Bluebell Railway General Discussion

I wondered about that, but I think it had no more than a guards brake valve just like the saloons. A driving trailer suggests to me that it is operated by a driver but I'm fairly certain that the driver stayed on the loco and drove from there. Are there any old hand Bluebell men who can comment from that far back (35 years ago)?

Peter

 

66710, 73119, 73136 and 66719 arriving at Horsted Keynes this morning to rake the Inspiration Train to Derby this evening. A pleasant interruption to our work with the Wednesday Lineside Gang. Both 66s fitted with covered up nameplates, presumably to be revealed at the Greatest Gathering.

 

Yes that's correct, it has a brake valve and a special window in the 'leading' end of the coach for the Guard's observing the track ahead. The driver stayed on the loco.

Andy (not quite such an old hand)

 

The basic requirement is that the leading carriage has a place for the guard where he has a forward-facing window; a means to sound a warning (in practice normally a compressed air horn) and a brake control. So he can look forward and, in emergency, sound a warning and / or stop the train. Everything else is done from the loco. It is not true motor train working, though to a casual external observer it might look like it.

Given the internal construction of the LNWR Obo in particular, with no internal partitions to block the view, when you are on a small loco such as a P or Terrier you can see right through to the line ahead when propelling. The view from the footplate is probably rather better than you get on Sir Archie or Camelot when running normally!

Tom

 

HMRI/ORR weren't averse to passenger trains being propelled where it wasn't possible to haul the train as long as there was someone at the front who could keep a lookout ahead and apply the brake if necessary. This could easily be achieved with a long pipe attached to the normal brake pipe and a simple valve to let air in, if required. Or out, in the case of an air brake. This happened on most railways where an extension was in progress and there was no run round loop at the end of the line. I'm unaware of any restriction on the number of coaches.

 

My photo, 1 April 1990 - a test run of the Extension Shuttle, with the Adams Radial tank propelling Maunsells 1309 and 6575 (which had been turned to put the brake end at the North) with a specially created gangway shield driving end, complete with windscreen wiper!
If memory serves, there was also a bell for communication to the driver on the loco.
Richard

 

Another of my photos, 1 April 1990 - a test run of the Extension Shuttle, with the Adams Radial tank propelling Maunsells 1309 and 6575 (which had been turned to put the brake end at the North) with a specially created gangway shield driving end, complete with windscreen wiper!

 

Deleted (others said same thing).