roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
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Post by roythebus on Nov 8, 2009 11:02:26 GMT
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be!
I too remember the a stock just after its intorduction but I came onto the scene just too late to see the Met locos et al.
In my railway career I've been lucky(?) to have worked on a variety of what is now called heritage stock!
On the District I had the last of the Q stock; COs were brought in to replace them; on the Met the A stock was not even midway through its life, though we still had John Hampden as well as Sarah Siddons and ESL118.
Onto BR at Rugby, the early AC electrics and class 25 diesels; Kings Cross with the legendary Deltics and loco-hauled suburban trains to Moorgate via the widened Lines.
Driving on the Southern with the Bullied 4-SUBs and the 1942 W&C stock as well as the now extinct 4EPBs and all that era...
And now of course there is nostalgia for the 508's for some strange reason!! they were bloody awful trains, quite nippy, but impossible to stop where you wanted them to.
Part of the nostalgia that is missing from the current railway is the ability to have the odd pint on duty; the elfensafetea culture where any sort of practical joke can get you the sack or jailed for endangering lives, even though none of the practical jokes I ever heard of endangered anyone!
Drinking real tea in tea cans. Oil tail lamps. Sempahore signals. Edmunson tickets. All real nostalgia. Doing the first Edgware Road to Wimbledon and following a pannier tank and engineers train through the tunnel to High Street.
It's more noticable in the bus preservation world where folks are now preserving Olympians and the likes. who wants an RT or RF these days? No-one remembers them aparts from us borings old farts!
Mind you, I was nattering with a restaurant owner in Folkestone the other day who said she missed the air displays. Sensing a bit of a wind-up as she was possibly slightly older than me I said were those the ones that had loads of Spitfires? Yes, she replied. Daft bat I said, that was the Battle of Britain! I got a clump round the ear cos she wasn't really that old!!
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Nov 2, 2009 18:09:25 GMT
Don't forget the LMS had running powers to High Street for the coal trains (see separate thread).
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Nov 2, 2009 9:28:41 GMT
So, where would the steam set have run-round at EC? Presumably on the e/b, then cross over to the w/b to work back.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Nov 1, 2009 22:22:56 GMT
Ha, I wasn't sure if that service was electric. It would have been fun if it were steam operated in the 1930's!
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 30, 2009 18:31:47 GMT
To add further info to Uzair's original question, the routeing for the Earls Court-Willesden Junction service would have been via Kensington Olympia and the West London Line To Willseden Junction. I can't remember whether the whole section was electirifed, but the WLL certainly was as far as the junction where the H&C crosses over, remembering there was a connection there with the H&C which the Luftwaffe detsroyed in about 1941.
This connection was severed and never replaced. ISTR this formed part of the "middle circle" originally operated by the London & North Western Railway, later the LMS.
You can still see where the connection left the H&C just west of Latimer Road station. The rest of the formation is now a road and that hideous new shopping centre.
Remember too the other lost connections from the WLL, the line from just north of Olympia via Shepherds Bush (through the bus garage) to Hammersmith, then via what is now the District to Richmond; hence the bump in the road just south of Shepherds Bush Green on Shepherds Bush Road! That line closed in the early 1920's. The other connection which has had a separate thread here was the connection just by Westway to the Central Line and Ruislip.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 30, 2009 9:33:09 GMT
Thanks, most useful, but as usual raises more questions...
There doesn't appear to be a run-round facility in the coal depot, so if there was only one loco there, how would it get to the other end of the train? Maybe a second loco was kept there as a yard shunter. At West Ken coal depot, shunting appears to have been done by horse, given the plethora of wagon turntables there.
Looking at Harsig's plan of Earls Court, presumably the second e/b district road was added post-1966 to allow parallelfahrt for Edgware Road and South Ken trains?
I'm surprised at the extent of Triangle Sidings. Presumably this lot went when they built the BEA air terminal over the top.
At High Street, on the bay roads, there appears to be space for a loco traverser. Was there evr one here or in steam loco-hauled days did another loco go on the back of the train?
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 29, 2009 23:16:55 GMT
Who wants to go to epping anyway? since the bus garage closed there, I saw little point in going there much after 1968! Oh, except for a ride on an RF on the 250 from romford.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 29, 2009 20:01:16 GMT
Thanks for the info. I certainly remember the coal trains to West Ken, usually a Jinty with a load of wagons, same to the High Street depot too. I was a bit young to realise that lot was soon to close. Luckily, I could still hear the pannier tanks from my parents house near Lillie Road til the early 1970's.
Any info on the track plan at High Street?
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 29, 2009 19:58:05 GMT
ISTR 8 car trains running for North Weald air display in the late 1960's!
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 28, 2009 23:56:04 GMT
Does anyone have any idea when the coal depot at Kensington High Street closed? Are there any track plans around?
ISTR the track was still there and in use in the 1960's and was fianlly lifted in the early 70's when the current hotel was built on the site.
Did it close at the same time as the West Ken coal depot?
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 23, 2009 18:37:38 GMT
There was some historic graffitti on Ladbroke Grove Station in the mid 1970's (maybe move this to the historic section) which said words to the effect of, and this was in ornate hand writing down a door) " I like to see the birds in the sky; I like to see cows grazing in the meadow; I like to hear the lambs cry et al all the way down the door, all very poetic.
At the bottom of the door, scrawled in in black felt pen; "I like t*t and b*m mags" (edited to keep the forum clean).
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 23, 2009 18:33:20 GMT
Gosh, who'd have thought so much could be written about a 3-car train?? And the amount of organising the getting of the 3 car train there and back. It's all this gumph the general public fail to realise, the background of railway operating.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 15, 2009 7:00:26 GMT
The track was certainly visible in the old Brixton cable tram sheds last time I was past there. It used to be a car dealership. This shed was I believe used for storing the trailer cars.
I used to live in Mitcham Lane SW16 and there are still quantities of manhole covers bearing the legend LCC Tramways. They are currently used for cable TV cabling!
Track is still visible in the Acton bus depot; is still under the tarmac at Fulwell, and was visible in the 1980s in the Stamford Brook bus depot. I have a number of colour slides I took in the electrical control building before it was converted to a night club. There are a few bits of track in Wandsworth depot too.
I've travelled the A259 many times but haven't seen the track mentioned at Bulverhythe. I'll have a look next time I'm along there.
Divrging a bit, there's also still a bit of trolleybus memorabilia near Raynes Park, with a pole still intcat with wires dangling from it! On West Barnes Lane IIRC. Oh, and the overhead supports on the bridge at Scrubs Lane, nearly 50 years after the disappearance of trolleybuses.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 14, 2009 7:08:17 GMT
Is this the only place in London now where you can see conduit tram track?
There used to be some in Woolwich in the early 70's, and the conduit change-pit at Canning Town, but ISTR that was removed with the building of the new A13 and taken to Crich.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 14, 2009 7:05:50 GMT
Hmm, where to begin..in the good old days on the Underground the driver would often just open the front door at a tunnel station and releive himself, there were no women train crew in those days!
There's one tale of a certain Acton Town driver who had to relieve himself on some newspaper in the cab; he sais he threw it out going through the tunnel, and it blew back in. His comment was "I've heard of getting your own back.."
Sundays on the Circle were fun fo a District crew, especially if they had an R stock. the crew might ask for a PNR at Baker Street, which would stop the job for a while as Met crews weren't trained on R stock.
On BR, the early diesel fleet and the AC electric locos has a very basic facility either in the nose section on locos built that way or in the engine room, which was basically a funnel with a tube going down to the track. Most locos were double manned then. On the Deltics, using the funnel was impossible when under power as the traction motor blowers shared the same space and created quite a suction, so the urine went anywhere except where it was meant to go!
On BR multiple unit stock, the main line stuff has toilets which means the driver could use the on-board facility at a station stop, but of course could not flush the toilet as it was in a station and the sign says do not flush the toilet while the trian is at a station.
As a secondman I worked with some senior drivers at Rugby who were beginning to have bladder problems. Some would take a bottle or plastic bag with them if they were single-manned and use that.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 6, 2009 18:04:03 GMT
Urban myth? Methinks not. My contact was one Alec Duff who was one of the managers at Birmingham City Tramways at the time!
There is indeed a speed limit of 25mph on light railways! Whether the police could these days enforce it on a tramway is a moot point, but we're going a bit off thread here!!
A bit like the landlord of a Watneys pub in Calshot Street, N1 in the late 1960's, a jovial Irish fellow who drove trolleybuses out of Edmonton, until, one noght, finishing, he told us he thought he'd overtake the bus in front.
Which he did, there was a clatter, a flash, a bang and all the lights went out. That WAS the last time he drove a trolleybus!! (edited to remove graphic words used to describe the flash and bangs etc)
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 5, 2009 19:26:37 GMT
I wouldn't say it is actually. There are a lot of people on the C&H that have been there a long time and are happy there. Also quite a few drivers from other lines seem to apply for it. The most junior line I reckon is the Jubilee. Something I forgot to mention, the H&C is popular among its staff as it is convenient for a) staff who live outside of London and commute in, due to its central London location (particularly Edgware Road) it is quite handy for the major National Rail termini. b) Barking being at the east end, this is also popular, as east end depots always have been, again due to people living close/finding it easier to get to. and an adequate supply of Essex boys...
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 5, 2009 19:24:22 GMT
Reading about practical jokes with trams, there was a chap at the MRC years ago who used to be manager at Birmingham Tramways, a 3'6 gauge system IIRC.
There used to be a policecar the occupants of which loved to catch trams speeding at night, remember trams at the time were limited to 20mph.
One night the tram driver and conductor were on the look-out for the cop car; when the conductor saw it behind, he gave the emergency stop bell. The driver applied the magnetic track brake which brought the tram to a dead stand in about 10'.
Of course, not having brake lights, the cop car managed to run into the back of the tram with what my contact said was "near fatal consequences". One example of a practical joke if you can call it that, going wrong. The police were told not to chase trams for speeding after that.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 3, 2009 13:45:39 GMT
And another one involving Bigal, working the Putney Bridge-Edgware Road service.
At Putney Bridge one fine day, I thought I'd get one up on him so took the deadman off. It was quite simple on the CO/P stock, just undo the circlip, push the pin through and take the big brass handle off.
About a minute before departure time, Bigal came wandering down the platform talking to another guard, laughing away to themselves, with his hands behind his back.
Bigal says to me "what do you do if this falls off" and waved the deadman at me. "Dunno" I says, "probably the same as when THIS falls off" and waved the OTHER deadman at him!!
All three of us fell on the platform laughing! Who ever would have thought to do the same trick to each other at the same time??
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 2, 2009 22:13:58 GMT
The bell was mounted at the back of the cab. I don't recall seeing these, but they could have been for DRICO which was fitted on the driver's side.
Does anyone have a pic of this on here?? It might jog my memory.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 2, 2009 22:08:18 GMT
Yes, there was also a converted standard stock trailer in the formation too. I took a piccy of it at Shoreditch.
May73 sounds about right, just before I got married first time, and was considering moving onto the Met.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 2, 2009 22:06:11 GMT
Yes, I've still got the LT drawing here somewhere. I actually produced a 4mm scale cast model of it in the 1980's under the GS Models brand. The patterns were sold to Finecast a few years ago who also produced his own version.
I still have a few sets of castings left plus transfers and instruction leaflets.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 2, 2009 22:04:03 GMT
There's a chap at the MRC in London who used to work at the BR shed at Neasden. He may remember that far back!
One explanation for the push-pull loco coupled "wrong way" is that wherever possible, the loco should face uphill so as not to uncover the fusible plugs in the firebox if the water runs low viz. Isle of Wight, K&ESR and maybe others too.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Oct 2, 2009 12:15:48 GMT
When I worked at Waterloo the drivers called it "the rat 'ole". Passengers (sorry, customers) knew it affectionately at the drain.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Sept 19, 2009 10:17:28 GMT
England and the USA, two countries separated by a common language.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Sept 14, 2009 7:08:31 GMT
did anyone here go on the above tour in the early 1970's? Probably 1973, just before I moved from PG to the Met.
I happened to be the "pilot" guard for a bit of the tour, from Tower Hill to Aldgate East! A snip of a sunday duty, I actually managed to swap an ordianary running turn for this turn!! I caught the train at Gloucester Road, anad managed to stay on till the end of the trip at Baker Street.
IIRC, the tour started from Neasden. The bit I done was Gloucester Road, New Cross, Shoreditch, New Cross Gate, Baker Street, Watford, Amersham, then fast to Baker Street, with over 60mph being clocked down Chorleywood bank!
The main crew were from the "fluffy link" at Neasden as they had route knowledge for all the Met lines and were trained on 38TS for transfers to the Northern City.
I've still got some pics of the train at Shoreditch somewhere in my collection. By the way, does anyone know why the fluffy link was so-called?
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Sept 14, 2009 6:59:37 GMT
Or Ravenscourt train station...
Train station, YUK. Even the Beeb use it these days. Horror, shock, gasp. What IS this world coming to??
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Sept 8, 2009 18:56:13 GMT
Maybe this should be on the overground thread??
I had a visit to the Isle of Wight over the bank holiday weekend, mainly to assist in the beer tent (85 real ales) at the Island Steam show. What a wonderful weekend it turned out to be, culminating not only in a ride on the steam stock, but the connecting train back to Pier Head on the 38 tube stock.
Now devoid of the dinosaur livery, the stock has been symathetically restored to original LT red, albeit with yellow warning panels. The interiors, suitably modernised, disguise their age! I'm not aware of any plans to replce this stock in the near future (A60's maybe?), but there are plans afoot to run the steam trains alongside the "main line" service to Ryde St.Johns Road!
The island is well worth a visit, but don't try to get to Havenstreet by bus; since Go-Ahead took over Southern Vectis, there is no Sunday service! How useful.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Aug 28, 2009 18:59:21 GMT
Did I wave at you? I was the driver on that fateful day.
Debbie Matthews was the guard.
Didn't get any more royalties out of it! Pah.
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roythebus
Pleased to say the restoration of BEA coach MLL738 is as complete as it can be, now restoring MLL721
Posts: 1,256
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Post by roythebus on Aug 23, 2009 22:37:09 GMT
ISTR mentioning this in another thread on here somewhere, especially the contents of sopme of the mail hampers! Newspapers were certainly carried on the Met main in the early 1970's.
Trains were shown in the WTT to carry internal mail.
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