Bluebell Railway General Discussion

And it marks Tom's 5 years of editorship. Always interesting, a good mix of articles, and good honest view from the Chair/Vice-chair. Keep up the good work.

 

Can't speak for the CET's (which are known to be expensive) but the group have already stated on their website that all the GSMR equipment has already been acquired so the only remaining cost is fitting. They state OTMR for both ends will be £10k. Reading closely it also says the appeal is for CDL "preparations" which suggests they may not be going the whole way with that on the back of this £50k appeal. It also doesn't state how many of the doors or toilets they're looking to kit out (a number could be locked OOU)? All of the above taken into account, I'd say we are getting closer to the 50k figure...

Many years ago the group stated that phase 2 of their plan was to get the unit in a state where it could travel the mainline empty stock and move between connected pres lines for events. The £50k would presumably achieve this (GSMR, OTMR) but the statement at the end about returning passengers to the South Eastern Electric contradicts that and suggests they're looking to go "all the way".

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Don't think anyone answered my earlier question - these are Mk 1-based vehicles, are they not? How well do their ends comply with modern crashworthy regs?

 

Just take a look at post 6612 on this thread, That should answer your question.

 

I did read it and it didn't enlighten me! I saw about adding anti-telescoping measures (presumably lower shelf brackets on the buckeyes) but I'm not sure what the relevance of those is the the crashworthiness of the body ends. You'll have to enlighten me, I'm afraid.

 

And I am afraid that I can not enlighten you, Possibly the Southern electric traction group may be able to help you.
Why are you so concerned?

 

I'm not concerned, I'm curious! Was it just the slam doors that got all Mk 1 emu stock condemned? I always understood that there were issues over crash worthiness, but perhaps I'm wrong? It wouldn't be the first time!

 

I’m usually not too bothered about mainline diesels and electrics, but I have to say a run on the 4VEP would be fun. I spent many years clattering up and down the Woking to Waterloo line on them. Few less joints in the rail to clickety clack over, but I bet it’d still be fun barrelling through Weybridge at 75…

Simon

 

Funny you should say that. I'm not really one for modern traction either (who knew!) but having grown up adjacent to the Reading - Waterloo line, 4-VEPs (and 4-CIGs) were what I first knew. So not being a rail tour person, but I could imagine a 4-VEP tour on the mainline. I wonder if the slightly musty smell will remain? (They always seemed to leak from round the doors in the rain).

My local stop was Bracknell. If you got a peak time train to Waterloo, you'd roll into Ascot and there would be lines of smartly dressed City types all standing in neat formation, perfectly positioned to line up with the doors. Woe betide you if you happened to have sat in some banker's normal seat for his daily commute! (The opening minutes of every Reggie Perrin episode were not comedy, they were documentary ...)

Tom

 

Have you ever read ‘Galloping Foxley’ by Roald Dahl? Very much of the same ilk.

 

Me too, I had 40 years or so working the stupid things as a guard, Not my favorite units, much preferred the Cigs Reps and TCs, but having said that, I wish the Southern traction group the very best of luck with all the things they still have to do to the satisfaction of the OR&R.

 

4CEP was my preference for their 2+2 seats and arm rests… felt like you were in 1st class…

Simon

 

They don't it seems to me

But is that they apply apply to approving new construction?

 

The best sort of crashworthiness is not crashing. TPWS has made any sort of collision a quite remote possibility (as long as it is left “on”). I think this is one reason why Mk1s have been allowed to continue to operate on the mainline. These are just self propelled mk1s

 

I think you may find the buckeye couplings are what is required to get the derogation for the crash worthiness aspect, I think that's what the Hastings Diesels have done. All this info is available searching the ORR website.

 

As a commuter with a 1.5 hour journey each way, I actively avoided services with rostered 4 VEPs and headed for CIG/BIGs. VEPs were cold,drafty, uncomfortable seats and very cramped in the rush hour. Nonetheless, good luck to the group wishing to place one back into service but I won't be at the head of the queue to purchase a ticket.

 

The trick was to get in either the declassified compartment or the converted bit of the brake van. I can still remember the spot on the platform at my old station for the latter.

Wonder how much we'd have to pay to do one last trip into waterloo under commuter rules (ie most of the train was empty before it stopped).

Nostalgia eh...?

 

They were only really modern in materials[1], in spirit they were just 1930s stock with a fancy paintjob and bagpipes.

Mike
[1]at least I don't think they had recycled traction motors, but I bet it wasn't for want of trying...

 

I may be barking up the wrong tree, but i thought there was a later relaxation on the "Mark 1 end vehicle" crashworthiness ban which contributed to the 2004/2005 demise of first gen DMU's & EMU's. This was some years after all the mainstream MK1 stock was gone (2010's??) and it was suggested there'd been a risk assessment primarily aimed at charters etc that basically said that the spread of TPWS and the extremely small number of mk1's in charter use has reduced the probability of collision so low that the ban could be relaxed for special stock.

For a time MK1 charters always seemed to have a MK2 on the rear (if there was no loco) and then suddenly all-Mk1 rakes returned... so i assumed this was one of the benefits of the review?

As an aside, the Hastings unit apparently escaped tha ban because the front halves of the outer vehicles were brake/engine compartments so offered a suitable crash buffer.

All the above might be a steaming pile of......... But the story seemed to make sense with what I'd observed, and if true explains the change in stance from the early 2000's.

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