ringo

I dont think Network Rail will be buying any of these though..... Made in India for track inspections, the worrying thing is look at the drive unit from the back wheel! Dont think it complies with the UK standards for Road/Rail equipment! More like a Wallace & Grommit Railomatic! Cheers Ringo

Andy, interesting one that BRUFF, it may be a prototype, as it does not have any BR arrows on it, and its a B reg one, definately in the BR days though given the other stuff arroiund it......intriguing.... I went to the Emergency Services show las week at Stoneleigh, to see if they had anything of use to us for recovery equipment.......I now want a Charmicial Bodied Scania twin cab with special racking for MFD gear painted in Yellow as a support truck for breakdown and recovery, now fit that with SRS road/rail equipment, and you have a fully modern BRUFF, but at about £300K I dont think my Directors will be buying me soon.....boo! Not the best picture, but were is this Railtrack Renault these days? See below [attachment=225946:Railtrack rescue veh.jpg Actually I have found more info out on this ExRailtrack truck, now Network Rail Owned, and a link to the manufacturers of the new body, I assume this was the old Severn Tunnel rescue truck, that was a curtain sider but is now ridgid bodied....... Heres a link to their site, http://www.polybilte...m/news/view/106 Cheers Ringo

Never mind a Bedford HA van in yellow.........I want one of these! Chers Ringo (picture copyright SDi Franco)

Andy nice one, But i think you need to give me your yellow to look after......I can return it to what is was designed for too, carrying MFD rerailing equipment....lol. One day I will find the right truck for me, and still trying to find that illusive BRUFF, or at least one where there is more metal than corrosion! Cheers Ringo

Jcb 3c, The thing next to the Freight Rover (big sherpa), is a Permaquip unit, used by the pway or electrification departments. Its delivered to site on the back of a modified flatbed lorry (i have seen several Ford Cargo's modified for this). Cheers r

I borrowed one of those Balfour Beaty Land rovers in 2001, as we were looking for something that we could use round central London, instead of the huge SRS Road Rail recovery equipment Volvo we kept at Old Oak. Alas it lacked a engine driven MFD pump, but other than that was a great bit of kit, EWS wouldnt buy it though, shame as it had few miles on it and was perfect for what we wanted, Eastleigh borrowed it after me, and said the same. The only problem was at 70mph on motorways it was a bit lively on the suspension! Ringo

Steve, Many thanks for the incredibly prompt delivery of my bits I ordered from you yesterday, delivered today....briliant. When Ive built them I will post one here. Chers Ringo

Rugd, good post, I must find all my my old snaps of people... Heres one to be going on with, taken last year whilst training our chaps up on rerailing and recovery, we had one off in Guide Bridge, so we used it to run the course, theres chaps from, Felixstowe, Southampton, Crewe, Ipswich and some colleagues fro Poland!

Ah, if the Battlefield one is now a dropside, and is C958YOR then thats the one from Wendsleydale! So if thats the case whats he done with the other ones he has, sounds like I need a trip to Battlefield! After all, he has my old toolbox from Tyseley! Cheers Im not giving upo on this! Ringo

Andy, as much as want one , its just too much, the Eastleigh one has stood for over 15 years, and it had to be roaded to where it is now because it was knackered then! Remember the one at Eastleigh is the original prototype one, so there are differences between that one and the rest of them. Swapping the cab over is no easy feat, as who would do it, and then I would have to buy effectively two BRUFFS and the charges for movement on a low loader, at this time I cannot justify it, as much as I want one I have to look at the scale of economics and practicality If you look at that picture at Rush Green, note the hole in the roof above the windscreen / drivers door, that means that water has been leaking in and down the "A" post, which will mean that the cab floor is probally rotton, and as the roof lining is still in place, so you cant see how bad the roof is above it. I know where there are a couple more, and I have my feelers out for those too, I will get one one day, but alas not the Eastleigh one, if I could find out who got the one from the Wendsleydale railway, earlier this year, that would be a better proposition, and reconvert that back to a box on the back, and sell the HIAB off it to fund the box off the one at Rush Green.....although I dont know where that one went to? Or where did the pair from Hornsey go, they were both in working condition, again I dont know were they ended up either. Cheers Ringo

Went to look at the BRUFF which is potentially up for grabs today, Oh dear, one very sick BRUFF, Ok it has still goy all of its equipment, such as the rail wheels turntable etc, but the cab unit is completely shot, no steering, and loads of bits missing, its been sat there for about 15 years so is probaly siezed solid, also notice the huge holes in the roof! Cheers ringo

Today, for no reason, I recieved an email, cant sy who from or where its at, but I have been offered a full sized almost complete BRUFF! I arranging to inspect it in a couple of weeks time, to see what needs doing to it, and if OK agree a price........so watch this space, I may get my BRUFF at last! Cheers Ringo

Andy, Thanks for the pics of the BRUFFs, I assume its the scrappy in Nottingham, thought they had been cut up ages ago! Interesting to see that they still also have the orginal front wheel/axle configuration. That last one looks like it could be a very useful source of spares for the ones still in preservation, Im still looking for one, if anyone want to sell me one for a good rate, not for use commercially, just for shows as a piece of history! Cheers Ringo

The driver as shown is sidesaddle, a legend at OOC, I have never, been down Old Oak Lane and past the Scrubbs so fast as when you went with him, I always caught the 0830 morning Padd to OOC bus, as that gave me time for Breakky in the staff canteen on Platform 1. The Old bus drivers were legends on the railway, the Tyseley to Saltley bus was driver by Lenny the Lion........all had a screw loose, but would have made great getaway drivers! R

Merf, you see something else missing from todays railway, in your second picture, through the steamed window (sounds like playschool......hang on we were working for BR..it was playschool), Donkey Jackets.....what ever happened to the great British Donkey Jacket? I had one, which went on derailments with until we had shiney new orange Bellstaffs given us. I even remember buying a new Doney Jacket to go to work in, from Wakefields in Birmingham, Even on eblag, they can cost a small fortune! I also remember the van at Burton on Trent, used to see it a lot when I used to travel to our HQ at the RTC, there also used to be some astra vans and escorts there too. Cheers

Having just had a look through the traveller lorries, this ex Rerailing commando is a bit dead.....another one gone for good. http://www.flickr.com/photos/42009063@N08/7012078405/in/set-72157626649407375/ Cheers Ringo

Andy Sorry took a while to respond, The NIR BRUFF was built purposely for Ireland, and wasnt one of the ex BR ones. Yep I remember the Old Dodge Commando at Reading, they also at one time had two BRUFFS, a standard rerailing one, and also a flat bed one, I think the flat bed one went to Amey at Appleford, I think it may stil exist but not sure. Interesting though, as it didnt have a tail lift, which was realy needed as the MFD equipment wasnt exactly lightweight! It would a dreadfull if the Reading comando got scrapped, I know that the BRUFF got given away, elledged to a preservation society, but I dont know which one.....so where is it hiding? Its a shame, as I litterally bought a new car today, or I would be down at Reading with some beer vouchers in my hand, perhaps if you ask them nicely, they may gve it away, especially if its going to a good home. Cheers Ringo

Coome Barton is correct, Wolvo, Walsall etc are not part of the Black country, dont actually know what the local terminology for Walsall is, but Wolverhampton are Yam Yams, not to be confused with genuine Balck Country. At Didcot, we obtained two Frame trollies from Tyseley TMD, both wre originally constructed and wheels cast by Stafford Road works, and they are forever known at Didcot as Yam 1 and Yam 2, so we have a pair of Yam Yams!

I dont know if still exists, but there used to be a broad gauge BRUFF, not a 7'1/4" but a 5'3" one which was based in Belfast, at York Road depot, it wasnt used much, or it certinally wasnt whilst I was ther in 1998. I assume it still exists, founfd it on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/52011588@N04/7043159723/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/52011588@N04/7043159253/in/photostream/ Cheers R

I cant begin to tell you how much overtime I got over the years driving one of those BRUFFs! And the amount of lock that you see on the front wheels is about as much as you got, you could always tell someone who had never driven a BRUFF before, as they always had to take two attempts at getting round tight corners, as they didnt allow for the massive turning circle..... Still great fun to drive though, I miss driving our old one. Cheers R

Merf The transit looks like a Mk1, look at the rear bumpers, they look shiney, therfore chrome, the MkII had balck bumpers and were more square. Cheers Ringo

Andye, sorry for that spanner (as long as its a Spanner Mk3...), any way, given that your truck is a "J" reg, you may well have had the BR arrows and Rerailing Equipment on it as J reg vehicles still had the arrows and "British Rail" applied to them. It should be in the same position as Merfs picture of the K reg 45, though it would only have the arrows and not "British Rail", but would have had BR on the ends as you have it now on yours. My old Astra van which was a J reg , J653DVO, still had "British Rail" on the back of it when I took it over in 2001 at Old OAk Common, EWS wanted to remove it, so I took the van home, cleaned it, and even polished it! So I had the only official EWS "British Rail" van .....it lasted until the June when the engine blew up, they repaired it but went soon after being replaced by a boring white new astra....not the same! So you were an apprentice at Reading, when did you leave there, as I was based at Thames and Chiltern HQ at OOC, and looked after OOC, Aylesbury and Reading from 1991 to 1993. Cheers R

Andye, your second picture, the vehicle on the left I think was H745 Y(?)GD, and its the old vehicle from Eastleigh, but it was originally based at Ipswich, but we transferred it in 2001, from Ipswich bottom yard, and it should have gone to Old Oak, but when we went up to fetch it, Eastleigh had already been up and nicked it! (sory reallocated it). I have no idea of the one on the right though, odd ball crew cab on that one. I see your comment on the "Emergency Respose Vehicle" on your truck, it was fitted by EWS but their very early days as in EW & S, when they still used a standard BR'ish type face, thats why its in capitals, BR didnt use all capitals (except Reggie Railways, but that was a completely different typeface). Nice truck though, had many years of memories on our old Dodge Commando, and you can get 58mph out of yours, we were lucky to get 45mph out of it, and boy you knew that you were doing 45! Keep up the good work on yours. Cheers R

Merf, I beleive yes that is the same Mr Smith, as regards to the chevrons, all of the recovery van I knew all had them, but the last BR delivered ones prior to Privatisation were delivered mainly unlettered, no arrows etc, although some did have "Recovery Equipment" on them, so I assume that Andye's one is one of those that wasnt lettered, the "emergency response vehicle" is an EWS'ism. According to the BRB road vehicle livery diagram book I have all Breakdown vans should have chevrons. Had a good day at work today, I had a meeting with Undergrounds Emergency Response Unit, so got to have a detailed look at their recovery trucks, basically Mercedes trucks, built by the same company that constructs the London Fire Brigade vehicles, so very similar to a fire engine......which has set me thinking, of coverting a couple of Oxfords fire units into a couple of LUL ERU vehicles.........whatch this space! Cheers R

Andye, classic truck, I used to drive Tyseleys old rerailing truck, although ours was a Dodge unit, which originally came from Saltley when they disbanded the rerailing from there and it was transferred to us, LRC727W, odd how i can remember that reg number but cant on my current car! One question though, did you repaint and do the re lettering on the sides, its seems odd, as the arrows and by J reg would have "Recovery Equipment" on the upper panel toward the rear, also it needs the chevrons down the sides. I found this pick of the old Holyhead van, same as the Tyseley one, I belive that the pic was taken by Victor Smith, so remains his copy right. Cheers Ringo