1979 Derby to Crewe APT Test Train

[lather]

A little while back, I got a copy of the 1979-80 Mandatory Services WTT for LMR Section CM. This includes the line from Derby to Crewe, and one of the services has got me a little puzzled.

 

1K02 0743 APT Test from Derby R.T.C. (D315, SX, Air, Runs to Technical Department requirements). It is shown as arriving into Crewe Station at 0906.

 

There's no return working shown, so presumably they returned to Derby via another route - if they returned at all...

 

It seems to me that this is too late in time to be the POP Train, and definitely too late for the APT-E (which AFAIK never ran to Crewe anyway). So can anyone tell me what this train was, and what the consist was? I know they had a couple of commissioning trains for the power cars and coach rakes, hauled by the prototype HST power cars. Is that what this is, or something different?

[Mol_PMB]

Could it be an APT-P rake being dead-hauled from the research base at Derby to find some 25kV for test running on electric?

[25kV]

The fully-skinned POP train continued to run into 1982 (with the POP cars sandwiching "Pilot").  I can't say for sure what the working is - though it looks to be "as needed" which perhaps means it was used by any APT-related test runs? 

 

The HST-powered trailer car test trains tended to run out and back from Derby via various Midland routes, but by 1979-1980 some of the testing had moved to the WCML between Crewe and Carnforth.  These sets still had a HST power car at one end, but also had and APT power car included in the rake, which would provide the power under the wires.

 

[keefer]

APT power car testing:

http://www.traintesting.com/APT-P_power_car_test_train.htm

 

General APT testing page:

http://www.traintesting.com/APT introduction.htm

 

[lather]

23 hours ago, 25kV said:

The fully-skinned POP train continued to run into 1982 (with the POP cars sandwiching "Pilot").  I can't say for sure what the working is - though it looks to be "as needed" which perhaps means it was used by any APT-related test runs? 

 

The HST-powered trailer car test trains tended to run out and back from Derby via various Midland routes, but by 1979-1980 some of the testing had moved to the WCML between Crewe and Carnforth.  These sets still had a HST power car at one end, but also had and APT power car included in the rake, which would provide the power under the wires.

 

 

I never realised that the POP train ran that late...

 

And my guess on the 1K02 service is that it most likely does look like the power car tests, as it's heading for Crewe. I guess coming back from Carnforth, they could cut across to Leeds and come back to Derby that way, which is maybe why the return service doesn't appear in the WTT.

[Poor Old Bruce]

16 hours ago, lather said:

And my guess on the 1K02 service is that it most likely does look like the power car tests, as it's heading for Crewe. I guess coming back from Carnforth, they could cut across to Leeds and come back to Derby that way, which is maybe why the return service doesn't appear in the WTT.

 Not so. The test trains would run between Crewe and Carnforth as there were convenient triangles at each end to turn the train.