Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Feb 7, 2020 13:27:28 GMT
The last time I went over the S&C was December '82 in deep snow behind a steam heat fitted Class 47 with Mk1 stock, it was absolutely glorious going over the viaducts with the landscape completely covered in snow. It was a freebie trip at work as I'd just started on the railway that September, even with the steam heating turned up to full in our compartment it was freezing cold, it's a good job we all had our regulation big black BR overcoats on! Less than a year later I found myself at Stratford Works in East London being tutored on steam heat boilers fitted t o31s and 47s, I was probably one of the last to be trained on them before they were phased out. Villain I could never understand how my Brother knew what loco would be on the front of the train if we were travelling from Derby to London - HST's were on odd services early in the morning and very late in the day. So were rare on Midland Mainline services at the time.
He knew that it would either be a "45-0-xxx" or a "45-1-xxx" on the front while we were sat in the carriage. In transpired, he knew because anything with a "45-0-xxx" was Steam Boiler heated - and freezing cold.
BR slowly but surely replaced the boilers with Electric Heating and fitted Electric Heating when each Loco was pulled in for it's major Exam.
When they resurfaced following the Conversion and Exam -they were renumbered "45-1-xxx"
Do they still do the various Exams these days? I'd assume they'd do something - like a train version of an MOT.
Is Steam heated stock from the Steam Loco era?
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Feb 7, 2020 18:24:09 GMT
Yes, the steam heat coaches were a left over from steam locos. When diesels started the coaches were all steam heated so the early diesel types were fitted with heating boilers. Electric heating was introduced later and the coaches were converted. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the western diesel hydraulics couldn't be fitted with it as there wasn't enough room inside to add it.
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Villain
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Post by Villain on Feb 7, 2020 19:28:05 GMT
Yes, the steam heat coaches were a left over from steam locos. When diesels started the coaches were all steam heated so the early diesel types were fitted with heating boilers. Electric heating was introduced later and the coaches were converted. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the western diesel hydraulics couldn't be fitted with it as there wasn't enough room inside to add it. That's basically right Cartman although drawings were prepared to try and fit ETH gear into the Hymeks and Westerns, plus one Warship, D870 'Zulu' was temporarily fitted with ETH but it was swiftly removed. It was difficult enough fitting dual brakes (air and vacuum) to the Westerns between 1968 and 1973 due to the lack of space inside the bodyshell, but they managed it, all but for of the seventy four Westerns were fitted during this period. Many locos classes had boilers fitted from new but not that many different types were fitted with ETH, all of the Deltics were dual braked and dual heat fitted by 1971, large numbers of 47s (the first twenty were dual heat fitted from new), some 31s, the 33s, all of the 50s, a batch of 37s and the 45s as mentioned by Sparky were done, but it took a long time to eliminate the old oil fired boilers, I think they'd gone out of use by about 1985 / 86. As for locos having 'MOTs', they have A exams every few days and major attention every few years or so. These A exams are often carried out at remote locations by 'a man in a van', with the major work being done at places like Crewe, Toton and Midland Road in Leeds. Villain
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Feb 8, 2020 8:16:34 GMT
Class 142 Pacers are in the news quite a lot at present as they are starting to be withdrawn by Northern and they seem to attract a lot of negative coverage, a lot of it is, in my view, grandstanding by local politicians. I think they a kind of railway equivalent of a Marina, not great, built down to a price, but did a job and aren't as bad as they are made out to be. I had quite a few trips on them last summer to and from Stockport as I was without a car for a few months and they were OK.
Villain, have you ever driven these, or any other DMU types?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2020 8:29:53 GMT
I love the sound when you hear a old train sound in the background yet you can’t necessarily always see the train, for some reason it always gives me this nostalgic feeling you simply can’t describe in a sentence, of either growing up as a kid! or always reminds me of The Sweeney! I’m sure you can all relate to this
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Villain
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Post by Villain on Feb 8, 2020 10:20:29 GMT
Class 142 Pacers are in the news quite a lot at present as they are starting to be withdrawn by Northern and they seem to attract a lot of negative coverage, a lot of it is, in my view, grandstanding by local politicians. I think they a kind of railway equivalent of a Marina, not great, built down to a price, but did a job and aren't as bad as they are made out to be. I had quite a few trips on them last summer to and from Stockport as I was without a car for a few months and they were OK. Villain, have you ever driven these, or any other DMU types? No never driven any DMUs or EMUs, the only 'unit' I've ever driven is a HST. Villain
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Post by Dirty Epic on Feb 8, 2020 11:05:13 GMT
Class 142 Pacers are in the news quite a lot at present as they are starting to be withdrawn by Northern and they seem to attract a lot of negative coverage, a lot of it is, in my view, grandstanding by local politicians. I think they a kind of railway equivalent of a Marina, not great, built down to a price, but did a job and aren't as bad as they are made out to be. I had quite a few trips on them last summer to and from Stockport as I was without a car for a few months and they were OK. Villain, have you ever driven these, or any other DMU types? Not the greatest trains by any means but Pacers have done a job and IMO done it quite well considering how long they've lasted too. They have character too that many trains of that era don't really have suppose it'd be nice for one to be preserved.
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Cartman
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Post by Cartman on Feb 8, 2020 14:40:10 GMT
At least one pacer is being preserved, the NRM have grabbed 142001. I think a few heritage railways will find a use for them
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Three Litre
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Post by Three Litre on Feb 8, 2020 16:53:59 GMT
Class 142 Pacers are in the news quite a lot at present as they are starting to be withdrawn by Northern and they seem to attract a lot of negative coverage, a lot of it is, in my view, grandstanding by local politicians. I think they a kind of railway equivalent of a Marina, not great, built down to a price, but did a job and aren't as bad as they are made out to be. I had quite a few trips on them last summer to and from Stockport as I was without a car for a few months and they were OK. Villain, have you ever driven these, or any other DMU types? I know little about trains, although learning more from the likes of Villain. However reading the news I tend to agree with Cartman about the Pacers, they do a job, must have transported thousands of people, so there you go. Stop whinging!
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Sparky
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Post by Sparky on Feb 9, 2020 9:07:32 GMT
Class 142 Pacers are in the news quite a lot at present as they are starting to be withdrawn by Northern and they seem to attract a lot of negative coverage, a lot of it is, in my view, grandstanding by local politicians. I think they a kind of railway equivalent of a Marina, not great, built down to a price, but did a job and aren't as bad as they are made out to be. I had quite a few trips on them last summer to and from Stockport as I was without a car for a few months and they were OK. Villain, have you ever driven these, or any other DMU types? The 142s have vanished from pretty much all Northern services around Sheffield/Doncaster. There are still the 3 car 144s on services - which I heard are around until sometime in May.
The "Pacers" 142s and 144s - in my experience, weren't comfortable for long journeys - but in my experience of travelling on them (and that's a lot!!) - they never failed. OK, the Doors would often stick, the heating wouldn't work and the windows would leak water in heavy rain.
But none the less - the things kept running and running.
However - they weren't designed for long journeys anyway!
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