Using a back-to-back gauge for your model railway ensures that the wheels on your rolling stock are spaced correctly...
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How do I use a back to back gauge?Read more -
What is a poly-cap?Read moreA poly-cap is a type of plastic cap often used in model-making kits, especially for assembling figurines or model...
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What is Graham Farish?Read moreGraham Farish is a name you’re likely to come across if you're interested in British model railways, especially in...
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When did semaphore signals stop being used in the UK?Read moreSemaphore signals, those distinctive mechanical arms that once graced railway lines across the UK, were largely...
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What is Kato track?Read moreKato track is a popular choice in the world of model railways, known for its quality, ease of use and versatility. If...
What is an ETHEL unit?
ETHEL stands for Electric Train Heating Ex Locomotive and was the designation given to three class 25 diesel locomotives in 1983. They were renumbered as class 97s for departmental use and their new job was to supply electric train heating (ETH) to coaching stock on routes or operations where the diagrammed locomotive was not fitted with equipment to heat the carriages.
This happened mainly on the Glasgow to Fort William stretch of the overnight sleeper service from London when the rolling stock was upgraded to MK3 coaches. At that time there was no diesel traction available with ETH equipment and a route availability to operate along that stretch of railway. Plans were in place to upgrade a number of class 37s heating systems to ETH but in the meantime, the ETHEL units were used to provide heating whilst regular class 37s provided the traction.
The ETHEL units were unofficially named Ethel 1, 2 and 3, and were originally painted in a version of BRs corporate blue and grey to match the rolling stock.
Once eventually displaced from the Scottish sleepers, the ETHELs found employment on steam specials around the UK but proved unpopular with rail enthusiasts who felt that a now intercity liveried class 25 diminished the aesthetics of the trains and were subsequently replaced by a generator MK1 carriage.
The ETHELs never did find use after that and eventually went to the locomotive graveyard in the mid-1990s.
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