It’s about these little boxes:
View attachment 68681
Does anyone know what they are?
They seem to be original fittings on certain coaches.
Are they something to do with a PA system perhaps?
I (and a very good friend) would very much like to know, so any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks for that, do you remember them being used delt1c?They were speakers for train anouncments
I did consider doing that myself but @delt1c seems pretty confident.Can try asking on another forum if you like?
They look like speakers more than ventilation-related but I've never seen them before.
They were speakers for train anouncments
I did consider doing that myself but @delt1c seems pretty confident.
So maybe as @randyrippley and @big all suggested - this is actually some kind of thermostat for the electric train heating?
It certainly doesn’t seem to fitted to all mk1s from what I can see.
Ah, now I’m not sure, it was on the East Lancs yesterday, but I can’t remember which one. It wasn’t the only one though, although we noticed later that one of the later refurbished (ex Anglia possibly) RMBs - 1871 didn’t have them.Can I ask where the photo is from or indeed what Mk1 it is?
Am I right in thinking those yellow melamine panels were only used in Mk1 opens intended for the Midland main line?
Ah, now I’m not sure, it was on the East Lancs yesterday, but I can’t remember which one. It wasn’t the only one though, although we noticed later that one of the later refurbished (ex Anglia possibly) RMBs - 1871 didn’t have them.
The TSO that did was in excellent original looking condition though.
As Mr Cowley's partner in crime yesterday I think the vehicle in question was M1833.
Weren't loudspeakers usually fitted in the ceilings ? This was certainly the case with the SR EMU's (post refurb).
Looking at my 1990 Platform 5 - 1833 is not listed as PA fitted while 1871 is. So it would seem it's not speakers!
Weren't loudspeakers usually fitted in the ceilings ? This was certainly the case with the SR EMU's (post refurb).
Indeed, I'm not convinced these are part of the PA system either, I think it was as far back as the 70s that first got me wondering what these were, I think @randyrippley is much nearer the mark with his post above.
I wonder of its the different heaters that SR Mk1s had - 750V ones?
The wiring is listed as 600amp for 1833 but only 400amp for 1871.
FWIW I have half a memory that these were fitted to some of the compartment stock on Waterloo-Exeter, but can't remember if it was the mk1 or mk2 fleets............both would have been ETH fitted though so some kind of thermal cutout device would be needed
Interesting comments, thanks both!
I think I mentioned to @Cowley at the time we were aboard 1833 that I thought I'd distant recollections of seeing these boxes fitted in other Mk1 variants not just RMBs e.g. SO & compartments back in the day but something is also telling me they were normally only to be seen in the later build batches, sadly memory is just a tad hazy now.
I've spoken to my dad about this. He travelled a lot in Scotland in the 1980s and is sure that he saw these boxes in side corridor compartments of mk1s used between Aberdeen and Inverness in between 1980 and 1983. These trains were steam heated at the time, and definitely had no PA in operation, but he isn't sure where the stock was transferred from before it came to that route, he thinks maybe the Western Region?
He has a completely different theory - he always thought that the box was to house some sort of air freshener. I laughed when he said this, but I suppose in the circumstances of the low tech heating and no PA, then it's not that mad a suggestion?
I've spoken to my dad about this. He travelled a lot in Scotland in the 1980s and is sure that he saw these boxes in side corridor compartments of mk1s used between Aberdeen and Inverness in between 1980 and 1983. These trains were steam heated at the time, and definitely had no PA in operation, but he isn't sure where the stock was transferred from before it came to that route, he thinks maybe the Western Region?
He has a completely different theory - he always thought that the box was to house some sort of air freshener. I laughed when he said this, but I suppose in the circumstances of the low tech heating and no PA, then it's not that mad a suggestion?