Vintage vs Mk 1

Some of that might suggest some of the locks need attention by C&W. Though I should add that the SVR doesn't have any mark 1s with inside door locks, only one end of a LNER coach and the DMU have these, the rest you have to put you hand out to open them.
The GWR snap locks are a pain to open as well as they can be very hard to turn the handle for even people used to them. The easiest handles I've found are LNER handles which can sometimes be moved with barely any effort at all, just finger could be used on some. This isn't always the best, but they are at least user friendly for older people.
Also I find on newly repainted coaches the doors are sometimes stick because of the new layers of paint and the sun coming out. The LNER coaches and sometimes the GWR ones when it's wet are a pain as well because the wood in the door expand ever so slightly leading to jamming doors. But a careful appilcation of force resolves most problems.

 

Having been on the footplate a little longer than a year, jamie, I assure you that you will not be on one stop for long. I have lost count of the times I have had a Starter, or Advanced Starter signal put back in my face because of this precise problem. There is nothing wrong with the Great Western door locks, they are simple to operate and extremely robust. When you turn that T handle horizontal, it puts an extremely substantial slug of brass into its slot in the frame and that door is going nowhere until it is operated again. The problem is the public, who are losing the habit of taking responsibility for doing even simple things like opening and closing doors, which are not sensor - controlled. It's a sign of the times we live in.

I was a child in the fifties and my fondest memories are of the ex - LMS coaches which formed the trains which took me on holiday for many years. Even now, the SVR's LMS set is my favoured riding choice, because it brings back those happy memories. I would also recommend anyone to try and get a ride on the Venturer dining service, while it still uses newly restored coach 7511, which is an exquisite restoration and wonderful to ride in.

I was also fortunate to travel on the Valley's GWR set when it was still passed for main line service and can attest to the smooth and quiet ride of the "Clapham" buffet car, (although it was difficult to hear through the drunken singing!) and coach 6913, which was blissfully quiet and smooth at 75mph.

Mk1s are fine, but there is something to be said for the real thing!

Regards,

jtx

 

Where I voulenteer at Swanage, we trying to restore a number of SR carriages, but I keep getting the feeling alot of the working members don't really care and say to me we should only be running the Mark 1s and scrap the SR coaches, which really depressing considering that just makes the same as all the other railways. Its also just been struggle to just restore the two Bulleids that were compleate let alone the department conversions. And the Bulleid Brake was withdrawn after only a few days and they not bothered to try and repair it.

 

There is interest in the non-Mark 1 coaches at Swanage, unfortunately it is time, manpower and money that is holding up quicker restorations.

The Bulleid coach was withdrawn after the Railway at Work event in order to attend to a few finishing off items, including a new length of vacuum pipe, but in that time we have had to get all of the Mark 1's available working for the diesel gala, then the air braking working on 3 carriages for the visit of the 02 (which has no vacuum brake equipment), and then maintenance work to get the core Mark 1 fleet ready for the peak season operation, which included 2 6-coach sets during Carnival Week.

Each carriage during the peak season timetable is doing 77 miles per day, so to maintain the core service is quite a daily maintenance burden. However, now we are well into gala preparation, I can say that it is planned that 4365 will see service; indeed, if we are to operate what we are planning, it has to be!

 

Fair point, I appreciate that in a way I have been lucky in this and that it is a reasonably common occurrence. I was emphasising to another poster that it is not so much of an issue as it could be made out to be by those with an agenda, and that the GW carriages do receive the looking after they need. Of course, it is easier to pick up a problem with a GW handle as you only have the two options of open and closed, whereas slam-doors have that limbo situation that is harder to spot. Incidentally, the set I stopped was made up of BR Mk1s!

 

There is always the issue of maintainace costs, our C&W reckon that for every pound spend on a pre-1948 coach a MK1 requires a fiver owing to their construction, how ever, as some MK1s are aproaching their 60th year, surely they ARE vintage stock?

 

Just been working on the droplights for the NRM's LMS Third Open 7828 the LMSCA is restoring at Rowsley - each seating bay has a droplight, plus the doors, so that's eighteen in all. Mind you we've limited the opening on the saloon ones - don't want the little darlings climbing on the tables and falling out do we...!

Cheers
Dave

 

I Am finding exactly the same attitude at Tenerden, we have more vintage coaches now awaiting attension than availible for traffic, yet the plan now is for just the 3 pulmans and 2 mk1's to enter shops this next year , a vintage coach that is in fair condition at the Spa Valley due to come to us this year, now won't be allowed to be brought over till 2014 , so i would guess that it now policy to concentrate only on the pulmans and Mk 1 coaches, My fear is that in doing so we are loosing what the Kesr used to be known for, running vintage coaches and small engines, very soon its going to be just the mk1's or the Dmu i dought if next season we will be able to run a vintage set ,A much needed storage shed, has been delayed and delayed, and has now only just got planning underway but too late for much of the vintage stuff , the funding for this has been there for the last 2 years, internal politics once again

 

I thought that after the met coach has been finished, the GER and then the LNWR Balcony were to follow it, also there is a plan later this year to launch an appeal to restore the LSWR Invalid, include the coach from the spa, that will give the KESR ten vintage coaches, not including the Maunsell BNO thats under overhaul and the two that are in traffic.

Thats of course if plans have not changed........


The railway need the corridor stock for on train catering as well as toilets, there is a place for the vintage stock, but not just vintage coaches

 

As i understand it, the GER and LNWR are not now on the plan to enter works next year, the plan is for the pulmans to be done first, from january to april then the other RU, which is in need of extensive work, expect that to be at least 18 months there is a plan to launch an appeal to do the LSWR coach with lottery funding The district has stalled and i wont expect that to be finished much before next spring we only have limited room and a very small work force to do it all, on top of that there will be 18 month exams and bogie overhauls on the running stock the most we can fit in is 2 coaches at one time, ideally we can only do 1 coach at a time ,when the NBO is done, around about may 2013 i would guess, its place will be taken by the blue RU, that leaves only room for one more coach the birdcage will need attension, the Lms brake, also is looking tired, the B set will need to be looked at . unless we empty the entire shed of everything , ie the 08, the Railcar, and anything else that is not undergoing attension there is just not enough room