IoW light rail conversion proposed

[Christopher125]

7 hours ago, 009 micro modeller said:

I quite like the London Underground air whistles actually (which are also fitted to the more recent S stock). Do the current class 483s still have these?

 

The Standard Stock and 483s were given 'mainline' whistles, as once fitted to EMUs on the 3rd rail network  - IIRC they started off with originals, including examples recovered from Class 71s, but later replicas were made.

 

484001 appears to have kept it's LU original.

 

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On a separate note, obviously the 484s fit through Ryde tunnel but did any work have to be done to permit this? Obviously lowering the track there would bring back the problems with flooding that prompted it to be raised in the first place.

 

Not aware of any, and none should be needed - the tightest spots were two overbridges where track was lowered back in August. 

Edited November 21, 2020 by Christopher125

[Ron Ron Ron]

Lots of photos and some video covering the delivery of the "new" class 484 Island Line stock in this article......

 

https://hydeparknow.uk/2020/11/20/the-first-class-484s-arrive-in-vectis/

 

Recommended.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Zomboid]

Looking forward to seeing the interior.

[RichardLong]

On 23/11/2020 at 15:00, Zomboid said:

Looking forward to seeing the interior.

There’s a virtual look at the interior here: https://vivarail.co.uk/360s/SWR-261020_Interior/

[roythebus]

On 21/11/2020 at 21:14, Christopher125 said:

 

The Standard Stock and 483s were given 'mainline' whistles, as once fitted to EMUs on the 3rd rail network  - IIRC they started off with originals, including examples recovered from Class 71s, but later replicas were made.

 

484001 appears to have kept it's LU original.

 

 

Not aware of any, and none should be needed - the tightest spots were two overbridges where track was lowered back in August. 

According to the latest issue of Island Rail News, track under 2 bridges was lowered earlier in the year. Another 2 places are being lowered but only on one line. I can't copy photos across to here due to copyright reasons.

 

I would suggest the 38 stock has standard 38 stock whistles. Main line EMUs are fitted with two-tone horns. AFAIK only the Waterloo & City stock had whistles.

 

According to local radio, the Island Line was down to one train operation again yesterday.

[009 micro modeller]

14 minutes ago, roythebus said:

I would suggest the 38 stock has standard 38 stock whistles. Main line EMUs are fitted with two-tone horns. AFAIK only the Waterloo & City stock had whistles.

 

I know modern LU S stock also has whistles, as it produces a similarly high-pitched tone. I’m not sure whether they have horns as well though. There’s a whole thread here, before this one gets too off-topic: https://districtdavesforum.co.uk/thread/10969/why-whistle

 

The suggestion that class 165s also have them is interesting - possibly because they run on LU metals when they go via Amersham.

[rodent279]

9 hours ago, roythebus said:

According to the latest issue of Island Rail News, track under 2 bridges was lowered earlier in the year. Another 2 places are being lowered but only on one line. I can't copy photos across to here due to copyright reasons.

 

I would suggest the 38 stock has standard 38 stock whistles. Main line EMUs are fitted with two-tone horns. AFAIK only the Waterloo & City stock had whistles.

 

According to local radio, the Island Line was down to one train operation again yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2020 by rodent279

[Christopher125]

16 hours ago, roythebus said:

According to the latest issue of Island Rail News, track under 2 bridges was lowered earlier in the year. Another 2 places are being lowered but only on one line. 

 

That's the two bridges -  the Up line under Rink Road and the Down line under Smallbrook Lane were both lowered in August. All gauging work should be complete as testing should have started some time back.

 

Richardson Rail posted photos of the work on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardsonRail/posts/643531912936619

 

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I would suggest the 38 stock has standard 38 stock whistles. Main line EMUs are fitted with two-tone horns. AFAIK only the Waterloo & City stock had whistles.

 

Before the 1960s whistles were common on the Southern Railway/Region, but most if not all such units were retro-fitted with two-tone horns - even some early CEPs and DEMUs came fitted, as can be seen above the drivers windscreen below:

 

East Croydon by Timothy Saunders, on Flickr

 

1121 Hastings unit seen at an unknown location. I Cuthbertson collection by Ian Cuthbertson, on Flickr

 

A surprising exception were the Class 71s which retained them to the end - as can be seen here these are the same design fitted to the 483s; you can also hear this a few seconds into the following video of E5001: 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp_W8mBpszo

 

This was all confirmed by a former staff member at Ryde, a local railway historian who actually helped create replicas for the 483s to replace those in poor condition.

 

 

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According to local radio, the Island Line was down to one train operation again yesterday.

 

006 has failed and requires too much work to reinstate with 008 soldiering on alone - the priority now is 007, which is almost ready to go. 

Edited November 27, 2020 by Christopher125

[roythebus]

I'm not old enough (cough cough) to remember SR emu stock with whistles, and never worked on the 71s. Interesting times though. 

 

Is 007 coming back into service for the last few weeks or "going" going?

[Christopher125]

1 hour ago, roythebus said:

Is 007 coming back into service for the last few weeks or "going" going?

 

Hopefully a return to service, any updates will probably crop up first on the facebook group below:

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/355569249197459

[TomJ]

Watching the videos of the train coming off the ferry it occurs to me that its perhaps a good thing that there's only 10 coaches to ship across. If its only one coach per crossing then it must have taken an age to get all the 1923 stock to the island!

[PhilJ W]

1 minute ago, TomJ said:

Watching the videos of the train coming off the ferry it occurs to me that its perhaps a good thing that there's only 10 coaches to ship across. If its only one coach per crossing then it must have taken an age to get all the 1923 stock to the island!

I've seen pictures  of the Standard stock being delivered (by road/ferry) and at least three were photographed in convoy so its possible that several came on one ferry crossing.

[keefer]

Apologies if it's been linked to before but there's a comprehensive article on the VECTIS stock at bloodandcustard.com:

https://www.bloodandcustard.com/BR-7VECTIS.html

Regarding the delivery of stock:

"This was done via the Portsmouth to Fishbourne car ferry, the cars being carried on a Pickfords trailers fitted with a 45' length of track.

Trailers were hauled by one tractor unit and were shipped on normal service boats, but the heavier DM cars needed two tractor units to haul the load and a special ‘bridge’ arrangement to spread the load when moving onto /off the ferry and these were all shipped on special sailings and only at certain states of the tide.

The first few cars were loaded at Fratton using cranes prior to the completion of a loading ramp there, and a similar ramp was provided at Ryde St Johns Road for unloading."

 

There were some good pics of the transfer process in "SR Electric Multiple Units 1948-1983" (Marsden/Ian Allan)

[TomJ]

Thanks for that link - a really interesting article. I like the shots of the 1923 stock being tested on the mainland - which I believe happened with the 1938 replacement.  It’s got me thinking about a good excuse for a rule 1 purchase of the EFE tube stock. 
 

Once in the island did the stock ever return to the mainland for repairs or overall. I guess it could have...

[keefer]

Credit: South Western Railway 

From this:

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/other/news-and-media/news/2019/september/uks-oldest-train-fleet-updated-with-26m-investment-into-isle-of-wights-railway

"22 December 1966: Arrival of new electric trains for the Island Line
Driving Motor Second S22S, to be formed into unit 042, is unloaded from British Rail shipping ferry m.v.’Camber Queen’ at Fishbourne on 22nd December 1966. The weight of the Driving Motors necessitated the use of two Pickford tractor units for loading and unloading the ferries and also the use of a special bridge to avoid excess weight being placed on the ship’s ramp. Also, all movements of the Driving Motors were made on special sailings and on a rising tide. [British Rail (Southern) official]"

(Apologies if posted before)

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by keefer

[PhilJ W]

4 hours ago, TomJ said:

Thanks for that link - a really interesting article. I like the shots of the 1923 stock being tested on the mainland - which I believe happened with the 1938 replacement.  It’s got me thinking about a good excuse for a rule 1 purchase of the EFE tube stock. 
 

Once in the island did the stock ever return to the mainland for repairs or overall. I guess it could have...

Some of the Standard stock was returned to the mainland for preservation but some of it was subsequently scrapped. Most of what survives is held by the London Transport Museum at Acton Town where it can be seen on open days. Servicing was carried out on the island and some stock scrapped/cannibalised on the island.

[Christopher125]

On 28/11/2020 at 16:07, TomJ said:

Once in the island did the stock ever return to the mainland for repairs or overall. I guess it could have...

 

I can't think of any tube vehicles leaving for maintenance, just preservation or scrapping.

 

Overnight testing starts from Monday btw.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Christopher125

[Gwiwer]

All maintenance has been done at Ryde. It is simply too expensive to ship vehicles to and from the mainland and, with a small fleet of just one type, the team at Ryde can manage. 

[rodent279]

9 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

All maintenance has been done at Ryde. It is simply too expensive to ship vehicles to and from the mainland and, with a small fleet of just one type, the team at Ryde can manage. 

So were things like bogies & traction motors shipped to Eastleigh for overhaul?

[Gwiwer]

Bogies no.  Not that I have ever been aware of. Traction motors possibly. But the small team at Ryde has been responsible for pretty much everything required to keep elderly tube trains fit for service. And has had a supply of spares from Day One with everything up to a complete body shell being available. 

[surfsup]

26 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

Bogies no.  Not that I have ever been aware of. Traction motors possibly. But the small team at Ryde has been responsible for pretty much everything required to keep elderly tube trains fit for service. And has had a supply of spares from Day One with everything up to a complete body shell being available. 

 

I'm not sure how long it has been going on for, but Arlington at Eastleigh Works have been conducting bogie overhauls on the 38 stock this year, as this photo from March this year shows. 

 

http://www.carlswatson.com/Trains/Galleries 2020/G202003/20200312ArlingtonEastleighWorks/class483bogieeastleighworks12thmarch2020.html

[RichardLong]

On 27/11/2020 at 19:50, PhilJ W said:

I've seen pictures  of the Standard stock being delivered (by road/ferry) and at least three were photographed in convoy so its possible that several came on one ferry crossing.

I’ve never seen a photo of more than one vehicle on a ferry - and the boats were a lot smaller in those days.  
 

Interestingly, from the photos I’ve seen of the recent D Stock delivery it looked as if there would have been plenty of room for at least two vehicles on a single ferry.  (But maybe weight is a factor?)

[Gwiwer]

58 minutes ago, RichardLong said:

at least two vehicles on a single ferry.  (But maybe weight is a factor?)

I suspect weight  would have been a factor.  Not necessarily all-up but concentrated weight.  Those ferries can accommodate several road coaches I believe.  Here's another thought.  What about insurance?  Perhaps the risk of transporting over water was considered high enough to have a one-vehicle-per-crossing limit imposed.  

[TomJ]

‘To drop one coach maybe regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness’

 

Perhaps this is in their minds?
 

 

[rodent279]

12 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

I suspect weight  would have been a factor.  Not necessarily all-up but concentrated weight.  Those ferries can accommodate several road coaches I believe.  Here's another thought.  What about insurance?  Perhaps the risk of transporting over water was considered high enough to have a one-vehicle-per-crossing limit imposed.  

How did they get the Crompton over there a couple of years ago? Same ferries, or a different boat?