keefer

Was the Hamburger ever in the 'Thomas' stories? Seems to have a ready-made face! 😊

Those 108s looking very smart in their new white/blue livery. This started in 1975 so these units must have only recently had the livery applied (or had been repainted already), as it became very dirty very quickly. 

An interesting detail in J5307 is the miniature headcode display in the second-man's windscreen, I'd never seen this before.

Details of the refurbishment of the 108s at Railcar.co.uk:

https://railcar.co.uk/type/class-108/refurbishment

Appleby from 37:40

A different view of the famous Stourbridge 'failure to stop':

By Walsall1955 on Flickr

@Pacific231G

It would seem that the 'Research Centre' is actually BR's famous facility 'The Grove'.

IMDb mentions 'British Rail Centre, Watford' and a general search brings up a thread on railforums.co.uk:

John Webb states (after comments that the track etc. don't look quite right):

"I can confirm that the bit of railway seen in the "Positive/Negative Man' was a training set-up at The Grove near Watford; one of our members had been there. Even Civil Engineers have to be taught about railway equipment in general when they are working on the railway so they know what is what alongside or crossing the track or whatever they are expected to work on. The signal box was part of the installation by BR, I understand."

Thanks for that Boris, always thought that bit was part of the adaptor and the normal BS/BS 'clip' was just a locating pin or similar.

10 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

incidents like this, which would result in a full internal inquiry nowadays, were usually sorted out by people calling in favours, at least so long as nobody'd been hurt or claim-resulting damage done

Was just going to say, even from anecdotes on RMWeb, there were obviously plenty of incidents which didn't get reported - no casualties and not too much damage? Then just get it sorted as best/quickly as possible and save everyone a load of hassle & paperwork.

If the high-ups didn't hear about it, it didn't happen and The Job gets back to normal more quickly - although, no doubt, the guilty party would never hear the end of it (and may even get a nickname/reputation for the rest of their life!😄)

8 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

M32978M obviously works with Mk1s most of the time so I don't doubt the gangways have adaptors .......... difficult to tell from the mangled remains, though !

Looks like the adaptor clip flying off and landing on the track (after putting a bend in the A4's gangway in the process)

J5991 is definitely a 45/1 as it has ETH jumper and socket.

J5334 DMU is a cl.116. I didn't realise that this class had TC coaches and unusually amongst DMU types, they didn't have a toilet. 

3 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

In the context of RMweb I'd have expected it to be a Pedigree...

 

(Moderators: photo from World of Railways website so I assume no copyright restriction on RMweb - if I'm wrong, please delete).

Now that you mention it, there were probably a few manufacturers of those 'traditional' prams, Silver Cross being only one (and perhaps the best known) of them.

Certainly SC are still going and they're very much a niche item.

I don't know how they were priced back in the day but they seemed fairly common - firmly a luxury item nowadays though!

The Railways Archive has a page for the accident but doesn't have an Official report.

3 hours ago, keefer said:

Like you say a Transitional time for liveries and associated wording - I've seen 'Sleeping Car' i.e. lower-case, in Rail Alphabet. (When did 'Inter-City Sleeper' come in, early '70s?)

Found the picture I was thinking of, which is actually earlier than I thought (1966):

60024 at Aberdeen 29/06/1966 by Trevor on Flickr

The Sleepers got B5 bogies.

Like you say a Transitional time for liveries and associated wording - I've seen 'Sleeping Car' i.e. lower-case, in Rail Alphabet. (When did 'Inter-City Sleeper' come in, early '70s?)

Does seem like the stripe is 2 berths too long though!

3 hours ago, DaveF said:

Headcorn Class 411 7160 Margate to Charing X May 76 J5176

And pair of manky 4VEPs on the back.

Interesting in itself for the BG - the yellow band usually applied to those on a Circuit working, they would sometimes also be branded with the Circuit/route etc.

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7205455

Just to the right of the lamp post, still there 2yrs ago although the platform line is very overgrown. 

This next view shows that the two lines on that side of the platform joined together into a headshunt for the yard: 

https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arbroath_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2996955.jpg

IIRC it was also on this platform line that local trains arrived/departed - the headshunt allowing a loco to run-round.

Years ago now but I remember seeing a loading gauge still mounted on the cutting wall at Arbroath - on the long siding just south of the station/overbridge on the Down side.

(Actually maybe the line shown in the pic above but way behind the camera)

J030 - would that be the famous Scotch Goods?

J031 Returning south after working the Cliffe-Uddingston cement? I wonder if there were any other SR-ER through freights at the time?

Presumably the RBRs used in the Special Trains Mk1 FO set?

Old thread here:

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/21006-formations-of-the-intercity-charter-rakes/?do=findComment&comment=206429

10 hours ago, 31A said:

 I would imagine the train is fully fitted, at least the front portion including the grain wagons would be?

Class 7 was partially-fitted but with more fitted wagons than a Class 8.

https://www.2d53.co.uk/Headcode/Headcode41.htm

I think that there probably aren't as many 'true' even 3-way points as we'd think - in the real world the track is made to fit the location/purpose so they are often single- or tandem-points superimposed on each other.

58 minutes ago, DaveF said:

Sandy Class 31 down freight Apr 74 J3646

There's one for the 'Prototype for Everything' thread! 

Presumably the BG is needed somewhere and this was the quickest way of getting it there, while handily providing part of the fitted head?

Don't know if it represents a prototype or was just an exercise in 'Can I.....':

http://www.clag.org.uk/green14.html

4 hours ago, rodent279 said:

Fascinating, looks like an exhibition train. Mk2b(?) M3168, Mk1 DW150353.

Mk2c FO

Mk2b only had FK (13xxx number)