Atomic Systems

Come on, you all love 'em, which is your favourite English Electric diesel?

Has to be a 31, with 08 being a close second, simply by virtue of length of service, widespread availability and overall usefulness - but why restrict it to EE machinery?

And why no mention of the ultimate English Electric - the Deltic prototype? Company financed and completely innovative, had someone at EE not had the foresight and courage to actually approve the building of it, then the 55's would never have existed - because the then BTC would never have bought the Deltic concept from a drawing.

31s aren't proper EE though, since they originally had rubbish Mirlees engines (well, they were very successful in boats...), and apart from the 12SVT there's nothing EE in there.

defernatly 55 deltics for me as they are load and dirty.

ross

50's all the way! Something I cherish about my childhood holidays every year staying on the coast at Dawlish for a week with a railway and sea view! A dream. Used to wake up early and take the double headed 50s + MK2s Waterloo bound service from Dawlish to Starcross with my Dad in the mornings and get the local DMU back looking out through the drivers windows, which got over taken at Dawlish Warren by the Plymouth sleeper.

Of course 007 was my favourite and not because of the number.

Class 37, mainly for the sound

I probably should say Hoovers - remembering them power their way between Waterloo and Exeter. My Southern instincts, however, also lead me towards Thumpers, JBs, and the SR 1Co-Co1 prototypes.

Mentioning prototypes - what of 10000 & 10001? It is those which started it all off in the UK...

73s, interesting because they are what could be classes as odd balls today and still running with SWT & GBRf etc.

08s/09s too, underappreciated workhorses of the yards.

31's are pure quality.

Close call between the 37 and the shunter....
Shunter gets it because they are so often overlooked (and because I've driven an 08!)

Cheers

Gaz

Has to be the 40.

David

for me its got to be 37s,prefabley in large logo livery , and it has to be my old faverite 37408

Deltics every time... They are just such ridiculous behemoths, so big, so noisy, and probably the best accidentally designed smoke machine known to man. Even on 1 engine and a leg out, 55022 was sounding good on the ELR on Saturday.

Its got to be the 40s, the sound of a whistler beats 2 37s anytme!

Its got to be the Big one or a 37