Mark 3 and later Mark 2 carriages

I've noticed that a number of lines are acquiring or have acquired carriages of this generation. Presumably intended for diesel haulage given the need for fairly hefty electric power and air braking. Has anyone tried using them with steam traction and if so how (generator van?)? What are seen as the pros and cons versus refurbishing older carriages with vacuum brakes and steam heating? I have no axe to grind, just curious...

 

There are a number of generator vans around or coaches modified with generator sets in the former brake accommodation.
Often used for railtours with no heat diesel locos.
It's a specialist market and I suspect the gen vans are almost hand built. CIE had quite a few based on second hand mark 1 coaches until the advent of diesel units on almost all routes. I think the GCR and GWSR imported a few but I don't know what happened to them. Certainly a couple at Winchcombe were suffering badly from normal mark 1 rust at the bottom of the body sides.

Cheers, Neil

 

Thanks for the clarification, but I'm sure I heard somewhere they had generator vans for the 1mark 3 stock.

Cheers, Neil

 

There are still four Mk3 generator cars in use in Ireland, out of the 15 built - the rest have been scrapped.

There are about half a dozen generator cars in use in the UK on mainline charters. A Mk1 BSK, a Mk2 BFK, and four Mk1 BGs.

 

The Mk1 BSK from Ireland on the GWSR was most definitely for steam heating, not powering electrically heated Mk2/3s. We've never had any carriages that converted in the other direction so to speak.

 

Railways such as the Mid Norfolk who have bought the air braked/air con later BR coaches seem to be avoiding the idea of steam haulage with generator cars and instead go down the route of having a separate vacuum braked set of coaches for steam.

Sent from my moto g(8) power using Tapatalk

 

Which, given the freezing conditions on the GCR when their steam heat carriages were in use, but misbehaving, strikes me as a sensible option.

 

Steam heat does of course need maintenance and repair just like all the other systems on coaches. It is understandable that if the heating is seldom used, it may not work properly. One would hope that any railway using steam heat will have tested all the pipework, cocks and condensate drains before the steam heat season.

 

I did hope - but my experience as a passenger was that the added complexity more than offset the theoretical advantage of not needing to uncouple for run rounds.

 

For what it is worth. Eastern Rail Services seem to have two of the ex-Nightstar Mk3 generator vans

http://www.easternrailservices.co.uk/news.htm

I have to admit that I am not really sure what Eastern Rail Services do per se