The Rail Enthusiast thread

[robjh]

A class 66 on engineering work outside the new Cambridge South station. The 1 mile stretch from the new station southwards to the junction of the Liverpool Street and King's Cross lines is being remodelled, looks like being quadrupled rather than dropping back to two lines out of the station.
The digger vehicle in the picture has rail wheels and is running on the adjacent track.

 

[BrumJim]

I've always liked 31's. Possibly because they really shouldn't have survived half as long as they did with their slightly bonkers wheel arrangement, but somehow kept being too useful to get rid of.

How? (bonkersness)

 

[Andy in Germany]

How? (bonkersness)

The A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. That said, the Japanese DD51, one of my all time favourite locomotives, goes one better, with a B-2-B arrangement, and the central unpowered bogie has a hydraulic cylinder above it so that the axle weight can be varied.

Sadly these are now being phased out and replaced by locos with a more normal B-B-B wheel arrangement.

 

[Jameshow]

The A1A-A1A wheel arrangement. That said, the Japanese DD51, one of my all time favourite locomotives, goes one better, with a B-2-B arrangement, and the central unpowered bogie has a hydraulic cylinder above it so that the axle weight can be varied.

Sadly these are now being phased out and replaced by locos with a more normal B-B-B wheel arrangement.

That makes perfect sense to someone!!

 

[Andy in Germany]

That makes perfect sense to someone!!

I think the idea is that DD51's were meant to be JNR's main heavy freight diesel, so they would have to deal with steeply graded main lines through the mountains, so they needed to have very good tractive abilities. However, they were also expected to traverse lightly laid industrial tracks, where the axle weight had to be limited. As they were introduced in 1962 and have just been phased out, they obviously worked fairly well.

This shows the sort of gradients the locomotives have to deal with on occasion, although to be fair it's not a usual route; they were diverting freight trains along a rather hilly diversion on the West coast to avoid to avoid a section of line that had been cut by a landslide.

This is the sort of environment I'm used to seeing them in, not far from my In-laws home town. It also shows the locomotive wheel arrangement well:

 

[robjh]

It's now 23:05 and I'm sitting on the Night Riviera at Paddington, waiting for it to depart for Cornwall. I'm travelling in the seated section as the berths are long booked up. How uncomfortable can it be? Well, I'm about to find out, but looking good so far. Comfortably refurbished Mk 3's, and a light loading of passengers tonight.

 

[Jameshow]

It's now 23:05 and I'm sitting on the Night Riviera at Paddington, waiting for it to depart for Cornwall. I'm travelling in the seated section as the berths are long booked up. How uncomfortable can it be? Well, I'm about to find out, but looking good so far. Comfortably refurbished Mk 3's, and a light loading of passengers tonight.


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So need to do this!

 

[Mike_P]

I did it in student days when BR had stupidly cheap fares one February IIRC £10 took you anywhere and back so it was a return ticket to Penzance via London.

 

[robjh]

I did it in student days when BR had stupidly cheap fares one February IIRC £10 took you anywhere and back so it was a return ticket to Penzance via London.

My equivalent in my last student days was a return from Leicester to Thurso for £12.

 

[robjh]

It's now 23:05 and I'm sitting on the Night Riviera at Paddington, waiting for it to depart for Cornwall. I'm travelling in the seated section as the berths are long booked up. How uncomfortable can it be? Well, I'm about to find out, but looking good so far. Comfortably refurbished Mk 3's, and a light loading of passengers tonight.


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Morning update: with a probably 25% occupancy, a night on the seats is quite bearable, especially if you can sleep contorted into all sorts of different positions in limited space. I tried all kinds of ways across the two seats, on the floor and even half under the seat for about an hour, and feel I got just enough sleep.
I'm now having breakfast at a café in St Ives.

 

[Spartak]

 

[Jameshow]

Morning update: with a probably 25% occupancy, a night on the seats is quite bearable, especially if you can sleep contorted into all sorts of different positions in limited space. I tried all kinds of ways across the two seats, on the floor and even half under the seat for about an hour, and feel I got just enough sleep.
I'm now having breakfast at a café in St Ives.
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What the plan now ride home? Lejog?

 

[robjh]

What the plan now ride home? Lejog?

No, just a few days away while I have the chance. Want to mix a bit of railway stuff - some Cornish branches, the last of the ex-HST 'castle' sets, and some cycling. Chose a bad weather day today though!

 

[Mike_P]

My equivalent in my last student days was a return from Leicester to Thurso for £12.

Ah yes it was £12

 

[Mike_P]

Found my records - Paddington to Penzance was hauled by 47638 (0005-0825 via Bristol Parkway), some of which is still running today as 57301 Goliath with DRS.
47567 back to St Erth (0855-0903) and then a '121' to St Ives and back (0945-0956, 1011-1021), the now preserved 50019 to Redruth (1035-1053), 50028 to Truro (1122-1133) and a '118' to Falmouth and back (1208-1232, 1346-1411) HST to Par (1420-1444) and then 142024 to Newquay and back (1451-1540, 1633-1721) Can say thats the only time I have felt travel sick on a train - that rigid wheelbases constantly squealing around the reverse curves and the weird metallic noises. Then 50011 back to Paddington (1731-2206 via Westbury)