SVR Loco Newsy News / discussions

I knew Jack well and was passed for both firing & driving by him. I can though point to drawhook damage and the C&W department experienced similar damage over a period of time. IIRC this was particularly evident on ex LNER coaching stock and my comments relate to GW locos.
On BR it was rare for long 4-6-0s, 2-8-0s etc to work tender first on fairly sharply curved lines. That is not now the case on some of our heritage railways.
Perhaps we are looking at different things here as some couplings are two separate threaded parts one LH & one RH thread. It might be the case that "two threads" on one of those couplings means two threads showing on each of the RH & LH threads.
GW couplings are a single RH thread & 2 threads only on one of these could well be tighter.
To answer Steve's point, even with more threads showing I am not suggesting couplings should be so slack that they could self uncouple. Buffers still need to be firmly in contact.

 

When RPSI ran their long weekend of steam around Ireland in 2008, recent regulations in the UK prohibited the coaches from carrying passengers until the process of equipping them with central locking, which was then in hand,
had been completed. Consequently we could legally ride around the Republic in these coaches (not to mention the much older wooden-bodied ones), but not across the Border. As partial compensation we were taken to Dundalk, just before the Border, then back south to Drogheda, then back to€ Dundalk again. At Drogheda, with the train on a curve, they had a terrible struggle to compress the buffers far enough that they could start to release the coupling.

I can post that bit of my video if anyone's interested.

 

There you have a pet hate of mine Steve. As someone who is regularly coupling and uncoupling locos I hate it when I come to a shackle that has not been unwound at least a few turns when I come to tie on. It is so much easier to unwind a coupling still attached to a draw hook than it is to unwind it when squeezed between a loco and its train (especially so if the loco is fitted with snow ploughs). I always teach to think of the next time that coupling is to be used and therefore unwind it a bit.

Peter

 

A little late, but here's my offering from Monday's action. If you decide to give it a watch, I hope you enjoy it

 

Just for the record work at Bridgnorth on Dunrobin and the IOMR boilers and frames are contract work, and AIUI at least some is/will be 'charged for' work on 813, 4150, 34027 and 82045.

In answer to your point though, if before everything was cleared you turned up with a wad of cash and asked for some work to be done on your loco, I don't know what the response would be!

 

I know what mine would be!

 

Thought I might get a response from you, Peter. My pet hate with coupling up is the person who fully unwinds the screw before taking it off the hook. The vast majority of our coupling up is done on the straight and, if the driver has given it a good squeeze, coupling and uncoupling is so much easier and quicker. I totally agree about those snowploughs on the diesels, which is compounded by the fact that they have continental screw couplings, which weigh far too much. They are a nightmare job to couple up.

 

Well there is another problem that the poor fireman has to contend with - drivers who squeeze up unnecessarily. It isn't a problem with freight vehicles or non gangway fitted passenger stock but the space between Mk1 stock and a loco is tight enough as it is without unwarrented buffer compression. How often does a driver insist on squeezing up before allowing you in to untie when the buffers are already in slight compression and the shackle is visibally not under tension. There is little enough room to manouver in between as it is, aggrevated by the addition of air and steam heat bags (pipes if you like) which were not there on locos pre-preservation. To be comfortable a fireman should be able to stand up between the buffers of the loco and coach and rotate his body through 180 degrees. This allows you to comfortably lift the shackle onto the draw hook under the gangway end. All to often it is a tight squeeze to stand up in between facing the gangway, let alone having enough room to turn. I may be getting on a bit, but I'm far from being the stoutest fireman there is. Ergonomically speaking coupling many preserved locos to Mk1 coaches is Swindonesque at the best of times and can be made so much worse by well intentioned drivers who think they are doing you a favour by turning what for a fireman is a squeeze into a squash when he goes in there.

I suspect Steve that you have been a driver for far too long, or maybe its me who has been a fireman too long - probably both . Better be prepaired for an MIC on this subject next time we are out together.

Peter

 

There I agree with you - coupling to vehicles with gangways (i.e. Mark 1s) is my pet peeve; I’d definitely prefer drivers not to squeeze up in that situation if they can avoid it, even if it means you have to undo the coupling shackle more turns.

Other annoyances: locos with rigid couplings (like on a BR Standard) that swing in a single plane with the hook to hold them on behind the buffer plank. SR type with an extra link and a hook to the side are much easier to handle.

“High to high” vac bags - ‘nuff said. High to low or low to low are OK, high to high are a pain.

Tom

 

A couples of advantages for the IOWSR are an almost total lack of gangways, the only pair are on the 4 wheel push pull set and air hoses are much easier than vacuum bags.

 

Britain's railways are guilty of many spectacular booboos, but concentrating on the vacuum break has to be up there with the worst of them.
Pat

 

They do turn work down. A slightly different circumstance but I recall a comment that the owners of 1450 wanted a quicker start to the overhaul than the SVR could offer at the time, and so it went to the Flour Mill. As the works empties I guess it will be a judgement call by the SVR what contract work they can accept (assuming at that time they both want it and can get it)

 

Great video, can I ask how you get to the spot for Severn Lodge please? It's a great viewing point!

Thanks,

 

It would appear to be from a footpath, see around the 'Quarry (dis)' label.

 

There's no thread for ex-GWR Collett 1400 class 0-4-2T locomotive 1450 so I've posted this here, as that was where previous posts about this loco are. The SVR doesn't list it as a 'home' loco, and I infer there's no current loco agreement for it. It is being overhauled on behalf of its owner at a third party site, to which there's no public access. A representative has posted an update on another forum:

The photographs are courtesy of the 'Reg Dore Collection'.

 

One loco I've always wanted to own, cracking little machine. Nice to see her on her way back.

 

Me too! I even spoke to the owner on the subject but her at home said NO.

 

They do tend to take up a lot of space on the drive and are liable to generate adverse comments from the neighbours.

 

If you get one the neighbours tend to one up you as well.