1994 Blue Peter incident

The reverser on “Beachy Head” does operate the wrong way (anti-clockwise for forwards). But at least the indicator moves in a logical direction!

Tom

 

How odd. You'd have thought that handing the thread to give the right movement would be the logical way to go, easier than eliminating to rocking lever on 2968 which causes its strange movement.

 

From memory (how soon I've forgotten) Gresley locos are anti-clockwise for forward and this was the same on the LNER pacifics with the vertical reverser screw. Thompson & Peppercorn used the more conventional arrangement on the B1 & K1.

 

I've only once been on an LNER Pacific, in 1973 when 4472 came back from the States and was lit up at Edge Hill, where I'd just booked on duty. I only got as far as the doorway. Never before or after had I seen so many people on Edge Hill shed! It drew crowds even among professional railwaymen.

 

And if that was Doncaster practice, Marsh did of course take it pretty much wholesale to Brighton - so quite likely that is where it comes from. Though he did add the Stroudley air-assistance to the reverser which you don't get on Doncaster locos; you have to remember that that only assists when you are going to towards back gear.

Tom

 

What regulations ,Who paid for the driver familarity? ,drivers would'nt work for nothing learning.
I remember being on Lincoln station after doing the shed when a Midlands to the East Coast Special came in with a LMS compound ,the LNER driver who was taking over had a quick corsre by the midland man how to drive a compound.Thing like that happened all the time ,Cambridge would send a Westinghouse brake fitted J15 65447 now and again ,to Kettering on the first train of the day ,relived by Kettering men at Raunds ,some drivers had never seen a air braked loco before ,let alone drove one.Still it made one or two laughs later when the tales were told.

 

Apparently, the fun started during World War II when the relief crew saw an S160 rolling in . . .

 

I think they had a few problems with the S160s caused by the crews not being familiar with the Klinger water gauges.

 

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before but Bert Hooker related a story about the time he worked an RCTS special over Shap and Ais Gill with 35012 United States Lines. He was getting a bit concerned about the water level in the tender, the LM inspector assured him it was OK as they could take water ar Garsdale. As they were passing the station the inspector turned to the fireman and told him to get ready to drop the scoop! they made an unscheduled stop I think at Blea Moor for water. I suppose there was no reason why a LM Inspector would know Bulleid Pacifics didn't have a water scoop.

 

Apart from a cursory inspection of the tender! "That's funny, there's normally two of those handle thingies, one each side ..."

Tom

 

8F 8233 made a journey over quite a distance over what was then BR with the handbrake screwed down because the WR fireman couldn't find the handbrake screw. That engine had an ex-WD tender so no dip. The handbrake screw was on what the fireman had always thought of as the driver's side so thought that it was the dip as the he believed the handbrake should be on the other side. A bit of an extreme example but I am assured it's true!