full brake coaches

[Coryton]

Presumably leading to the 'safety cab' which I think refers to the big angular full width nose ends instead of the shorter switcher-style or E/F unit style nose ends?

 

I believe so.

 

I seem to recall that at one point a major railroad (and I forget which) used to run their locomotives bonnet first. Even more protection if you hit something but - with poor visibility - maybe more likely to hit it in the first place?

[Clive Mortimore]

Another thought on the van end being outermost on the ends, "Summer Saturday Strengtheners". They always seem to be on the outside of the brake vehicle and a common feature of 1950s trains. 

[keefer]

I think that up to the 70s, it was more likely that as well as parcels etc, personal luggage (suitcases, trunks, the kitchen sink) was carried in the brake van. Having one at each end would mean it was at the station end of terminus platforms, meaning less distance to lug them to the waiting taxi/coach, also passengers would decant from the train then have to walk past the brake van anyway.

Of course, the volume of parcels etc would mean each brake van would be allocated the items for certain destinations and they would be placed inside accordingly

Edited July 8, 2017 by keefer

[The Johnster]

That is indeed how mails and parcels were sorted inside brake vans, into piles for each destination.  The railway or postal staff at the originating station would start the piles, and everybody on the way knew where they were and sorted into them, and knew where their's was for unloading.  This could be the case along the length of a whole rake of NPCCS, but in this case it is more likely that individual vehicles are labelled to each destination.

 

A big difference between a BG and a van with passenger accommodation included such as a BSK was that the passenger van had it's load space caged off, leaving a corridor down one side for passengers to walk through in order to access toilets or catering vehicles, or, indeed, the guard.  A guard having to leave the van to carry out his duties, e.g. checking tickets, could leave the coach unlocked for passengers to walk though provided the cages and his compartment were locked securely, but a BG is an open space inside except for the partitioned off guard's compartment, so if the guard has to leave the van it has to be locked at the end doors, which has implications if it is marshalled between passenger accommodation and catering vehicles.

[anroar53]

That is indeed how mails and parcels were sorted inside brake vans, into piles for each destination.  The railway or postal staff at the originating station would start the piles, and everybody on the way knew where they were and sorted into them, and knew where their's was for unloading.  This could be the case along the length of a whole rake of NPCCS, but in this case it is more likely that individual vehicles are labelled to each destination.

 

A big difference between a BG and a van with passenger accommodation included such as a BSK was that the passenger van had it's load space caged off, leaving a corridor down one side for passengers to walk through in order to access toilets or catering vehicles, or, indeed, the guard.  A guard having to leave the van to carry out his duties, e.g. checking tickets, could leave the coach unlocked for passengers to walk though provided the cages and his compartment were locked securely, but a BG is an open space inside except for the partitioned off guard's compartment, so if the guard has to leave the van it has to be locked at the end doors, which has implications if it is marshalled between passenger accommodation and catering vehicles.

A number of BGs did in fact have internal cages fitted. It is included in Parkin's 'British Railways Mark 1 Coaches'. Mostly fitted to those with the TOPs prefix ND* and NE*

[MJI]

I used to take a bike on the train, when at poly,

 

Used to get a help to home station then ride to accomodation like a huge round blob with two wheels and an exhaust.

 

I once had to use engine assistance to get up a ramp.

 

I have ridden a motorcycle inside a BG!

[wn 1A]

And of course there was the legendary 2A23, & 1A23, aka The Milk Empties, which ran at 0235 or 0350, all stations Euston to Bletchley, Mo-Sa. This ran from sometime around the Creation, to about 1988? (ish), and usually consisted of a battered Mk1 BSK, which had defnitlely seen better days, a BG & a couple of GUV's. Motive power was (usually) cl 81-85/86, with at least classes 25, 31, 37 & 47 also known to have put in an appearance. The acceleration with an AC electric & 3 or 4 mk1's was tremendous!

Why it was called the Milk Empties I don't know, I would imagine sometime up until the 1960's it probably did carry empty churns, but mostly it seemed to carry sleeping railwaymen returning home off duty!

 

Stuff of legends eh, South of 1A? :-)

 

cheers N

The 0235 was the Watford News and was a single GUV hauled by a class 25 usually. 0350 first stop was Queens Park it also would stop at wn and wn brent sidings before it next passenger stop at Wembly, fast or slow line the; BSK was replaced with a SK in NSE days and this SK was the last coach of the Cobbler fleet to receive the NSE livery, and most usually BG BSK (later SK) BG

[Dunsignalling]

If the brake on the outer end was a safety issue why were 1950s DMUs and EMUs built with them in the middle of the train?

The original requirement dated from the days when most coaches were built of wood, the MUs were steel and modern methods of assessing crash resistance hadn't yet arrived on the scene.

 

John

Edited July 20, 2017 by Dunsignalling

[wn 1A]

Yes MK1 BFK / BSK  / BG  MK2 BFK / BSO trains would depart from the Backing Out Roads to platform 7 or higher ( some having been propelled from the Camden wash machine as mentioned else were it was standard practice for the guard or shunter to apply the brake so the first, becoming the last coach stopped in line with bottom of the ramp from the passenger concourse. As WCML became air braked MK1 BG at london end  MK2 cdef BSO country end from Euston became the norm up until late 80's then just BG's until replaced by MK3 DTV