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Cornish train formations


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Hi there

 

A couple of Fbook discussions lately on train formations. I thought it may make an interesting topic over here on RM web. I can focus on the 1980s to present day, but any era, any consist very welcome on this page. Bring em'on - milk trains, parcels, postals, loco & coaches, HST or DMU.

 

Here are some shots of the infamous 5 mark 1s that used to plod up & down the County up till 1988 when the 155s took over. We were all gobsmacked when they we temporarily displaced due to door problems.

 

Unusually, a class 45/0 worked the 11.35 from Penzance in 1985, unbelievably a fellow class 45/0 worked the 12.00 Glasgow Parcels alongside too!

 

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A later shot of NSE revised livery and the 11.35 again at Hayle 

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50047 heads the evening 15.55 down from Hayle. Class 50 black roof.

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Heck - it was a hotchpot of coaches. The leading coach certainly only has three windows rather than the usual four in the aisles between the middle doors. I would say it is a former CK. But there were a myriad of different types around during that period. I'll leave it to the coach experts out there! The Swiftsure shot on the viaduct seems to have a first class 1/2 brake.

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Definitely a Mk1 BFK in the rake behind Swiftsure, the Western kept a couple until they moved to Inverness in 1987.

 

The coach behind the NSE 50 must be a Mk1 CK (late build with all the vents in one line). It can't be a declassified FO as the roof vents are wrong. Personally I think the yellow cant rail stripe is dirty/hidden in shadow and the '1' is missing from the rh door. The centre door wouldn't have had a '1' on it anyway.

Edited by Flood
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The first vehicle in the train WAS a CK.  But were there not a couple which were declassified later in their lives and thus had the stripe and other markings removed?

 

The second behind 50047 looks like a BCK with its five compartments.  There is no other first class in the rake so IMO this is the likely option.

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I can only count four windows though.  What looks like a fifth window would be the toilet.  The yellow stripe also goes right along the 4 windows.

 

Still unsure with the CK behind the NSE 50. I don't think that any were officially declassified though it may have been short lived.

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I can only count four windows though.  What looks like a fifth window would be the toilet.  The yellow stripe also goes right along the 4 windows.

 

 

 

I'm prepared to buy that.  The angle is very acute making it hard to be absolutely certain but having blown the image up as large as I can and gone over it with a pointy thing i can indeed only count five windows in total.  I can't readily trace any official declassifications of CK coaches but do have a vague recollection that some (possibly only one seen multiple times) existed - even if unofficially - and with markings removed but first class seating in tact.  I also travelled on the trains in question numerous times and observed them on many more occasions though without taking detailed notes or photos at the time.

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Here is another one from Lostwithiel, sorry the train is a bit distant, I was probably trying to take a general view.

I seem to think the gent in the welly boots was BR staff, anyone remember him?

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50040 Leviathan runs into Lostwithiel with the 13.50 Plymouth - Penzance, 23/6/82

 

cheers

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I can resist including this eclectic rake of stock on a late afternoon Penzance departure between St Erth & Hayle. The suns location puts it evening time, possibly on a Summer Saturday.

 

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More locals - 50007 on release from Laira in 1984 shortly after naming at Paddington - jury was out - still is (loved Hercules) 

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This was a great train - sorry about the quality - bit rushed that day 50042 and 1 BG forms the 13.50 Penzance to Plymouth parcels. 

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Some evening trains taken around Hayle - possibly the down Glasgow - guaranteed a class 50 in either direction .

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And who could forget the Milton Keynes - the shock of a DVT on the blocks at Penzance! Here is the rear of the train passing Roskear in 1991.

 

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Edited by winterbournecm
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Those were interesting years.  Almost anything could - and sometimes did - turn up.  There was still freight west of Burngullow and there was still a parcels working to Penzance though it often seemed to convey more vans than parcels and its days were clearly numbered.  Just a single van was a little exceptional though; 9 or 10 is what I recall rolling down mid-morning and back up after lunch.  And the "beds" had six wakers on as well if you include the buffet which was occasionally a Mk1 RMB working a Penzance - Paddington - Manchester and return diagram.  The sleepers were left at Old Oak Common for the day though ;)

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Another nice set of photos Craig. I'll definitely be modelling the rake in those first two photos!! Do you know which 50 was hauling it? Also, was the DVT rake running in the 80's??

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

The 50 was Royal Oak Jeremy. The DVT was a West Coast set which was utlised on Summer Saturdays for the Milton Keynes - Penzance working. The rake was class 47 hauled so obviously the DVT was a brake van only. It was great winding people up that the DVTs were going to be leading from Plymouth one summer though! The Milton Keynes brought Mk3s down to Cornwall, probably the first appearance of non sleeper mark 3 loco hauled coaches to that date. 

 

Here's that short late 80s parcels waiting at Penzance with the roof off on the station the last time it was refurbished - 1988?

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47 hauling a dead DMU on the right?

Yes Jon, a common sight by then. The DMU reliability was down the pan. The unit lash up we had buzzing around were great. Class 108/117 trailers, Chocolate & Cream & NSE livery. I think I may start another thread on the subject!

 

 

The famous Milton Keynes powers past Bodriggy School Hayle with 47444 doing the honours

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Yes Jon, a common sight by then. The DMU reliability was down the pan. The unit lash up we had buzzing around were great. Class 108/117 trailers, Chocolate & Cream & NSE livery. I think I may start another thread on the subject!

 

 

The famous Milton Keynes powers past Bodriggy School Hayle with 47444 doing the honours

attachicon.gifjuly47444.jpg

Great photo buddy! What was the typical formation of the Milton Keynes!

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

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Great photo buddy! What was the typical formation of the Milton Keynes!

 

Best regards,

 

Jeremy

It was a bruiser! 12 coaches including a DVT or BG. Normally 3 first class coaches, a mk 1 or 3 buffet and the rest were seconds. I have seen mk2 "Wolverhampton" stock being used too. Mark 3s were the norm though.  

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It was a bruiser! 12 coaches including a DVT or BG. Normally 3 first class coaches, a mk 1 or 3 buffet and the rest were seconds. I have seen mk2 "Wolverhampton" stock being used too. Mark 3s were the norm though.

 

 

So was it class 47 hauled throughout? Or was it an 86/87 hauling initially then passed over to diesel?

Best regards,

Jeremy

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