Mike_Walker

Even a green 9F

It would obviously make a lot of sense to procure a common fleet for the whole country but that creates problems. Do you obtain all your trains from a single supplier in which case it's a classic case of eggs in one basket and you lay yourself open if that supplier subsequently fails and what about the other suppliers in the field? If you source identical units from multiple suppliers you run the risk of wanting to share IP and patents which manufacturers, understandably, might be reluctant to do. In the case of GWR, it's probably well-known by now that they are developing what is called "Operation Churchward" within the company. Alone among the TOCs, GWR have retained an active project development team who are involved in bout rolling stock and infrastructure development - the main reason why the DfT has placed the Vivarail battery trial in GWR's hands. Operation Churchward envisages a family of multiple units to cover all the company's requirements. It would have a common platform and bodyshell with a common cab. The power would be modular and could be diesel, battery, hybrid or straight electric (even "Bionic Duckweed"! 😂) and be suitable to be changed easily say from diesel to battery. The body will have two or possibly three different interior configurations depending on the intended use; for example those on the Bristol-Southampton corridor would have a more "inter-city" style compared with those used on say the Bristol Metro or Cornish branch lines. The use of a common, standard design would give considerable cost savings in maintenance and training. A driver passed on the new design could drive any of them something not currently always the case; if you sign a Class 150/1 for example you can't drive a 150/2 unless you done both the training courses due to the differences between the two - and not just those the spotters can identify. Despite the government's green agenda there is still a reluctance to spend on new trains for secondary services. As usual, the Treasury appears to know the cost of everything but the value of nothing. Take an example. GWR 150202 has in the past week returned from a 7 month spell in Wolverton works during which time much of the body work was completely replaced to address corrosion issues. Not only were stretched GWR without it for that time but the job ended up costing nearly as much as a brand-new unit would have cost yet at best they'll get another 10 years out of it not the 30-40 from a new unit. Why? Well the Treasury's accounting rules insist that work done on existing trains, even as drastic as that done to 150202, is classed as "maintenance" whilst new trains come under "capital investment" and they are too myopic to see that they are actually spending the same amount for a considerably inferior return!

It is not an invitation to tender but a request for expressions of interest in supplying trains. Chiltern have issued something similar recently and GWR are preparing to do likewise. The object in each case is to determine what options are likely to be available and use that information to prepare a business case which can be submitted to the government. Only when (if) that is accepted will formal ITTs be issued. The aim in each case is to replace the remaining BR era multiple units and some newer ones as the industry aims to decarbonise by 2040.

Not sure, I've assumed they simply took any traffic up to Wenford then shunted on the way back. As far as I know, it was generally up hill all the way to Wenford so running wagons into the siding by gravity might have been a little tricky.

59002 didn't! Jack Whelihan, one of EMD's senior field engineers, once told me how embarrassing it was when it sat down in front of an audience of BR types and enthusiasts at Woodborough on its first trip especially as the fault was a simple one that should have been spotted before it left La Grange!

Yes Mike, the train had been given a proceed aspect but the correct right away procedure from the platform staff had not been carried out as the train was still loading/unloading.

Which is pretty concerning given the size of the company and how long it has bee in business. Are those "accidents" or "incidents" such as the SPADs at Wootton Bassett and Reading?

Beattie 30585 pauses to shunt Helland Wharf. Still quite a bit of detailing to add but we're getting there...

Yes but the quality of the product is born out by the performance of the 66s in every day service compared to their BR equivalents despite not getting the TLC lavished on the 59s.

Steady progress being made thanks in a large part to this so called "summer" preventing outdoor activities.

That is correct except it wasn't a GM practice but rather the norm for the North American industry as a whole.

I very much doubt the ORR would be prepared to relax the conditions of the original Exemption Certificate especially as the same conditions apply to other operators who comply fully with them. WCRC's "revised safety procedures" presumably bring them into line. We can expect the ORR to keep a very close eye on the operation with multiple unannounced inspections. The expiry date of 30 November is the same as the original WCRC expiry date. The ORR has made it clear that is not prepared to grant any further extensions or new exemptions. Eighteen years to comply with the original specification is in their opinion quite long enough.

I don't know if the section of line in question still has traditional track circuits or the more modern axle counters. If the latter, then shorting the two rails out has no effect - one of the drawbacks of axle counters and they don't detect broken rails either which TCs did. With the whole network now covered by GSM-R there is the facility for instant communication between traincrew and signaller from any position and the "nuclear" option of pressing the red button to stop the job.

Shooosh, stop giving away trade secrets... !

With a Palethorpes Sausage van (A Siphon G ? ) thrown in for good measure. Crewe never really got the hang of the stressed skin construction on the Westerns, Look along the side acutely of a Crewe-built example and you will find its a lot more "rippled" than the Swindon ones.

And you'll notice the stop arm has a cross on it denoting it's not in use plus there are no spectacles fitted. This would become the up section signal for Swithland Sidings which presumably was still being set up at the time. The distant is for Rothley.

I thought that was a superbly modelled piece of rotting timber! Now, where's the nearest branch of SpecSavers...

Another from the same source.

55020 was painted chocolate and cream for the ill-fated GW150 celebrations in 1985. In addition Tyseley based Class 117 T305 was painted chocolate and cream about the same time and that lasted much longer - long enough to make a one-time appearance on the branch on 31 August 1991 for another MMPA gala day. Young Mr Hopwood was involved professionally in arranging this. I recall it arrived some hours late - a 2-car Met-Cam set having stood in - and is seen approaching Spade Oak crossing bound for Marlow not Blaenau Ffestiniog as the blind claims. The crews had much fun displaying a different unlikey destination on every trip but the public probably never noticed. The event was organised to showcase the new Turbos, 165005 was borrowed from Chiltern for the day for display at Bourne End; it would be another two years before they started working the branch. A link Marlow to Henley running along the south bank of the river was proposed by the GWR at the turn of the 19th/20th century but ran into severe NIMBY opposition and was dropped. It was the timber traffic that led to the demolition of the old Marlow station but the traffic finished a couple of years later. Frustratingly, we've never found a picture of these trains that came from Bow Creek worked by Stratford Brush Type 2s, occasionally EE Type 3s and on one occasion a pair of BTH Type 1s which was brave move by someone! The Marlow Sand & Gravel Co.'s 2' gauge operation is likewise frustrating. I used to walk the dog down there but took it for granted and never bothered to take any photos. A lesson for all; nothing is for ever - record it while you can.

If you want an excuse for Class 50 at Bourne End then here it is! 50035 'Ark Royal' on the platform 2 blocks and on display on 25 September 1986 as part of a joint NSE/Marlow-Maidenhead Passengers' Association event. 55020 was operating a Bourne End - Marlow shuttle all day with Class 117 L417 (the first to gain NSE paint) working between Maidenhead and Bourne End. A certain well-known MD likes to claim credit for this but he hadn't started his railway career at that time although he was on the MMPA committee (poacher turned game keeper?) and is now a major shareholder in "The Ark". To say he's slightly obsessed with Hoovers is an understatement.

I think you'd find similar on many commuter routes into London; it certainly applied even on my local branch line. If the unit arrived the "wrong way round", i.e. with the van and first class not where they were expected, confusion and chaos abounded. As for the Telegraph (and other broad sheets back in the day) it was amazing how many concealed a copy of the Sun! You could spot that more easily on a open DMU than in compartments.

I do indeed (unless you're referring to our esteemed Mike @The Stationmaster). It was on 30 January 1977 and was in connection with a French film called "All Cats Are Grey" - the weather was suitably similar! Three Class 31s were used, 31421 and 31241 at the "country end" and 31118 at the London end plus three Mk1 coaches. I don't think they actually moved during the filming but I could be wrong as I wasn't there all day. The bottom picture shows them departing. It was a Sunday so there was no scheduled service on the branch in those days, that wasn't restored until June 1984.

Some years ago i visited Port Talbot steel works and they told us that if the load in the torpedo wagons solidifies (which it does occasionally apparently) the cure was to cut them open and pull the two halves apart then weld them back together again. When asked what the do with the solidified contents the answer was "don't ask". Suppose you could do the same with a milk tank although a large pat of butter might be easier to dispose of.

We also had a pair of WCRC 37s topping and tailing a Branch Line Society tour come to Bourne End some years ago. Can't remember the exact details but can find out if anyone's interested.

Being devil's advocate; could it be that in these difficult times manufacturers are seeking to maximise earnings from existing tooling with relatively little expense rather than commit to the large sums now required to tool a completely new model? Just a thought...