East Kent and EPB preservation

Hello

Just seen on Facebook that part of the EPB preservation group will be kicked off East Kent when the lease runs out meaning it won't have a home. http://www.rail.co.uk/rail-news/2016/kent-commuter-trains-looking-for-new-railway/
The EMUs staying: 2EPB unit 5759 and MLV S68001
EMUs leaving: 4CEP 7105 and MLVs S68002/8/9
The Driving ends for 4CEP and MLV 68002 are both being restored

Weird how only part of the collection will be evicted and not the whole lot. They have until July the 14th to find a home, Which means they are asking to find a new home.

 

I have placed a appeal on the Bulleid 4DD Facebook Group for them, we have 700 members on FB. Can i suggest others do the same, if we all work together then maybe someone will be able to find them a home.

 

Sadly IMHO the 'Heritage Railway' movement have not been very good at conserving 'non steam' stock and it would be very sad indeed were they to be lost either to scrapping or general decay.

 

This is the problem, all Heritage Lines have to make money, so things like EMUs, Wagons and such like get less attention. Some of us look at things different as we wish to retain objects/vehicles to show the whole story. Very few do this, the IoWSR is one that does this very well (but they missed the chance of a VEC/TIS car hopefully a 1938 will be saved). A huge part of the souths transport history is in danger of rotting away or being scrapped. The NRM has no space or funds.

 

of the 7 cars "leaving" at least three are elsewhere. A MLV and a compatible EMU makes a quite handy train to use, no wonder they are keeping the EPB and one MLV. I've seen it said that the real reason for the "eviction" is the lack of a suitable loco at the EKR to haul EMU stock.(a 73 or 33/1 presumably)

 

I must admit that The Bluebell would be a very appropriate home.

 

I don't get why preserved railways don't like EMUs.
At the end of they day they are haulable stock.
Is it just snobbishness that EMUS are neither coaches nor locos that neither wants them ?

 

How haulable are they though? I would imagine that a combination of buckeye couplings and air brakes on some units are at odds with chain link couplings and vacuum brakes at most heritage lines. How many lines need translator locos any time something air braked comes in for a diesel gala?

There's no doubt that EMU's have a place in railway history that deserves its story told - the problem is that they don't have the romance of steam to appeal to non enthusiasts, and they don't have the flexibility of a heritage diesel to just swap with a steam loco on the same set of stock. The EPB and MLV are at least a working set but that realistically is all any heritage line is going to want in that line of operations (maybe another MLV as a backup for overhaul time etc). This may have been driven by a falling out but at the end of the day EKR probably doesn't really gain from having more on the line than they will be left with.

 

I don't see why. Yes electric units worked in back in the day, but not MLVs or EPBs I'd wager. Didn't the 4COR used to be there at one stage and wasn't really wanted.

 

Well, its devoted to collecting items from that part of the railway network and would be appropriate were the Ardingley line ever to be reopened

 

Not just. They aren't fully compatible with a lot of locos; to preserve them as units rather than individual carriages means that they're inflexible (you have a 2 car EPB, or nothing), and 3rd rail units rely on a power supply for things like lighting circuits (who needs a dynamo when you have a 3rd rail...).

For example, the GCR restored a 4CIG, but it only lasted in traffic a year or so (very lightly used) before being moved on. One of the issues was that if I remember right, it could only work with one of the diesels at the GCR (33116) - although it did work on that in full multiple.

 

as I recall that line was worked by BILs and HALs not EPBs so the appropriateness is a bit tentative. I can't see them electrifying the Ardingly line, so it's no more appropriate at the Bluebell than other places. I don't think they'd want it anyway.

 

Couldn't an EPB and MLV be useful at swanage for the wareham shuttle ?

 

The problem with Swanage is the lack of undercover storage and maintenance areas, which needs to be solved after project Wareham and they need to acquire fuzebook oil terminal with all its space. The Swanage 4TC group might have a problem with another EMU group arriving, also the EPB and 1 MLV were given an extension to the lease and will stay.

 

It seems heritage railways in the south are reluctant to allow new groups, with 35011 group having a hard time finding somewhere to base themselves and the reluctance to take on EMU sets at heritage railways. Bluebell did not operate its 4VEP at the diesel gala and the EMU is based elsewhere away from the railway, The Swanage TC group were just allowed onto the railway with the help of members of the Swanage Railway trust. Finmere could be a good place to go but it will become HS2 in a couple of years meaning more EMUs needing to find a home (4CIG and 2 2EPB). Dartmoor railway has a few EMU sets (4VOP, 4CIG and two driving ends of a 4CEP).

 

the TC is far more prototypical than an EPB would be. Makes perfect sense for Swanage and I'd like to think it could run the services to Wareham one day rather than the DMUs (which I like but let's face it, they aren't Hampshire Units are they). Not too many railways like compartment stock anyway, I was delighted to see the GWR using them at their gala.

 

Pedantically, I feel I should point out that the vast majority of heritage railway coaches have buckeye couplings. However, as you point out braking, heating and lighting are potentially unsurmountable issues.

Having said that, the SVR currently has a 4TC on hire for their Diesel Gala as one of the visiting locos is unable to haul any of the line's home stock!

 

I am going to get bored repeating myself on different threads

The buckeyes on Mk 1, LNER, Southern and pullmans are of a drop head design. This means that the coupler head can be lowered by removing a pin to reveal a draw hook. Buffers, not needed when buckeye to buckeye can be extended using removable saddles


p.s. The buckeye on the 4TC were lowered when I saw it at KD

 

Fair point about the couplings - I obviously spend too much time at Didcot where old carriages tend to be the norm!

 

That is only because the GWR and LMS stayed behind the times. The GNR and LNER used buckeyes from the 1920s and Southern was not far behind