B101 LOCO

[popeye]

I came across this picture on eBay of B107 and it shows it with tablet catchers, which I have not seen before 

and the catchers seem to be back to front compared to other locos.

[Garfield]

I've seen a couple of other photos of the Sulzers with snatchers fitted and they also had them fitted in this way; it seems the snatcherman had to travel in the rear cab. I'm not sure if there was a communication system in the cabs or if it was a case of the snatcherman having to run through the engine room to warn the driver if the staff wasn't picked up successfully...

[popeye]

I think maybe they had to fit the space made for them and could not be turned round to face the

other direction.

[jhb171achill]

26 minutes ago, Garfield said:

I've seen a couple of other photos of the Sulzers with snatchers fitted and they also had them fitted in this way; it seems the snatcherman had to travel in the rear cab. I'm not sure if there was a communication system in the cabs or if it was a case of the snatcherman having to run through the engine room to warn the driver if the staff wasn't picked up successfully...

That's exactly the reason.

They were fitted like that for Mallow - Waterford primarily, I expect.

I was only in the cab of one once (and over a short distance, maybe 5 miles) and was struck by the lack of room in the cab - every bit as bad as a 141, and poor visibility ahead - the windows are pretty high. Must have been hated by drivers when shunting.

[Mayner]

42 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

That's exactly the reason.

They were fitted like that for Mallow - Waterford primarily, I expect.

I was only in the cab of one once (and over a short distance, maybe 5 miles) and was struck by the lack of room in the cab - every bit as bad as a 141, and poor visibility ahead - the windows are pretty high. Must have been hated by drivers when shunting.

They appear to have taken over the Rosslare Express workings from the Woolwich Moguls. 

The main complaint among drivers was cold feet, the Sulzers were reliable, smooth running, good haulage at slow speed and efficient brakes.

They were mainly concentrated on North Wall-Heuston transfer work and Dunlaoire Parcel Trains when I first noticed them in the late 60s early 70s , always seemed to be one waiting at Island Bridge Junction to work a transfer goods when I went by on the No23 bus or one on a parcel train in the old Dunlaoire Station while returning from a seaside outing to Bray.

The cabs may have been cramped, but the engine room was surprisingly spacious probably enough room for a Sulzer 8LDA engine used in the BR Sulzer Type 3 Class 33. I sheltered in the engine room of 106 with a group of enthusiasts during a downpour an Inchacore Works visit.

[jhb171achill]

It's 106 that I got a cab ride in - I believe it was the last of them in traffic, though 103 seems to have been kicking about late on as well. Latterly, the last survivors were rarely used.

Incidentally, I saw a pic the other day of one at Kingscourt. That was a VERY rare outing; forays north of Dublin were almost unknown.

[Mayner]

They appear to have considered a 'Southern loco" mainly working on the old GSWR & WLWR. In their final years B101 possibly including 103 work the weedspray taking a member of the class visiting the entire CIE & NIR system

[jhb171achill]

9 hours ago, Mayner said:

They appear to have considered a 'Southern loco" mainly working on the old GSWR & WLWR. In their final years B101 possibly including 103 work the weedspray taking a member of the class visiting the entire CIE & NIR system

Yes, always way more common in the south-west. Despite being a GSWR (WLWR) line, their activities were even rare north of Limerick to Sligo, though as one might expect, they were somewhat more common on goods trains on both the North Kerry & South Kerry lines.

Even with weedsprays, forays onto the GNR and the Midland were as good as unknown. They were never in regular service on anything on those systems.

[DiveController]

B107 above is at Cork, in silver I would think.

Snatchers very rare on the B101s, I don't think I've ever seen photos of any others, as for in person, that's before my time.

I don't know id they were fitted in green livery or black but certainly not in Supertrain