The Ever Faithful Tractors | British Rail Class 37 | History in the Dark

[@masterskrain2630]

BR must have thought that the Class 37 was the Answer to Life, the Universe and Everything, since they first ordered 42 of them...

[@andrew2353]

They were, considering the other Diesels they had.

[@davidty2006]

Well considering the other diesel engines that were created along side it... The class 37's were litterally a relyable mid sized locomotive they could slap onto any job if needed.

[@Ohiotrucker1]

I love the class 37s they are reliable workhorses. I tip the hat to you brits, i feel this is BR's SD40-2 due to it longevity.

[@little_britain]

Yes, this! I normally model UK outline, but I recently bought a model SD40-2. Love it, gonna sound fit the thing.

[@NitroFury]

The BR Class 37 are pretty much Britain’s SD40-2s before the actual SD40-2s existed, thanks to their longevity and reliability.

[@davidty2006]

It's one of the first diesel lcoomotives and it still keeps going... It might end up being one of the last at current rate..

[@Ben31337l]

@@davidty2006 Class 20s are still chugging along, which are older than the type 3, although built by the same company.

[@evangaines2303]

60 years old & still hauling ass. That's not bad, well done English Electric.

[@BrecklandSpotting]

Hauling ass?

[@haroldwilkes6608]

Class 37s without noise?? Heresy!! The thrash and clag were their calling cards.

[@MrStantheman103]

When I was introduced to 37906 I was blown away. Literally. The Cardiff depot was struggling with the exhaust silencers cracking. The solution? Well why do we need a silencer. So they just took it out!

[@mynx_uk]

It was wonderfull to see my husband driving one in your video, thankyou, of interest, The French had us Brits drive a 37 through the channel tunnel to test its ventilation system, so the driber full throttled it all the way through, and the exhaust smoke came out before the loco. rge vent system was no way near good enough. he still talks about it now.

[@Eric_Hunt194]

Thanks for this video, Darkness. A great introduction to this legendary class which proves that much like a broken clock, British Rail occasionally got some things right.

[@BazilRat]

The reason BR has so many 'dogs' is the sheer number of locos. I'd say about half of them were good.

[@paulnolan1352]

British Rail didn’t get anything right, they only passed an order to the Builders, it was English Electric that built and got the 37’s ‘right’.

[@BazilRat]

@@paulnolan1352 The same could be said for any good or bad British loco. BR/Railway Company wrote the spec and, unless it was in house, [insert builder here] made it amazing and/or a dog's dinner. Only rarely were they bad because the spec was bad

[@Ben31337l]

@@BazilRat You're half right... Take a look at the class 13s, they were speced to run Tinsley Marshalling Yard, a hump yard to shunt old style freight wagons. A yard that would see very little service because of BR's lack of foresight into how containerisation was taking over the industry. Both the spec of the class 13 and the yard were bad.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

​@@Ben31337lAgreed, but the Class 13 "Master and Slave" were excellent machines, just that as you said, spec wrong and yard (semi) wrong.

[@markstott6689]

I grew up loving the Deltic and class 47 in the 70's. These days, the 37's have an equal place in my heart. I love driving one in Train Simulator, especially on Settle to Carlisle line. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@stephendavies6949]

When I see this sort of footage, which demonstrates the capabilities of EE, I have to wonder how is it that these days we have to import so much of our railway locos & rolling stock?

[@CarbonC50]

Thanks for the nod to the class 37, I'm lucky enough to live about 100 yards from where 4 of them are kept (kept?) or whatever you may call it. The one standout thing about them is the sound. Really. I have seen and travelled on trains all over the world and these are the best sounding of all hands down. There are a couple of close memories like the Dash 8s and 9s on Tehachapi and Cajon pass and the ALCO WDMs in India but nothing is quite as loud and aggressive as these. I'd urge anyone who's enjoyed this great video to rummage around and watch a clip with decent sound, there's plenty around.

[@davedear929]

They were BRs answer to Staniers black 5s. Still going strong all these years on. Thanks Darkness.

[@davidty2006]

Or the countless 0-6-0 tender engines. There was ALOT of those.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

Hm. 47's for the Black 5 comparison, the 37's for a Hughes Crab comparison, for me.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

BR class 37 and BR class 55 are no doubt the point where the UK had realized their mistakes with the past diesel-electric classes. While I may like class 55 more, it's impressive that class 37 has stuck around significantly longer and there have been notably more made.

[@Ben31337l]

I think for the most part, the problems were behind them, but the lack of testing, the example being the class 370 shows that the systemic problems within British Rail were still present.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The Class 37 had 2 nose styles with or without the nose corridor connections. The Class 37/5 that had numbers starting at 37501 were rebuilt form locomotives that had the nose connectors and those that counted down from 37699 were rebuilt from locomotives that never had the corridor connection in the nose. The 37/6 were rebuilt for the 37/5 fir the night trains through to the Channel Tunnel, a service that never ran for various reasons including the Belgians not have a suitable locomotive to haul their portions on these trains and the arrival of low-cost airlines.

[@Ben31337l]

The corridor class 37s were the first initial batch, but because locomotive crews found them to be drafty, the corridor less units were part of later batches with the corridor units being welded up to fix the problem. Units of the first batch are characterised by the split headcode boxes.

[@Doll.The.Solver]

The Class 55 Deltics Are Just As Good As Their Sister, The Class 37 Tractors 👍

[@andrew2353]

The 37's aren't as sexy as the 55s but they're indestructible workhorses that are frequently towing younger locos to the scrap yards.

[@paulrobinson3649]

I think the main problem with the previous episode was including the 47, known in the permanent way community to be not good enough, yet ignoring the far superior 37. If a 47 turned up with your top stone train on a track renewal you're in trouble. A 37 was a surgical instrument compared to a football boot.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The LMs 10000 and 10001 were the closest things to a protypes for the Class 37.

[@Ben31337l]

The 37s were almost carbon copies.

[@ChrisCooper312]

One working the 37s are particularly popular for is dragging electric multiple units away from the power. This can be from the manufacturer (or docks if imported) to the depot. From the depot to somewhere for refurbishment. Or at end of life to the scrapyard. The 37s have been around that long they have taken a number of types of unit on their first and last trip, and their longevity means it's possible that some of the units they are delivering even today might make their last trip behind a 37 in the future.

[@Tom-Lahaye]

Thanks for this one, nice video shots in this video. It's not too long ago when I spent a whole day on passenger trains behind 37s in the Cumbria district, and nowadays the chance seeing one in a siding or doing work on MOW trains is still pretty substantial when travelling in the UK by train. Only thing missing was the awesome sound these Tractors make, but plenty enough videos on YT which include the noise, or Thrash as the English rail fans tend to say.

[@EE12CSVT]

The 37/6 didn't have ETS but had through wiring from a generator coach. The reason why the EE 12CSVT is so reliable is because it was designed for 2000hp but is rated at 1750hp in these locos. One was uprated to 2000hp for a while. The Ruston Paxman 12RK3ACT used in the Class 58 at 3300hp is a development of the 12CSVT. 37s still run around on the mainline, owned or operated by Colas Rail, SRPS, HNRC, WCRC, DRS, Network Rail, and Europhoenix.

[@davidty2006]

Ontop of Heritage railways and charter operators in countless different liveries they have been painted in.

[@simongurden9848]

Triple headed llanwern - port Talbot iron ore trains were a great sight

[@stephendavies6949]

Yes, I've commented on the South Wales footage too.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

If you want an unsung (but brilliant) FRENCH locomotive, I give you SNCF (Ex Paris-Orleans/Midi Railways) Class 2-D-2 5500. They hauled the cross-country expresses from Bordeaux to the Mediterranean coast via Toulouse, and later also hauled fast freight on the same lines with aplomb. They were fast for their time, reliable (well, they had two little problems, but more of that later.....) and very well loved. And they lasted nearly 50 years. 1,500v DC Electrics, from the joint electrification between the Paris-Orleans at Bordeaux and the Midi on the Med, they became the symbol of the eventual merger between the PO and Midi, which sadly got overtaken by the creation of SNCF in 1938. However, they were not perfect. The Buchli drive, although very good if maintainence was kept up with, could be tempramental, especially in later years when maintainence was winding down, and the second was more a perception problem than a reliabilty one, but the first cabs were cramped due to them being built to the Swiss pattern, with odd square looking snouts that led to them being called the "Pig-noses", then there were cabs that were a lot less cramped but looked like the later British Railway Class 42 and 43 at the front, which led to them being called "The Pregnant Ones" and finally there were the cabs that were flatter, but had a pronounced fold in the front. These were the best of the cabs, but it didn't stop the SNCF staff calling them "Watermans" after the Art Deco ink bottles that the Waterman pen company made. But they were vibration free and very sure footed, and downright adored by crews.

[@tidepoolclipper8657]

English Electric also made the English Electric Lighting interceptor.

[@stephendavies6949]

Thanks for sharing some great shots of these "Tractors" hauling the (original) "black gold" in my homeland: the coal mining valleys of South Wales, UK. I grew up with these locos lurking around every corner, growling their way up and down the valleys with their rakes of coal wagons. At one time, around 35% of the total fleet was based at Cardiff Canton Depot. And then Mrs Thatcher closed all the coal mines, and that was that!

[@DKS225]

Also The 37's were used on The Far North and Kyle of Lochalsh lines and in the case of two 37's were fitted with ERTMS In-Cab signalling equipment for The Cambrian Coast route.

[@1309westernmaryland]

I love the BR Class 37 :)

[@IainDavies-z2l]

The 37/6s were not ETS fitted, they were through wired for use with the "Night star" mk3 generator coaches.

[@SteamboatWilley]

My favourite diesel locomotive of all time. Thanks for this video.

[@Khalif-AllahEntertainment]

My favorite diesel locomotive in UK!

[@stephendavies6949]

You're not alone: 37s, 55s (the loco other diesels call "sir"), and the 20s. All built by EE, which can't be a coincidence... Oh, as were the motors within the 08s.

[@Khalif-AllahEntertainment]

@@stephendavies6949 nice

[@OsKxShadowzZ]

really good video, i can’t find many videos like this from british youtubers if you ever wanted to do a class 47 or class 08 (08’s are my favourite and they are only now starting to be replaced) but 47’s were so iconic anyway, thanks for this and the level of detail you put into it

[@craigymac5386]

Excellent video, i remember the Motherwell based double headers passing by with either coal or iron ore to Ravenscraig steel works. It was even better at Mossend yard when they added a 3rd 37 to climb the hill up to The steel works. What a sound they made.

[@papalaz4444244]

The Deltics might be very cool but the Class 37 is EVERYWHERE and never stop :)

[@Titan604]

I grew up within earshot of the Great Eastern Main Line in Essex - well at least within earshot of the class 37's! One of their regular workings was double headed on freightliners - intermodels that ran at 75mph and were up to 25 cars. On still summer nights with the window open I could hear them roaring for ten minutes plus at a time, the sound ebbing and flowing on the air as they hurried their train through the countryside. Today I live in Derby, and still occasionally hear class 37's roaring away in the distance as they get their train up to speed after passing through the station. It is amazing how the noise of a class 37 has been part of the background to my entire life, and at the going rate I will retire before they do!

[@DOCTORDROTT]

I worked on them for 49 years . Great loco

[@Gordanovich02]

It's the sound I love most of all, that staccato bark that carries for miles. They were kings of the West Highland line as you said. Triple headed 37s - a rarity for British Rail as our Multiple Working systems were not so conducive to huge lash-ups like the American AAR system - hauled the Ravenscraig iron ore trains for a time. They (along with 40s and 47s) hauled the last trains over the old Airdrie-Bathgate line in 1982; appropriately enough, when the line was reopened almost 30 years later the first publicly accessible passenger train over it was hauled by a pair of 37s. Basically they were _the_ diesel locomotive of my youth.

[@2KXMKR]

EE didn't really need to make a prototype Type 3 as they just kinda knew exactly what they wanted pretty much through the process of elimination. They needed something more powerful than the Type 2, obviously, but knew that the big heavy Type 4 had a terrible power to weight ratio and due to their huge bogies were very limited when it came to routing. So they just threw a less powerful engine into a smaller body, on a smaller chassis, with Co-Co bogies that could handle tighter routes and thanks to the genius of double-heading Class 20s knew that if just one Type 3 wasn't powerful enough they could just throw a second one on the front of the train. My favourite part is when they chased all the rats out of Scotland and took over the Highlands. There's just nothing better than a C.37/4 in Large Logo Blue livery storming around the Scottish Highlands! ... Okay, maybe the Greys on coal in Wales.

[@simonmcowan6874]

There are converted 97's in Aberystwyth taking logs to Chirk.

[@silverfox2358]

There is nothing reliable to replace them cus all the new stuff breaks down or falls apart. I would make more of them and upgrade the engines.

[@VespaT5]

A tractor video without tractor sound? It's novel I suppose.

[@jwrailve3615]

I just now completed a west Cornwall short freight with a class 37. Pretty ugly like majority of the British diesels, so far the only one I actually like is the class 40 that thing is a beast.

[@TB76Returns]

These are great Diesels

[@tonymento7460]

I see these engines on KZbin all the time I see them moving MofW equipment around on the British Railway

[@Hard-Boiled-Bollock]

Mainly I'm a steam guy.. but I love the 37s

[@harrisonallen651]

When British Model Railway Company Hornby made The Diesel/Class 40 into their Thomas and Friends line, they actually used a Class 37 train as basis rather than a 40.

[@aidenteszke9000]

Did you ask for premission to use this footage?

[@aidenteszke9000]

Because you don't credit it anywhere

[@anthonyhunt701]

And attractive in the way the SD-40-2 is❤

[@formidable38]

Was speaking to an old hand driver a couple of weeks ago that said he hates the things with a passion!! It was an interesting conversation. You certainly cant knock their longevity though.

[@EE12CSVT]

Nice that you finish it worth a clip at Sutton Bridge Junction with a Manchester to Cardiff service.

[@True_NOON]

Yeah since the best of BR were 6 this gets its own vid But EE proved that 7s are lucky , atleast for Type 3 and 4 Also the class 66 replaced them, the only class to do so succesfully

[@Danse_Macabre_125]

I don't get your comment on 7s being lucky? Unless you were referring to the Class 47s, which were built by Brush

[@davidty2006]

Class 66 technically isn't the only one. Class 68/88's are planned to replace the DRS fleet. Though they are still going....

[@Froobyone]

Balance is restored. :)

[@thomasshepard6030]

This was the first locomotive that I drove when I started with BR at eastfield traction depot springburn Glasgow as a fireman/ second man 1974 fantastic work horse on the west highland line to Oban some of the speed restrictions were 15 MPH WITH THE CLASS 37

[@zuzanagaskova2721]

I would love you to do a video on the class 40

[@logicalaction]

I live next to the London to Clacton line which is emu only accept maintenance trains,which are still occasionally powered by 37's, usually on the line spraying. Oh what a joy to here that sound as it goes by

[@Hard-Boiled-Bollock]

Have you ever visited our country sir? (apologies if you clarified that in an earlier video, I've only just subscribed)

[@Delta4280]

Probably one of my favorite British diesels, other than the Class 35 Hymek

[@KnightRanger38]

How about doing a series with locomotive classes that were operating in significant numbers 50+ years after the last one was produced?

[@hearingthesmells2500]

I live in a place called water orton. And see these often…. Although not as much since the coal trains stopped.. but daily

[@theromanorder]

please do a video on the porters steam loco the Japanese class d5, the Chinese QJ 2,10,2 or just exsamples of asian trains how do gear trains work something on saddle bolier and side tanks (like the big water boxes) tank engines double ended diesel trains (and electric) eletric trains American and European switches other then the British class 07-09 what to do if the train stalls one talking about the different types of steam funnles and there uses, a video on steam locomotive combination breaks (steam and vacuum brakes) a short video on how a Armstrong turn table works what did train flagman do what did trains (mostly steam) do when going in tunnels, ive heard of gas masks or just useing a wet cloth, or did they bring in other engines like later on they used electric trains, or were there no bigv tunnels. evaluation of electric trains why are some trains wagion tops (the stream lining thing to boilers) railway terms abd slang one on the meaning of flag and lantern colors like green on rear engine means theres another one coming soon, the different types of cut offs/reversers/Johnson bar some are a big lever, some are a big valve wheel, and ive also seen some that are like rods, one exsample is train sim world 3 and im not sure where to find the other reverser and how much water do steam trains take usually, and how much would the crew drink

[@Ti_Daley]

you keep asking this to everyone.... why don't you do it

[@theromanorder]

@@Ti_Daley incompetence,

[@Mariazellerbahn]

Having drove these for over 30 years, they were absolutely useless. Any weight involved it would need a pair of the damned things. They were all smoke and no poke (like most English Electric junk).

[@MannyAntipov]

I wouldn’t call the EE locos junk, but some definitely have more praise than they get. Uncomfortable, awkward driving position on the 37s, and the underpowered 31s, but we do have some fantastic engines like the 50.

[@ALCO-C855-fan]

Class 37!!! Class 37!!! Class 37!!! BRITISH NO. 1!!!

[@ashleyjiscool]

Nice, you made us happy

[@BazilRat]

I love the Tractor

[@nlo114]

Certainly the maid-of-all-work, jack of all trades, go anywhere very useful multi-purpose loco. Long may they continue, where the likes of the 68s haven't.

[@Goose16-3]

Hi 👋 I got a class 37 Br model

[@CoalChrome]

*laughing in GP10*

[@obelic71]

Solong their are no fatigue crackes in the frames this engines can be rebuild/reengined to enternity. Only a few classes of locomotives reach the "cockroach" level of evolutionair survivability.

[@davidty2006]

Ah yes. Ol relyable. Worked so well they have been seen pretty much everywhere and moved basically everything... And with current rate they might end up being one of the last few diesel locomotives in service.

[@little_britain]

And I consider my last comment well and truly vindicated. Nicely done, sir.

[@OwenConcorde]

Awesome video! The Class 37 is one of my favorite British diesel locomotives besides the 55, 50, 47, and the Class 66. I’m not sure if you’re going to do more informational international locomotive videos, but I would like to suggest the China Railways DF4 series diesels, the Deutsche Bundesbahn BR 103 class electrics, the East German BR 243 (later 143) class electrics, and the Italian Railways E.444 class electrics.

[@stephendavies6949]

I'd agree with your choice of 37s & 55s. I'd put the 20s in my top 3.

[@The_New_IKB]

Self-propelled clag production unit!

[@BrecklandSpotting]

Sideshow bob's face trader from that one episode

[@calvingreene90]

The prototypes were tested in East Africa.

[@MrCateagle]

English Electric seems to have excelled at 'most everything they did; diesel-electir locomotives, aircraft, etc.

[@davidty2006]

Vulcan foundry for ya.

[@mousesuper20]

Litra MY or Litra MZ maybe

[@Tsass0]

Yah, the Class 37 :)

[@calvingreene90]

Am I the only one who is annoyed by diesel electric locomotives pulling coal trains?

[@melvynwoodman5787]

I’m more annoyed that some idiots have decided to stop mining coal and generating power with it without having an adequate affordable alternative.

[@calvingreene90]

@@melvynwoodman5787 Very true.

[@frederickbooth7970]

@@melvynwoodman5787 Same problem we have here in US!

[@JoshuaEVANS-Dez1]

They had to re do the wiring and put new everything on them in the end back in 60s they had loads of problems not in 2024 they haven’t got a fault they have new everything now 💯👌