The Woodhead Line
The Woodhead line was a railway line linking Sheffield, Penistone and Manchester in the north of England. A key feature of the route is the passage under the high moorlands of the northern Peak District through the Woodhead Tunnels. The line was electrified in 1953 and closed between Hadfield and Penistone in 1981.
New electric locomotives for the line were constructed at Gorton locomotive works, Manchester. These were the EM1/Class 76, for freight trains and some passenger duties, and EM2/Class 77 locomotives for express passenger trains. Given the steep gradients on the line, the locomotives were able to use regenerative braking on their descent from Woodhead.
Additionally, Class 506 electric multiple units were built for suburban services between Manchester, Glossop and Hadfield. A new depot was built in 1954 at Reddish on the Fallowfield Loop line to maintain the new locomotives and EMUs.
The LNER EM1 or British Rail Class 76 is a class of electric locomotive that was developed after extensive trials of TOMMY - the EM1 Prototype - in both the UK and Holland. After these trials, an order was placed by LNER for 70 electric locomotives for Britain's first electric mainline, this was later revised to 57 EM1s and 7 EM2s (Class 77). There were 2 variants of the EM1 ordered, 44 locomotives following the standard design for freight only traffic, and 13 fitted with Steam Heating for mixed traffic hauling freight and passenger services. The only visible difference being a plate over the bodyside at the No1 End, 2 panels back from the driver.
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The kits I have created cover the 3 main variations and feature a wealth of detail, including riveting along the Solebar, detailed grills, separate bogies and pantographs.
Class 76 (Freight Only) locomotive kit
Pre TOPS - 26001-19, 26021-45.
TOPS - 76001-04, 76040, 76041, 76043.
EM1 Class 76 - Freight only - unpowered kit - £35 per kitIncludes Body, Chassis, Bogies, Buffers, Pantographs and Wheels |
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EM1 Class 76 - Freight only - kit for motorising - £25 per kitIncludes Body, Bogies, Buffers and Pantographs suitable for motorising with a Dapol Class 26/27/33 |
Class 76 (Steam Heat - Mixed Traffic) locomotive kit
Pre TOPS - 26020, 26046-57.
TOPS - 76020, 76046, 76047, 76049, 76051-57.
EM1 Class 76 - Mixed Traffic - unpowered kit - £35 per kitIncludes Body, Chassis, Bogies, Buffers, Pantographs and Wheels |
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EM1 Class 76 - Mixed Traffic - kit for motorising - £25 per kitIncludes Body, Bogies, Buffers and Pantographs suitable for motorising with a Dapol Class 26/27/33 |
Class 76 (Multiple Working) locomotive kit
The biggest alteration externally to the class was carried out during 1969 and 1970 when a large number of the class were fitted with 6 Multiple Working sockets and they also repositioned the Handrails at either end, this enabled the class to work in pairs, thus creating a 3rd type of loco. This happened 2 years before TOPS was implemented (1972) therefore locomotives were still carrying their 260xx numbers but with an “E” prefix.
The loco’s converted for Multiple Working were:
76006-16, 76018, 76021-37.
EM1 Class 76 - Multiple Working - unpowered kit - £35 per kitIncludes Body, Chassis, Bogies, Buffers, Pantographs and Wheels |
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EM1 Class 76 - Multiple Working - kit for motorising - £25 per kitIncludes Body, Bogies, Buffers and Pantographs suitable for motorising with a Dapol Class 26/27/33 |
RDB998900 or RDB998901 - Drewry Car - £17 per vehicle |
OLIVE is one of two vehicles built by the Drewry Car Company in 1950 for BR overhead line inspection and maintenance on the Great Eastern electrification scheme and the Manchester - Sheffield - Wath (Woodhead) route. They were then transferred to the RTC at Derby for use on the overhead equipment on the Old Dalby test track. 998901 is now preserved by the EM2 Locomotive Society and is currently based at the Middleton Railway in Leeds.
The model comes as an unpainted 3D printed resin kit in 8 parts and is designed to fit on the Kato 11-103 or 11-109 motorised chassis. My kit also comes with a sheet of transfers, created by Precision Labels, these transfers allow you to finish your model in any of the liveries that they carried.
Continue reading: RDB998900 or RDB998901 - Drewry Car "O.L.I.VE"
EM2 Locomotive Society: Operation Phoenix
In February 2016 the railbus OLIVE was extensively damaged in an arson attack at the Middleton Railway by 3 youths who set fire to her in broad daylight, totally gutting the vehicle. Luckily the alarm was raised in time for the Fire Brigade to put out the fire before it caused irreparable damage - although the interior was completely gutted and significant damage caused to the upper bodywork.
Olive’s owners, the EM2 Locomotive Society (UK Charity 294207), are now working with the Vintage Carriages Trust and have agreed a plan to restore her to working order. For that to happen they need your help!
While insured the overall cost of repairs will exceed the insured value by around £9,000 and they need to raise at least this amount to enable repairs to go ahead. If you are able to help please visit their website at https://www.em2ls.org.uk/operation-phoenix/ or click here to make a donation online using the Charities Aid Foundation hub.