Class 22 on Mk 2's?

[Vanders]

I suspect I already know the answer to this, but I wanted to check because it's been bugging me: does anyone know of any instances when a Class 22 hauled a rake of Mk. 2 coaches? Even if it wasn't revenue generating?

[owentherail]

Even a Hymek on Mk2s would be a rare pic i think.

[Clive Mortimore]

I suspect I already know the answer to this, but I wanted to check because it's been bugging me: does anyone know of any instances when a Class 22 hauled a rake of Mk. 2 coaches? Even if it wasn't revenue generating?

 

The Class 22 was equipped for vacuum train braking. They were in the process of being withdrawn when BR was fitting air brakes to its diesel classes. Apart from the first Mk2 series of coaches all other sub variants of the Mk2, i.e. Mk2a, Mk2b etc. were air braked and could not be hauled by a Class 22. It would have been a very rare sight to see a full train of Mk2 coaches on the WR. They normally ran as a mix with Mk1 coaches.

[SRman]

As Clive has indicated, it was possible but not very likely.

 

Class 22s on passenger trains were generally used for secondary services whereas the new mark 2 coaches would have been used on the more prestigious main line services. The very first mark 2s in service were painted maroon or green and were FKs (corridor firsts), adding to the unlikelihood of running behind a 22 (although, again as Clive has indicated) the vacuum braking systems were compatible. Certainly those green mark2s on the SR were run mixed in with mark 1s and Bulleids and hauled sometimes by steam.

 

Still in the late '60s, it was possible to see rakes, or partial rakes, of blue/grey mark 2s behind steam on the SR, so never say it could never happen with a class 22 - I'm not sure how many early mark 2s found their way on to the WR though.

 

When all is said and done, it's your model railway and you can stretch the truth a bit to run whatever you like. It is not for any of us to say you can't do that!

[Gwiwer]

I know of no recorded instance of a class 22 workjing with a Mk2 coach. As discussed the brakes were for the most part incompatible and class 22 was also largely withdrawn by the time any quantity of Mk2 coaches reached the WR.

 

As an aside I had also thought a 35 and a 42 with Mk2 stock in the rake would be a rare sight indeed but at least one image exists of both - presumably in both cases the coach was an early one with vacuum brakes.

[Karhedron]

Old Oak Common had a handful of Class 22s for ECS workings into Paddington. I suppose it is possible that a class 22 might have hauled some the original series Mk2s here although I am just supposing. Were any of the original Mk2s allocated to the WR?

[Vanders]

I know of no recorded instance of a class 22 workjing with a Mk2 coach. As discussed the brakes were for the most part incompatible and class 22 was also largely withdrawn by the time any quantity of Mk2 coaches reached the WR.

 

That's basically what I expected, but it doesn't seem outside the realms of possibility that a class 22 might have been used on an empty stock move. Oh well.

 

As an aside I had also thought a 35 and a 42 with Mk2 stock in the rake would be a rare sight indeed but at least one image exists of both - presumably in both cases the coach was an early one with vacuum brakes.

 

Similar to the earlier thread regarding Hymeks on suburban coaches which is partly what sparked my interest in 22's on Mk. 2's!

[Rugd1022]

Amongst my collection of bought in prints are two shots of Warship 832 at Reading with the first coach being a vac braked Mk2.

 

As for 22s... there's an outside possibility it did happen as in the evenings there used to be an empty stock move from Exeter to Laira which would often have a 22 booked to it, right up until the end of 1971 (the last four 22s were withdrawn on new Year's Day 1972). The stock on this move woud sometimes be formed up of two complete sets, one of which was a Waterloo Exeter set, it could (at a push) have conveyed Mk2s at some point.