Were Fruit Ds still in parcel service in 1982 ?

[rob D2]

Hi,

question as per title .

i brought a park side  kit to go with the new hattons crane then they cancelled it , so need another use for it outside departmental .

 

cheers 

 

[Simon Bendall]

Afraid not, out of revenue traffic by 1973/74.

[rob D2]

thanks simon , i'll do a blue departmental one then , cheers 

[Ramblin Rich]

28 minutes ago, Simon Bendall said:

Afraid not, out of revenue traffic by 1973/74.

Although there's some references to a handful in the TDB number range still being used in parcels traffic on the Barnstaple line in the late 70s. See this thread

Also Paul Bartlett's site has one numbered TDB975335 marked "for use between Barnstaple and Exeter" dated 1979. Page 2 of this collection https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/fruitd Not quite into the 80s though!

[Cwmtwrch]

15 minutes ago, Ramblin Rich said:

Also Paul Bartlett's site has one numbered TDB975335 marked "for use between Barnstaple and Exeter" dated 1979. Page 2 of this collection https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/fruitd Not quite into the 80s though!

The branding is greatly faded, whereas the number is not. This rather suggests that it probably relates to an earlier incarnation of the van. Anything with a TDB number was allocated to the engineers [the T shows which type of engineers]. As such they would have been surplus as far as the Traffic people were concerned before being released.

[Fat Controller]

Not sure that 'TB..' isn't actually the TOPS code for the Traffic Department, rather than any branch of the Engineers.

[Cwmtwrch]

It's actually TDB... The first character identifies the operator, the second is the identifier for a Departmental vehicle, meaning it is an internal user, not intended for traffic use [at least not normally] and the B, as ever, means it was built by or for BR. In this case T means it's allocated to the Operating Department. These are not TOPS codes, which identify the vehicle type, but are to identify the department responsible for it.

[keefer]

2 hours ago, Cwmtwrch said:

the second is the identifier for a Departmental vehicle, meaning it is an internal user, not intended for traffic use [at least not normally]

'Internal User' in the context of Departmental stock is something specific i.e. stock which is restricted to where it is parked/operated and is not allowed out on a normal running line. These were given 6-digit numbers: LMR - 02xxxx, ER 04xxxx, WR 06xxxx and 07xxxx, SR 08xxxx, ScR 09xxxx.

I take it you meant Departmental stock is not intended for Revenue traffic use and is generally only used by the 'owning' Department?

[Rivercider]

16 hours ago, Ramblin Rich said:

Although there's some references to a handful in the TDB number range still being used in parcels traffic on the Barnstaple line in the late 70s. See this thread

Also Paul Bartlett's site has one numbered TDB975335 marked "for use between Barnstaple and Exeter" dated 1979. Page 2 of this collection https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/fruitd Not quite into the 80s though!

As Rich mentions, the small pool of traffic department TDB prefixed Fruit Ds were certainly still in revenue use until at least 1978. They worked down from Exeter St Davids to Barnstaple on a service conveying news and mail at around 03.00, returning in the formation of the 07.46 Barnstaple to Exeter St Davids passenger service.

 

edit - I think 1978 or 1979 was about the end of their use on that traffic. Paul Bartlett also photographed some of the same vehicles at Taunton a couple of years later either in Taunton Concrete Works, or Fairwater PAD (Pre-assembly depot), where they would presumably have been in civil engineers use,

  

cheers

Edited December 25, 2021 by Rivercider

[Cwmtwrch]

14 hours ago, keefer said:

I take it you meant Departmental stock is not intended for Revenue traffic use and is generally only used by the 'owning' Department?

Yes. Sorry about the confusion.