These four machines appeared to be frequent visitors to Derby Works during the early part of their careers. D5143 was noted there during May, September & October whilst D5144 was noted there during August & September.
1962
Visitors to Derby Works included D5145 in February & March, when it was noted freshly repainted, D5146 in February and D5145 & D5146 during November.
1963
D5144 was noted at Derby Works during February.
April Fool’s Day for the crew working the English Electric Type 4 powered 10am Glasgow - Euston ‘Royal Scot’ proved to be challenging when their train suffered a ‘near miss’ close by Weedon signal box. The 2.18pm twenty eight wagon fully fitted Class 4 Camden - Glasgow Sighthill freight had been making good time on its journey northwards. It had maintained its maximum allowable speed of 55mph for at least the previous ten miles, not a challenge for D5146 with only 230tons in tow. Just north of Stowe Hill tunnel a wheel on the fifth wagon, a twelve ton insulated fruit van, mounted the rail, eventually dropping onto the sleepers and running as such for almost three thousand yards. The fruit van remained upright until it struck the crossovers at Weedon. Here the wagon started to lean over fouling the up line, minor shocks felt by the driver of the goods train caused him to look back down the train and see the derailed wagon.
As the goods train was being brought to a stop the driver on the approaching up ‘Royal Scot’ saw the derailing wagon, the passenger train had already been checked by signals approaching Weedon so was running at about 20mph when the impact occurred. The fruit van was heavily damaged, the Type 4 sustained minor cab & nose damage below the window level, some coach bodies were grazed and dented with some bogie damage and broken axleboxes. Despite three other wagons being derailed after the impact the goods train did not break in two. The cause of the accident lay with the fruit van, it was not in a fit condition to run, its bearing springs being badly out of adjustment. The springs had been this way for some time, thus responsibility for allowing this condition to go un-noticed lay with the Carriage & Wagon examiners. A follow-up test was run with a similar goods train at the same location to test the characteristics of the train, D5146 was also used for the test run, the handling of this train corroborated the driver’s statement, exonerating him from any blame in the collision.
The large allocation of Type 2’s handling the passenger services out of Euston were frequently idle over the weekends. They were often utilised on excursions, typical of this was the visit of D5140/D5146 from Northampton to Margate on June 16.
During the summer D5145 was noted at Derby Works in May & June and D5144 during July.
November saw Derby Works receive D5143 & D5146 for attention.
1964
Works visits included D5143 to Doncaster in May, D5145 & D5146 at Derby in July & D5144 during November.
During October D5146 moved to Longsight (9A) whilst in November D5144 & D5145 headed north to Crewe (5A).
1965
After two months at Crewe D5144 & D5145 returned south to Rugby (1F) during January.
D5143 made three moves during the year, to Crewe (5A) in July, south to Willesden (1A) in October and then back to Crewe (5A) in November.
Visitors to Derby Works during the year included D5145 in March, D5143 from March to May and D5144 from May to August.
An early moring round trip Glasgow - Dundee passenger was frequently handled by LMR Type 2’s with D5144/5190/5211 so noted in May, no doubt the power off the overnight ‘Condor’ workings - Peaks could also be seen on this working. Typical steam power for these duties had been A4’s and Class 5’s. May 3rd also saw the closure of Dundee West. That afternoon the 17.00 ex Glasgow Buchanan Street arrived behind Willesden allocated D5144. The last service out, the 20.00 to Glasgow was behind 73145 (65B), whilst a short while later the last train in, the 18.15 from Buchanan Street produced 73153 (65B). The empty stock was removed by D5144. Within a year Dundee West station would be demolished, the site becoming part of the road network leading to the Tay bridge.
1966
D5143 went back to Willesden (D01) during August, whilst D5143/44/45 moved to the Stoke Division (D05) in September.
Visits to Derby Works included D5143 in March & April, D5145 in April & May and D5146 in June & July.
Passenger services between Rugby and Peterborough ceased on June 6th, so ending a cross-country route long familiar to the BR Sulzer Type 2’s. The line was used by a number of long distance services including the Birmingham - Yarmouth, which on the last day had D5085 with ten coaches including a buffet. It was running about twenty minutes late after holding a connection at Rugby for a Perth service. En route it passed, at Welford, D5145 on the Harwich - Rugby (the 16.13 off Peterborough).
In mid-October D5144 arrived at Shrewsbury for crew training over the Cambrian route to Aberystwyth, quickly being assigned to the down ‘Cambrian Coast Express’, whilst another Class 24 had gone to Machynlleth for similar training exercises.
 | A heavy downpour at Leamington adds a little shine to the paintwork of D5143 on August 30th 1966. D5143 is only a couple of months out of an overhaul at Derby.
Photograph courtesy Tony Sayer |
1967
As the New Year began Shrewsbury diagrammed Class 24’s to handle the Cambrian freight workings, on January 2nd 1967 D5073 handled the 04.20 to Aberystwyth, D5140 the 05.00 to Machynlleth and D5144 the 07.25 to Newtown.
1968
After six months on the Stoke Division D5144 & D5145 moved to Longsight (9A) in April. They remained here until November, when, with 5146 they moved to the Stoke Division (D05). These would be the last transfers for this group of locomotives.
Derby Works visits included 5146 during February/March and 5145 in April. 5146 was released from Derby Works in the middle of March in fresh blue paint. The boiler room grill had not been blanked off, the handholds to the roof mounted water filler were still intact. Circular gauges were fitted to the boiler water tank and fuel tank. The numbers with 'D' prefix were carried on the bodyside behind the cab door, whilst the BR emblems were on both cabsides. The axleboxes were picked out in yellow. The headcode carried was 1C37, suggesting it may have just been tested out on the mainline. (This information comes from a slide that was offered on Ebay in November 2007 showing the ex-works locomotive in Derby Works yard. The slide sold for GBP37.79, way out of my league!)
 | Date and location unknown, but it is probably within six months of D5146 being outshopped from Derby during March 1968. It appears the Works have lined up the BR emblem, worksplate and number to give a neat appearance to the side of the locomotive.
Photograph collection of webmaster. |
 | Green machines at Oxenholme on July 13th 1968 as D236 leads D5144 on a northbound working. Has the Class 24 failed perhaps?
Photograph courtesy Kevin Hughes HU00790 (RCTS archives) |
1969
September 20th found an enterprising use of the ‘Tees-Tyne’ stock to work an excursion from Darlington to Welshpool via Newcastle, Carlisle and Crewe. The motive power whilst not spectacular was certainly varied. Tinsley based 1510 made the short hop to Newcastle, 46 across the Pennines to Carlisle leaving 211 for the long leg to Crewe. Here 5056 & 5146 finished the trip to Welshpool, the return working had the same power as outward except for the last leg. Not a bad run for GBP3.00
1970
The running of scheduled services over the Cambrian Lines on Sundays, made possible by a Ministry of Transport grant, was handled by dmu sets, two of the services being extended to/from Birmingham. With the line open other excursions could be expected, July 12th brought 5133 & 5145 to Welshpool on an excursion from London. Their return was hampered by the failure of 5145, with no relief available 5133 worked through to Wolverhampton unaided.
5144 made a visit to Derby Works during October. Possibly during this visit the No.1 end cab roof received a modified headcode moulding, similar to the Class 25's but without the horn mouldings. Livery at the time was green with full yellow ends.
 | D5145 on the fuelling point at Holyhead sometime during 1970.
Photograph courtesy Steve Morris |
1972
Visits to Derby Works included 5145 in February and 5146 during December.
 | This view is undated but it looks like 5146 is not long out of Derby Works, so it could be shortly after its December 1972 visit. When compared with the view below at Swindon of this machine it is obvious that this was the last coat of paint it would receive. Also of note is the fitting of gauges to both the fuel and water tanks.
Photographer not known |
In contrast to the 1968 view of D5146 (see above) the 1972 outshopping includes the numbers placed on the cabside panels and the BR emblem in the center of the locomotive. The frame level valencing has been removed along the length of the side and the boiler room grille is now covered by a blanking plate. The footstep/handholds to the roof level water filler have been plated over.
1973
A rear-end collision at Kidsgrove on April 27th involved four Class 24’s and led to the death of one railwayman. 5032 & 5145 were in charge of the 1K00 03.55 Crewe - Stoke on Trent newspaper train which had stopped as scheduled at Kidsgrove. It was run into by the 8K52 02.20 Ordsall Lane - Cresswell goods train hauled by 5049 & 5042, this train was under the control of the second man, it was his life lost in the collision when the No2 end cab was crushed back to the bulkhead, which itself was bent backwards into the boiler compartment. The rear vehicle of the newspaper train sustained only minor damage, it also came into contact with the overhead electrified wire. Responsibility for the accident lay mostly with the driver of the goods train who had isolated the AWS equipment, it is believed both crew may have temporarily nodded off on the approach to Kidsgrove. 5049 paid a visit to Derby Works for repairs, gaining a new cab with roof mounted a headcode box.
 | An undated view, possibly about 1973 finds 5143 shunting the yard at Penrhyndeudraeth, including to the left some gunpowder wagons.
Photograph courtesy Barrie Watkins |
1974
Renumbered in March were 5143 & 5146, whilst 5144 & 5145 were so treated during May.
24145 was noted at Derby Works from February to April and was presumably renumbered whilst it was at Works.
1976
All of this group were retired during January and like many others were stored at Basford Hall, Crewe.
24143/145/146 were noted stored at Basford Hall in January 1976.
On February 12th 24053/75, 24143/145 moved as the 06.45 9X22 Crewe – Swindon Works.
On May 11th 24046(?), 24140/144/146 moved from Crewe to Swindon Works.
These four Class 24's did not linger too long at Swindon, 24143 was broken up during April, 24145 in June, 24144 in September and 24146 in October.
 | A still complete 24146 at Swindon sometime in 1976. The locomotive has retained its gangway doors throughout its career, however the boiler grille is now a solid plate and the fuel and water tanks have acquired circular gauges.
Photograph courtesy Ian Mawson |
