Question about GWR train formations

Greek Orthodox Church?

Is that Fairford in Gloucestershire? If so, I got trapped on the USAF base (RAF Fairford) for several hours once during a Broken Arrow alert. Some bloke dropped a Nuke while loading a B-52. Yeah, I was one of Them. :)

Thanks for the explanations!

Sorry if this is starting to sound like your wee cousin, but why is it better in the middle?

Thanks. When did the switch to all continuous braking occur?

Yeah, saw that. Lazy, more like. :)

Glasgow to Largs was very often non corridor (1945-1954 or so). As a child I loved them! The brass handles on the compartment doors, the thick leather strap used to hold the door window closed or in any open position, the seeming horsehair seats (Grandma had a horsehair sofa), net luggage racks, the color - green, and most of all the framed, sepia photos from around the country that adorned the wall between the top of the seat backs and the luggage racks.

Of course, you went before you left! :)

Yes.

Ha! Brize Norton is on the line! We had a base there. In the early 1960s they managed to have a minor race riot there and had a bulldozer stolen.

Thanks for that. Another contribution to my Nostalgia weekend!

In the early 60's I had to use the Wymess Bay from Glasgow Central; This was a non corridor ruin which always reeked of urine. This was apparently a result of the footie mob travelling to & from Ibrox!

This was because the GWR was a "common carrier" so they couldn't refuse to delivery any parcels etc etc consigned to them. The B set coaches that GWR built to replace the worn out victorian non-bogie stock B set formations mainly for branch line and minor route use were general purpose. The old B sets would be in trouble if the guards brake vehicle in the formation broke down which happened more and more as they got older so the replacement vehicle were designed as general purpose - in emergency just one coach could be used.

The size of the baggage space was determined by what had been the average requirement in the 1920s of course by the 1950s British Road Services had taken away a lot of the parcels traffic.

Alan

"LDosser" wrote

I can't give you chapter & verse on that, but suspect for passenger trains it was during the Victorian era.

Unfitted goods (freight) trains just about survived into the 1980s (from memory).

John.

"Graham Harrison" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@bt.com...

Or Russian. I was just being silly.

Some Australians celebrate Christmas in June.

"Jane Sullivan" wrote

That's so they get snow on Bondi Beach. ;-)

John.

Eastern Orthodox Christians do. ;-) They never adopted the Gregorian corrections to Caesar's calendar.

cheers, wolf k.

OK, guys, Thanks Muchly. Very informative discussion, and a lovely dollop of nostalgia. I now have enough information to be able to run the train any way I want. Unless I decide to imitate some specific train on a specific date on some specific branch.

Dang, I may have to build a diorama for it...

cheers, wolf k.

Not for LMS though. Essery - Railway operation for the Modeller states common for 3 coach train to have brake compatrments at both ends with brake part outermost. This was in accordance with instructions in LMS marshalling book. Agree it seems to waste space but this isnt described from common practice or photos but instructions issued and to alter these instructions required authority from Divisional Superintendent of Operation !

My favourite book DJ's Historic.....notes that if there were only 2 coaches then usually they would both be brake vehicles.

However, most amazing fact learned these few days is from Essery again, shows pull and push train in 1938 with loco in the centre. says usually loco at one end but not uncommon in a 4 coach train to have loco sandwhiched between coaches !

Cheers, Simon

SNIP...

In the early 60's I had to use the Wymess Bay from Glasgow Central; This was a non corridor ruin which always reeked of urine. This was apparently a result of the footie mob travelling to & from Ibrox!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh, lovely!!

I was the message boy for Coopers in Largs in 1958-59. Had some customers out as far as Wemyss Bay and delivering out there made for a pleasant ride. The Wemyss Bay station was/is marvelous and though the Largs station wasn't quite as nice, it was a sight better than what they replaced it with after the train over ran the buffers!

In article , simon writes

I was watching one of the DVDs of the BBC "Railway Roundabout" programs from 1958-62 last week, and there was an item showing a push pull service with the loco in the middle of 3 coaches. Apparently the Railway company (IIRC it was the GWR, but quite likely others were similar) had a rule saying no more than 2 coaches were to be propelled on a push-pull service, hence for a 3-coach service it was 2 coaches - loco - single coach. No doubt for 4 coaches it would be as described above.

Didn't notice what the coaches were though.

David