Typical pre-preservation trains

Occasionally there are discussions here about authentic types of locos and rolling stock for preserved lines. As a non-expert casual enthusiast (with a narrow gauge bias) I don’t actually know what a typical passenger (or goods if you like) train would have been on the various heritage lines before preservation and would be interested to know. Maybe pre- and post-war (or boom years and decline....). Typical may be hard to define, I imagine seaside lines for example would have had quiet winters and different workings on a summer Saturday.

Feel free to say whether the line in question has the current ability to run a typical train, or close to the same spirit without having exactly the same classes, but hopefully keep the thread as a record with no controversy or criticism of non-authentic lines, I don’t mean it as a competition!

 

Forgot to say, thanks in advance!

 

O.K. I'll kick it off.
The Ashburton branch (current S.Devon Rly.) was worked by 14xx tanks on auto trailers or 1 or 2 coach non-corridors. Mixed freight, coal, grain and cattle by 14xx and 45xx tanks.
Ray.

 

Sadly I dont think we will manage to fit this in at Midsomer Norton these days..............

 

Of standard gauge lines, the IWSR has to win hands down for authenticity, as, bar one carrige on the line (can't recall if the LBSC Billinton bogie compt in question, rescued from the mainland, is restored yet), all operated on the Island's network 'back in the day'. Even though IWR carriage No.10 is the crowning achievement (to date!), the 4w 'Ventnor' pull-push set is an absolute gem.

Used to the offerings elsewhere, back then, often sporting tatty blue or grey BR moquettes in green liveried stock, my first visit to Haven Street (more years ago than I care to remember!) was a real eye opener, with interior restorations to a standard I'd never previously seen outside museums. It's pleasing to note the C&W wizards on the IWSR now have serious competition from other places .....

 

L.B.S.C.R No 2403 is the vehicle you refer to and has been altered as the bogie set's wheelchair carrier. I agree about there being an increasing number of interesting stuff usuable but, unless you are prepared to pore over timetables and websites, if you want to sample such interesting stock day in day out then you have to go to the I.O.W.

 

The Mid Hants regular passenger service was operated by Hampshire DEMUs for the last 10 or 12 years and the Mid Hants is fortunate to have one, though it is a two carriage set rather than the three car sets that I remember. It gets a run out approximately monthly and is adored by many older members such as me, who remember the lovely musty smell of old moquette seats and the dancing dust particles caught in a sunbeam through the carriage window! (Actually 1125 is so well looked after now that it is far too clean to smell musty, but the throbbing English Electric diesel engine still sounds a treat. I just wish it was pulling into Itchen Abbas. Ah well....

 

The Severn Valley Branch: Pre-war ‘full line’ passenger services would be typically 3 coaches, often plus a small goods van; motive power was mainly 45xx small prairie or 57xx pannier. Pre-war local services around the south end of the line often used a GWR diesel railcar or an auto-fitted 64xx. Freights normally used 2-6-0 locos such as the 43xx.

Post-war passenger services began much as before but saw the introduction of ex-GWR 51xx large prairies, ex-LMS Stanier 2-6-2Ts and latterly BR 3MT 2-6-2Ts (and of course Mk 1s began to replace the GWR stock). Local services also saw the introduction of BR ‘Bubble Cars’ to replace the GWR units. Freight saw a number of different types including some LNER J25s just post-war, and even BR 9Fs were used on coal trains from time to time.

Although it was a small branch line north of Bewdley, the LMS had running rights at the south end and plenty of excursions to Bewdley and Stourport came in on Bank Holidays, so an 8 coach train with (for example) a Crab would be perfectly authentic, at least between Kidderminster and Bewdley!

 

Is there a suitable trailer kicking around anywhere? It always seems amazing that all those BR(S) EMUs and DEMUs, which were once so common we all took them for granted, are reduced to so very few surviving examples (apart from the MLVs!).

 

Adrian Vaughan's truly wonderful three volume autobiography of his life as a signal-man in BR's Western Region, "Signalman's Morning", "Signalman's Twilight", and "Signalman's Nightmare" (which every rail enthusiast ought to own on general principles) has some nice descriptions of local goods traffic.

Noel

 

I've seen footage and photos of 8Fs and Black 5's at Bewdley with excursions I know 8F's worked trains to Alverley Colliery. You could even make a case for a K4 being authentic as 3442 made a visit (with 1420 I think) before the line closed.

 

The East Lancs railway is actually an amalgam of three routes, the Bury to heywood section was part of the Rochdale to Bolton line, the section between Bury and Stubbins junction, just north of Ramsbottom, was part of the Manchester to Accrington line. Both of these were secondary main lines, while the northern section to Rawtenstall, was the branch, which originally went to Bacup. This branch section was worked by L&Y 2-4-2 tanks with push pull trailers, while the other sections would see a variety of larger LMS and BR standard types. 8Fs,WDs, Black 5s, standard 4 and 5s etc. Later, Cravens and Metro Cammell DMUs. The line survived as a coal depot was established at Rawtenstall which remained open until 1980, and the coal trains were almost always class 40s, sometimes 25s, with the very occasional 47.