Locos used between Carlisle and Stanraer

[ardbealach]

On 10/03/2021 at 22:18, Wheatley said:

Expanding the 6 wheel tangent a bit, there are photos of two different G&SWR Manson 6 wheel passenger brake vans in use as Pooley's Weighing Machine Vans in the 1960s, one at Dunragit and one trundling down the Whithorn branch in 1963. These would have travelled by ordinary goods train stopping off anywhere there was a weighing machine or weighbridge needing calibrating. Stranraer had another as breakdown tool van, together with an ex-CR non-corridor (bogie) coach as riding van. (Co-incidentally I have spent a lot of the last week looking for two prints of these which I know I have somewhere !) By the late 1950s Dumfries's tool vans comprised a proper CR 6 wheel purpose-built tool van and an ex-MR 6 wheel luggage composite as riding van. The latter also apparently doubled as the roster clerk's office !

 

The G&SWR 43' bogie coaches were still in service in the early 50s, one worked the last train to Portpatrick in 1950 behind 55125, but I've no evidence of 6 wheel coaches still in passenger use by then. 

Wheatley, is this the one you were thinking of photographed - lying at Stranraer Shed in the mid Sixties?  [Alisdair]

[pH]

12 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

None of those running powers were ever exercised. 

 

For one thing, the English crew would need a pilotman from whichever Scottish company was "in residence" at the time. (Did they alternate? Or was the GSWR solely responsible after 1885?)

“The Portpatrick and Wigtonshire was supervised in three-yearly periods by the Caley and G&SW alternately” (David L. Smith).

 

I’ve also remembered that there was a LNWR engine on the Portpatrick Railway (precursor of the PPWJR) - a ‘DX’ goods 0-6-0 bought from the LNWR. And six of the Portpatrick Railway engines (0-4-2s and 2-2-2s) were designed by J.E. McConnell of the LNWR.

[Wheatley]

8 hours ago, ardbealach said:

Wheatley, is this the one you were thinking of photographed - lying at Stranraer Shed in the mid Sixties?  [Alisdair]

 

The very one ! I found my Norris Forrest print (filed exactly where it was supposed to be - can't have looked very well) shortly after a replacement digital copy arrived from Transport Treasury !

 

That's a superb photo, thank you. My print is b&w, I had assumed it was black fading to grey like the riding van so that's extremely useful. 

Edited March 15, 2021 by Wheatley
Fat fingers

[ardbealach]

Glad to be of help.  I presume the Pooley one seen in the Derek Cross images of it attached to a goods train on the Whithorn Branch was in black.  And is not this 6 wheeler.  Now if I had the courage I would get a Hornby / Hattons 6 wheeler and plasticard a new body on to it for my Whithorn layout, a pastiche perhaps and not for very close inspection.

 

I have an article in a magazine on file here written by Norris Forest when he travelled on the goods to Whithorn.  Maybe you have seen it? (Alisdair)

[Wheatley]

I'm assuming the Pooley vans were in black as they were service vehicles. Red for breakdown vans came in in 1959 when the new 75 ton cranes were delivered in red, there is a colour photo in Peter Tatlow's crane book of two ex-works CR vans at DalryRd about then and they are very red !

 

I have that article, yes thank you. Very interesting.