Modelling a traditional parcels train

[Michael Delamar]

Some more.

 

5803 Reigate 1 July 1972 by snatmann, on Flickr

 

7001 Waltham 26 September 1973 by snatmann, on Flickr

[Clive Mortimore]

6 PMVs in one train,

 

There must be a lot of parcels trains elsewhere running without their obligatory one each (minimum)

 

Regards

 

Ian

Hi Ian

 

It looks like the second van in is a BY, it has a small central rainstrip and a set of central steps.

 

A year later the guard must be in the rear cab of the Type 2 as he doesn't seem to have his own van.

[The Stationmaster]

Some more.

 

 

 

7001 Waltham 26 September 1973 by snatmann, on Flickr

 

Looks like the 'Malago Vans' which was basically a balancing train for empty newspaper vans and also picked up ex-works stock at Swindon for Old Oak.  As it terminated at Old Oak it didn't normally convey parcels traffic. 

 

Incidentally the location looks far more like Shottesbrook than Waltham, definitely too far west for Waltham

[Phil Bullock]

Interesting photo! 1971 - 72 wtt has 1A01 as 20.30 Worcester - Padd parcels but it plainly isn't that train - it was booked via Oxford so wouldn't have collected the ex works catering vehicles from Swindon. Train reporting numbers must have changed....

 

Phil

[Ray M]

6 PMVs in one train,

 

There must be a lot of parcels trains elsewhere running without their obligatory one each (minimum)

 

Regards

 

Ian

Telegraph pole has gone , by the next year.

[Oldddudders]

I suspect the Hymek train is the 06.39 Blisworth to Redhill, or its later successor when the location was closed.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Interesting photo! 1971 - 72 wtt has 1A01 as 20.30 Worcester - Padd parcels but it plainly isn't that train - it was booked via Oxford so wouldn't have collected the ex works catering vehicles from Swindon. Train reporting numbers must have changed....

 

Phil

Train ID by headcode blinds was a bit erratic by late 1973. Locos were being built without them by then.

[Fat Controller]

Looks like the 'Malago Vans' which was basically a balancing train for empty newspaper vans and also picked up ex-works stock at Swindon for Old Oak.  As it terminated at Old Oak it didn't normally convey parcels traffic. 

 

Incidentally the location looks far more like Shottesbrook than Waltham, definitely too far west for Waltham

Some nice views of Siphons there. The first one's one of the BR-built ones that had additional slding-cover vents on the lower sides, whilst the two behind it are from a pre-war batch that were modified as Ward Cars for ambulance trains; hence the roof ventilators. I'm trying to work out if the middle one of the three has the blue paint carried up to the rainstrip, or if it's the way the roof has weathered.

[leopardml2341]

I've worked it out

 

From the Brush Type 2 Headcode, it was takin' the little blighters back home from their inter-regional forays

[The Stationmaster]

Interesting photo! 1971 - 72 wtt has 1A01 as 20.30 Worcester - Padd parcels but it plainly isn't that train - it was booked via Oxford so wouldn't have collected the ex works catering vehicles from Swindon. Train reporting numbers must have changed....

 

Phil

 

More like someone couldn't be bothered to alter the headcode on the Hymek (assuming it could be altered at all and the blinds weren't jammed!).

 

The 20.30 Worcester had at one time been the 19.45 Kidderminster - Paddington and I had a cab ride on that one night back in 1967, so only 50 years ago; worked by Reading men from Didcot to Paddington.

Some nice views of Siphons there. The first one's one of the BR-built ones that had additional slding-cover vents on the lower sides, whilst the two behind it are from a pre-war batch that were modified as Ward Cars for ambulance trains; hence the roof ventilators. I'm trying to work out if the middle one of the three has the blue paint carried up to the rainstrip, or if it's the way the roof has weathered.

 

Most likely weathering I would think Brian, it tended to build up below the rainstrips for some reason.

[The Johnster]

Hi Ian

 

It looks like the second van in is a BY, it has a small central rainstrip and a set of central steps.

 

A year later the guard must be in the rear cab of the Type 2 as he doesn't seem to have his own van.

 

Guard would be in back cab of Hymek as well, the correct place for him to ride post the single manning agreement in 1969, irrespective of whether heated accommodation was available aboard the train for him on a non passenger carrying service.  Ecs was different.

[phil_sutters]

By coincidence, I have just bought a small pile of Model Rails from a charity shop. They are from 2008-9 and include in issue 118, part 3 of an article on Short steam era parcels trains, by Steve Banks. Issue 120 has part two of one on milk traffic, which is the subject of another current thread. I don't know how these useful sources of information and photographs can be made available again. I guess most of the information is as valid and useful now as it was then. Another thread is seeking ideas for 'bookazines'. Perhaps the magazine publishers could revisit some of their past publications and turn them into useful resources. I am aware that this may well already go on and I may be going over ideas that have already been aired. I don't follow every thread and haven't been in RMweb that long, so my apologies to the grandmothers/fathers who already know how to suck eggs!

Edited February 12, 2017 by phil_sutters

[Keith George]

By coincidence, I have just bought a small pile of Model Rails from a charity shop. They are from 2008-9 and include in issue 118, part 3 of an article on Short steam era parcels trains, by Steve Banks. Issue 120 has part two of one on milk traffic, which is the subject of another current thread. I don't know how these useful sources of information and photographs can be made available again. I guess most of the information is as valid and useful now as it was then. Another thread is seeking ideas for 'bookazines'. Perhaps the magazine publishers could revisit some of their past publications and turn them into useful resources. I am aware that this may well already go on and I may be going over ideas that have already been aired. I don't follow every thread and haven't been in RMweb that long, so my apologies to the grandmothers/fathers who already know how to suck eggs!

 

Sounds like a very good idea to me.

[Michael Delamar]

45212-near-Nelson-redone-flickr by derekphillips1, on Flickr

[Enterprisingwestern]

 

1888 with 39 behind 15:8:70.

39 is on the 4J05, 1600 Leeds PCD - Sheffield Midland, consisting of one 4 wheel CCT, prototype for everything corner!

 

 

6506/6520. Eastleigh. 27:3:71. Note the Conflats.

 

 

D5829. Doncaster. 12:6:71. 5A00, from memory the York - Kings Cross which took all day IIRC.

 

 

6570. Reading. 28:7:71.

 

 

D1063. Reading. 31:7:71.

 

Mike.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[leopardml2341]

Good to see some Southern CCT's etc on their home ground (for a change)

[keefer]

Looks like the 'Malago Vans' which was basically a balancing train for empty newspaper vans and also picked up ex-works stock at Swindon for Old Oak.  As it terminated at Old Oak it didn't normally convey parcels traffic. 

 

Incidentally the location looks far more like Shottesbrook than Waltham, definitely too far west for Waltham

 

bit of a late reply but the two v. clean b/g coaches are dia.702 RK (full kitchen) - it's rare enough to see one in action, even on the service trains that used them. i think by the mid-late 70s they were falling out of use, replaced by RKB/RU/RB

[w124bob]

Sorry if this has been dealt with elsewhere but presumably a parcels train could be split and added to during its journey from A to B. So us modellers wanting to add a bit of interest to usual train comes into station, stops and then leaves again. So we could model these movements.

 

Train comes in, couple of vehicles removed from front or back and shunted into a bay. Perhaps a couple of vehicles added from the bay added to the back or front. Remarshalled train pulls out.

 

Later in the day parcels train heading somewhere else comes in, vehicles in the bay added, train pulls out again

This is exactly what happened on the 02.15 Manchester/Leeds newspapers. The train would be routed into the normally westbound platform and whilst the driver nipped to make brew the rear 2 vehicles were detached and later shunted by an outstationed Healey Mills jocko. I'm not aware of how the empty vans returned. At Dewsbury the same train propelled back off the viaduct through a groundframe worked crossing to use the west bound platform for unloading. Using the westbound platforms was done for the ease of access, direct to waiting WH Smith vans I worked this train just before the demise of the traffic. Usual power by this time was a class 31 with eth and 6 vans about 4 of which were GUVs with tables and lighting. The train carried newspaper staff doing bundling, loco returned light to Victoria. Another regular parcels/postal working we worked was a York/Cardiff, from my time(late '86) the routing changed slightly, intially the train detached a van at Staylebridge and then continued to Crewe via Denton and Stockport. The Victoria bank engine was diagrammed to bring the single van down to Vic, this changded and a Victoria driver travelled out pass to York to work it as far as Stockport. This changed to going via Guide Bridge direct to Piccadilly, where an electric was backed up. For modellers train usully loaded 9 including a TPO(2?) eth 47 for power except on one occasssion where it rolled into York with a coal sector 37. Train came from Heaton. Edited March 23, 2017 by w124bob

[Metr0Land]

Auchterarder by Bingley Hall, on Flickr

[robertcwp]

LMS van with a difference:

M31847M_1_HertfordE_1965 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

M31847M_2_HertfordE_1965 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

 

And a short-ish train at Basingstoke:

D7080_Basingstoke_24-6-66 by Robert Carroll, on Flickr

[robertcwp]

bit of a late reply but the two v. clean b/g coaches are dia.702 RK (full kitchen) - it's rare enough to see one in action, even on the service trains that used them. i think by the mid-late 70s they were falling out of use, replaced by RKB/RU/RB

By the mid-1970s there were only one or two regular services that included an RK, one of which was a West Midlands set on the LMR. The Hook Continental had a kitchen car quite late on too. Otherwise they were mainly used for specials or as substitutes for other types. I have seen a photo of one in a Manchester Pullman set in the 1970s.

[keefer]

apologies for the diversion from parcels trains....

 

robert, i'd found this pic on david christie's excellent Flickr set. i looked up the carriage working books on the Yahoo site and noted it was probably a Harwich boat train (i.e it had an RK), but not if it was named

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/david_christie/5427221519/

Edited April 15, 2017 by keefer

[robertcwp]

apologies for the diversion from parcels trains....

 

robert, i'd found this pic on david christie's excellent Flickr set. i looked up the carriage working books on the Yahoo site and noted it was probably a Harwich boat train (i.e it had an RK), but not if it was named

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/david_christie/5427221519/

Looks like it's the Hook Continental set but that set also worked other boat train services.

[Metr0Land]

F085-001 by STANDARD FIVE GROUP, on Flickr

[Metr0Land]

Am assuming this is a parcels working - apologies if it isn't

 

Least Successful Modernisation Plan Diesel design? by Gricer1946, on Flickr