keefer

"But quite astonishingly: the BR1 bogie was famous for its poor running quality!"

Parkin explains this as well - the BR Standard bogie was excellent when new or after refurbishment but as wear set in to knife-edges and bearing surfaces, the ride deteriorated quite rapidly i.e. bogies became rough-riding long before they were due for shopping (or would require more frequent works attention).

Hence for a large proportion of their use, they could give a poor ride quality. 

The next alternative, the Commonwealth bogie did not suffer from the same problems but was more expensive and weighed 1.5 tons more than the BR.

This led to the in-house (Swindon) development of the B4, which matched (or even exceeded) the wear performance of the CW but was lighter and cheaper.

Until these were available in sufficient quantities, some Mk1 RUs even got Gresley bogies in the '70s - not ideal but better than the BRs

J3015 - 1M88 used to be the up Waverley (Edinburgh-St.Pancras via Waverley route) 

J3017 - interesting for the gangway shield in use, I'd have thought their use ended well before!

@jbg06003has some cracking 1980s videos on YouTube (though possibly getting more into Large Logo era for the 37s).

His channel is here: 

https://youtube.com/@jbg06003?si=kHhlEGWLdskqswQ_

On 20/04/2024 at 09:09, 'CHARD said:

Amazing to reflect on these (/0s at least) staying vb, vi or vo in the main right up to withdrawal. Scottish Region was amazing back in '84.

My main experience was of the 27s being thrashed on the l/h Edinburgh-Dundee trains which started in 1981 (previously DMUs were used).

4 coaches of Mk1/2z stock usually TSO/BSO but sometimes with SK/BSK.

Very occasionally, a cl.26 could appear but ISTR they weren't suited and could self-ignite!

Cl.47s became more common in later years before the trains were replaced by cl.150/2 Sprinters in 1987(?).

Excellent video by @jbg06003:

History of the Electric Telegraph Company: 

https://distantwriting.co.uk/electrictelegraphcompany.html

British railway Telegraph Code Words:

http://www.railwaycodes.org.uk/features/telegraph.shtm

This came up from an older, similar request. 

Article on the Needle Telegraph used by British railways: 

http://www.samhallas.co.uk/railway/single_needle.htm

As featured in the film Trainspotting when Tommy suggests they 'go for a walk'😄 on Rannoch Moor.

Also known as MAMBA country (miles and miles of b*gger all)

11 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

I love the 'steam age' technology of cranks and connecting rods !

Easiest way to turn rotation into lateral movement (and v.v.) - and older than steam age!

Working on iPlayer via browser or app.

Full link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001v91y

Link to BBC iPlayer

2 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

158s are 90mph max, the other 15x are 75 as noted above.

Way out of the OP's time period but in Northern days there were a group of Pacers limited to 60 (rather than 75) owing to transmission issues. They were indistinguishable from the others apart from a notice in the cab, and very often ended up getting hauled at 75 or occasionally even more. Usually when there was a driver swap en route with the other unit leading.

That's maybe what I was thinking of (probably read it on RMweb).

Just seemed odd that the units on modern bogies had the same max. speed as those on a glorified 4-whl wagon underframe!

1 hour ago, Edwin_m said:

150s, 153s, 155s and 156s are 75mph too.  

My mistake, I assumed they were 90 (certainly the 155/156) with the 158s being 100mph

I'm sure I've read somewhere (General or Sectional Appendix) that even where locos could go over the hump, cl.40/44/45/46 were still excluded (due to their long bogies).

As mentioned earlier, each hump yard probably had its own particular Instructions in addition to general procedures.

4 hours ago, DaveF said:

Stirling Class 27 up Aug 73 J3337  seen from the castle

Griddle car in the formation. 

IIRC there were two coaching diagrams, one with a Griddle and the other with an RB. These worked a Glasgow QS-Inverness and a GQS-Aberdeen (and returns) on alternate days. 

Have seen similar trains hauled by a 37 but don't know if the 27 was just a stand-in.

The MU connections between Master and Slave locos looked similar to 'Blue Star' equipment.

27-way control jumper and (white cocks) Regulating Air pipe.

http://www.nigeltout.com/138_31A_Tinsley_19740806.jpg

AFAIK the air pipes would be a standard length.

The only difference I've seen documented is with the iron-ore PTA (rotary) tippler wagons - they were fitted with longer (33") pipes so they didn't separate during tipping.

This, along with the rotary tightlock buckeye couplings, meant trains could be unloaded without having to split the wagons.

I think the biggest issue with combining Pacers and Sprinters was remembering there was a Pacer on the back when driving from the Sprinter cab.

Sprinters were 90/100mph but the Pacers were only 75mph!

Is that some sort of circular gauge visible through the left-hand access cutaway? 

I wonder if it is a wagon to place broken gauges for repair/scrap? 

The wagon has an Internal User number, so would not be allowed out of the yard.

IIRC it was Babcock at Rosyth Dockyard (becoming a separate commercial entity to the RN base nextdoor over the years) and they also refurbed a lot of LU stock!

Can't see a Wagon lettering & numbering volume on the Barrowmore site:

http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/Prototype.html

BR9210 'General Instructions No 10A (Revised January 1963)' covering the repainting of repaired freight stock etc. unfortunately does not detail what is to be written - only that the information is to be written in white lettering paint 'in accordance with revised instructions issued April 1963.' (perhaps this is the change mentioned by others above?).

http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/BRBDocuments/BR_9210_Repainting_Treatment_web.pdf

Notice by this time (after 1982?)

a) Red indicator lights finally allowed to be used instead of an oil lamp on DMUs

b) Two red lights used. Initially, only a Royal Train was authorised to use two tail lamps but the cl.27 Edin-Glas push-pulls (and later cl.47+DBSO sets) also used two 

11 hours ago, DaveF said:

Fenny Compton Class 115 Reading to Birmingham June 72 J2945

 

As mentioned, this is a cl.117 unit - according to railcar.co.uk L420 was formed 51367, 59519, 51409 (DMBS, TCL, DMS) and the unit was gangwayed.

The Met-Camm TCL was one of three allocated to Reading, used to strengthen services to 4-car.

These TCLs were replacements for three converted l/h Hawksworth coaches (which had initially been used in Cross-Country sets).

https://www.railcar.co.uk/type/class-117/operations

I think it came up before that ScR-ER (and v.v.) trains with a number over 70 or so were often 'extra'/relief services

On 07/04/2024 at 22:53, jim.snowdon said:

The L&YR's Southport Line may look like a four rail system at first sight, but the centre rail was only a reinforcement rail for the return circuit, bonded to both running rails and not in contact with anything on the train.

Going OT, I think there were some lines like this in NW London - former Underground tracks also used by BR 3rd-rail units, had the 4th rail retained but lowered when the Underground services stopped running.

Incidentally, the cl.501 EMUs were originally 4th-rail but were changed to 3rd-rail in the '60s.

6 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Radio Electronic Token Block used on some long remote single lines (like the Highlands) had spring loaded points so that trains always entered the left hand track at crossing places, the radio equipment having superseded physical tokens.  There was no longer a signalman to work the points and signals. Departing trains had to trail through the points set for the other loop, the flanges forcing the points blades over, which returned under spring pressure.  They were provided with indicators (resembling home signals) which confirmed whether the points were correctly set for trains to arrive in their respective loops. 

https://www.railsigns.uk/sect11page3.html    ref 11.48 to 11.51

Thanks for mentioning this, I was going to post but couldn't remember where it happened (other than ScR RETB)