The success of the 1931 project to electrify the Manchester South Junction & Altrincham railway (briefly described here) encouraged the L.N.E.R. to proceed with their plans for electrification of the main line between Manchester and Sheffied but World War II delayed completion of this project. After World War II, the long-planned scheme introduced main line overhead electrification at 1500 volts d.c. The majority of the electrified line was opened by 1954. Freight trains were single-headed or double-headed by one or two of the original class 'EM1' Bo-Bo locomotives (later TOPS classification was Class 76). Passenger trains were hauled by class 'EM2' Co-Co locomotives (later TOPS classification was Class 77).
A complete 'EM2' named 'Ariadne' is preserved at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester (in addition to one at Midland Railway Centre and one at Utrecht Railway Museum). The Manchester locomotive is 27001 (later E27001) built at Gorton in 1953 which when withdrawn was sold to the Dutch railways, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) in 1969 for further service in Holland. On withdrawal by NS, the locomotive returned to Manchester where it is displayed with its NS running number (1505) and in NS livery. However, on my last visit to the museum in 2022 (described here), many exhibits, including 'Ariadne' were not viewable because of a 'multi-million-pound restoration programme' in progress.
Ex-Manchester, Sheffield, Wath type 'EM2' electric locomotive 'Ariadne' in its NS (Dutch Railways) livery.
I was a volunteer at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester for many years (you can find all my posts about the Museum here). On rare occasions, it was necessary to shunt 'Ariadne' from its normal location in the Power Hall for one reason or another by coupling the electric to another locomotive, either the battery electric shunter or a steam locomotive. I was involved a few times as Shunter or Driver. I never saw 'Ariadne' move under her own power.
Preserved Battery Electric locomotive: General view in Central Electricity Generating Board livery.
A few of the volunteers had made sure that all the auxiliaries, switchgear and the pantograph (the locomotive was parked under a short section of 'dead' overhead contact wire) were kept in working order so that everything could be exercised and 'driving' practised, without actually moving the locomotive. I was told that, before I became a member, an enterprising volunteer had rigged cables from the batteries in the site's battery electric shunter to 'Ariadne', coupled the two together and had driven the combination from Ariadne's cab up and down the site, to the consternation of The Powers That Be, who quickly put a stop to that sort of adventure. I can testify that in the 1990s the locomotive was complete and maintained by volunteers. One of my friends would periodically check the general functioning of the controls by exercising everything except actual motion, going through the start-up routine, accompanied by all sorts of mysterious sounds from the equipment room, the pantograph could be raised and the motor contactors energised. The sequence of 'notching-up' the motors could be carried out, followed by coasting, braking, shutting down and lowering the pantagaph, all without moving.
Just once, my friend let me "drive", without moving. I found it an eerie experience and the 'notching-up' so different from a steam locomotive. The locomotive had four 467 horse power Metropolitan Vickers d.c. motors. Pairs of motors on each bogie were permanently in series. For starting, all four motors were in series with 15 starting resistors in series. 'Notching-up' progressively removed these resistors. The two pairs of motors were then placed in parallel with the starting resistors re-instated. Further 'notching-up' progressively removed the resistors. Final acceleration was achieved by weakening motor fields by switching-in a resistor.
Related posts on other websites
British Rail Class 77 (Wikipedia).
The Electric Co-Co Class EM2 (BR Class 77) Locomotives (LNER Encyclopedia).
Related posts on this website
Class 'EM1' D.C. Electric
My photograph album
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Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.
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[Class number corrected, EM1 data moved to separate post: 28-May-2023]
