Duececoupe]

I'm just gonna throw it out there..... Where's the Garratt engines? There..... You know that you want to, coooooome ooooon now, time a Garratt video, look at those EAR Class 59's! 🥰😍😎

[@SteamboatWilley]

There's a North British-built Garratt (that was exported to South Africa, then later repatriated fro preservation) at the Summerlee museum in Coatbridge.

[@darkadmiral106]

A toast to the fallen NBL, we will remember them.

[@davidrayner9832]

Great video. Any chance you could do one on Beyer-Peacock who were right up there with NBL? Something that set them apart was that they pioneered and made famous the Garratt locomotive culminating in the East Aftrican Railways 59 class and the New South Wales Railways 60 class. They did venture into electric locomotives like the NSWGR 46 class which were excellent units but seemed to vanish soon after that.

[@TB76Returns]

I did a Trainz Story about the NBL Diesels, the story is called 'The Unlucky Diesels', specifically the Class 21

[@Jerrod247]

Porter would be interesting to see a video like this on.

[@mattvwyk]

Speaking of South African Railways... You should do a video on how SAR ended.

[@jonathanpan6110]

NBL is essentially the Baldwin of Europe

[@tsar1547]

Please do Beyer, Peacock and Company

[@pmaitrasm]

Absolutely. The heaviest locomotive east of the Suez Canal, the BNR Class-N Beyer-Garratt, was built by Beyer-Peacock.

[@daboisboisbois6866]

Im just waiting for pearlman to pop up with the chainsaw I WANT THAT STEAM ENGINE! we need a t shirt with him photo shopped holding a chainsaw

[@ClearTrackSpeed]

I like the new opening

[@federicoviolino6784]

Could you do an episode on either Fiat ferroviaria or Breda?

[@johnd8892]

The quality of NBL workmanship was definitely NOT "Top Tier' for the the 70 Victorian Railways R class Hudson locomotives that NBL started delivering to Australia in 1951 after winning a tender to construct the R class as the VR was tied up with repairing the existing war emergency run down fleet. Just last week I was re reading the definitive book on the VR R class "Hudson Power" by Carlisle and Abbott. Starting on page 48 they listed the numerous defects attributed to the deficiencies in manufacture of these Victorian Railways 4-6-4 designed locomotives from the surviving correspondence between VR and NBL and how the VR and NBL had to deal with the subsequent warranty claims running to at least 16 items that would occur on most of the class as delivered in Australia. The Victorian Railways workshops needing to spend an average of 106 days per locomotive putting right defects in the locomotives as delivered. An indicator of the NBL approach was that the first delivered examples had the least issues but as delivery went on the defect rate worsened. One letter from NBL stated they were in the embarrassing position of needing to having driving wheel sets sent to Beyer Peacock as their quartering machine could not provide the accuracy specified by the VR contract. The quartering became an issue after R 702 had a coupling rod break at speed due to quartering not being what it should. There was quite a list of issues with for which a claim was made. Problems too numerous to list here were documented in the book. This experience with NBL had VR dodge a bullet in having good reason to reject any later NBL tender proposals for diesels with good reason. The VR later going with Clyde GM EMD S class diesels that have a few running after nearly seventy years in service. Fortunately VR sorted out the problems that NBL manufacture introduce and I am nearly losing count of how many R class are still in fan service with one even converted from 63 inch gauge to standard 56.5 inch gauge. Some memorable films of a triple parallel run of two R class with a visiting Flying Scotsman : kzbin.info/www/bejne/boGzYWR5npd4a7s

[@johnd8892]

More of the VR NBL built R class after the NBL defects were fixed by the VR. Some memorable pacing at speed : kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXushZusbtWXd7M

[@vaclavmacgregor2464]

The Company that completely failed!Even Lima and Baldwin made at lest 1 good road diesel!!!!!!AND BALDWIN WAS A GREAT ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVE BUILDER.But NBL was a complete and utter failure just its existence is a disapointment!The only good ones they made were some light swithcers but there so basic nod diesel builder could fail them!!!!(Not even one good big diesel as well as Electric no wonder there are no surviving large NBL diesels and only ONE surviving electric(it was lucky like the rest of the class due to lack of electric motive power)!!)

[@Monst3rNetwork]

If I may give a suggestion for a similar themed video, but for the "werkspoor" company? Something different than American or British manufacturers, maybe others have or have not heard about it, because the Dutch may tend to be known for a few specific things, but not for these kinds of subjects. Please?

[@BlackMan12331]

I didnt know the class 21’s almsot killed one of their drivers! Im glad BR withdrew them asap! No engine that catches on fire like that to the point where a human life is almost lost has any place or authority to run on any railway in the world!

[@True_NOON]

If this series continues there will be English electric(the chads , like fr) and metcam(also chad, but killed) Edit: while i respec the 0£ fixing of own faults, that helped massively in their selfdisruption

[@fireutility21]

You’re title, was that intentional? Based on your posting date?

[@catboyandwolfgirl4545]

I honestly thought the Royal Scot class was The Fury

[@cudwieser3952]

MAN is a company worth lookn into. So are Duetz.

[@TheGs4_4449]

Who else is late to the party by at least 8 days?

[@fedel.g.1803]

Podrías hacer un video de la historia de *GENERAL MOTORS,* pero cuando fabricaba locomotoras, no autos jajaaj, saludos desde Argentina!!! You could make a video of the history of *GENERAL MOTORS,* but when it made locomotives, not cars hahaha, greetings from Argentina!!!

[@geoffadams5537]

They also built deisel locos for British Rail but they were totally rubbish. Also built steam locos for new Zealand railways and were pretty decent

[@AndrewTheRocketCityRailfan4014]

Britain’s Baldwin, but worse when it came to anything not a steam locomotive

[@jonathanpan6110]

Great at steam locomotives, died at diesels and electrics

[@harrisonallen651]

You Americans are a lot more independent for building and keeping your own locomotives while most countries acquired steam engines from England.

[@thecatwrangler9448]

There’s a reason for that Golly Ol’ Chap! The day we count on you for something an American businessman can accomplish will be the day we surrender our independence to a crown across the Atlantic like our northern neighbor.

[@Psymanbee]

Hi hi... So, love the videos, but I'm an English teacher and I have to take you up on your pronunciation of some words. Glasgow = GlazGo Dubs = Well, like the group NDubz Tanzania = Tan Za Nia. Pronounce them separately. Malawi = Ma Lawi. Pronounce separatly. Ceylon = Say lon Anyways, keep up the good work.

[@pmaitrasm]

The Great Vowel Shift and the usage of merely 26 characters from the Roman Alphabet ensure that pronunciation in English will never be accurate.

[@jimbrown1143]

Very unfair appraisal on NB LOCO remember the company was wholly owned by British State. They hated the success of Scottish Engineering and were jealous of Scotland's reputation. All investment's where decided by the government in Whitehall London. Even when ordering toilet paper NB LOCO had to do as were told and use an English company. So to blame NB LOCO for poor choices of electrics and diesel alternatives is incorrect. The home market England had to be protected, investment south of the border was increasing, while investment north of the border was being reduced. Referred to at the time as a subsidy to the SCOTCH. So you see the biggest obstacle NB LOCO had to overcome was London remote control, who didn't hate the Scots, they just didn't like them. The huge subsidies English companies got and are still getting example HS2, London Gateway, Hinckley Point nuclear station. Proves that an element of Racism still exists coming from Whitehall against the Scots.

[@Randomstuffs261]

I see nothing wrong with allowing exhaust fumes to fill the cab

[@22pcirish]

As a train driver myself, I would tend to disagree.

[@colinmcgregor123]

Never such a thing as North British anything. Was always English owned (westminster) so of course used for forwards thinking then dumped ...

[@brianwillson9567]

If only north British had given up with the end of steam. Their rubbish diesels and electrics destroyed their reputation.

[@nickabel8279]

Oof. Using the word implosion today of all days..

[@HistoryintheDark]

I MEAN I made and titled this video last week...

[@HistoryintheDark]

Okay, I have updated it so as to avoid being seen as taking advantage of a terrible event.

[@nickabel8279]

@@HistoryintheDark oh man. Change it back!

[@HistoryintheDark]

I'm getting mixed messages.

[@nickabel8279]

@@HistoryintheDark just remember. Its the internet

[@danhoyland142]

British railroading is soooooo lame. Also, ironically enough my grandfather was one of the firemen on the flying Scotsman, yet I still hate British trains. Good video as always though.

[@Logies_right_hand]

You hate British steam locomotives? Some of the best in the world, used all over the world.

[@danhoyland142]

They just look so wimpy to me with their front bumper things and styling. American locomotives look fierce and aggressive. It’s purely a looks thing