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Crianlarich


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The new edition of Rail Express magazine which dropped onto subscribers doormats this morning features a nice extra pull out feature 'British Rail - The Blue & Grey Years in Colour' which features a photo taken in Crianlarich on the bottom of page 21.

 

It is supposed to have been taken on the 15th of June 1984 and shows BR blue with dog 37043 'Loch Lomond' on an ECS working.  The caption states it is hauling "a sleeper coach and a Mk1" but there is something odd about the consist.  The coach immediately behind the loco is a Mk1, possibly an RB, RK or something similar but with what appears to be two lots of lettering on the side, one at either end.  The second coach is more vague, it's definitely not a Mk1 but it is blue and grey. 

 

To me it looks like a LMS PIII coach but surely by 1984 they were long gone weren't they?

 

Any light shedding on thus mystery formation appreciated!!

 

EDIT - found the picture online:

https://railphotoprints.uk/p789775444/h35832cfc#h35832cfc

Edited by John M Upton
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The mk1 is a dia.31 Griddle car, better view of one here: http://www.eastbank.org.uk/images/Coaches/CS0218.jpg

 

Longworth book states Sc1103-1105 were withdrawn Nov.'79, 1104 & 1105 were preserved and 1105 became DB975878 in April '81.

EDIT: departmentals.com states the DB number was allocated but never carried. Its designation was QPX CE Staff coach

 

That's the limit of my knowledge I'm afraid

Edited by keefer
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Well I'll be blowed. There I was walking the baby up and down the platform en route to a PW (since even more worsted) at the Lochaber marathon in April 2011 (post 2), and it turns out I had a stalker photographing my every move.

Snazzy pram eh?

Edited by NittenDormer
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Most informative thank you. Their caption is most definitely wrong then and I guess that the second coach is Departmental as well which hopefully should help narrow it down.

 

I feel another one of my Farish Mk1 cut and shut jobs coming on...

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have been looking for any other evidence of the Griddle car and the only pic I've found so far is of Sc1105 at Oban in May 1981 (have to rely on the photographer's description being correct, no reason to doubt it but difficult to confirm!)

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bystuart/27458145186/

 

Griddle 1105 at Oban May 1981. Lots of other WHL pictures in this album

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bystuart/31221950816/in/album-72157669157413216/

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Thanks for that, no more images had come up in a search and I never thought to check the rest of Stuart's album! Doh.

Certainly would seem to be 1105 and an LMS-design sleeper then (The corridor side has 6 windows, shown in the OP photo). Although that would mean either the sleeper got a coat of blue & grey by 1984, or it was another vehicle. Like one of these:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/5688527448/in/album-72157603653607671/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/robertcwp/5564916935/in/album-72157603653607671/

Edited by keefer
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Thanks for that.  I am considering a cut and shut of Farish Mk1's to do a Griddle Car and will trawl around trying to find what LMS design sleepers made it into Departmental service in the Scottish region about that time although I think my options for modelling one of those in N scale are very limited.

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Thanks for that. I am considering a cut and shut of Farish Mk1's to do a Griddle Car and will trawl around trying to find what LMS design sleepers made it into Departmental service in the Scottish region about that time although I think my options for modelling one of those in N scale are very limited.

Very interesting photos. I have seen Online photos of Ex LMS Sleepers in BR blue/grey at Oban c.1970 when they were still in regular use, unfortunately I forget where.

 

Ultima do both printed and etched side LMS sleepers in 2mm so this may provide some use:

http://www.ultima-models.co.uk/catalogue/lms-sides.html

 

No connection btw.

Martyn.

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I forgot to say, the longest-lived of the LMS-design sleepers (i.e. in blue/grey) were:

SLF to dia.2166 and numbered in the M376-402M range (except 377/90/97)

SLSTP to dia.2169 and numbered in the M601-622M range (except 610).

EDIT: I think the SLF had 6-wheel bogies, the SLS had 4-wheel

However, when individual vehicles were withdrawn and what happened to them afterwards, I don't know.

 

Source: file on pre-nationalisation stock in b/g on Robert Carrol's BR Coaching Stock Yahoo Group

Edited by keefer
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not necessarily, Stephen, I don't think.

37043 was named from 31/10/81 - 30/06/86 and was a regular performer in the area, so that fits.

 

The main clue would be if anyone has any more details on the movement/disposal of the coaches (inc. the number of the Sleeper) - were they both at Oban until this move to Fort William?There wouldn't be any point in moving them to FW if they were going for scrap?

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Withdrawal date I have for the Mk1 Griddle that went on to Departmental service, all be it not physically renumbered seems to be April 1983 so if it hung around at Oban or wherever awaiting disposal along with that yet to be identified sleeper car then that date might be right and this is them being hauled off for scrap.

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I have a suspicion the train is a Sir William McAlpine special; there are photos of such specials in books etc, and a converted LMS 12w Sleeper sometimes featured along with other old coaches as per the Eastbank site with a class 27 hauled train on the Highland Mainline in 1985:

http://www.eastbank.org.uk/images/Highland/UK4039.jpg

Or an image half way down Rob Nic's picssr page of 40165 at Dundee with it as the second vehicle:

http://picssr.com/photos/122235224@N07/interesting?nsid=122235224@N07

albeit the livery by then was not blue/grey, but how many such coaches had a Main line ticket by this date? Note the modified window layout at each end of this vehicle too. If this is the same vehicle, could it be en-route to Fort William for repainting or just stabling, as it is headed in that direction (or to Oban)?

 

No ideas on the Griddle Car though!

Edited by Signaller69
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37043 had a headlight fitted by June 1984 which suggests that the date of the picture is wrong. She also had a white stripe by October 1983 although this was subsequently removed at a date I am unaware of. She was large logo by early 1985.

 

If you flick through John Chalcraft's website you can see a picture of 37005 departing Crianlarich dated August 1982 where the weather appears very similar to the 37043 picture. I suspect that this is the more likely date of the working.

Edited by young37215
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The paintwork on the LMS Sleeper (assuming that is what it is) looks pretty shabby compared to the Griddle Car which suggests the possibility it has been sitting somewhere dumped on a siding for some time and this picture happens to catch the trip where it was removed along with presumably by then withdrawn Griddle Car.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
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I am trying to find 1980's pictures of the western side yard (the opposite side from that with the old engine shed) taken from the station platform or somewhere close by showing the gas store and adjacent huts as a reference for my model. There are several pictures on this thread showing the western yard freight platform but nothing showing what I am trying to replicate.

 

I have checked the usual suspects but for once I cannot find what I am after. Can anyone help? 

Edited by young37215
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I am trying to find 1980's pictures of the western side yard (the opposite side from that with the old engine shed) taken from the station platform or somewhere close by showing the gas store and adjacent huts as a reference for my model. There are several pictures on this thread showing the western yard freight platform but nothing showing what I am trying to replicate.

 

I have checked the usual suspects but for once I cannot find what I am after. Can anyone help? 

 

Good old Ernie to the rescue; link takes you to a picture from the road above the yard showing the gas store and surrounding area. Happy now!

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/36367728912/in/album-72157685023339563/

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