18B

Below is the thread from 13 years ago! From way back when I started this “layout”, well it went into hibernation in 2010!!! And long story short, divorce, three children, a new wife, and two more children! And finally I’ve come back to the layout in 2023! see attached pics of progress. 

Hi, I've seen conflicting articles in magazines stating either that it was June 194 or June 1965n that "the first length of high-speed line, a 17 miles (27 km) stretch between Peterborough and Grantham" was passed for 100mph,  anyone happen to know which year it actually was please? TIA 

On 18/11/2023 at 00:31, The Johnster said:

On the WR, mailbags were carried in the Paddington end power car, and any parcels or other BR traffic in the down end power car.  This was for the convenience of both BR and Royal Mail staff so that they would not get in each other's way and knew which end of the train to wait for.  It was chaos if a set got turned around on the journey for any reason!

what years would this have been please? 

Hi. 

Noticed this heart on the front of a hst, I understand that it was something to do with the cross country network being knwk. AST the heart line? At the time? Anyone happen to know anything more about this? Tia 

Hi, 

just reading an article from 1988 and it mentions the loading of parcels in to the power car.. my question is when were the last parcels carried in an HST power car? 

TIA. 

thank you Banger Blue, I knew I'd seen them but just couldn't remember their title.  

Hi,

Back in the mid-1980s when the loco-hauled Barrow-in-Furness to Nottingham train was running, appearance wise at least, it looked very much an Intercity service, but was it actually run by the sector or was it a provincial/RR train? 

TIA 

I forget now who I read RE the passenger coach being provided for on non-passenger trains, it might have been guards for high value commodities? 

Evening, 

in this shot of 3V19 09:35 Oxford to Old Oak Common empty newspaper vans there's a MkII coach in the consist, was this for the newspaper sorters to use as break facilities? TIA

31117 Oxford 1 August 1986 (hondawanderer.com)

http://www.hondawanderer.com/31117_Oxford_1986.ht

Hi, would please anyone happen to know what the 1980s hst diagram books were called, they were similar to those “loco-hauled” books and those 1H85 type books iirc, searched under loads of permutations. But found nothing on the tinterweb. But I know I saw one on fb perhaps a couple of weeks back?

Hi, 

if this map can be taken as the INTERCITY network, upon its inception as a sector,   

My question/s is/are, when were some of the parts lost, e.g. Cleethorpes and Blackpool lost their INTERCITY services, and the Waterloo services to Portsmouth, Weymouth and Exeter were transferred to NSE at some point? 

While this map seems to concentrate purely upon the London services, I assume it omits the INTERCITY Cross Country for clarity? 

TIA 

Hi, 

Just why was there a The 1E54 06:50 Paddington to Hull service in 1985 (and presumably other years?) that ran via Sheffield, it just seems such an incongruous service.  

2 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Seems unlikely as the robbery was in 1963.

Probably just a review of their security methods in the light of more recent experience

It was possibly just more of an effort to improve the travelling conditions of the staff? 

Also the other main part of their conversion was the additional of roller shutter doors and sealing up of the old slam doors. 

25 minutes ago, Pacific231G said:

According to the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, who have one at Boness they use as  a mess for station staff, they were used for high security mail and parcels traffic that was accompanied en route. The first were converted in 1986 so they don't seem to have had a very long life. Were they perhaps a response to the great train robbery?

They retained one passenger compartment and the toilet. 

I don't know what if anything was used for this purpose before they were built in Britain but in France, where mail had to be accompanied by a postal "agent", they had specially built bag carrying coaches known as Alleges Postales  which also had accomodation including a toilet for the posties. These were distinct from TPO coaches. There were also of course horse boxes that included a compartment for the grooms. 

I don't know how they were classified in Britain but in France, couriers, groms and accompanying drovers were not classed as passengers (so certain rules didn't apply) but sorting staff in TPOs were. That meant- among other things- that a wooden bodied TPO couldn't be marshalled immediately behind the locomotive (passengers in wooden bodied had to be separated by a non-passenger vehicle or failing that by three passenger compartments locked out of service)

thank you and much appreciated, 

In early 1989 a number of MkIs were converted to vacuum only NNV and dual braked NNX "courier vehicles", but what exactly were they used for?   

49 minutes ago, Stoke West said:

Would it have been due to works in Disley tunnel ?

Possibly, it was IIRC only a temporary working and didn't last long. 

10 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

I don't know why a bucket would be involved there - but I think the Westerham Branch token had to travel across the main line in a bucket ( or similar ) on some sort of aerial ropeway as the 'box was on the opposite side to the branch platform.

it was due to the height of the box to save the signaller going up and down the steps. 

Hi, 

IIRC I seem to remember seeing a pic of tokens being exchanged in a bucket outside New Mills South Signal box sometime perhaps in the 1970s during a time when signalling was under some sor t of change at the time? HAs anyone any details or ideally a pic of the exchange taking place via the bucket?  TIA

Sadly he's no longer here to ask, 

I've ordered the book however, 

4 minutes ago, Halvarras said:

 

No, I'm sure there was only ever one print run. The cover image was changed from two Class 40s (IIRC) to the two withdrawn D600 Warships at Barry at a very late stage, the earlier image crept into the initial publicity and updating this took a while.....

A green loco on the left to a blue one on the right reads better IMHO, as apposed to the other way around. 

Hi

noticed that there are two different covers to this book, BR: FROM GREEN TO BLUE 

Would anyone happen to know please if there is any difference in the pages inside to the two different books? 

TIA

20 hours ago, Andrew1974 said:

I bought part 9 from our local Tesco, so it does also appear elsewhere…although I accept it is probably very hit and miss 

I've heard of the odd one being in TESCO, but not seen any myself, 

Hi, 

what books would people recommend on sleeper trains, 

Amazon has:

Night Trains: The Rise and Fall of the Sleeper and Anglo-Scottish Sleepers Paperback – 15 Mar. 2018 by David Meara (Author)

Both seem to have mixed reviews which say that they aren't histories of the BR sleeper trains,  is there even a book on the history of them?

TIA

Hi, 

The final issue of the BR Chronicles is now out. 1993-1997, sadly as it seems that few WH Smith shops now stock it, the only way to get a copy is off the publisher's website or online sellers. 

On 27/05/2023 at 09:33, Edwin_m said:

Trains that reversed at New Street probably had a loco change rather than a run-round - most were swapping to/from electric in any case.  I think trains reversing at Gloucester (after closure of Eastgate) sometimes swapped too.  

Notingham station also changed Peaks by putting a different one on the other end due a reversal/run round being needed otherwise.