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Prototype for everything corner.

jonny777
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eastwestdivide

eastwestdivide

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Prompted by a recent "like" of this photo of mine, a Peak, a test coach and a single ICI hopper...


 

...I've just had an enjoyable read of my notebooks for the time I was at Leicester, when short unusual test trains were seen on a jolly from Derby research.

No pics in this post unfortunately, but anyway, hope it's of some use or inspiration.

 

EDIT: executive summary - if you want to run a single one of some unusual stock normally seen in long trains, or in a specific area, buy a Mk1, paint it red and blue, and call it a test train. Any loco will do.

 

1) At Leicester (most of these ran between Derby and somewhere S of Leicester, leaving Derby I think sometime after 0900 and coming back through Leicester often around 1400.

 

27/10/80: 37136 (Tinsley) with 1 VDA van, Test Coach RDW150375, 1 Total bogie tanker 85901.

10/11/81, same formation, more detail: 25288 (Springs Branch) with VDA 201055, Test Car No1 RDW150375, TCA bogie tank (LPG) PR89501.

17/11/81: 25288 (Springs Branch) with an unidentified UPS5000C track machine, Test Car No1 RDW150375, VDA 201055.

13/2/81: 2-car railbus prototype 140001 (55501+55500)

20/2/81: 45049 towing ADB968021 in blue/red livery (the former AC loco 84009)

30/4/81: 25259 (Bescot) with Lab 10 975428, prototype railbus LEV1 975874 with its engines running, Lab 12 975136. This came S into Leicester, ran round and went off north.

5/5/81: prototype railbus LEV1 RDB975874 by itself, up through Leicester at 0955

10/6/81: 25321 (Toton) with Lab 10 975428, prototype railbus LEV1 975874 , Lab 12 975136. This made 2 trips during the day.

11/6/81: 45073 (Toton) with VDA van 201055, Test Car 1 RDW150375, freightliner flat FGA 601154, YXA wagon 998546 "Convex" (experimental freightliner flat - some details at http://www.ltsv.com/w_profile_018.php)

29/6/81: 25032 (Bescot) with Test Car 2 RDB975397, Test Car 1 RDW150375, 4-wheel freightliner flat PFA F93000.

2/7/81: 25097 with Lab 12 975136, prototype railbus LEV1 975874, Lab 23 generator 975547. 

18/3/82: unidentified 25 with DB975081 the Mk1 with an SR CIG/VEP-stype a driving cab at one end.

24/6/82: 25311 (Cricklewood) with Toleman's car carrier PLA PR90872, Test Car 1 RDW150375, a VDA van.

29/11/82: 56054 with 3 PTA tipplers, RDB975290, 2 bogie tankers and a BAA steel wagon. Ran round in Leicester, didn't go south.

27/1/83: 25268 (Crewe) with an unidentified nuclear flask wagon.

17/2/83: 25303 with RDW150375 and an ICI PHV limestone hopper

18/2/83: 45106 with new loco 58001, Lab 6 975280, Lab 10 975428, Test car 10 975814 (up through Leicester at 1010, back at 1430)

24/2/83: a Cl.25 with 2 test cars and an XKB nuclear flask wagon.

25/4/83: 45149 with coaches 9535, 3283 and track recording coach DB999550

17/5/83: LEV1 RDB975874 again, all by itself. 

24/5/83: 47442 with Test Car 2 975397 (blue/red), "Mercury" 975280 (blue/red), and the Mk1 chassis with bus body 977091 (blue/grey)

 

2) At Derby 

27/1/81: 47177 shunting into station with Lab 23 (a BG coach) RDB975547, "PC3" APT mock power car 975634, Lab 8 Pilot 975636, "PC4" APT mock power car 975635, Lab 3 975002. The middle three were the APT-POP train.

 

3) Not research trains, but still worth a mention:

Leicester 14/6/82: 25326 with a 12-car train of condemned 4-SUB units (4286, 4705, 4641), one car with no doors, heading north.

And in the opposite direction, 

5/10/82: 47339 with 2 goods brake vans, new SR units 5801 and 5802, 2 more goods brake vans. The vans next to the EMUs were adapters, coded ZSQ.

 

Leicester 7/10/82, an HST crew training run, formed

43195, 44093, 40516 40514 40512 43196 - i.e. 2 power cars, 1 guards TGS and 3 kitchens.

21/10/82, similar HST training run with 4 kitchens:

43198, 44094, 40515, 40513, 40519, 40520, 43044 
Edited by eastwestdivide
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eastwestdivide

eastwestdivide

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Arrows the wrong way round (and as you can see by the number of the adjacent wagon, no, I've not "flipped the tranny" as they used to say in art studios):

post-6971-0-04971000-1512758526.jpg

 

No number panel at all (well, a little bit left after most seems to have peeled off):

post-6971-0-17099100-1512758529.jpg

 

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iands

iands

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Arrows the wrong way round (and as you can see by the number of the adjacent wagon, no, I've not "flipped the tranny" as they used to say in art studios):

attachicon.gif85-16-1 poss 100054 OAA arrows reversed.jpg

 

No number panel at all (well, a little bit left after most seems to have peeled off):

attachicon.gif85-18-14 ARC no number.jpg

Interesting load in the open wagon in the first photo. I wonder how heavy it was? Although we can't see all of it, the load doesn't seem to be "evenly distributed" which would have made for an interesting ride!

 

Regards, Ian.

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JDW

JDW

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Arrows the wrong way round (and as you can see by the number of the adjacent wagon, no, I've not "flipped the tranny" as they used to say in art studios):

attachicon.gif85-16-1 poss 100054 OAA arrows reversed.jpg

 

 

It must be a ferry wagon...

 

EDIT to post correct photo, as Colin_McLeod points out in the following post, in my haste to comment I managed to post the wrong image, a picture of a ship with the double arrow the "right" way around rather than the reversed maritime version! 

<Fail>  :jester:  

 

http://www.ssmaritime.com/Dover-pc.jpg

Dover-pc.jpg

 

For reference, the image I originally linked was this one:

http://www.harwichanddovercourt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/pageheader_british_rail.jpgpageheader_british_rail.jpg

Edited by JDW
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JDW

JDW

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A picture of the other side of the ship would show the "wrong way round" double arrow.

Oops, in my haste, I linked to the wrong picture!  Original post now corrected, thank you!

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HillsideDepot

HillsideDepot

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No the Train Ferries were on TOPS as locomotives!

 

 

Given that they were capable of changing their own position, that seems eminently logical.

 

And some of them could even move rolling stock between TOPS locations, just like a locomotive.

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eastwestdivide

eastwestdivide

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Interesting load in the open wagon in the first photo. I wonder how heavy it was? Although we can't see all of it, the load doesn't seem to be "evenly distributed" which would have made for an interesting ride!

 

Regards, Ian.

Discussion of the load over here: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/65260-oaa-wagon-loads-in-the-late-80s/?p=870956 (parts for bailey bridges.)

Had an idea I'd posted it before, and remembered this morning.

Edited by eastwestdivide
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The Johnster

The Johnster

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I have an idea knocking around some of the more forgotten recesses of my foetid brain, once they tell me a fine instrument but atrophied from lack of use and general befuddlement, that the railway's various hotels (now all sold off but part of British Rail Catering) were locomotives as well; these did not fulfil the requirements of self-propulsion or moving stock between TOPS locations...

Edited by The Johnster
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phil_sutters

phil_sutters

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I like the modern high-tech danger signals used during a possession back up the line at Lewes.

Incidentally there's another possession today - yet more work on Newhaven level crossing. I think it would be more durable if they infilled between the tracks with sticks of licorice. Perhaps when they close the port and stop the ferry service, because they can't find the customs officers to staff yet another small port, after Brexit, the euro lorries will stop chewing up the crossing!

post-14351-0-43886600-1512843397_thumb.jpg

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