Support coaches

Is there any pressing reason why they have to go at the front of the train apart from the grease monkeys not having to walk the length of the train at servicing? The shots of Tornado on the Pullman and the Top Gear race are really spoiled for me by the position of the coach, so if it absolutely has to go with the train, why not stick it at the back?

 

so much for the appreciation of support crews...

 

spoiling it for everyone :lol:

 

Are you for real??!!

So at the moment, we've got people moaning about headboards, support coaches and locos in the wrong livery!

Anything else anybody wants to have a good moan about?

Even for this forum, that must be some sort of record!

 

I don't see what the problem is, more often than not the support coach looks more authentic than the stock!, anyway mixed liveried rakes were quite normal, have a look at archive pics of Western region express in the Midlands in the 60's for example, virtually every train was a mix of Maroon, Blood n Custard & Choc n Cream.

Operational reasons are the prime reason it's right behind the tender, if you've spent years restoring and maintaining a machine i think it only fair your right behind the tender storming the Lickey.

 

I wish to moan about the fact that those who work on the railways know absolutely nothing, people need to remember that we run trains for photographers only.... ](*,)

 

Without the support crew none of us would be seeing mainline steam. Many of these people give up there own time to start in the early hours of the morning and finish long after the photters have gone home. Perhaps they could have a 'chase truck' instead of a support coach so it doesn't ruin some peoples photos?? ](*,) ](*,)
Any member of a support crew want to itinerise their last couple of runs on here so people can see how much work they put in?

Neil.

 

I don't much care about the livery debates, and I am not the slightest bit bothered about headboards. But I think this is a legitimate point from a photography POV. Before this get's daft, with my engineers hat on because I am one, I have the utmost respect for support crews, but with my photographers hat on, I would have them following 200 yards behind in a railbus and they can lump it, if it means that a shot of a uniform rake on the main line was a possibility. For a one off like Top Gear, it would not have been hard to have prepositioned hoses etc, and even have the crew ride on the train as it seems there was spare capacity. How many carriages in that set? They presumably could have even provided one suitably covered in newspaper to stop the seats getting mucky

 

Granted, it's not an issue when there is already a mixed set, but take a look at the Puillman and Top Gear pics and tell me they don't look odd. As for the self interest of being right behind it, we all know there are hundreds who would pay good money to go on a tour if they were in the first coach proper, so if you are looking to fund your loco that hardly makes sense. And they get the privelage of running light engine all over the place. The Top Gear / Pullman runs were hardly new sight/sound experiences for the support crew (well barring the presence of a chopper), so it's not too much too ask is it?

 

if the support coach was on the back people would still moan if they were getting distant photos of the whole train, so how about equiping the support crew with tins of paint so they can quickly re-paint the coach before a tour to mach the set?

 

Now you're thinking!

But seriously, at the back you would hardly notice it compared to at the front

http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/p57774758.html

 

A rake of coaches is a bit of a walk with a fire hose on your shoulder. The people who paid for their seats also get a little annoyed if the same hose drips all over them or the crews dirty overalls leave oily marks on their seats/bags/coats etc.

 

Typical York run from Tyseley: Get up at 4.00 am
Arrive at Tyseley at 5.00 am.
Oiling up,watering and coaling then a quick change from orange to blue overalls ready for a 7.30ish departure.
Leicester Humberstone Rd GL 3 or 4 hoses out for water about half a ton of coal to pull forward.
Barrow Hill 5 hoses out for water another half ton or so of coal forward, fight of the little tearaways from the housing estate (those of you who have done this stop will know).
Arrive York around midday and straight through the NRM to the yard as soon as the engine arrives water, coal forward and empty the smoke box. give her a bit of a rub down.
Depart York about 17.00 then it's the same water stops on the return journey.
Arrive back about 22.00 shunt the stock put the engine to bed and arrive home about midnight.
Not bad for a bunch of over 60's who are doing it just because we enjoy it.
Oh and BTW walking the length of a train along the ballast carrying hoses is no fun believe me.

 

It is not uncommon to want to take hte support coach with you to the servicing location as it has any tools and tea making facilities, to remove it from the back means extra shunting time.

On an out and back trip I be you would also be suggesting the train is re-fromed with the support coach on the back.

As for support crews geeting a free ride on the positioning move,so what, they generally earned it by doing a lot of work and giving up leave to get everything ready.

 

Steam radio, I think you started this post and are continuing with it to provoke people. It is not really a valid argument that you are trying to put forward, just a deliberate attempt to cause trouble. I think that a mod should put out a Troll warning...

 

perhaps if the owners of the rakes of carriages painted their carriages in 'odd' (as in not the same) liveries, then the different colour of the support coach would not be so noticeable? If there are 2 other maroon carriages in the rake, then the one at the front doesn't look so out of place. and as someone said earlier, there is a greater historical precedent for mixed livery sets than there is for same livery sets.

 

And this post wasn't meant to provoke a respone I guess.

 

And while they're at it, someone should write to Network Rail and ask them to take those overhead lines down for the day. Was a bit thoughtless leaving them up, really.