Europes loudest Loco?!

[33056]

As for the comment about Rodão bank, that would be 1935 on the PTG tour a couple of years ago - thrash away from Mosteiro over the viaducts, 500m from the tunnel power off, brake a little, then blast on the horn and full wide open through the tunnel - entered at 30kmh exited at 80kmh... How do I know?! Same story with 1913 on last year's PTG tour returning from the Algarve - slow for Pragal station on a yellow, which then turns to green, but no problem, let it roll slowly up to the signal on the curve before the tunnel so speed down to around 20kmh, then full wide through the tunnel with a pure wall of sound before bursting out on to Ponte 25 de Abril doing 85kmh with the Convel singing away as over the limit... Text received from back in the train said 'Not bad...' Never seen a clipt of that section, but I doubt if any microphones would have coped.

Ah yes, I forgot about 1913 - that was rather loud

The Rodão bank one was 1945 back in Febraury 2004; as there was only two of us in the front coach, the window was opened (to appreciate the scenery better ) - about 3/4 of the way up our ears were starting to protest so the window had to be closed again. There was still plenty of noise!

 

[Csalem]

The Irish Rail/Northern Ireland Railways 201 class GMs produce an enormous amount of unpleasant sounding racket when standing still in stations while working the Belfast > Dublin service. It's certainly louder as anything I've heard, even a pair of 37s under load. They don't do this when on the Cork line, so I assume it's something to do with having to provide ETH (or 'head end power' as they call it). The Cork line sets have a genny van.

Yes it is the HEP that creates that noise. The loco is always running in top notch, which is why one or two of them have had a few minor explosions on board. This will end soon once the Mark 3 generator vans enter service on the Enterprise:
http://www.railsceneireland.fotopic.net/p65462722.html

 

[Newportmuscles]

My humble opinion.
CD 751s
IE 071s
Any GM in the former JZ
Greek Alcos
SNCB 59s
BR 37905/6
Don't think anything much of French or German diesels.

And for those in the front coach of the Spanka 2, remember how painful it was north of Most na Soci

 

[158722]

Ah yes, I forgot about 1913 - that was rather loud

The Rodão bank one was 1945 back in Febraury 2004; as there was only two of us in the front coach, the window was opened (to appreciate the scenery better ) - about 3/4 of the way up our ears were starting to protest so the window had to be closed again. There was still plenty of noise!

My blond moment... confused Rodão with Juncal on the Douro... doah. 1935 was the PTG to Pocinho (awesome thrash on way back), but yes, climbing north out of Rodão with an Asti was just superb, especially when stopped at the shack in the middle of the bank itself... As an aside, the diesel worked Castelo Branco-Covilha section is due to go electric in December, thus ending domestic diesel hauled passenger services in Portugal.

 

[Zamracene749]

Reckon of loco's still rostered to work passenger trains today, unsilenced Czech 749s take some beating- although i'd love to hear others

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L-VwmOZgwY

or from the front coach-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ZaDwzXdFE

Quite like DB 218s too-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyEAtzQX0Hk

 

[Aictos]

Although only a DEMU and not a loco as such, the 180s when idling are loud - sat at Hull yesterday waiting for the Hull Trains service to work and it very nearly managed to drown out the pair of 170s departing.

As to locos, the HST powercars when they had the Valentas should also be considered.

 

[Newportmuscles]

Loudest loco, not DMU or DEMU power cars please!

 

[Aictos]

92s then!

But then again, HST Powercars are technically locos!

 

[4SRKT]

92s then!

But then again, HST Powercars are technically locos!

When did this change? I remember them being class 253 and 254 and classed as DEMUs, but now they seem to be called class 43.

 

[Old Timer]

When did this change? I remember them being class 253 and 254 and classed as DEMUs, but now they seem to be called class 43.

It is not a change. HST power cars have always been considered to be locomotives, simply locomotives in a fixed formation train.

HST power cars when running singly or together are classed as light locomotives and always have been.


To get back to the topic, one of the greatr experiences of the 80s and 90s was to either ride on or be in the first cartriage behind an 071 storming into Glanmire Road Tunnel in Cork on a Heuston departure. Even on the footplate the noise just turned into pure vibration which you could feel surging through you !

Anyone who has experienced that will know what I mean !

 

[LE Greys]

It is not a change. HST power cars have always been considered to be locomotives, simply locomotives in a fixed formation train.

HST power cars when running singly or together are classed as light locomotives and always have been.


To get back to the topic, one of the greatr experiences of the 80s and 90s was to either ride on or be in the first cartriage behind an 071 storming into Glanmire Road Tunnel in Cork on a Heuston departure. Even on the footplate the noise just turned into pure vibration which you could feel surging through you !

Anyone who has experienced that will know what I mean !

The prototype power cars (which had two cabs) were originally considered Class 41 locomotives, numbered 41001 and 41002. However, they decided to renumber them as DMU stock, numbers 43000 and 43001. That's why the first production power car was 43002. Power cars were originally allocated to specific sets (43002 and 43003 to 253001) but maintenance on the Valentas began to cause power car swaps, which got a bit confusing with cars carrying the wrong set number. Eventually, they painted out the set numbers and reallocated the power cars as Class 43 locomotives, and began to refer to the trailers as hauled coaching stock rather than DMU (the 4XXXX series is separate anyway).

As for the noise, one day I would love to hear it from the cab. I remember spending half a summer Valenta-bashing on FGW, occasionally combined with steam-chasing. One run back from Temple Meads to Paddington was particularly memorable. I had an entire TF to myself (weekend first) but still spent half the time up in the vestibule next to a power car in fine voice.

 

[Newportmuscles]

LE GRAYS you don't want to be in the cab of HSTs with Valentas, it's bad enough with MTUs!!!

A big difference between a hobby and a job

 

[4SRKT]

It is not a change. HST power cars have always been considered to be locomotives, simply locomotives in a fixed formation train.

HST power cars when running singly or together are classed as light locomotives and always have been.

Then why were they classified in the 2xx series, used for DEMUs? Would a thumper power car be considered as a locomotive when running singly or in a pair (although NIR did used to use pairs of 70 class power cars to haul freights)?

 

[158722]

I had the chance to see (and hear) one of the Alsthom 1900s mentioned above on one of the Neves Corvo pyrites trains I noted. Sadly, I didn't have the small video camera with me, but hopefully the image conveys the idea of the racket that these things make! Photo here and on my fotopic site (along with other photos from today);
http://158722.fotopic.net/p66854437.html

 

[LE Greys]

Then why were they classified in the 2xx series, used for DEMUs? Would a thumper power car be considered as a locomotive when running singly or in a pair (although NIR did used to use pairs of 70 class power cars to haul freights)?

There's a bit of a difference. A Thumper power car has passenger seating inside, an HST power car does not. A Thumper has the engine in a small compartment at one end with (IIRC) only two powered axles, an HST power car has the engine in a big compartment in the middle with four powered axles. It's also practically impossible to run two HSTs coupled together at full speed. If they had had the sense to put some driving controls at the inner end (useful for shunting if nothing else) there would be no argument that an HST power car is a locomotive. There are (or were) plenty of single-cab streamlined locos in America, so why not a few over here?

The 2XX series was probably a holdover from the Blue Pullmans (or is that Blue Pullmen, I've never been entirely certain). There's no argument that they were anything other than DEMUs; they could run in pairs, the power cars carried passengers and the leading bogies were not motored. However, they were semi-locomotives in some ways, with their big engine compartment.

 

[6S83]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT34R8NGwMY&feature=related

Not Europe, but try this one, sounds awesome and is a bit too much for the mic when it gets close!

 

[DiscoStu]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT34R8NGwMY&feature=related

Not Europe, but try this one, sounds awesome and is a bit too much for the mic when it gets close!

That is awesome - ya just can't beat ALCo's for thrash!

 

[6S83]

That is awesome - ya just can't beat ALCo's for thrash!

Indeed, I had a few runs with A456 in Greece that you started the thread off with and I've never heard anything as loud, probably never will. Always prefered the sound of the A9101s on the Pelloponese Metre gauge though, fantastic little machines.
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=2712

 

[DiscoStu]

Indeed, I had a few runs with A456 in Greece that you started the thread off with and I've never heard anything as loud, probably never will. Always prefered the sound of the A9101s on the Pelloponese Metre gauge though, fantastic little machines.
http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=2712

Haha - awesome! that actually gave me goosebumps!

I was lucky enough to travel behind A-456 as well, but I never had a recording of it, which is why I went looking for a link. A-468 was also as loud for a while, but they sorted that out unfortunately lol.

Not many things beat A-456 climbing out of Athens surrounded by all the flats that amplify the noise even further!