'CHARD Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Curry house appraisal of a 2BIL! An appraisal of a 2BIL coach after a fine curry! 022.jpg Are we sure it was just a curry, after all the car keys were chucked into the middle of the table? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 Oddly enough it turned up on the Brighton main line later, but they still hadn't found the headcode stencils for the 14 service. 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted January 6, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2013 Double blank was unheard of. I hope Hornby can arrange something by way of a numeral or two on the final versions. Most units only carried a single set of numerals 0-9 plus one blank in the cab. The SR always tried to ensure that headcodes using "doubles" such as 11, 22, 33 etc., were never allocated to electrified routes in order to minimise the number of stencil plates required in each cab. In later years you were lucky to even find a complete set of numbers and the blank was also missing. It became the norm rather than the exception to see such trains as the Brighton - West Worthing "crawler" showing white glass 1 rather than black blank 1. Once withdrawn units were retired to places like Lancing and Ford sidings. The dubious element among local train-spotting youth was always alert to new arrivals and made it their business to visit units thus retired and strip them of head code panels and any other goodies they found attractive. While I can't condone those acts of trespass and theft it has resulted in us having perhaps a lot more stencil headcodes and SR network maps surviving today than might otherwise have been the case. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 There is a set of self-adhesive numerals provided Rick (individual digits to make up any one- or two-digit code), just they hadn't been applied. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil gollin Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 . As livery check samples SEEM to be around does anyone know the details of the "NRM" version ? I am interested as to whether this can represent a 1960s sample or whether it will be adorned with modern safety signs. Thanks . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted January 6, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2013 There is a set of self-adhesive numerals provided Rick (individual digits to make up any one- or two-digit code), just they hadn't been applied. Would I be right in thinking that a little care will be required when adding stencil codes of your choice to the ends as I recall reading somewhere that each cab had only one of each digit 0 to 9 available? If correct then 00, 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 77 and 88 are out. 66 and 99 could be done though but IIRC double digit number headcodes such as these did not appear until a lot later when later electrification schemes such as East Grinstead were engerised by which time the double numbers were amongest the few unused numbers left available and roller blinds were the norm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted January 6, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 6, 2013 See my post above John. Very very few doubles ever allocated to electrified routes while stencils were in use. Once roller blinds were universal it ceased to matter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertcwp Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 See my post above John. Very very few doubles ever allocated to electrified routes while stencils were in use. Once roller blinds were universal it ceased to matter. Doubles such as 22, 66 etc were in use from the late 1950s. However they were confined to non-electrified routes and used by DEMUs, all of which had roller blinds from new. Victoria-East Grinstead was 66 long before the line was electrified. I think 22 was Charing Cross-Hastings from when the DEMUs were introduced. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southernman46 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) Double blank was unheard of. Once withdrawn units were retired to places like Lancing and Ford sidings. The dubious element among local train-spotting youth was always alert to new arrivals and made it their business to visit units thus retired and strip them of head code panels and any other goodies they found attractive. While I can't condone those acts of trespass and theft it has resulted in us having perhaps a lot more stencil headcodes and SR network maps surviving today than might otherwise have been the case. Technically shouldn't it be "single opal" rather than double blank Spent many a happy hour at Selhurst stripping door parts etc (all sanctioned) from withdrawn SUB's & De-icers for re-use on the Bluebell ! A box of them stencils weighed a ton !! Edited January 6, 2013 by Southernman46 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 An early use of a 2-BIL on an excursion to the S&D with their magical invisible electricity. BH_2-BIL_2s.jpg No problem running it down there without 3rd rail, it is the current Hornby offering isn't it? Stewart 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Budgie Posted January 6, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 6, 2013 When are we likely to get ours? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRAILRAGE Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 some shops i looked at were saying Jan 15th/16th so not long now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 An early use of a 2-BIL on an excursion to the S&D with their magical invisible electricity. BH_2-BIL_2s.jpg You could have Photo-shopped the 3rd rail in Andy and sparked even more comments! XF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted January 7, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 7, 2013 As it appears we may need to update all the published works on SR 2-character headcodes in the light of recently-discovered images of electric trains on the S&D may I offer the following with respect to SR tradition?1 : Bournemouth West - Bournemouth Central or Hamworthy Junction - Broadstone Junction 2 : Bournemouth West - Broadstone Junction 3 : Bournemouth Central - Broadstone Junction 23: Bournemouth West - Bath Green Park (or limit of electrification) 24 : Bournemouth Central - Bath Green Park (or limit of electrification) 29 : Weymouth or intermediate points to Hamworthy Junction to Bath Green Park (or limit of electrification) 23, 24 and 29 were spare numbers on the South Western for many years during which the 2Bils saw service. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium brushman47544 Posted January 7, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) For many years there was a shuttle service operated by a single 2Bil unit (or occasionally a 2Hal) which worked Arundel - Littlehampton - Ford - Arundel - Ford - Littlehampton - Arundel on an hourly pattern. It must have been tedious for the crews with the driver changing ends at every stop and every 5 minutes or so. The reason for its existence was to offer good connections to and from Littlehampton into and out of the fast Mid-Sussex line trains at Arundel, and towards destinations on the western part of the coastal line since at the time there was no direct service beyond Barnham to or from Littlehampton. The service was lightly used and the opportunity of withdrawing it and later removing the bay platforms and associated signalling at Ford and Arundel as part of the general rationalisation of the early 1970s was eagerly taken. Officially the head code was 1 between Arundel and Littlehampton direct or 3 between Littlehampton, Ford and Arundel. This ensured there was no confusion on the Littlehampton branch between inbound and outbound trains. In reality most drivers simply couldn't be bothered with changing the stencil plate as well as changing ends at every stop so the shuttle operated with blank white plates at both ends and the red oil lamp taken by the poor guard from end to end of the unit every stop which was rather more laborious than the changing of a stencil head code by leaning out of the front window! On only one occasion I saw a unit with stencil plates loaded at both ends showing 1 and 3; as a headcode display was commonly regarded as a front-of-train marker by all staff this practice would have been frowned upon. It became the norm rather than the exception to see such trains as the Brighton - West Worthing "crawler" showing white glass 1 rather than black blank 1. Thanks Rick. I will want to use headcode 1 to show an Arundel - Littlehampton shuttle. Do you or does anyone else know how it should have been shown - officially that is? Blank to left or right of the 1 and was the "blank" white or black in the 60s? Edited January 7, 2013 by brushman47544 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Gwiwer Posted January 7, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 7, 2013 (edited) Officially - and almost always in practice - the 1 was a "unit" and the blank covers the "tens" side. Put another way a single digit should always be displayed nearer to the driver's position and the blank farther away. The same applied to roller blind headcodes. The blank was black. When stencil plates were in use as was always the case with 2Bil stock if you saw a white "blank" you were looking at the glass pane and not a white-painted stencil plate blank. If no blank was found in the cab the driver often used a single digit with the "tens" side left displaying the white rather than walk to another cab and hope to find what he needed. For the record roller blinds on SR EMU / DEMU stock had red, white and black blanks mid-way through the numbers so 0 - 4, then the blanks, then 5 - 9 which minimised the amount of winding required. Loco blinds which also contained letters differed. Edited January 7, 2013 by Gwiwer 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted January 10, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2013 Don't think we've had this? https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/6448219213/in/photostream 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil gollin Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 . The latest edition of British Railway Modelling ( February 2013 ) HAS A small picture of the Hornby 2-BIL ( unit number 2134 ) which shows at the front quite a good representation of a "04" stencil - the other unit is shown at an angle and I cannot see what is represented there. It doesn't say how this effect was acheived. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 . The latest edition of British Railway Modelling ( February 2013 ) HAS A small picture of the Hornby 2-BIL ( unit number 2134 ) which shows at the front quite a good representation of a "04" stencil - the other unit is shown at an angle and I cannot see what is represented there. It doesn't say how this effect was acheived. . As posted further up the model is supplied with self-adhesive stencil numbers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Metr0Land Posted January 10, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 10, 2013 Need a reference pic for the roof detail? https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/5398732955/in/photostream 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 31A Posted January 10, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 10, 2013 There's a review in the February 'Modeller', with several pictures of the BR and SR versions from various angles, including 'dismantled'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil gollin Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 . Thanks. No details of the "NRM" version ? . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
40F Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 Having seen this model I can honestly say we will not be dissappointed it is absolutley stunning 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted January 10, 2013 Share Posted January 10, 2013 An early use of a 2-BIL on an excursion to the S&D with their magical invisible electricity. BH_2-BIL_2s.jpg Thats good enough for me ,i'm going to get one for my Lower Sodmire branch . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 31A Posted January 10, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 10, 2013 . Thanks. No details of the "NRM" version ? . Having read the relevant sections more closely (the mag only arrived yesterday!), the large pictures in the 'Reviews' section are of BR liveried unit 2090, which it appears is the 'NRM' version. The 'News' section contains smaller pictures of 2114 (SR livery), with part of a BR liveried unit also visible (unit number not visible, but car number looks like S12167S) - most obvious difference visible in the picture between this one and 2090 being that the shoebeams are wood coloured - on 2090 they are black. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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