Gavvy2 Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Whilst posting elsewhere I noticed on my avatar pic that the Transpennine DMU has a plain green front. I don't remember this but looking at Wikipedia tells me that they were delivered without speed whiskers and yellow panels were applied later. My recollection is that this unit was photographed at Manchester Exchange on an east bound service in 1963----can this be? As a young man of the time these units were at the very cutting edge of modernity in terms of appearance and I feel still look good by today's standards. I would dearly love a new model of one of these! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachmann Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 I think I had just left the railway when these Units were being introduced on Manchester Exchange-Hull trains in 1961. Talk about silent death, they climbed up from Mossley to Greenfield as if the line was level and were upon you if you didn't take care (steam trains could be heard for miles in comparison). Yes I remember they looked pretty dull at first, but then so to did the all green class 40s that were also new to the Standedge route at this time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavvy2 Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 It's funny what you notice if you look hard enough. On looking again the second coach appears to have a destination board on the side. That's another thing I don't remember from the time on DMUs---would these be maroon ? Gavin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Lots of info and photos of these on www.railcar.co.uk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavvy2 Posted June 3, 2010 Author Share Posted June 3, 2010 Thanks--there is indeed lots of info on the Railcar site One thing that people of younger generations than myself often don't realise is the sheer excitement the introduction of the first generation DMUs caused amongst the general public. I well remember my scottish granny boasting about how she had travelled on a brand new diesel. She marvelled at the view forward ,the cleanliness and above all the acceleration! The attached pic shows the very service she was talking about.The location is Falkirk Grahamston and has,I think. much period interest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 On looking again the second coach appears to have a destination board on the side. That's another thing I don't remember from the time on DMUs---would these be maroon ? IIRC they had orange lettering and symbols of some sort (possibly arrows) on an off-white ground, or something similar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Controller Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 IIRC they had orange lettering and symbols of some sort (possibly arrows) on an off-white ground, or something similar. Didn't the Swindon Intercity units also carry destination boards? I'm sure I remember them doing so, possibly even those yellow square ones on the carriage sides in blue and grey days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Simon Lee Posted June 3, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 3, 2010 IIRC they had orange lettering and symbols of some sort (possibly arrows) on an off-white ground, or something similar. There is a close up of one of the boards on a DMC in a Combined Volumes (and associated DMU book)I think its the one with Bath Road on the cover. The Pennines also carried headboards for a time after introduction. Regards Simon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnd Posted June 3, 2010 Share Posted June 3, 2010 Whilst posting elsewhere I noticed on my avatar pic that the Transpennine DMU has a plain green front. I don't remember this but looking at Wikipedia tells me that they were delivered without speed whiskers and yellow panels were applied later. My recollection is that this unit was photographed at Manchester Exchange on an east bound service in 1963----can this be? As a young man of the time these units were at the very cutting edge of modernity in terms of appearance and I feel still look good by today's standards. I would dearly love a new model of one of these! Now whose going to put one of these on a wish list for one the manufactures to produce. I remember them in Victoria in the early 70's. I would have one with buffet car. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium TheDukeOfWellingtons Posted June 3, 2010 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 3, 2010 Talking of buffet cars, does anybody know of the existence of any side-on shots of the trans-pennine buffet cars in green livery? The main reason I ask is that I was once told by an old railwayman that he thought they had carried 'Griddle' lettering rather than 'Buffet'. Regards, Dave. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMJ Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Thinking again at the front end style etc and models. Knowing that modern manufacturing tends to be modular once you have that front end is it the same for the Blue Electrics that operated in Glasgow? Might be an interesting way to look at how to get more mileage out of tooling to consider what bits can be used for other models. I'm sure this is the reasoning behind the 3rd rail Southern electrics as they are using essentially MkI coach parts. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hairyhandedfool Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Class 303s had 'embedded' two charactor headcode boxes which were fitted with 'domino' lights some time around 1985 and removed between 1986 and 1994. [Not my picture] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennine MC Posted June 4, 2010 Share Posted June 4, 2010 Thinking again at the front end style etc and models. Knowing that modern manufacturing tends to be modular once you have that front end is it the same for the Blue Electrics that operated in Glasgow? Same designer but very different in detail, as evidenced by Swindon 123's conversion project on this very forum. If (and I stress if) long frame low density DMUs were to become viable as RTR, the 120 would IMO be streets ahead as being commercially sound. Much as I love the Pennines, I'd hate to see them turn into the next B*** P****** [Not my picture] In which case I hope it's not copyrighted Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted June 7, 2010 Share Posted June 7, 2010 Whilst posting elsewhere I noticed on my avatar pic that the Transpennine DMU has a plain green front. I don't remember this but looking at Wikipedia tells me that they were delivered without speed whiskers and yellow panels were applied later. My recollection is that this unit was photographed at Manchester Exchange on an east bound service in 1963----can this be? As a young man of the time these units were at the very cutting edge of modernity in terms of appearance and I feel still look good by today's standards. I would dearly love a new model of one of these! From my own memory, and track plan of Victoria/Exchange Stations, this is a photo of a west bound train in Exchange Station, The curve in the background was the boundary of the two station areas. The train would in fact be travelling on to Liverpool Lime St Station. The only model of these DMUs was one by Trix, but it was an HO scale model, possibly to 3.8mm for the British market. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted June 7, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2010 Some years ago Dapol released the ex Trix model in green, still underscale. It was not available for very long, I bought one of the "seconds" (it had a slight lining blemish) from them when they were at Llangollen for about £40. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold beast66606 Posted June 7, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2010 The attached pic shows the very service she was talking about.The location is Falkirk Grahamston and has,I think. much period interest. Compare with this http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7759178 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavvy2 Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 From my own memory, and track plan of Victoria/Exchange Stations, this is a photo of a west bound train in Exchange Station, The curve in the background was the boundary of the two station areas. The train would in fact be travelling on to Liverpool Lime St Station. . gresley You may well be right--it was nearly 50 years ago! I remember walking through from Victoria along platform 11 but I don't recall crossing over the footbridge---however I must have done as the bay platforms behind the DMU are at the western end I think. Gavin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavvy2 Posted June 7, 2010 Author Share Posted June 7, 2010 Compare with this http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7759178 Many thanks for the now picture-it's amazing how things have changed! Gavin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 You may well be right--it was nearly 50 years ago! I remember walking through from Victoria along platform 11 but I don't recall crossing over the footbridge---however I must have done as the bay platforms behind the DMU are at the western end I think. Gavin Gavin, Platform 11 at Victria became Platform 3 at Exchange. The footbridge connected Platform 3 to the island platforms 4 and 5 (the Eastbound Platforms in Exchange). Strictly speaking, Platform 5 was only for Eastbound trains whereas Platform 4 could be used for either East or Westbound trains. The train in the photo at the top is standing at Platform 3 and the photographer is standing on Platform 4. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Just to say that the bay platforms to the right of the train were adjacent to Platform 3 with direct access. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavvy2 Posted June 8, 2010 Author Share Posted June 8, 2010 Gresley Many thanks for the info Exchange/Victoria was a very interesting place but unfortunately there was no one spot from which you could see all the action. The attached pic was taken from platform 11 and ,I feel sure,the 9f would not have gone through Exchange at all.On my visits I tended to stay in Victoria and probably missed seeing many trains which terminated in Exchange! Gavin ps note the weathering job! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gresley Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 Gresley Many thanks for the info Exchange/Victoria was a very interesting place but unfortunately there was no one spot from which you could see all the action. The attached pic was taken from platform 11 and ,I feel sure,the 9f would not have gone through Exchange at all.On my visits I tended to stay in Victoria and probably missed seeing many trains which terminated in Exchange! Gavin ps note the weathering job! Gavin, Yes, this is a west bound freight and will byepass Exchange Station. I know what you mean about missing some of the action. East end of Platform 11 with a view of the foot of Miles Platting Bank. Further along to the west, the scissors crossover allowing trains from the East to run into Exchange station whilst Platform 11 was occupied. Also the glass screen, along the central section of the through platform, whilst providing shelter from the prevailing west wind and rain, also restricted the panoramic view of the through lines which ran to the rear of Exchange Station. gresley Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 There was an article in Trains illustrated (I think) about 1961 about Manchester victoria and Exchange stations, along with a track plan.I've got a copy here somewhere... the Trix Trans-Pennine was indeed 3,8 scale, and quite a nice model for its time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
s182ggu Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Hi As you'll see from my avatar, I'm a bit of fan of these units as well. I grew up in Hessle, just outside Hull and travelled on them regularly to Leeds and Liverpool - the trick was to get into the empty 1st Class compartment at the front, without the Guard spotting you, to watch the driver and the road. Having recently got back into modelling, I've built up 2x 6-car sets in NE Green. I've re-bogied and re-motored them both as the original motors couldn't 'pull the skin off a rice pudding' - 2x Black Beetles in each set, added ballast weights to all the coaches, re-glazed them, changed the underframes on the MBSLs to motors / battery boxes etc and added extra detail. One set is DC and the other is fitted with DCC sound - I've used the Howes Class 108 as there is no chance of getting the original - and have a decoder in both DMC vehicles, with extension speakers in the adjoining MBSLs. Both decoders have the same address and without any CV tinkering they are both ever so slightly 'out of sync'. This results in a 'run' of air releases down the train as the gear changes take place. It sounds terrific. Whilst I accept that these are HO 3.8mm, with a complete set of the Trix / Liliput / Dapol coaches, they don't look at all out of place on a 00 gauge layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerekEm8 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 The majority of Exchange Station was demolished in 1981. The bay platforms are now under a car park but the footbridge and the island platform were left in place. Picture in the final stages of demolition (posted before) in March 1981. Looking in the opposite direction to the OP pic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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