Railway Motors

[andye]

10 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

The main site, London Transport Service Vehicles has been around for years. A very interesting site.

That is my new favourite website,  many thanks to those who have set it up, and of course a big thank you to Merfyn for saving and collecting  the data in the first place!

[hmrspaul]

Link

https://www.ltsv.com/rrv/company_list.php

 

Interesting. Good luck with keeping up with companies that put "rail" on the side of their vans. I seem to see new ones each time I go for a walk in York! Certainly two in past week, and not photographed. 

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/road

 

I would still love to know what this was for. https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/road/e3eba94e4

 

Paul

Edited May 17, 2022 by hmrspaul

[Fat Controller]

42 minutes ago, hmrspaul said:

Link

https://www.ltsv.com/rrv/company_list.php

 

Interesting. Good luck with keeping up with companies that put "rail" on the side of their vans. I seem to see new ones each time I go for a walk in York! Certainly two in past week, and not photographed. 

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/road

 

I would still love to know what this was for. https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/road/e3eba94e4

 

Paul

Could it be a mobile canteen, for use at large engineering jobs and such-like?

[Merfyn Jones]

12 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

Link

https://www.ltsv.com/rrv/company_list.php

 

Interesting. Good luck with keeping up with companies that put "rail" on the side of their vans. I seem to see new ones each time I go for a walk in York! Certainly two in past week, and not photographed. 

 

https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/road

 

I would still love to know what this was for. https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/road/e3eba94e4

 

Paul

After all this time Paul, I have still not found out it's use.  No other similar trailers have appeared.

With the private companies we have decided to stick with just the train operators and the contractors that did infrastructure maintenance between B R and N R days.

Merf.

 

[PhilJ W]

21 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

I would still love to know what this was for. https://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/road/e3eba94e4

 

Paul

It was (is?) a mobile ticket office placed in service in 1949. Originally it was attached to a Karrier Bantam tractor unit registered KGY 316. There is an illustration of it brand new in blood and custard livery on page 74 of 'Railway-owned commercial vehicles' by S W Stevens-Stratton. I do believe it was a one off.

[Merfyn Jones]

6 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

It was (is?) a mobile ticket office placed in service in 1949. Originally it was attached to a Karrier Bantam tractor unit registered KGY 316. There is an illustration of it brand new in blood and custard livery on page 74 of 'Railway-owned commercial vehicles' by S W Stevens-Stratton. I do believe it was a one off.

 

Sorry Phil, but comparing the 2 pictures, there is very little similarity. However in my photo collection I have photos of at least 3 different mobile offices, all about the 1949 date. We had one up here which I have seen pictures of at Llandudno and Prestatyn, hauled by what is probably hauled by a Bantam but not sure as it has a fancy coach-built cab, maybe made by Whitson who built the trailer. Our local one toured the seaside resorts, selling Runabout tickets, day tours and generally promoting train travel to the holidaymakers.

 

 

Photo B R Magazine.

[PhilJ W]

4 minutes ago, Merfyn Jones said:

 

Sorry Phil, but comparing the 2 pictures, there is very little similarity. However in my photo collection I have photos of at least 3 different mobile offices, all about the 1949 date. We had one up here which I have seen pictures of at Llandudno and Prestatyn, hauled by what is probably hauled by a Bantam but not sure as it has a fancy coach-built cab, maybe made by Whitson who built the trailer. Our local one toured the seaside resorts, selling Runabout tickets, day tours and generally promoting train travel to the holidaymakers.

 

 

Photo B R Magazine.

I beg to differ, Exactly the same roofline, window spacing and other features as Paul's photo. There are differences but most of them can be explained by Pauls photo being of the nearside and your photograph (and the one I mentioned) being of the offside. Also in the photograph I mentioned the front of the trailer was identical to Paul's photo. The one I mentioned was provided to the Eastern region so its possible that there was more than one.

[Moxy]

Talking of mobile ticket offices, this British Pathe film shows (briefly) both sides of one in 1949:

 

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/mobile-ticket-office

 

This is more in line with Merfyn's pictures than the the one Paul is asking about.

 

Given the different years (1949 & 1970) is it possible the NCL trailer may perhaps have been rebuilt from an earlier mobile ticket office?

[Merfyn Jones]

6 hours ago, Moxy said:

Talking of mobile ticket offices, this British Pathe film shows (briefly) both sides of one in 1949:

 

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/mobile-ticket-office

 

This is more in line with Merfyn's pictures than the the one Paul is asking about.

 

Given the different years (1949 & 1970) is it possible the NCL trailer may perhaps have been rebuilt from an earlier mobile ticket office?

 

Interesting that the Trailer had an Eastern Region registered Bantam, it was filmed selling tickets in Margate ?

The trailers appear to be built on the standard Scammell step framed trailer chassis, with a coach built bodywork.

[PhilJ W]

13 hours ago, Merfyn Jones said:

 

Interesting that the Trailer had an Eastern Region registered Bantam, it was filmed selling tickets in Margate ?

The trailers appear to be built on the standard Scammell step framed trailer chassis, with a coach built bodywork.

It stated in the book that although it was Eastern Region its first use was on the south coast.

[Merfyn Jones]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

It stated in the book that although it was Eastern Region its first use was on the south coast.

 

And adding to the confusion, was the Bantam on loan or transferred. I also have a picture of probably the same trailer behind a Scarab but still with the registration of the Bantam on. (Naughty !)  

[hmrspaul]

Thank you for the additional discussion. These photographs appear to show a trailer which has solid sides and could be entered with both entry and exit. The side of the one I have photographed is able to open up - two large lifting sections and two smaller drop down parts. There is no sign of that in the Pathe film. The use as an exhibition trailer and mobile booking office would seem possible but I'm not convinced it is the same as the ones in the photos. 

 

Is there no register of the official numbers - it is 5 M.W. S M . I know of a road vehicle diagram book given to the NRM many years ago, but I've not noticed it in their lists. 

 

Thanks again

 

Paul

 

 

[Merfyn Jones]

7 hours ago, hmrspaul said:

Thank you for the additional discussion. These photographs appear to show a trailer which has solid sides and could be entered with both entry and exit. The side of the one I have photographed is able to open up - two large lifting sections and two smaller drop down parts. There is no sign of that in the Pathe film. The use as an exhibition trailer and mobile booking office would seem possible but I'm not convinced it is the same as the ones in the photos. 

 

Is there no register of the official numbers - it is 5 M.W. S M . I know of a road vehicle diagram book given to the NRM many years ago, but I've not noticed it in their lists. 

 

Thanks again

 

Paul

 

 

Unfortunately Paul, the trailers are a long way down the priority on the website.  We may add them when everything else is done.

Like the motors, the trailers had a different numbering system on each region, and the Southern makes the least sense to me.

But is it ex Midland Region, as the number ends with a seperate M ?  In which case the M W could be my first guess as Mobile Workshop.  One day we may find out.

From official B R pictures is the same trailer with a Scarab that is not KGY315 as stated on the trailer, and a LMR office which looks a lot smaller, and some years newer.

 

he same trailer

[Merfyn Jones]

Been a while since I did any models for the railway motor fleet.

So a recently finished model of a Ford R192 with Willowbrook body from a Marsden models kit with modifications.  This bus was bought in 1967 to transport train crews between the newish Margam depot to the station at Port Talbot.  New buses were sometimes bought for this work , although some depots had to make do with second hand cast offs.

[Merfyn Jones]

[Merfyn Jones]

[Merfyn Jones]

An old kit from about 40 years ago by Motorway Models which became Mi-Kits. Found at a bus museum recently.

A Taskers 5 ton trailer built to B R design, many were supplied to NCL for the parcels contract.  Very nice kit to build, seen with a BT Karrier Bantam mechanical horse.

 

Edited December 6, 2022 by Merfyn Jones
wrong picture

[Merfyn Jones]

From the same kit but built about 40 years ago.

[fodenway]

Just in case anyone is not aware, the old Mi-Kits/Motorway Models Ford D Series tractor and van or flat trailers are still available from KW Trams, along with many other former ABS (and predecessors) road vehicle kits. Check out their website.

[Merfyn Jones]

8 hours ago, fodenway said:

Just in case anyone is not aware, the old Mi-Kits/Motorway Models Ford D Series tractor and van or flat trailers are still available from KW Trams, along with many other former ABS (and predecessors) road vehicle kits. Check out their website.

 

Thanks Kevin.

[Merfyn Jones]

After a long wait for somebody to make a model of the Freight Rover Sherpa wide body vans, my wish was granted.

Thanks to the internet, I was pointed East to a firm called Hong Kong Models who had produced decorated models in resin.  They had a F R Sherpa 400 normal roof van representing a Hong Kong fire appliance.  Also was a similar van with a high roof and windows as a Police vehicle.  Both in 1/76 scale.

After a long delay of back and forth e.mails  (language barrier) one of each arrived.  A lot of alterations ensued and the result is a van like we had at our depot for the S&T painters.

As was common just before privatisation they no longer were branded British Rail and our area had the branding Regional Railways.

[quicksilvercoaches]

This BR Maestro was at the BL Autumn Rally at Milton Keynes Museum today. I think it's actually ex BT rather than BR but a nice replica nonetheless.

 

[micklner]

The first time I have ever heard/read of someone calling a Maestro "nice" !!!😂  

 

A simply Dreadful vehicle , as all BL rust buckets of that era !!

[russ p]

3 hours ago, quicksilvercoaches said:

This BR Maestro was at the BL Autumn Rally at Milton Keynes Museum today. I think it's actually ex BT rather than BR but a nice replica nonetheless.

 

 

I was there with the chap that owns that. Years my red car next to it 

[russ p]

2 hours ago, micklner said:

The first time I have ever heard/read of someone calling a Maestro "nice" !!!😂  

 

A simply Dreadful vehicle , as all BL rust buckets of that era !!

 

Obviously you've never owned one. The MG versions were fantastic and even the EFi was faster than a golf gti and the turbos were ridiculously fast

I've just had a 2½ hour drive in my efi and my back is far better than a similar drive in some horrible bland modern box