Electric Revolution - The First Generation Electrics

What i personally find interesting about British AC traction in general is the usage of automatic main circuit breakers and the usage of a sole pantograph on locomotives instead of two.
This feels like a double edged sword:
1. Automatic MCBs are a great idea but the problem arises when some of these first gen locos are brought over to continental Europe where manual MCBs controlled from the cab are the norm, what happens then? Do they have to lower the pantograph at every neutral section? Also with manual MCBs you have more control over the situation...
2. The lack of a second pantograph causes a problem if the only pantograph is damaged. Thats what its there for. Plus in some countries regulations state that the front pantograph must be lifted in the case of certain trains (at least in Germany ive seen this in regard to tanker trains and freight trains hauling brand new cars).

Interesting Video, thanks! Surprised to read Mercury Arc Rectifiers were used, and not at ALL surprised they gave issues. Had quite a bit of experience with MAC in static location use, where they were OK before solid state rectifiers thrashed them for ability and longevity. Really cannot see them responding at all well though to being jarred around on a railed vehicle!

Only took until the second decade of the next century to electrify the old GWR mainline lol

I thoroughly enjoyed the video, iy was very well explained and a good education

I love the class 90, 91, 92, 93, 97, 99 great trains

No mention of the transfer of some of these electric locos to the Great Eastern lines out of Liverpool St., and no mention at all of the electric locos built for the Southern 3rd rail system.

Many years ago, I worked at AEI Rugby and we supplied some of the switches and indicator lamps for British Rail. When an order was ready for dispatch, a BR inspection person would visit. The items would all be lined up on a bench, the BR person could randomly choose an item to inspect.
On a separate issue, we would often send stuff by Red Star ⭐ and I would often make the short trip to Rugby station to send Urgent items for Steel works etc.

It takes real brilliance to make something as exciting as this, boring.

‘I learn so much from mistakes that I should make some more of them’

Surely the first generation electric locos were the 1500V DC EM1 and EM2 classes of locomotives which ran on the erstwhile Manchester Sheffield Woodhead Route. The countries first main line electrified route! Not to mention the 1500V DC locomotives that ran in the North East in the 1920s.

Productions

As a spotter, I saw all the 25 Kv locos apart from 83007, which crashed somewhere.

i worked with trev parsons at crewe

The fact that the 1955 plan called for electrification to Bristol, and we' still haven't managed to electrify the GWML, says an awful lot about Britain's ability to neglect vital infrastructure.

Why is it, that all the first and second generation electric and diesel train in the UK didn't have any headlights. How were the drovers able to see anything at night?

Thanks for sharing the evolution of the railway development from steam locomotive, diesel locomotive until electric locomotive developed until it provide high speed train by having different car electric supplying inside the train, making more power supplying on fast acceleration.

You frogot to add that Polish PaFaWag bought construction plans of these locomotives and made it suitable for Polish railways.
First loconotive was the class EU06, then EU07, EP07 and finally EP08.

First generation electrics? I'm sorry but I'm a bit confused. I thought that the first generation electrics was back in the 1920's.
The E3001 class and similar were the first generation 25kv AC electrics. A big difference. The first electrics were 1500v DC or similar.

possibly something on early N.E. electrics and disels with a look at the ROYAL NAVY, Yards at Kingston up on Hull's oilcomprssion locos at the dockyard in the 1800's please :)

Very interesting thanks

Great vlog as always!

A 6hr 30min run from London to Glasgow!
I'm Canadian so I find it mind-boggling the the length of the country could be covered in that time. Not bragging on Cda. here in the least. I just find it incredible. I had always envisioned the island and so much larger and I was actually touring England and Scotland camping with my parents in the late '50s.
Blessings on the land for birthing the Industrial Revolution and the fantastic gifts and progress given to the world.

Thanks for covering these, I hope one day you cover the 'Polish Class 83s' and of course the one-off Class 89 'Avocet' since I've heard that is being restored to running order.

I'm a tram and I approve this video! Great footage!

You can't help but wonder what drove BR to commission a raft of more or less experimental "first generation" locomotives. Electric traction had been in use elsewhere in the world since the turn of the century, evolving ever faster after the first world war (the iconic Swiss "crocodile" started production in 1919). By 1955 two different French locomotives had exceeded 200mph, and for goods transport a range of locomotives would produce twice the power BR was working with. By the mid 60s, when BR was still in the learning stage, the German 103 prototype would routinely run at 120mph and produce up to 8000hp (this was deemed insufficient, and increased to 10000hp in the production version). You would have thought BR could have tapped somebody on the shoulder and asked to have a look.

No mention of the Woodhead 76's that I used to love watching in Sheffield back in the 70's :(

Wow, so... these blokes jumped straight from steam to electric. Never got to know what a diesel-electric locomotive is?

An excellent video and I certainly agree the West Coast electrification was the greatest success of the Modernisation plan . Actually the west coast has always been at the forefront of developments, to this day.

These early electric speeds had an effect on the cast iron brake blocks of the BR Mk1 carriages. The fine dust and sometimes the entire block, flying off, would damage cars parked at stations on the LNW, such as King's Langley and Berkhamsted. I remember seeing from Watford Jct. the paraffin tail lamps desperately trying to retain their wild flames in the vacuum and winds behind the brake coach.

I used to drive the 43's out of Kings X up the ECML... With 4500 hp under the bonnet ( 2250 hp ) one up front and one up the botty there was plenty of power on tap... Pulling out of the station on notch five with the Paxman Valenta turbo's screaming their little heads off and clouds of exhaust smoke ( sorry Greta Thunberg ) was something to behold with more excitement to enjoy... 125 mph here we come although they would top 148 mph... Now there is food for thought but as I did not fancy tea and biscuits with the Boss well need I say more...

Really enjoyed this documentary. Thanks for posting!

One thing you did miss was that despite all that was learned from the 1st generation designs, the 86s still had a major issue to start with. Like the 83s and 84s they were very rough riders, and since they had the motors hung directly on the axles, they hammered the tracks at high speed. BR modified one by fitting large flexicoil springs for secondary suspension, earning it the nickname "zebedee" after the character from "The Magic Roundabout". This proved largely successful in dealing with the ride and further members of the class were modified, becoming Class 82/2s for passenger use, with the unmodified versions being restricted to 75mph freight workings. All members of the class also had resilient wheels fitted, which feature a rubber layer between the "tyre" and the wheel to help reduce the track force. Later the rest of the fleet gained the new springs, becoming 86/4 (high speed freight) and 86/6 (heavy freight). The same suspension design was fitted to the 87s and 90s (which use the same bogies).

Fun fact the class 87s X arm pantographs were used on the New South Whales PTC's MK1 double deck interurban prototypes of 1970

I always liked the class 85s . I remember seeing them roar out of Carlisle on freight trains back in the 80s.

I'm sad to hear that these locomotives are no longer operational, but I am glad that they are still extant.
The best-laid plans, they say. It's very cool just how old electric traction was- I thought it'd only come about in the 80s or something!

Excellent presentation.

It’s a shame none of the preserved class 81-85s aren’t operational, they’re historic and shouldn’t be left to rust in barrow hill

Do people not realize that the more things that are electric, the more poison will leak out of those batteries?
There is a balance, and right now, this full electric push is sending us on an out of control express off a cliff!

Awesome video

There is an elephant's graveyard of some superb electric engines of the French railways near Rouen - some of these engines were capable of up to 9,000 hp. What a pity they are
being slowly left to rot, instead of being refurbished and perhaps put to good use on other railway networks.

Great, informative video, I like the AC electrics, however I probably prefer the liveries on the EM1/2 love the old green BR livery. Incidentally was was the maximum speed of electric loco working on freight traffic?

Still hasnt reached Cardiff after 60 years.

Very interesting footage! Look at those men installing the overhead wire by standing on a flat rooftop carriage! Without safety barriers on the side! I think that would not be allowed today. We, the Netherlands, bought several Britisch e loco's running on 1500 V DC overhead wire. They went into service here on our national network as series 1500. These locomotives have been withdrawn from service many years ago. Where did they run in the UK? Was it on a testline?