Class 37 thrash - ex-British Rail Type 3s at work in France, June 2000

A look at Class 37 diesels at work on the TGV-line construction project in southern France back in June 2000. Plenty of thrash from single locos at work, through to pairs and even a triple-headed working! Time to warn the neighbours and turn up the volume!!!

[@norburycrossing3426]

Legendary, the mighty tractors invade Europe, listen to that thrash, hellfire, a full salute to those EE monster's and battle worn old girls, still giving it large at work, and they were mostly repatriated to blighty.

[@558vulcanxh]

I think they had a work permit 😊, our progressive French neighbours wouldn't have had many spare diesels as the vast majority of their network is electrified...But the 37s always flat out , gave a good account of themselves and still do in 2023, the ones that are left in the UK 🇬🇧 .😊

[@TommyDavies-z6p]

You deffo voted for Brexit

[@558vulcanxh]

@@TommyDavies-z6p 🤣🤣🤣

[@WheresRobert]

What an absolutely brilliant video. It’s not often you get to see them working that hard anymore.

[@linesidevideoprod]

Cheers Robert! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@jimihendrix991]

...this was 25 years ago...

[@Thornaby37]

Absolutely brilliant footage 👍 I wonder how many people back then would have predicted that some of those 37s would still be running 25 years later

[@linesidevideoprod]

Thank you very much - and yes, I for one wouldn't have thought any would still be running. :-)

[@Viper-CT]

11:05 Love the horn there and that turbocharger! All the type 3s here look so grimy around their exhausts, an incredible sight to behold and hear no doubt!

[@mikeuk4130]

Zut alors! Le top thrashing par les trente - septs! C’est paradis, les champs elysees pour les vieux locos d’Angleterre! Thrash d’Electrique Anglais pour toujours! Thanks for this great video, Monsieur, and please excuse my lousy French, hehe, and the absence of any accents from my iPad keyboard.

[@linesidevideoprod]

No problem - and thanks for your feedback (I'll take any language!).

[@calebmumby5803]

LORDS!!! best ever video from the best machine ever fantastic footage

[@linesidevideoprod]

Glad you enjoyed it! Spread the word! :-)

[@taffboyslim]

Must have reminded the locos of working in South Wales. That was the soundtrack of my youth in the Rhondda

[@rich_rich90]

16:20 You could almost be forgiven for thinking its a South Wales triple header again 😁

[@andrewbutler6477]

They tamed the gradients in the valleys

[@arthurgrowler5749]

Absolutely fantastic footage of the great Class 37’s in France…. Must of been fun doing the filming 👍

[@linesidevideoprod]

Many thanks!

[@El_Transportacoches_33]

In Spain, Class 37 locomotives were also rented between 2000 and 2006 for the construction of the Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona High Speed Line.

[@rob3208]

Awesome sight and sound.

[@linesidevideoprod]

Many thanks!

[@jimihendrix991]

All of the 37's in France has a very small longbow painted under the number and 'Agincourt' written in invisible paint... 😉

[@bobtudbury8505]

no? pick a battle lol

[@Tom-Lahaye]

They worked the guts out of those tractors there, inclines are insanely steep though at 1:30! The class 15 looking loco's are former Dutch railways class 2400/2500 with a 6 added to their number in France. These were built in France however and with 650hp for traction comparable with the class 15, they were intended for the same work but did often mainline duties in the Netherlands. Then they were coupled into sets of 3 or 4 and I remember even a train pulled by 5 of these, all of them screaming as there was apparently just an on/off switch that was called throttle.

[@linesidevideoprod]

Thanks Tom - very interesting and good-to-know response. Cheers.

[@YsanneOshea]

Oh Wow. Where do you start to describe that? What a noise! Hard to believe it's 23 years ago! Good bit of history here, thanks for posting!

[@linesidevideoprod]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Radio_Freedom]

Just a superb insight into the French railway and wonderful capture and quality.

[@linesidevideoprod]

Many thanks!

[@richnhacker]

Fair play, wish they were still here though In large numbers

[@linesidevideoprod]

Yes, couldn't agree more! Weird watching them in France tho....

[@richnhacker]

@@linesidevideoprod I’ve noticed some other Vids just like yours called tractor thrashing in France. There are a few other videos were three tractors actually didn’t make it up the hill and had to back it down but they got wiped off u tube for some reason I am unable to find them unfortunately since. Let me know if you ever find them

[@linesidevideoprod]

I think the backing down shots were part of a Locomaster Profiles Production.

[@richnhacker]

Thanks mate I’ll have a look

[@perthdave100]

@@linesidevideoprod this part of the video is on a class 37 dvd or a thrash dvd, it was at the end, i will have a look for this tomorrow, one or both of these dvd's may still be available.

[@konf82]

The first 37 went slowly but with determination and strenght.

[@deepVAroots]

Great video and sound! It has to be an optical illusion but the locos look like they're leaning away from the camera viewpoint.

[@Fishfingers232]

Easy to forget how steep the grades are on high-speed lines compared to 'classic' lines, no wonder they needed up to 4 of them on one train!

[@phildinho]

Noticeable loading guage difference on the wagons. I’m sure I’ve seen a video somewhere of the 37’s stall on that incline and have to roll back and take another run up.

[@linesidevideoprod]

That might be one of Locomaster Profiles DVDs - Class 37s Past and Present rings a bell?

[@captainbimble]

Top quality growling!

[@MrAvant123]

The Class 37 is the Rail equivalent of the F4 Phantom fighter !

[@basiltaylor8910]

It gladdens the heart to see two overworked Moulinex Food Mixers ,a Gallic BTH Class 15 helped along by Tractors, as someone in France with a grain of sense decided to borrow Tractors from the UK. The Moulinex and Tefal Kitchen appliances would have died or blown up as they are so overworked,. Listen to those two Moulinex Food Mixers scream their bollocks offs, the Tractors no problem they kept chugging away treating the heavy train as if like a Sunday stroll in the park.

[@linesidevideoprod]

Love it! :-)

[@basiltaylor8910]

@@linesidevideoprod thanks for the kind comment ,it is appreciated and true, cannot beat a Tractor for out and out slogging. Have you seen the video posted on U-Tube of a Tractor dragging a rake of dead Bosch or Miele washing machines one calls a Stadler multiple unit train, er no get a SpecSavers Eye Test, it is not a train but a f-----ng launderette on wheels, all you need is Dot Cotton as the driver.

[@markjosephbudgieridgard]

Omg just wonderful.....truly awsome I wonder how many of these beautiful 37s are still around in 2023?..... Wow they where working hard... Great stuff thanks 👍

[@russb2286]

685 is a wcrc loco

[@darrengurney9265]

They got worked hard!

[@dieseldave3879]

A festival of thrash!

[@linesidevideoprod]

Perfectly summed up!

[@elisabethj.v.beardsell9853]

Gotta keep our cousins happy !!

[@damienhill6383]

There must be a massive generator in them to absorb all that torque at low engine speed, wonder how many amps it's generating on these drag's .. and what voltage .. ?

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

That’s awesome and looks like them 37s are invading the tgv line and they’re are the foreign locos here in this country

[@matthew0605]

Nice to see sncf using class 15s !!! Must be the br castoffs , they probably put Renault engines in them and scrapped the paxman originals . Joking aside , good to see the tractors still pounding away on trains in France .

[@CFRTrainSpotter]

they are actually NS (Dutch Railways) Classes 2400/2500

[@milehighclassics]

Wow I never knew this happened and my mum lived in Bordeaux then

[@linesidevideoprod]

Arguably some of the best traction the French have ever witnessed on their home soil.... :-)

[@genesis070365]

Thrashtastic 🤘

[@linesidevideoprod]

Rock on!

[@train4905]

Awsome😊

[@andrewbutler6477]

Cwmbargoed in France with the steep gradients and 37s on a heavy train

[@MontyCantsin5]

15:36: Oooof!

[@davidstewart4570]

1:08 - 2:10 Can anyone explain why it takes three of them to move what looks like a fairly small train?

[@linesidevideoprod]

Mainly because of the horrendously steep gradients they have on this line.

[@Rail_Trail37]

Steep gradients & Loaded wagons

[@domhnallmorris]

They are not that powerful and very old.

[@BegudMaximan-zp2tc]

Did they use radio control for multiple working and banking units? Can't see a driver in the rear pusher units?

[@linesidevideoprod]

All driver control - crew was in rear units unless locos were dead-in-tow.

[@rafchris]

Im not a coinissuire of French traction but I am guessing that being mostly electric like the rest of the continent that the reason vintage UK diesel traction went over was because a, they where cheap and b, most things diesel they had natively where just shunters/switchers with not enough grunt and speed to get the job done? Also some very interesting ops there both lines working in same direction and also 2 trains in section, one going up the hill and one at the bottom? I know it had 4 tractors on it but there is abit of a runaway risk with such a heavy load and steep incline+

[@johnmoody2365]

mind boggled... I can sort of understand 2 locos, but what about 3, 4 or even 5!?!?

[@linesidevideoprod]

Hi john. The empty trains, as you mainly see here, are seemingly overpowered, but the gradients here are vicious. The main reason for all of the power was to shift the loaded trains out to the work sites in the morning and with around 2000 tonnes per train the locos were worked to their maximum up the steep hills. All great fun and spectacle at the time.

[@nigelterry9299]

Is there anything better than a 37 on full bore?

[@peteratkinson922]

No. Ryton Willows, Tyne valley line, double headed. Summer evenings, 1990s

[@eddielee3680]

Nice engine sound.Tis wat u call a true locomotive engine.Noisier te better.

[@linesidevideoprod]

You got that right!

[@jamiestrainhub]

Did these class 37s ever return to to the uk?

[@linesidevideoprod]

Yes they did.

[@elisabethj.v.beardsell9853]

To the knackers yard!

[@elisabethj.v.beardsell9853]

No wonder the front engine is struggling, it’s towing a heavy weight engine on the end😮

[@elisabethj.v.beardsell9853]

Good morning my someone.

[@bennickss]

How come they used 37s for TGV construction and not their own locos?

[@treacleeater54321]

because they are the best

[@steveluckhurst2350]

@@treacleeater54321 well that's certainly a point of view, however deluded !

[@monkehbitch]

@@steveluckhurst2350 An opinion doesn't require an insult. Probably because they were deemed scrap and surplus to requirements, if they broke, they'd just use another unit. While the UK was taking on 66 EMD's, I can't see us lending any of them to the French to break. Plus I'm sure the eurotunnel would've needed a good soot lining first! Judging by the condition of the French fleet, they needed the power!

[@steveluckhurst2350]

@@monkehbitch Apologies if that came across as an insult. Surely nobody actually believes that the 37s are "the best"? They make a nice noise and that's about it! 😊

[@monkehbitch]

@@steveluckhurst2350 no problem, I think because they're way past their service life and are probably treated as "slags" of the railways, but still chuck out reliable good power figures and if a frenchman can drive it, shows how simple it is to use! If they break? Take it back to the UK and they can get another. I'm sure a preservation society would love to fix one of these. They sound great, I agree. Nothing beats the sound, apart from a deltic, but can you imagine if they threw a few deltics on there instead... There'd be flat caps, notebooks and cameras being thrown everywhere in outrage!

[@marcconyard5024]

Did these 37s work their way through the Chunnel under power?

[@linesidevideoprod]

No - too many restrictions I'm afraid.

[@kungfuwitcher7621]

Not meant to be a funny question, but assume cab driver positions are the same in Europe?

[@cedarcam]

It depends where in Europe you are In France and Belgium they use left hand running the same as in UK. In Netherlands they use right hand running. It does not really matter with Eurostar TGV ICE and Thalys which all use these tracks because they have a central driving position.

[@kungfuwitcher7621]

@@cedarcam Thank you for the info 👍

[@milehighclassics]

Right hand drive instead of left

[@milehighclassics]

My kid was 4 weeks old now she is 22 years old

[@class50thrasher]

They must really trust the drivers in france considering how cllose they ran the trains together sometimes!

[@johnbradshaw7525]

That did concern me that the trains seemed to be very close together on the same track.

[@steventhornton4716]

Did they have them on lease or something?

[@philipspencer1834]

Wow…. They really look after them don’t they

[@stephenstack7858]

Great Video but one thing wrong...There never was a 37808 as was said on here.

[@linesidevideoprod]

Well spotted Stephen - should have read 803.

[@watchyMCFCwatchy]

I hate that growling sound they make. What engine do they have?

[@nottinghillad]

Two English Electric 12SVT Mark2 engines, produced in Crewe and Derby

[@N330AA]

Did they need the low axle loading?

[@linesidevideoprod]

Not so sure as class 56s and 58s were used on the LGV-est construction. It might have helped, but it was needing a large fleet of locos that probably influenced the decision.

[@N330AA]

@@linesidevideoprod Oh i see, yeah i guess they were probably just after spare diesels which the UK had in abundance.

[@alanolley7286]

Loads of locos parked in Rouen sidings been there a long time

[@andressanchez4517]

2:43... What's that horrible noise??

[@linesidevideoprod]

Do you mean the one on the front or the back?

[@andressanchez4517]

No there's a French van or something starts up

[@geraldmartin2729]

Quelle un racquet! Blige!

[@hearingthesmells2500]

Typically British on holiday making a racket 😂

[@davidwaters6190]

WHAT ARE THE FROGS DOING WITH 37'S I THOUGHT THE SNAIL MUNCHING GITS HATED US.

[@JoshuaEVANS-Dez1]

Class 37 locos ain’t foreign it’s a English loco there the best locomotives to be ever built faithful tractors and growlers never skipped a beat till this day there still going 💯💪🏻

[@cidertom5140]

They are also called slugs

[@JoshuaEVANS-Dez1]

@@cidertom5140 shut up muppet no one asked you to comment

[@JoshuaEVANS-Dez1]

@@cidertom5140 there called growlers and tractors 💯👌😄 don’t tell me about locos I know my stuff pal jog on butty 🥪

[@JoshuaEVANS-Dez1]

@@cidertom5140 I know there slugs anyways but there mostly known . As tractors and growlers 💯👌

[@gettogo0159]

@@cidertom5140 Yes the class 37/9's ballast filled & re-engined - very clag fan bloody tastic !