GWR ATC

Roughly what year was that please?
I remember reading in one of the mags, in about 1971/72, about the last ATC ramps being removed at Stratford-on-Avon.[/quote:2vowzw4s]
I started my first year at Swindon Works in '72 and was at OOC by mid '73. Checking back through my photo's from that period, I can't spot the Reading through road ramp in any photo's around '72. So by then I would think all the ramps were gone, but with dual systems still fitted to locos, I remember testing both until the ATC shoes just seemed to dissappear, must have been as locos went through works, although the hydraulic's were also diminishing fast at this time. A fellow apprentice who's on this forum as "gz3xzf" might remember better than me as he spent longer at OOC than I did. I moved on to the "ODM" section at Paddington in 1975. In the apprentice school at Swindon there were several ATC setups mounted on benches. One of the tasks to teach apprentices, was to connect the bits up with conduit and wire it up, but of course, no vacuum to test it fully!

There was still a ramp rusting away in the undergrowth just south of Kings Sutton, unless it's been recovered for scrap in the last couple of years. The ramp itself was in a poor state, but the end castings were probably worth salvaging. I also discovered the cut up remains of one half buried in a mound of dirt near Goring last year, but it's subsequently been cleared away.

 

This sort of topic is much more about what this forum should be about than gazing at endless recent gala photos, inane chit chat & slagging off the Mid Hants Railway!

I always thought that the yellow stripe on the ATC was an indication that this was electrical apparatus & can't recall seeing a steam loco, diesel or DMU which DID'NT have the stripe (BR '60 onwards).

Seem to recall seeing a 61xx loco cab which had an additional indicator on the drivers side indicating shoe in/out which may have been something to do with working in the London area on joint BR/LT lines?

 

There used to be one knocking around at Didcot (without the hooks) I have tried to sketch it as I cannot find a drawing or picture of one. (Excuse the five year olds scratching below!! 8-[ ) The hooks were bolted to the two small holes at the corners of the triangles, I may try a better sketch with the hooks in place later.

As "Pannier Man" says, we started at Swindon in Sept '72, which means that we would have gone to our home locations in Sept '73, my home shed was OOC (Pannier Man was Reading if I remember rightly) and I can remember being shown how to test ATC/AWS dual systems then. I finished my apprenticeship in '76, but I do not recall testing ATC shoes as an electrician at that time; so I suspect they would have been removed by then. I am afraid that is not much more conclusive other than to confirm the period.
If my memory serves me correctly one of the test pieces on the electrical section in the Swindon apprentice training school was making the conduit runs and wiring a bench setup of the ATC gear, complete with a bell box and shoe switch.

 

I had a quick look through some books earlier, and came up with 1974 as the year ATC was finally decommissioned. Somewhere in the back of one of my books there's a picture of the final ramps being taken out, I think it might have actually been a slightly later date than this (1978 or so?)

Will keep a look out for that crowbar!

 

Could be; if as you say it was very common at one point, then that would make sense.

 

Yes, but to maintain it all in working order costs money which could be better spent elsewhere.

 

Hmm, like restoring wagons?

 

That's interesting. Kings Sutton's not far away from me & I've been there dozens of times over the last twenty years or so but I've never spotted the ramp. I presume it was on the railway side of the fence somewhere?

 

I guess it depends whether you like Preservation to be about telling future generations about the History of the railways or just want to play trains.

 

You, Stuart and me were London, "Tank", Ian and Andy were Reading. I was away for a while when I broke my leg and did my end test and finals at Padd ODM.... those were the days!! Friday afternoons doing log books in Dan Sullivan's office at the bottom of the Pulman Shed. (Still got mine in the loft somewhere).

I wonder if there's one of those crowbars still kicking around at OOC? So much stuff just got left behind when things became "privatised". That's how I found two brand new Gudgeon pin spanners marked GWR!

That's interesting. Kings Sutton's not far away from me & I've been there dozens of times over the last twenty years or so but I've never spotted the ramp. I presume it was on the railway side of the fence somewhere?[/quote:3lv1jtfz]
Yes, it was pretty in-accessible, north of the motorway bridge but south of the station, best part of a 1/2 mile walk along the track. Probably why it was (or is still) there so long! Found it by chance while measuring out a cable run.

 

Ooops..... 8-[ Shows how 36 years dulls the memory.

 

Wagons not only add to the whole railway picture in a far more visiable way than an ATC ramp stuck out at the distant signal, which on most railways is well away from public view, but also double as mobile store rooms, and bring in revenue from photo charters which can be very good busines for the railway. My memeries don't extend back far enough to remember the days of ATC, yet, without ever seeing a fully working set of ATC gear, I think I have managed to gain a reasonable grasp of what it did, and how it worked. Yes, it does need explaining to future generations, yes the stuff does need preserving, but ask your self this very seriously, unless there is someone on hand to explain to anyone that cares to listen, even if you could hear it from the line side, what is actually to be gained from the expense of re-instating it anywhere?

 

read the post properly....

 

While I agree wagons are important, along with many other less high profile items, if a group want to add ATC let them, personally I am a volunteer, so I will be giving up my time to install ATC on 7202, the extra cost is minimal as the conduit and equipment will all be there, just cable and a few bits of pipe. At Didcot there is already a ramp, that needs raising, the cost is virtually zero as it does not need power as it is next to a fixed distant. Compared to the amount spent on other items I feel this is worth while, along with amny other small items on any railway, particulalry the unusual.

 

Bit late picking up on this post, as it seems to have gone off track onto wagons and things! But just a note to say in answer to the original question that both 7029 and 7752 still have complete GWR ATC systems in place. The last time we tried 7029's it still worked but obviously the original batteries are a bit flat! 7029 will obviously have to lose the equipment as and when it is returned to main line work but 7752 will probably retain it.

Bob

 

so long as 7029s equipment is stored, im sure it could be re-fitted at any time in the future if required. Good to here that this aspect hasnt been forgotten.

Im too young (53!) to remember pea-soup fogs, Im sure it would be educational to teach the future generations about what things really were like in the "old days" when Smog ( at least partially caused by Steam Locos dont forget) was an everyday hazard and how the GWR were able to run at more or less express speed through it with complete confidence. I am sure air pollution like this was a major factor in the demise of Steam.

 

That is the whole point of doing at Didcot, the ramp is on full view to the public only about 15feet away and there is a plaque that explains what it is and used for; if it were working I suspect it would be easily heard from the trackside. I would agree that having working apparatus on somewhere like the Severn Valley or the West Somerset would only benefit the crew on the one or two days a year when the visibility is below 400 yards or so. As I have said on many occasions, Didcot is a working museum and therefore has a certain obligation to have additional features working that other steam railways would find uneconomic to maintain. It would also keep alive a skill (maybe for a few people only) in installing and maintaining the GWR ATC system which is something that will disappear as the every-day use of the system fades from living memory.

Working ATC gear would be a great demonstration on the Railway Experience days at Didcot, when the members of the public crew the locomotives.

Having said that, in the cab of a tank engine having the warning hooter going off every 5 minutes all day might get a bit exhausting for the footplate staff!! ](*,)

 

spot on there....and maybe a repeater of the cab equipment could be set up lineside next to the plaque (which I missed on my last visit but will look out for) to complete the picture....

 

As a small asside to this, I was told a tale a few month ago by a collegue of mine, about an incedent when an EX GWR loco hd ended up double heading with an ex LNER loco on the joint line south of Banbury.
The two locos were hammering towards London at a rate of knots, through a thick fog. After a few miles of this, the Great Central crew had had enough, and put the brake in, bringing the train to a stand still at a platform. The GC driver walked forward to tear the Western Crew off a strip.
"Are you trying to Kill us?" demanded the GC crew.
"Good sir" (Or words to that effect) replied the Western man, "You seem to forget, I have this," and with that, hammers on the ATC bell with a Key.

 

I actually had my camera with me today and remebered to use it, normally I am to involved with work to bother, and took some picture of the gear in 6106. The first one clearly shows the cab gear, but this is one for use on the underground, hence the indicator to sya it is up.
[attachment=1:3o1zy301]Dscn1762.jpg[/attachment:3o1zy301]
The second shows the isolator, this is not normally fitted so I assume that this is also because if hte underground.
[attachment=0:3o1zy301]Dscn1763.jpg[/attachment:3o1zy301]
I forgot to ask someone else what the yellow stripe meant, will try and remember next time I see them.