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Old coaches rotting away - Crewe

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Saperstein

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Hi,

I’ve seen them before but some years ago, having not been sat that side of the train, it having been dark, or simply not noticing on more recent journeys.

But why are several MKI & II coaches and some Pullman’s simply been left to rot south of Crewe station (on the left h/side travelling from the London direction).?

Some look to have smashed windows ect. But they’ve been there for absolutely ages!
 
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whhistle

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Shame they don't just scrap them.
Not likely to be used or restored again now.
 

JonathanH

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Shame they don't just scrap them.
Not likely to be used or restored again now.

A lot of old coaches appear to be kept for their wheelsets and bogies. However, with the right amount of work it is possible to restore carriages that may look far gone. Given the cost of storage they would be scrapped if there was no economic use for them.
 

Mollman

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Perhaps they just need to park some ex-postal coaches in front like West Coast has done at Carnforth!
 

cactustwirly

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It's the same at Southall, there's some very crusty looking ex Virgin Mk2s, plus an Intercity Sleeper Mk3
 

edwin_m

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Also Burton-on-Trent, ranging from apparently pristine (when viewed from a passing train at least!) to totally burnt out and body visibly distorted.
 

E_Reeves

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There's some 47s rotting away near there too. Seem to be on the site of Crewe Diesel depot as I saw them at the open day.
 

bastien

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Maybe the idea is that if those coaches are getting vandalised, something else slightly further away isn't?
 

AndrewE

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I don't think they are being vandalised (now.) They are on sidings between the main line and a secure industrial compound/depot. They have a few windows missing but nothing really serious.
And Mk 1s and Mk 2s have solid steel underframes and on the outside sheet steel fixed over steel angle-iron or other sections, so are very robust and repairable, unlike monocoque bodied stock where if the tube rots the whole coach could collapse. Lots of apparently wrecked coaches have come back to life, see what the GWSR do on http://cwatgwsr.blogspot.com/2019/06/wednesday-windows.html which coincidentally is a very good example of what can be done...
Mind you, lots of old coaches might be "in store" for their bogies and wheelsets, as suggested above. At least the bodies keep the running gear dry!
 

43055

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Also Burton-on-Trent, ranging from apparently pristine (when viewed from a passing train at least!) to totally burnt out and body visibly distorted.
The ones at Burton are part of Nemasis? Rail which can be used for hires (like the 66's to Skegness the other year) and possibly charter trains. So I would assume some are being used for spares on the coaches that are in good nick.
 

387gwr

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Are there GWR marks 3s?
I seriously hope not as they are my favourite carriages.
 

sprinterguy

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I'm presuming most of them belong to Riviera Trains and/or Jeremy Hoskin, though l'm sure someone here can perhaps advise more accurately than I...
They're owned primarily by Locomotive Services Limited, which is Jeremy Hosking's company that (for the sake of clarity) operates out of the former Crewe diesel depot where these carriages are situated.
Are there GWR marks 3s?
I seriously hope not as they are my favourite carriages.
No, they're mark 1 carriages that have been there for several years, formerly under the ownership of Riviera Trains.

The GWR mark 3s have only recently started going off lease, and are being stored at Ely Papworth sidings (Angel Trains owned examples) and Long Marston (Porterbrook vehicles).
 
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JonathanH

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Riviera Trains is long defunct. They're owned primarily by Locomotive Services Limited, which is Jeremy Hosking's company that operates out of the former Crewe diesel depot where these carriages are situated.

I think you mean that Riviera Trains no longer use the Crewe site. They are not defunct. Instead they base their fleet at Eastleigh (Mark 1 stock) and Burton on Trent (Mark 2f stock)
 

sprinterguy

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I think you mean that Riviera Trains no longer use the Crewe site. They are not defunct. Instead they base their fleet at Eastleigh (Mark 1 stock) and Burton on Trent (Mark 2f stock)
Oh right, my apologies. Thought they'd been disbanded a few years ago and their locos and stock dispersed between Rail Operations Group, Nemesis Rail and Locomotive Services Limited.
 

Richard Scott

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I don't think they are being vandalised (now.) They are on sidings between the main line and a secure industrial compound/depot. They have a few windows missing but nothing really serious.
And Mk 1s and Mk 2s have solid steel underframes and on the outside sheet steel fixed over steel angle-iron or other sections, so are very robust and repairable, unlike monocoque bodied stock where if the tube rots the whole coach could collapse. Lots of apparently wrecked coaches have come back to life, see what the GWSR do on http://cwatgwsr.blogspot.com/2019/06/wednesday-windows.html which coincidentally is a very good example of what can be done...
Mind you, lots of old coaches might be "in store" for their bogies and wheelsets, as suggested above. At least the bodies keep the running gear dry!
I thought mark 2s were monocoque, which is why few preserved lines have them as repairing them often requires them to be jigged.
 

edwin_m

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I thought mark 2s were monocoque, which is why few preserved lines have them as repairing them often requires them to be jigged.
That was my understanding too. Part of the reason for the near-total ban on Mk1s on the main line is concern that the heavy underframe may override the buffers and slice through the lighter bodywork of the next coach.
 

Alanko

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I saw a rake of maroon mk2s rotting somewhere along the ECML last week in a similar manner to what OP describes.

I also saw the converted mk3 'Nighstar' generator car at Doncaster. Surely it is significant enough for preservation, in the sense of 'what the future used to look like'?
 

Trainfan2019

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Has anyone got any more details on these old carriages at Crewe? I pass them frequently but aren't near enough to get numbers. The nearest ones seem to be made up of kitchen/bar/buffet cars. When were carriages like these last in service e.g the ews kitchen car there?
 
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