47522, from Forteviot wreck to a quality Crewe rebuild

Every loco tells a story, 47522

Delivered new from Crewe Works on 041166 as D1104, this two tone green machine was immediately allocated to the Eastern Region. Most will probably remember her as a dual heat York based 47522 in later years, being common on passenger and vans both by day and night across the length of the ECML.

Like her dual heat classmates she was often borrowed/diagrammed on Internal Scottish turns and on one such turn, the 1335 Glasgow-Aberdeen, that 47522 made newspaper headlines and unfortunately resulted in injuries (some serious) to passengers and loco driver back on May 4^th 1982.

A tractor/trailer combination had become stuck on a steeply ramped accommodation crossing at Forteviot (nr Perth). Despite “quick” emergency braking from full line speed, the 7 coach train still collided with the obstruction at 55mph.

The accident report details how the loco on hitting the tractor/trailer pivoted and effectively “flew” for a short distance before crashing down an embankment and into a ditch. 6 of the 7 coaches followed down the bank with the buckeye coupling holding on most of the coaches despite the severity of the impact.

A quality Crewe works rebuild followed and she was back in service 18 months later.

Heading North on an overnight off Kings X (overnights off the Cross, remember them) in 1988, myself and Mr Evans we were none to pleased at seeing 47522 at the head of our train. In retrospect, being an air con Mk II/III Sleeper rake, our remarks of “should have left it in a field” were a bit unkind.

By then 47522 had been repainted in a unique LNER apple green “express parcels” livery which had the likes of “Ned News” frothing. She was also, by then, named “Doncaster Enterprise” one of a spate of namings at the time on previously unnamed Eastern Region class 47 workhorses.

Back to 88, we bailed off at York that night for the NYMR diesel day featuring small Sulzers 25278/191 amongst others. By 1989 and deep into the sectorised pre privatisation era 47522 became a Crewe based freight sector and, on one such turn suffered another serious collision nr Folkestone and suprisingly was rebuilt once again.

47522 emerged from Doncaster works in Parcels Red livery to show her new sector ownership where she was a local WCML performer. A final transfer back to the Eastern saw her seeing out her days as a Petroleum sector loco, although she managed a last passenger turn as late as December 98.

Withdrawal came in May 99 and the final cut/component removal at Wigan CRDC in July 2000 to end a 34 year career.

Selected 47522 sightings/moves

200874 Doncaster

030976 Kings X

060177 1D02 1215 Kings X – Cleethorpes

051183 0600 Aberdeen-Birmingham (drag 87025 Preston-Crewe)

240885 0910 Paignton-Newcastle

210286 2124 (2002) Bristol-Glas/Edin (ex Carstairs)

190987 1V61 0914 York – Tenby

210488 2359 Kings X-Edinburgh

201288 1P30 2015 St Pancras – Derby Vans

280790 0949 Wolves-Padd