L&B Bogie Brake Van

[RateTheFreight]

Morning all,

 

Regarding Pecos forthcoming Bogie Brake Van release, does anyone have any further info on the prototypes use?

 

Looking at LT Catchpoles book most the pics of the L&B involving freight seemed to show it mixed with passenger stock and so presumably not necessitating a brake van.

 

Am I right in thinking the brake van would have acted in the same way as on the ‘big railway’? Were brake vans common on other narrow gauge railways?

 

Greg

[Steamport Southport]

Some information on the Ffestiniog brake vans here. 

 

https://www.festipedia.org.uk/wiki/FR_Brake_Vans

 

 

The Welshpool and Llanfair had some as well which are more like conventional brake vans. Or Road Vans with a goods compartment.

 

 

http://www.ws.vintagecarriagestrust.org/ws/WagonInfo.asp?Ref=7348

 

 

 

Jason

[Jub45565]

The L&B was quite different to most other NG lines (and most SG lines at the time too) in having fully fitted stock (ie vacuum brakes throughout) and therefore they didnt need a specific brakevan (or more correctly, braked last vehicle with brakesman in it...).

 

A last vehicle needs a means of identification when passing signal boxes, so the signalman knows the complete train has left a section.

 

The brakesman is there in case of runaways. If a vacuum hose becomes detached both parts of the train will stop.

[Compound2632]

These vehicles Nos. 5, 14 and 23* should perhaps be thought of vans with a brake compartments, rather than brake vans as such. The passenger carriages didn't have very large luggage compartments, considering the volume of luggage required for a typical 1897 family holiday, so that might be why they were ordered. There's evidence that the 1897 vehicles, Nos. 5 and 14, were at some point pained in carriage lake (or "terracotta") which might point to their being regarded as "passenger" vehicles**. In any case I think its doubtful if the L&B ever ran any purely goods trains - the volume of traffic never warranted it. Also, the types and quantity of stock ordered for the opening must have been based on some finger-in-the-wind estimates of the likely traffic - we know they got the number of engines needed wrong!

 

*Is it the preserved No. 23 Peco are making?

 

**on closer reading, that's exactly what the linked webpage says.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Compound2632