Unusual planes, trains but no automobiles vol 7 - VxFan
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Volume 7 - NO CARS :-)
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It's not a particularly fast line. The trams can, and, do do50mph on the Altrincham line but the stations here are not far apart. I notice the tracks are concreted in at the next bridge which is far less used than the one in question.
Never got to speak to the engineers. I think they were ' up the line ' somewhere. I'll be on the tram tomorrow so I'll see if I can find one.
Yes those extra rails are to keep the stock moving more or less in the right direction, within the confines of the gauge, and hopefully upright in the event of a derailment. Usually deployed in areas where derailment outside the running gauge would cause death, destruction and havoc. Close bridge or tunnel abutments, over busy roads, etc etc.
And now - just for Big Tee, we have some diesels mixed with the steam.
Yesterday it was the king again, running Bristol to London. On the back you will find a diesel generator car for electric train heat as there have been complaints about the steam heating not working.
>> The HST does not have many carriages unlike East Coast.
On the Bath-Reading 1643 train home carriage E is quite often missing from the usual set of A-H ie. 7 instead of 8, like in Z's vid. I can only assume it's deliberate from the number of times it happens, although it isn't every time.
The Voyager in the video to me looked like a Cross Country painted train and not a Virgin trains one. They lost the franchise didn't they so the Manchester to Brighton service is no longer a Virgin run service.
>> The Voyager in the video to me looked like a Cross Country painted train and
>> not a Virgin trains one. They lost the franchise didn't they so the Manchester to
>> Brighton service is no longer a Virgin run service.
You are right. I had some Virgin Voyager clips and was going to use them, but put the cross country ones instead. Stupid me.
>> Thought Zero might want to correct his video if incorrect.
Nah, give the gricers something to complain about, plus it takes 45 minutes to upload each clip, so I will leave it.
>> Would one or both the kettles have gone thru' Northampton later in day Zeddo?
>>
>> Something steam came through around 16:30 when Mrs B was collecting daughter from station.
Hmm. That pair were going up to do Shap and the Settle - Carlisle. (the princess failed at Carlisle and had to be dragged around by the castle)
There was other stuff steaming north of you, but I can't see anything planned to go through Northampton yesterday.
>> Ah right, that would be the Black 5 sent down to cover for the missing
>> Tangmere. Its running today Waterloo to Bristol return.
>> just off out to film it.
How do you find out when/where the steamers are running?
>> >> Ah right, that would be the Black 5 sent down to cover for the
>> missing
>> >> Tangmere. Its running today Waterloo to Bristol return.
>> >> just off out to film it.
>>
>> How do you find out when/where the steamers are running?
>> Ah right, that would be the Black 5 sent down to cover for the missing
>> Tangmere. Its running today Waterloo to Bristol return.
>>
>> just off out to film it.
While we're on about little cities and cathedrals, who knows the name of the smallest island in the world to have a double track, intercity railway running over it ?
I know the Isle of Weight and the Isle of Man have proper railway systems. Is this Island apart of the UK?
Anglesey could be a good candidate too, not sure if it is double track but it certainly has intercity services to London. Not really sure you can count it as island though!
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Sun 18 Mar 12 at 23:37
Just videod it at Oldfield Park, Bath. Waiting for a black 5 to come through the same station, then off to catch Lizzie again near tewksbury. Then a pleasant drive across the Cotswolds home picking up a chinky on the way.
Well, I went out in the gloom to see what had made all the noise this morning... and waited, and waited (aren't there a lot of people with fancy cameras and tripods at these events?)...
Nothing happened: it terminated at Tyseley - never got to see it.
I'd guess it was too late (nearly dark) for the final scheduled part of the run - Tyseley / Acocks Green / Olton / Solihull / Widney Manor / Dorridge and then back up to Tyseley - to be worth doing.
Two pannier engines on the back to provide some extra shove. Popular indeed - there were estimated to be three hundred gricers there or thereabouts to try and film that bit.
>> Do you think in the 1930's crowds stood there watching steamers? Yes i guess they
>> did no tv or x box to entertain them.
More than that my oily fingered friend. The Trains, and the crews were famous in the 30's. People watched newsreels enthralled at the risk taking of the drivers, and the modern streamlined shapes of the engines, as LNERs Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley's A4's took on LMS's Sir William Arthur Stanier's Coronation Class locos at ever increased speeds.
Warning its a longun, 10 minutes, so If you don't like long lingering shots of steam against a stormy sky and the sound of birds, use the 3:00 entry link on the video description.
This video starts off in Fenlanders old back yard, and whilst not her stomping ground Pat will know the area.
It was hitching a ride, at that point just grumbling away. Probably just used to give it a shove at a rather nasty grade junction near Highgate, and to turn the stock round at Winchester.
now the tracks have seamless welds i bet the experience from inside those old carriages doesnt quite sound right,none of that did dit-did dit did dit-did dit ( if you know what i mean)
It always interested me that when you looked down the lavatory in a train while flushing it, you saw a rail flying past immediately underneath it. Is that what you mean by track greasers Zero?
Made me realise that a railway line wouldn't be a good place to lie down for a rest, however clean and inviting the ballast may look.
>> It always interested me that when you looked down the lavatory in a train while
>> flushing it, you saw a rail flying past immediately underneath it. Is that what you
>> mean by track greasers Zero?
>>
>> Made me realise that a railway line wouldn't be a good place to lie down
>> for a rest, however clean and inviting the ballast may look.
I had my video camera set up to video the Venice Simplon Orient Express (known as the VSOE - goes nowhere near Venice, simplon or the orient) whie it waited for route clearance. I was kinda at track level, when someone used one fo the Pullman Class porcelain with gold handles toilet. Yup the crap still hit the track, and it actually bounces and splashes quite a long way. Its not unusual to see used toilet paper hanging from the bogies of that old rolling stock.
Riding the rods... must have been a hard life for a hobo, even without the train captain trying to knock you off with a tethered lump hammer or piece of steel.
>> Well spotted! I have absolutely no idea! Spamcan might know,
>>
Sorry I have no idea to be honest. I don't think the position of the lights is significant these days, unlike steam days, when the position indicated the type of train, apart from the Southern Region, where it indicated the train's route.
New Thu 5 Apr 12 21:20
The Sea Vixen had a bit of a prang today - spamcan61
I did a rail trip from Ostend to Salzburg back in the '60s. It took around 24 hours IIRC. The lavatories at each end of the carriage had a simple hinged flap at the bottom of the pan and you had to be aware of which way it hinged if the train was doing any speed to avoid 'getting your own back'.
Every now and then the train would enter a station and leave in the opposite direction, just when you thought you'd got it sussed.
On the 333 fleet EMU the toilets when blocked it works of a vacuum pipe when the pot is full the only way to get it to flush is to go into the cupboard behind the toilets and give it either a service flush which usaully works or a reverse flush, which in the one case blew the remains in the toilet all over the cubicle walls, not a nice mess for the cleaning team to sort out i was hiding from them for a while.!!
On the DMU when the pot is full of floaters a mop handle down the pan onto the butterfly flap a good prod usually gets it shifted and the plop floats away.
And the door locks on the old 142 drop to bits when locked and your stuck in the bog only way to open the door is to smash the lock off with a big emergency bar done it 4x times now no way will the door be leavered open.
Reminds me of a little song my mate (ex BR fireman) used to sing as a "party piece"....
Gentlemen will please refrain
From urinating on the train
When standing in the station at Crewe
Some poor shunter underneath
Is bound to catch it in the teeth
He wouldn't like it much, and nor would you.
Ladies wishing to pass water
Kindly ask a friendly porter
To direct them to the vestibule
We encourage constipation
While the train is in the station
Taking on water at Crewe.
Piddling while the train is moving
Is a certain way of proving
That control of eye and hand is sure
We like to keep our toilets neat
So please don't dribble on the seat
Or even worse, excrete upon the floor.
Gentlemen please be discreet
And do be sure to lift the seat
Lest undulation make you miss the pan
And lady passengers following on
May get it on their sit-upon
'Cos they can't stand and wee-wee like a man.
Tune; Dvorak's Humoresque in G Flat major
Last edited by: Harleyman on Sat 7 Apr 12 at 14:44
New Sat 7 Apr 12 20:34
Titanic - different theory to her sinking... - swiss tony
Not a new theory, in fact over 11 years old.
Sounds very interesting though....
Inspired by various excellent youtube videos from Zero I intend to visit the above tomorrow. I like diesel traction, and as luck would have it they are running their Class 33 tomorrow, as well as a DMU.
Unfortunately I dont have Zeros video skills (or equipment) so it will be a purely photographic expedition. Just hope its not too wet.
Also had some rail experience this weekend. A trip up to our friends in the Eden Valley for the weekend saw us book 2 seats on the 12.16 Manchester to Penrith on Thursday. This was a direct service from Manchester Airport to Edinburgh and was already crowded when we got on. Our 2 seats were occupied by a young lady and her luggage, together with a picnic spread out over both seat back tables. She soon packed up and left, grumbling, with not a single hint of violence from SWM !
Penrith was made a few minutes early and the Peugeot Bipper was waiting for us.
On Saturday there was a classic vehicle rally spread out over several villages around Brough and Kirkby ....Lot of nice stuff and a ride on a Guy single decker to the pub was a bonus. Then off to Alston for a look at the North Tynedale Railway which had a Henschel tank engine in steam.
Home today, but by bus. The WCML being under an engineers possession for the day.Two and a half hours from Penrith to Preston via Oxenholme and Lancaster stations. Diesel train down the Lancashire & Yorkshire main line through Chorley and Bolton. We got off at Deansgate andwalked the 50yds to the tram station where one of Metrolink's best took us home.
A tiring afternoon but SWM enjoyed her Kindle and I enjoyed the train.
You are getting good at this stuff Zero. The sound is especially good. The thrush or blackbird - thrush I think - in the first link but in the last one too there's some good and clear birdsong. As for Britannia pulling away a bit uphill with that rather job lot of old rolling stock, chuff chuff heaven.
Steam must have been on the way out before you got interested I think? Perhaps you remember it well. I certainly do.
The accelerated chuffing of engines getting wheelspin up wet slimy slopes with heavy loads... I guess they try to avoid that now because it wears out the machinery and the rails. But it used to be part of the sound picture.
I don't suppose modern pet steam engines need them, but working steam expresses used to pick up water on the go from water troughs between the rails. I remember them well, but I can't remember ever being aware of one being used. Of course inside the train you wouldn't have been aware of it, but standing near the track when a water trough was being used by an express doing 70 plus may have been a dampening experience.
I think they just dropped a forward-facing scoop into the water and let the train's speed do the rest. Devilish clever those Victorians, what?
The Midland Rly had the highest troughs in the country on Blea Moor. They were lethal in winter and teams of men were employed to try and keep them clear of ice. The wind would whip the water from the troughs and it would build up on the rails and sleepers as thick ice where the men were working.If the troughs were solid, no water could be picked up and the driver could cause real damage to the scoop.
There's a tale of a very small ganger slipping and falling into the trough only to be scooped up with the water by a passing train. The last that was seen of him was a small face peering at the driver from inside the water gauge !
A film shot I really like is of a Claughton class 4-6-0 ' Frobisher ' piloted by a 2-4-0 Jumbo or Precedent at speed on Bushey troughs picking up water about 1925. A real cool bit of filming for the time, from a train pacing the Claughton on the next track.
I've not found it on YouTube but it's in some compilation films around.
There is a long water trough between the rails, a scoop is lowered from the engine into the trough, and the forward motion of the train forces the water up the scoop through a tube into the water tank.
>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQPdRS-9p_I
>>
>> Around the three minutes 30 mark, water troughs in use.
>>
I read somewhere that the clever bit was not overfilling the tender and putting spray through the air vents and any open windows in the carriages when on express passenger work.
There were more watertroughs at Castlethorpe in Northants, between Wolverton station and the Northampton line divergence at Roade. The gradually decaying supply tower still stands on the west side of the tracks.
One or two of Z's films (I'm thinking of the one in Wilts/Avon in particular appear to feature the West Coast Rail set including a couple of what look like the old Metro-Cammell coaches from the Yorkshire Pullman of the sixties/seventies.
They were in use yesterday on a charter, probably to Aintree, hauled by one of the preserved class 86 electrics. Unfortunately while stabled overnight at Willesden they've been tagged/graffitoed.
A sad sight just waiting to move off round the west London line as i came into Euston today.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Fri 13 Apr 12 at 09:20
The way my brain is wired up - I'm likenening steam trains taking on water while on the move to Vulcan bombers refuelling in flight en route to the South Atlantic during the Guerra de las Malvinas c1982.
Another problem came with a ' double header ' The pilot engine had to dip the trough first then pull his scoop up to let the train engine have it's fill.
Tricky timing coupled with some nifty work on the whistle !
Seems to me a good thing to have a couple out on the line while the engineers are working. I'm sure one would have saved the lives of the three guys killed at Tebay when a wagon ran away at Shap and hit them.
They can't be costly and have the advantage of being portable so a gang could set one up a hundred yards before the work site. In the video they are in use as ' catch points ' to krrp a runaway off the main line.
Ted, reading the small print it does say that they don't work at speeds of over 10 mph, I'd suspect that the wagon at Tebay was moving considerably faster than that.
They work we have these in maintenance yards and sidings as said in the clip to stop a run away unit.
In sheds brakes can be isolated to work on the braking system and scotch the wheels to stop it moving but if that fails the de railer will knock it off.
We "have" to use them in one of the yards we work in, we don't as there a right pain in the backside and as it's flat nothing rolls towards the mainline anyway, my mate forgot about these and one dropped off on his shift, med team had him urinating in a bottle and the driver also. Thats what you get for mistakes on the railway drug/alchol screening.
Once a de railer has knocked one off the de railer is replaced for a new one.
The job of getting a unit back on is not cheap and it's time consuming.
No, I know where its been, but it should be on rails, not on a low loader, if its not on rails its broke, unless its off for some preserved railway for a gala that has no main line link