Talk:The Cornishman (train)

Locomotives and stock
Were they definitely Class 45? That seems unlikely; far more probable would be Class 46, since ten or a dozen of them were based at Laira specifically for North East-South West services the rest of the class were at Bristol (Bath Road) and Gatehead for the same services. Does the book give any loco numbers? -- Red rose64 &#x1f339; (talk) 10:34, 14 August 2021 (UTC)


 * . Definitely Class 45s. All three locos have the numbers given in the captions in the book referenced and two of the three pics show split-headcodes, something that 46's never had. From my knowledge 46's were more often used on freights as the additional weight was considered beneficial over the South Devon Banks for loose-coupled wagons.
 * But what were the loco numbers? Whilst all of class 46 eventually had the single 4-character headcode box, nos. D138-165 (later 46 001-028) were built with the central 2-piece type, as per Class 45 nos. D31-67, D108-137, see this pic of D157, a Class 46. Also, what additional weight? Class 45 weighed 136 tons; class 46 weighted 138 t 2 cwt - so class 46 were heavier, albeit by only 1.5%, which cannot have made much difference. -- Red rose64 &#x1f339; (talk) 21:42, 14 August 2021 (UTC)
 * If the Cornishman was diagrammed through from Leeds then a Class 45 would be as likely as a 46.
 * As for the book cited, pictures on p.13 and p.72 are both stated to be D80; p.86 is an early split headcode 45 but the number is indecipherable. It does show one Class 46, but D154 appears to be on a short train with a class 2 headcode. Geof Sheppard (talk) 16:35, 16 August 2021 (UTC)