Come in Mk1, Your time is up.

Its often discussed how Mainline steam Haulage is continually negotiating a minefield of Modern safety regs, monitoring technology, crowded paths and tenuous commercial viability and yet as long as the possibilty is there its something that we the enthusiast want to continue, we even have new Locos now that will probably out live us even if the originals dont, but what of the coaching stock, can our rakes of MK 1's out last us ? will they fall foul of safety standards sooner or later, what can replace them (upgraded mk 2a's?)
Would the appeal of travelling behind steam not be totally diminished without the ability to Hear, see and smell the steam that our draughty old Mk 1 's allow ? Would we ever get our heads round a rake of virgin MkIII'S on charter trains ?

What is the future for Mainline Steam hauled rolling stock...

 

Maybe we need a company to make new "old" stock ?

It can't be beyond the realms of reality to create a modern safety chassis / framework, but then design the body to look like.. well just about any historic coach design ?

(as a wild example think about the road coach company in the US that's made tour buses nationwide using the body design of a San Francisco cable car ?)

 

I don't really think the whole lot need to be completely replaced,some are better than others for sure but bar bogies and a few other probs i reckon with a fair bit of TLC they could be made safer.

Having said that,should a MK1 rake ever end up in an accident i think the results would be devistating,either that or they need to impose a 80-90mph speed restriction on em. Some are really quite rough at high speeds around 100mph (so are some MK2a/b's (whatever they are,the earlier ones? A,B,C?) they rock and roll all over and i dread to think what could potentially happen. It is bad enough with a 47 doing 95mph but when a 67 comes on you need to hold on for dear life,especially when you play 'Tail end Charlie!'.

I think MKD/E's would make steam completely irrelavant,it would really spoil it,i have done a couple of charters with em,they are awful tbh,you can barely hear the loco for a start,anything after the second coach and you wouldn't,at all.

I already refuse to go steam/diesel tours with MK2 D/E's cos it is a pointless experience in my eyes.....you may as well be on an HST!

Cheers,
Mark

 

Opening windows (droplights & the smaller sliding ones) are pretty basic to enjoying steam haulage IMHO - ruling out anything more recent than a Mk 2.

If a risk assessment was carried out comparing a day out in a Mk 1 or a day out in a car on a UK road I suspect that Mk 1 travel might well come out best - we need to make sure that these don't get talked off the network for reasons which are not entirely logical.

 

and beyond

I think that the Bogies are probably as sound as they need to be as long as well maintained, and new ones to an old pattern could be made. Similarly you can make 'Lookalike' Mk1's, Gresley teaks or even a Coronation Scot rake, with a metal frame and wooden/ metal panels but the cost...

After the Mk1 the 2a's are probably the best bet long term But i bet there arent many left now, they arent making any more and are probably scrapping them as we speak...

 

MK 1 replacements

Designing a replacement body for use on the national network is feasible - in fact I think it was done for the Pullman Car Phoenix. This was originally a Golden Arrow car with a tmiber body frame but was rebuilt in recent years as an all-steel body. Crash resistance requirements have probably moved on further since it was done, but it does show what is possible (given a large amount of money!)

Don't forget that MK 1s were originally designed with rebodying in mind, they were only expected to last around 30 years.

 

When do Mk1's travel at 100mph?

 

When they get behind a 67 or a Deltic,that's when

 

Weren't they limited to 90mph by BR?

 

some were and some werent i think, it depended on which bogie they were fitted with?

 

...and let's face it, train crashes are incredibly rare in the UK, let's not get too risk averse. I travel on Pacers every day and that's a vehicle I would really not fancy having a crash in but I don't worry about it.

Dave

 

Sprinter dmus have opening windows and meet the current safety requirements. I wonder of it would be possible to convert this stock to loco-hauled?

Just a thought.

Regards

 

Sliding doors/no drop lights, not the most comfortable of seats - suburban spec generally, need to fit vac brakes, need to fit steam and/or loco spec electric heating. I also think they have air bag suspension, so they will always need an air supply. No use to a vac only loco. Not really worth it.

 

Plus they are likely to get life extension works to take them up to 45 years use.

Regards,

Dan

 

The internal arrangments are surely not a problem, they can easily - though at a price - be changed. the sliding doors can be changed too. I thought that only locos with air braking equipment were allowed on the mainline. Anyway it was just a thought. I'm sure that if there's a will, a way will be found.

Regards

 

Vac only locos run on the mainline, Tyseley's collection for one, 30777, 70013 among several others.

 

WCRC will work vac only trains, EWS/DBS will only work air braked steamers as far as i know.

 

Thank you for that.

Regards

 

If we are getting to the stage of proposing converting sprinters for steam hauled stock, wouldn't be easier to convert a later mk 2 coach? Or is that just silly?