I've heard reports of Hunslet diesels being used on rack and pinion coal lines, and also on the channel tunnel during construction, but can find little about this other than the odd reference. Could anyone enlighten?

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I know Hunslet very well thru professional dealings and whilst I cant recall any I will ask.

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http://www.leedsengine.info/leeds/histhe.asp  "Hunslet built many rack locomotives including many mine locomotives and the diesel locomotives for the Snowdon Mountain Railway". Mention is also made of rack locos on the Channel Tunnel project.

Dave

Seems they made a few.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunslet_Engine_Company 

http://www.leedsengine.info/leeds/histhe.asp 

Edit: davel much quicker on the keys. :lol:

Thats really interesting... I will ask if they have a catalogue or something, my dealings have been on standard gauge stuff.

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Thanks all for the feedback. It's a shame there seem to be no pictures or anything on this but thanks for the help 🙂

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Found a pic of a Channel Tunnel loco, (adhesion type).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinfoulger/7168994127/ 

Found a pic of a Channel Tunnel loco, (adhesion type).

http://www.flickr.com/photos/justinfoulger/7168994127/ 

With having twin trolley pickups, was it running under +ve and -ve contact wires? Therefore not earth return via track as is usually the case?? Copying Llechwedd maybe? 😉

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Are we talking abt system rack and pinion or some other kind?

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There were quite a few rack locos knocking around that were commissioned by NCB/British Coal. We've lent one Hunslet to Middleton Railway where its displayed on an inclined section of rail complete with rack, from memory there's another twin cab Hunslet that was used at Wistow Mine (Selby Colliery Complex) that was at Statfold Barn last year on the back of a flat wagon. I'll look out what info we've got when I'm back at work. Gascoigne Wood Drift had some very nice looking GMT diesel hydraulic BO-BO locos although according to a couple of our fitters who used to work there the fluid transmission pipework was an absolute sod and they were always in the shops because of it...

I may be wrong, but my memory tells me that there was a section of inclined track outside Parsonage pit at Leigh in Lancashire for testing a rack loco - but I may be mixing up two different sites and purposes. There was certainly an inclined multigauge track outside the Ruston works for testing locos on.

Grahami

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I bought the rack loco No 19 from UK Coal back in 2004 to ensure that one was saved for preservation. I kept it at Foxfield Colliery and subsequently passed the loco onto Statfold for final preservation in their Hunslet collection. I think that it was the last loco brought up from a UK coal mine for preservation, but I would be delighted to be contradicted.

Despite it's woebegone state, it was actually a runner and was driven to the shaft bottom, brought up to the top and driven into the workshop at the Mine.

There was a sizable fleet of rack locos built for British Coal by Hunslet of various sizes and there are other examples preserved at Caphouse and the Middleton Railway in Leeds.

The best reference for the Hunslet locos is Don Townsley's The Hunslet Engine Works, a wonderful book detailing the history of this iconic loco manufacturer.

I have posted some photos of the loco collection from Stillingfleet mine here:

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/album/Stillingfleet-Colliery-Coal-Colliery-User-Album/ 

Cheers

Alan

Ah, that'll be the one I saw when I was visiting!