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Post by spsmiler on May 26, 2016 8:31:58 GMT
I've placed this in the LO section, as nowadays this is a LO service... but there was a time before LO! Photos at Barking of a train arriving from / going to Kentish Town! I regret but I don't know the type of DMU (Class number, etc) and prefer to avoid guessing in case I am wrong. These were filmed using a 110 camera (which I still have!) using either 100asa or 400asa print film. The camera has an electronic eye so whilst the focal range and focus were fixed, the duration of the exposure automatically adjusted to suit the conditions. Simon  DMU Barking1 by Simon Smiler, on Flickr  DMU Barking2 by Simon Smiler, on Flickr  DMU Barking inside by Simon Smiler, on Flickr Other images of Goblin trains (classes 117, 150) plus other DMU's can be found here: www.flickr.com/photos/citytransportinfo/albums/72157649421073512 |
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Post by norbitonflyer on May 26, 2016 9:54:23 GMT
The absence of a 4-character headcode panel above the windscreen, or the box where it would have been, on a high-density-layout dmu rules out all classes except 116 or 125, and as far as I am aware all 125s went to scrap c1975, still sporting their 2-character headcode panels (and orange star coupling code).
If I recall correctly the usual formation on the line was a 4-car formation of class 116 stock from Cricklewood's allocation. These were unusual because most formations of class 116 had only three cars. The extra car was a power car, giving three in total. (A normal 3- or 4-car dmu formation had only two, with the 4-car 115s and 127s having more powerful engines to cope with the extra trailer).
For some reason the unit is not sporting a coupling code at all, although at the time Cricklewood was one of only two depots (the other being Ayr) where it actually still mattered.
After the "Bedpan" electrification in 1982, Cricklewood ceased to have a dmu allocation (and the route was in any case diverted to Gospel Oak instead of Kentish Town) so the stock for the line was sourced from Bletchley, from the pool also used for the Abbey Flyer (until it was electrified in 1988) and the Marston Vale line. At the time, this depot seemed to have everybody else's cast-offs, and the Goblin seemed to get the worst even of these. This continued long into the Network South East and Silverlkink eras, (with a minor improvement in 2000 when the slam door units were replaced by (shorter) class 150s, although even they were already fifteen years old by then!) and was part of the reason the line was so badly in need of TLC when the Overground took it over.
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castlebar
Planners use hindsight, not foresight
Posts: 1,316
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Post by castlebar on May 26, 2016 10:14:08 GMT
@ norbiton
Although I agree with you, I do remember being told that these were also given more powerful engines to cope with Chiltern gradients which generally the Paddington classes didn't encounter on Thames Valley services
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Post by norbitonflyer on May 26, 2016 10:35:27 GMT
@ norbiton Although I agree with you, I do remember being told that these were also given more powerful engines to cope with Chiltern gradients which generally the Paddington classes didn't encounter on Thames Valley services Indeed, but the St Pancras units (class 127) had engines of the same rating as the Chiltern units (class115), and that line was not particularly steeply graded. (The reason the 127s had a special coupling code was because they had automatic transmission. In theory they could couple to a manual transmission 115 (or indeed any "blue star" unit) , and the 127s had a gear change lever to allow any manual power cars in the train to be controlled from the cab, but it was all too easy for a driver to forget, with very nasty things happening to the engine of the manual-transmission unit when the train go up to speed and it was still in 1st gear. For that reason the 127s were given a special coupling code to avoid such problems. EDITED as I realise I was mistaken - classes 125 and 127 had Rolls Royce engines, but class 115 had Albion engines. All were of 230 -238hp, whereas most dmus had 150hp Leyland engines - two per power car in all cases) |
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Tubeboy
Posts: 4,015
Member is Online
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Post by Tubeboy on May 26, 2016 15:41:55 GMT
Great thread, thanks for the info and pictures. I'm too young to remember the 127s, but I do remember the 104s, 117s and the 121 bubblecars. The line is obviously much better nowadays than it used to be, back then a half hourly service and hourly in the late evenings, and no service on Sunday's..The line was plagued by frequent cancellations, due to units failing, sometimes at the last minute. I remember reading back in the early 90s, that said the units were from Bletchley, not ideal! The guards back then were based at St Pancras, area manager at Watford, and signalling partly controlled from somewhere East, can't remember where. Much better for the public nowadays, but it has IMHO it has lost lots of its character. Still a great little link though.
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Post by superteacher on May 30, 2016 9:52:39 GMT
When I lived in Dagenham, many of my days were spent with a friend buying a child day Capitalcard and starting from Becontree. We often changed at Barking to use the GOBLIN with the view into the driver's cab!
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Post by spsmiler on Jun 2, 2016 21:54:33 GMT
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Post by rick on Jun 7, 2016 17:40:01 GMT
IIRC in 1983 class 127s often came to be used, as 4 car, then 3 car, then 2 car, super power as both were DMBS cars! Btw these didnt have same engines as 115s, 115 were Leyland Albion mechanical vs 127s Rolls Royce hydraulic transmission. I think it went to 104s, also I recall a spell of 2 car double DMBS 115s, odd 108s, 121s before a settled spell of 117 2 cars.
Btw those 125s also lasted until 1976/7 until GN suburban electtification, they had similar engines and transmission to 127s, very different sounding to 'normal DMUs!
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Post by norbitonflyer on Jun 8, 2016 6:51:33 GMT
I'd be surprised if 127s were used on the goblin in 1983, as they were well and truly knackered by the time the electrics replaced them on the BedPan route- having had to be kept on beyond their intended replacement date because of problems with the new trains. All were gone by early 1984.
Cricklewood had an allocation of 116s which were normal fare on the line- recognisable for their lack of a 4character headcode box above the windscreen which was a feature of all other suburban dmu's except class 125.
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Post by rick on Jun 8, 2016 8:11:05 GMT
I'd be surprised if 127s were used on the goblin in 1983, as they were well and truly knackered by the time the electrics replaced them on the BedPan route- having had to be kept on beyond their intended replacement date because of problems with the new trains. All were gone by early 1984. Cricklewood had an allocation of 116s which were normal fare on the line- recognisable for their lack of a 4character headcode box above the windscreen which was a feature of all other suburban dmu's except class 125. They definately were! And very tired they were too See flic.kr/p/bgWSDHIt is one of the 2 car 127s which was right towards the end If you search class 127 gospel oak on flickr there is a pic of a 3 car 127 there with one DMBS in green which i think had been painted as such towards the end |
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Post by norbitonflyer on Jun 8, 2016 9:29:08 GMT
I'd be surprised if 127s were used on the goblin in 1983, They definately were! And very tired they were too See flic.kr/p/bgWSDHIt is one of the 2 car 127s which was right towards the end I am suitably surprised, but yes, that is definitely a 127 - the red triangle coupling code is a giveaway. . |
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Post by snoggle on Jun 8, 2016 9:53:29 GMT
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Post by norbitonflyer on Jun 8, 2016 11:36:52 GMT
Now that is a 116 - and an early one too, as it has the four marker lights instead of a headcode panel. (All of them later had the front end revised to have just two headlights and no headcode panel)
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