D5129, 5129, 24129
D5129, 5129, 24129


Photograph collection of webmaster.
Derby Works Open Day August 27th 1960. The Class 24 is D5129.

The sixteen year four month career of D5129/24129 was spent allocated only to Scottish Region depots.

Built: BR Derby Locomotive Works (batch D5114 - D5150).
Shortened fuel & water tanks.
Four upper and four lower air filters on non-BIS side, three upper and four lower on BIS side.
Scottish 'Highland' modifications: twin headlights, tablet catcher, cantrail water filler sheeted over, winterisation features: boiler room grille, gangway door weatherstripping, headcode box weatherproofing.
Circular gauge added to fuel & water tanks.
Battery Isolating Switch Cover modification (one hinged door).
Time between last Classified repair and withdrawal: ?? months.
Time between withdrawal & scrapping: 3 months.

Allocations

The frames for D5129 were laid down at Derby Locomotive Works during the spring of 1960, D5129 was new to Inverness (60A) on August 27th 1960. Further transfers were:

November 1975 to Haymarket.
October 11th 1976 to store (serviceable).
October 31st 1976 to store (unserviceable).
December 31st 1976 withdrawn.

Renumbered April 1974.

After withdrawal 24129 was stored at Millerhill Yard from October 1976 to March 1977 when it was moved to Doncaster Works and broken up by April 1977.

Photograph courtesy Tony Smith.
24129 at Doncaster Works on March 6th 1977.

Works Visits

Works visits (records incomplete).

Noted Glasgow Works May & June 1965.
Noted Inverurie Works August 1968.
Noted Glasgow Works March 1974.

Highlights

1960
The Derby Locomotive Works Open Day on August 27th 1960 found brand new D5129 on display in front of the administration building.

1961
D5127 & D5129 worked the 17.10 Kyle of Lochalsh - Inverness on September 1st.

1963
Condition June: green livery, small yellow warning panel, curved upper corners, bottom of panel covers the frame level stripe; shortened fuel & water tanks, three-rung bogie mounted footsteps, ridge sided sandboxes, tablet catcher equipped, hand/footholds present, cantrail level water filler present.

On November 22nd D5129 was working the Aberfeldy branch.

Condition November: engine exhaust in original position.

1964
D5129 & ?? worked the 10.30 Inverness - Glasgow Buchanan Street on December 4th.

1965
On June 19th D5129 worked the three coach 09.50 Perth - Aberdeen, it later worked the 17.30 Aberdeen - Glasgow.

On October 2nd Perth South was host to 32 locomotives, 16 steam (one withdrawn) and 16 diesels including D5119 & D5129.

1966
D5129 worked the 20.10 Glasgow Queen Street - Dundee on December 17th.

1967
D5129 worked the 18.10 Glasgow Queen Street - Dundee on November 20th.

1968
On June 17th D5339 & D5129 were noted passing Kingswood Crossing with a passenger train.

On the morning of September 17th 5129 was at Forsinard with a down freight.

1969
Condition August: blue/yellow livery, gangway doors still in place but with heavy weatherstripping around the joints, headlight fitted, weatherproofed headcode box, steam style shedplate on cab front, three-piece miniature snowploughs fitted, no blanking plates fitted, hand/footholds still present, cantrail level water filler sheeted over.

Photograph courtesy Kevin Hughes.
The heaviest of the Highland Line services were triple headed, in this view from July 16th 1969 Class 24 No.5129 is removed from a southbound service. In response to the Highland winters the gangway doors have some heavy duty weatherstripping and the headcode box glazing has also been beefed up.

On September 17th 5129 & 5336 were noted at Inverness with the 1M15 19.00 Inverness - Euston.

1971
5129 & 5335 worked the 17.25 Glasgow Queen Street - Inverness on May 18th.

Condition June: blue/yellow livery, tablet catcher fitted, headlights fitted, gangway doors present, weatherproof headcode boxes (nothing visible in display), shortened fuel & water tanks, no blanking plates fitted, hand/footholds plated over but footsteps on rear of bogie present, cantrail level water filler sheeted over, ridge sided sandboxes, three rung bogie mounted footsteps, exhaust located above engine room, small BR emblem on bodyside, 'D' prefix still present, three piece miniature snowploughs fitted (black).

On July 22nd 5129 worked the 17.40 Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh, comprised of three passenger coaches and one full brake.

On July 23rd 5129 worked the 10.30 Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh and the 17.50 Kyle of Lochalsh - Inverness, comprised of seven vehicles; four parcels vans, a half brake and two Mk1 passenger coaches.

5129 was noted on a coal working from Barony Colliery, East Ayrshire to Falkland Yard on September 16th.

1972
5129 worked the 06.42 Inverness - Wick freight on June 12th.

On June 24th 5129 & 5127 worked a Inverness - Glasgow Queen Street service.

Condition June: blue/yellow livery, gangway doors sheeted over (cab front & underframe looks very recently repainted, not so the body), weatherproofed headcode boxes, shortened fuel & water tanks, both equipped with circular gauges; headlight equipped, no tablet catcher, but recess still present; three-rung bogie mounted footsteps, ridge sided sandboxes, no blanking plate, hand/footsteps plated over.

On October 7th 5129 & 5127 were noted on the Wirral Railway Circle 'Orcadian' railtour beyond Inverness to Wick & Thurso.

Photograph courtesy Bernard Mills.
5129 & 5127 in charge of the returning WRC special on October 7th, seen here at Tain crossing a service train.

On October 9th 5127 & 5129 worked the 09.20 Edinburgh - Inverness.

The 16.25 Aberdeen - York on December 8th with 1999 had 5129 as pilot to Edinburgh Waverley.

1973
Condition June: blue/yellow livery, gangway doors sheeted over, weatherproofed headcode boxes, shortened fuel & water tanks, both equipped with circular gauges; headlight equipped, no tablet catcher, but recess still present; three-rung bogie mounted footsteps, ridge sided sandboxes, no blanking plate, hand/footsteps plated over.

5327 & 5129 worked the 16.35 Inverness - Edinburgh on September 12th.

On September 22nd/23rd 5129 & 5113 were noted on the Wirral Railway Circle's Hebridean Express No.3 working between Inverness & Kyle of Lochalsh.

1974
Condition May: headlight equipped, headcode panels virtually opaque, miniature snowplough fitted.

The Wirral Railway Circle's 'Great Briton Limited' took three days to complete its itinerary, starting out from Crewe on May 24th and returning to Crewe on May 27th. The route included Carlisle, Perth, Inverness, Georgemas Junction, Inverness, Perth, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Sheffield, Derby, Landor Street Junction, Leamington Spa, Reading, Paddington, Newbury, Taunton, Penzance, Bristol, Newport (Maindee Junction), Hereford, Worcester, Bromsgrove, Birmingham, Wloverhampton, Stafford and Crewe.

The load varied between eleven and seventeen coaches, ten locomotives were used to haul the train, additionally assistance was provided by the two Lickey bankers (25071 & 25125).

86029 Crewe - Carlisle - Motherwell - Mossend Yard
47141 Mossend - Perth - Inverness via Rose Street Junction
24124 + 24129 Inverness - Georgemas Junction - Wick?? - Georgemas Junction - (reverse of outward route) - Inverness
47191 Inverness - Perth - Stirling - Larbert - Edinburgh Waverley
47016 Edinburgh Waverley - (via ECML) - York - Sheffield
47153 Sheffield - Derby - Landor Street Junction - Leamington Spa - Reading - London Paddington
1010 London Paddington - Newbury - Taunton -Penzance - Bristol Temple Meads - Severn Tunnel - Hereford
47347 Hereford - Worcester Foregate Street - Bromsgrove - Birmingham
86224 Birmingham - Wolverhampton - Stafford - Crewe

The Six Bells Junction site indicates that the mileage for this railtour was about 2,088 miles.

Photograph courtesy Bernard Mills.
24129 & 24124 at Altnabreac on May 25th 1974 with the Wirral Railway Circle's 'Great Briton' railtour.

Condition August: 'Inverness' spelled out on 2nd man's cabside, inbetween number & builders plate, data panel also present.

September 14th proved to be a challenge for the operating authorities north and south of Inverness. A Euston - Wick charter stopped north of Slochd with two seized traction motors on 26034, which had ironically replaced a failed 26043 at Perth. Inverness sent out 24129 & 26033 to remove the defective Class 26 into the siding at Tomatin, returning to the train (with 26035 still attached) to assist on the short hop to Inverness. This one hundred and fifty minute stand on the mainline well and truly bottled up traffic with seven trains stuck, being six northbound and one southbound, the latter worked by 24117 & 26036. Once clear of Inverness time was made up with only a two hour late arrival at Wick! Another special in the area, Grand Tour No 20 from Edinburgh to Kyle of Lochalsh with 40081 became embroiled in the delays, having reached Inverness where 24116 & 26035 substituted, was then subjected to a slow ride to Kyle, caught behind a heavily delayed stopping service hauled by 24130. The Grand Tour was turned quickly at Kyle, but at the expense of the most heavily delayed train of the day, a charter from Leicester to Kyle. This had been three and a half hours late at Inverness, and would leave Kyle ninety minutes late behind 24125 & 26042, much planning having to take place to allow all the extras to cross the service trains as expeditiously as possible. The Grand Tour would arrive back in Edinburgh almost three hours late. One of the service trains impacted later in the day, the 13.25 Edinburgh - Inverness was powered by 24101 & 26037.

Condition September: blue/yellow livery, small BR double arrow emblem on bodyside, shortened fuel and water tanks, both fitted with circular gauges, hand/footholds plated over, cantrail water filler sheeted over, blanking plates fitted (solid), ridge sided sandboxes, three rung bogie mounted footsteps, white stencil of 'Inverness' between the number and the builders plate.

1975
July 8th's 09.35 Glasgow - Inverness saw 24129 & 24113 taken off the train at Perth and replaced by 26036 & 26042.

On August 1st 24129 worked the 11.07 Kyle - Inverness.

Photograph collection of webmaster.
24129 at Eastfield on September 13th 1975, it appears to require at least a new wiper blade. 24129 would remain in service until the end of Class 24 use on the Scottish Region - December 1976. It has also gained the vertically hinged battery isolating switch cover.

Photograph collection of webmaster.
24129 at Eastfield. Glasgow have sheeted over the cantrail level boiler water filler cover and the fuel & water tanks have gained the circular gauges.

On September 17th 24129 & 24119 worked the 08.20 Inverness - Glasgow Queen Street.

On November 19th 24129 rescued an ailing Dundee – Edinburgh diesel multiple unit near Kirkcaldy, running over one hour late. 24129 was one of several were recent transfers to Haymarket, with their places at Inverness being taken by Class 25s, the first of the Class to be allocated here. Also moving to Inverness were nine of Haymarket’s Class 26s.

1976
24129 was noted at Motherwell depot on January 29th.

24129 was stabled at Haymarket on April 20th.

On July 19th 24129 was noted running at Perth and stabled at Haymarket on July 27th.

On August 11th the 12.15 Inverness – Glasgow used 24129 & 24130 instead of the booked Class 26s.

24129 was noted running at Haymarket on September 25th/26th.

On September 27th 24129 was noted at Haymarket depot undergoing an underframe cleaning.

On October 11th was noted on the 02:05 Millerhill - Dundee West.

24129 was withdrawn on December 31st 1976.

Condition final: blue/yellow livery, gangway doors removed, headlight location sheeted over with square plates, shortened fuel & water tanks, both with circular gauges, solid blanking plates fitted (at least No.2 end), hand/footholds plated over, three-rung bogie mounted footsteps, ridge sided sandboxes, miniature snowploughs fitted (only two pieces at No.2 end).

flk 1221

Page added July 21st 2016.
Last updated April 10th 2023.

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