The B121/121 class

dmcronin · 29-01-2012 1:42pm

steamengine wrote: »

As kids we used to refer to these locos as 'Yankees', where it came from I don't really know, but the same nickname (more or less) is referred to at the top of that article. Was the nickname initiated by the drivers one wonders ?

AFAIK 121' s and the 141's/181's were initially called 'Yanks' and renamed 'small Yanks' after the 071's came on stream, the latter being called (pre 201 class days) the 'Big Wans'!

There wasn't a lot of loco nicknames here compared to across the water. I've heard 201's being called 'spitters' or 'bricks' (probably a reference to their shape) before...and other terms from drivers which are unprintable.

Losty Dublin · 29-01-2012 8:09pm

The 001 class Locos went one better; all 60 actually got girls names allocated to them that stuck with them over their time in traffic.

dmcronin · 30-01-2012 10:18am

Losty Dublin wrote: »

The 001 class Locos went one better; all 60 actually got girls names allocated to them that stuck with them over their time in traffic.

Weren't those the girls' names that got a naughty descriptive adjective added later by someone else?!

Niles · 30-01-2012 10:22am

I believe the preserved A39 was bestowed the name Sinéad...
I think the full list was posted on IRN a few years ago.

Judgement Day · 30-01-2012 2:41pm

"Brutal Bertha" is one that sticks in my mind but don't ask which loco.

dmcronin · 30-01-2012 6:16pm

I think they went along the lines of 'Septic Susan', 'Maggoty Maud', 'Nasty Nancy' etc, scrawled inside the cab.

Back to the 121's, can anyone confirm an unofficial naming of a 121 based in Inchicore called 'Pixie'?

newmug · 30-01-2012 7:02pm

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

146 is still in active service with the RPSI ITG, well they crashed it and it's being rebuilt, but they should get plenty more years out of her. Great photos in the Irish Mail with it missing most of the no2 end! 141 and 142 also persevered but I don't think they been used to much.

Karsini wrote: »

I haven't seen the photos, just saw 146 with a tarp over the number 2 end. I was due to drive her during the summer but it was called off. Never knew why until one of the local spotters told me what happened!

WTF??? I drove her in April (?) last year. I wonder did a paying customer crash her? I was terrified of doing just that!

Niles · 30-01-2012 7:03pm

Apart from the unofficial A class names, was there not an official proposal to give them Celtic names? (From the list I seen I think it would have resulted in the first three bearing the same names as the 800 class steam locos, might have even included some of the names proposed for the unbuilt 800 class locos).

30-01-2012 8:03pm

newmug wrote: »

WTF??? I drove her in April (?) last year. I wonder did a paying customer crash her? I was terrified of doing just that!

It was on a footplate experience course, but if I recall correctly it wasn't the customer.

04-02-2012 3:17am

Here's a 121-related question.

Why did the CIÉ engines have the 567CR engine variant? From what I'm reading online most locos used the 567C. The 567CR was mainly used in marine applications - the R meaning reverse rotation. Apparently the CRs used a non-standard crankshaft and camshaft so may have been converted to standard rotation at some point in their lives.

foggy_lad · 04-02-2012 4:01am

Karsini wrote: »

Here's a 121-related question.

Why did the CIÉ engines have the 567CR engine variant? From what I'm reading online most locos used the 567C. The 567CR was mainly used in marine applications - the R meaning reverse rotation. Apparently the CRs used a non-standard crankshaft and camshaft so may have been converted to standard rotation at some point in their lives.

Is it because CIE owned the canals and were wanting engines they could use in canal barges if the need ever arose?