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Passenger services used to transfer old coaching stock?

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rogercov

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Back in the 80s, before the days of health and safety, I had a strange and potentially dangerous experience on a service from Birmingham New Street to Coventry. I boarded the rear coach of the train as it looked interesting since it was considerably older than the rest of the train. I cannot recall whether it was a diesel-hauled service via Reading or an electric-hauled service to Euston.

Anyway, I was intrigued that an old coach should be attached to the rear this train. I think it was a Mk1 saloon and was in pretty rough condition. It was a quiet time of day and I was the only person in the coach. I soon realised that I could not access the rest of the train as the forward corridor connection door was locked. Out of curiosity, I tried the rear corridor connection door and was somewhat surprised that it opened.... out onto the track which was passing beneath me at around 80mph!

By this time I realised that this coach was not supposed to be in service. I discovered that all of the passenger doors were locked apart from the one I had used to board. Fortunately when I arrived at Coventry the platform was on the correct side so I was able to escape.

How common was it for a passenger service to be used to transfer stock in this way and where was this coach likely to be going? Maybe a preservation society?
 
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yorksrob

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It sounds as though the door you used may have been left unlocked in error and that the normal procedure would have been for such a carriage to be completely locked out of use.
 

Cowley

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I do certainly remember the odd coach locked out of use and tacked onto the rear of a train back in the 80s, especially noticeable if the lights were switched off.
It may have been more to do with getting a defective coach somewhere for repairs than a condemned one being moved the times I saw that though.
 

Ashley Hill

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I once had a train where the rear coach was locked OOU due to a flea infestation. It was being worked towards its home depot for de-bugging and heavy clean.
 

delt1c

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I remember coaches tagged on to the back of services in the 70’s Nd 80’s as positioning and transfers but never for withdrawal. This also happened with DMU’s ( and still does)
 

randyrippley

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In the early 1970s weekend trains to the West Country could have any number of old wrecks tagged on the back to make up the capacity.
Peeling maroon paint, peeling roofing felt, cracked windows.................looked a mess and must have been poor to ride in
 

Beebman

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I remember travelling from Birmingham NS to Reading in the mid-80s on a grotty downgraded Mk1 FO which had been tagged on the back but for me it was more comfortable than the Mk2 TSOs elsewhere on the train!
 

Peter Mugridge

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I occasionally found even Mk3 Sleepers being positioned by being attached to the back of a normal daytime service train, most usually at Birmingham New Street southbound - presumably being taken to Wembley.
 

Beebman

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Not a UK example, but about 20 or so years ago in Germany I travelled on a semi-fast local service from Frankfurt to Mainz which had a couple of preserved pre-war coaches tagged on the back (they definitely weren't in passenger service, I did check!).
 

30907

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I occasionally found even Mk3 Sleepers being positioned by being attached to the back of a normal daytime service train, most usually at Birmingham New Street southbound - presumably being taken to Wembley.
And of course there were a couple of one-way sleepers to London which went back North on day trains.

Back to the grotty Mk1 - it must have been passed for 90/100mph depending on route.
 

CW2

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I remember at Neville Hill there was a right collection of old bangers stabled in amongst the goods trucks on the "Up" side, opposite the depot. At times of crisis (e.g. Summer weekends, spells of prolonged delays) some of the old coaches would be dug out of the sidings and added to other services at Leeds as required. I remember travelling in a corridor vehicle in the late 1970s and seeing the corridor glass was etched "THIRD".
 

Cheshire Scot

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