mk1 bg?

how useful are mk1 full brake good.s on preserved lines. fitted with air brakes. also how much is it for transporting one. just thinking of buying one that has been made available. but not sure what condition it is in yet so need to have a visit.

 

You are proberbly looking at £2000.00 pounds + for transport and I am assuming that you are only paying a peppercorn fee for the vehicle:

Regards
Chris:

 

The SVR use them for Santas Grotto at this time of year, Galas and storage, they would be more usefull if the one you have is Vac or Dual braked generally though

 

If it were mainline registered and set up with plastic containers to carry water ala 5043's run earlier this year, there could be mileage in it ?

 

Isn't a GUV better for water carrying (as per 5043's run) as they can carry the required weight?

 

Indeed, a Mk1 BG can carry 8 tons evenly distributed IIRC, whereas a Mk1 GUV can carry (I think) 14 tons, so was chosen for the water carrying role. An excellent vehicle, has it been used much since 5043's run? Much better than the odd-looking 4472/60019 second tender concept. And whatever happened to that converted Freightliner flat wagon used by 6024 a while back?

Anyway apologies to the OP for the hijack, getting back to the question a BG might be a useful vehicle for conversion into a bar or disabled access coach with its double doors, also static uses such as shops, model railway, storage and the like. I echo the comments that vacuum brakes are far more widespread on our preserved lines and therefore it will be more useable if you can convert or dual brake it.

 

The NNR have a BG converted into an excellent kitchen car.

 

There are several BGs around that have been converted into disabled cars, I think. The original was the SVR's, and the NYMR has one as well, and a few lines use them as kitchen and/or service cars - East Somerset, and GWR for example.

 

To answer the OP- they are very useful vehicles, they can act as a spare brake vehicle in the case of failure of a regular Mk1 Brake, for example. Gwili aquired a modernised BG from Margam with roller shutter doors and air brakes, but it was relativley simple to convert back to vacuum as most fittings were still present such as cylinder brackets. In the end we oped to convert it into a kitchen car, again with a 'blank' interior to work with we were able to design and install a suitable kitchen for our needs, which is now in the process of repaying itself many times over on our dining trains. To be honest doing a conversion like this is so much easier than converting an RMB or older style kitchen owing to the need to comply with more modern regulations. As has been suggested, other uses can include disabled cars. Snap one up while you get the chance, you can always decide what to do with it after!

 

Does anyone run a "true" BG? Unmodified, original inside, purely used as a brake van? My railway has two BG's, however one is a (pretty much static) stores van while the other is used static for various special events.

Another use for them could be cycle carriers. I know the North Norfolk Railway had/have an excellent initiative (in collaboration with a local cycle hire place I think) where you can cycle one way and ride the railway back. At least one set seems to have a CCT attached in the summer for this purpose. I suppose a BG would just be a bigger version of the same idea?

 

Got two BG's in regular use at the MRB. Both have the smaller end converted into Santa's Grotto for when we're running two trains for Santa Specials. The rest of the time they are either stored or in use as the brake vehicle on the dining rake of coaches. A BSO is used on the other set.

Very useful for push chairs, wheel chairs, music festivals, static real ale bars (for when an RMB just isn't big enough) model railway exhibitions etc

 

The Glos-Warks use 81039 as a spare brake vehicle when there aren't enough servicable BSKs.