Lowmac Wagon at Peak Rail

The Lowmac is my current project. All the old timbers have been stripped off, and the inside of the frames cleaned down and painted. The timbers in the central well are 8" x 4" poplar from Victoria Sawmills at Darley dale, "It's what we always used to supply to Derby Works" . The plate wagon is one I finished last year, it has previously been shown in an uncompleted state.

Tim[attachment=1:14e6nhmv]SDC11617_plate wagon.jpg[/attachment:14e6nhmv][attachment=0:14e6nhmv]SDC11616_lowmac_copy.jpg[/attachment:14e6nhmv]

 

Nice one Tim, but do you think it is possible to reduce the size of the photo,s?

Best regards
Chris

 

Yep thats what you call a close up Tim.
Is this the unknown I'd Lowmac or DE230943 you're working on?
Cheers
Steve

 

When it's finished you should park a JCB on it and replicate the view that was on the Airfix kit of the Lowmac with load.

 

Sorry about the picture size; not sure what went wrong there. The lowmac came as ADB904639. It will go back into service possibly as 904639 with LNER livery; this is very similar to LNER designs, but BR built.

We already have one lowmac in LNER livery, plus a pipe wagon which is lettered for the Stanton and Staveley traffic. There is a second pipe wagon which I'd letter the same given the chance.

Tim

 

Yes thanks Tim.
Is the 8F going to be used for freight trains in the future?
Its good to see wagons getting some attention. I appreciate they don't create the much needed revenue for a line and are usually relegated to PW duties, even so I'd be happy to pay to attend a gala just watching freight trains personally. Hmm yes brakevan rides with a dozen wagons in between would be nice!! Is this possible/ever happened on a heritage line?
Steve

 

Not that I am aware Steve, however and as you know, our wagon group on the Mid-Hants are currently restoring two brake vans for this year and we have been asked to make some removable gates for the veranda,s to fall in line with current H&S regulations.

Which as I seeit the freight is going to be revenue earning so read into that what you will.

Regards
Chris

 

If you go to the Bristol Harbour Railway you can ride in open wagons which have been adapted with bench seats in them - admittedly not very fast and not very far, but it's quite a cute operation. And didn't the Middleton use to do something similar in their very early days? (I've never been there, so someone will have to correct me on that if I'm wrong.)

Other than brake van rides, I can't see it happening on a 'conventional' heritage railway in this day and age though, the thought of putting passengers in vehicles not designed for carrying them is probably a Health & Safety nightmare and unlikely to be worth the paperwork it would generate, particularly when you have to consider (and justify with risk assessments etc.) the possibility of injury caused by vehicles 'snatching'...

Phil

 

Indeed the early days of Middleton operation involved passengers riding in a brakevan and an open wagon and being propeled up the hill to Middleton Park. I love the idea of traveling in an open wagon. Anyone else fancy it?

Andy

 

You say that you cannot see brake van rides happening on a "convential heritage railway"?, perhaps you are right when this would be the whole length of the line, but on an isolated siding and within the station paramiters that would be a different story. Having spoke to the HSE about this only last week, there would certainly be rules laid down, however they felt that certainly in principle there was certainly no problem in investigating on how this could be allowed.

I have found that if one approaches the HSE with something like this, they usually go out of their way to help you achieve your goal.It would certainly add to more than being just a train ride which in these appaling economic times is just what is needed.

Regards
Chris

 

On many of the German narrow gauge lines, they run a 'Schienencabrio'. This is basically an open bogie wagon, with seats and a barrel of beer, that you can hire for your party and have attached to a service train.

Picture here: http://www.ozdoba.net/harz/fzg/bild/fzg ... cabrio.jpg

and: http://www.mec01.muenchberg.de/gl4/sbf3.jpg

I always thought that would be a fun way to travel on a preserved railway in the UK...

Pil

 

You say that you cannot see brake van rides happening on a "convential heritage railway"?[/quote:vm0fin6i]
No, I said other than brake van rides, at least brake vans were designed with the carriage of people (i.e. the guard) in mind!

The rest of your message, I agree with. We have certainly had brake van rides at the GCR in the past (usually at Thomas events) although not for a few years now.

Phil

 

Might even make you spill your beer :-( Actually, it might be like 'it's a knockout' trying to drink a beer at 125mph in an open wagon :-O

It would be fun on the back of a service train at the [insert favourite railway] on a sunny day though.

Pil

 

You say that you cannot see brake van rides happening on a "convential heritage railway"?[/quote:3kf9b08j]
No, I said other than brake van rides, at least brake vans were designed with the carriage of people (i.e. the guard) in mind!

The rest of your message, I agree with. We have certainly had brake van rides at the GCR in the past (usually at Thomas events) although not for a few years now.

Phil[/quote:3kf9b08j]

Apologies for the misquote.

Regards
CW.

 

we run faily regular brakevan rides along the entire line at the Spa Valley Railway last year passengers had the chance at our steam gala to travel in the Queen Mary on the back of a fitted freight train so yes it can be done. the QM is out of traffic at the moment awaiting a brakeblock change which will be completed in the next few weeks before the Special Events start at the railway.

 

In your picture of the lowmac, is the brake van in the background a Shark or an Oyster, I cant quite make it out. What is the difference between these vans other than the wieght (oysters being 16 tons and sharks being 20 tons)

 

Hello Del and welcome to the forum.

Regards
Chris

 

There's the distinct possibility that an open wagon and brake van combination might be repeated at Middleton before too much longer. This year it's 40 years since the Railway's passenger service first started as a regular operation and we are looking at celebrating this with a one off event.

Mention of riding in open wagons brings back many memories of such things. It used to be quite the norm for tours of industrial railways and nobody thought anything of it. I well remember a trip to the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway in 1969 where we rode on a flat wagon with a few chairs to sit on for comfort. Unfortunately, no piccies of that event.