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394L 1701 Crewe to Crewe T.M.D (E) info please

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Trainfan2019

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394L 1701 Crewe to Crewe T.M.D (E)

Saw the above tonight at Crewe just before 5pm but can anyone on here explain a bit more about the train please.

There were quite a few carriages (possibly 8 or 10) being pulled by 'Northern Princess' brown & cream loco. All the carriages were painted really bad dark green and further down the train, some were dark blue. No windows were visible as they looked to be painted over apart from one or two doors which still had visible windows. At least one of the blue carriages had Great Western on in white lettering.

What are all these drab looking carriages for? How old are they?
Why were they going on a roundabout route from Crewe to Crewe T.M.D (according to RTT)?

Thanks in advance.
 
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Ash Bridge

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Going by your description it sounds like it may be a rake of translator coaches behind the locomotive. These are usually converted from former BR Mk1 or 2 passenger vehicles which can date from the 1950s/60s (MK1) or 1960s-1970s (MK2) basically they are used to make a compatible coupling between a locomotive and any stock (e.g. DMU or EMU) that needs to be moved when not under its own power but is unable to couple directly to the locomotive due to it being fitted with a different method of coupling etc. Each end of the translator coach will be fitted with the necessary couplers required to enable this. sorry but I'm not able to advise where or why they were being moved in this way.
 
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The_Train

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This working was out yesterday as well. I'd wondered if it was the 67 recently painted in TfW colours but you've at least cleared up that it wasn't that. Definitely agree with @Ash Bridge that it sounds like barrier coaches and as 57305 brought 397011 up from Portbury last Thursday it could be the same barrier coaches that was on that run but not sure why they would be doing this runaround 2 days in a row.

I suppose, alternatively, it could be a batch of newly converted barrier coaches being tested?
 

Trainfan2019

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Thanks for the replies. I'm unfamiliar with translator/barrier coaches but interesting to learn their use. Never occurred to me about old carriages finding another use like this. Are they totally empty inside or still with all the interior fittings?
 

Trainfan2019

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Here's the video I took the other night and uploaded to YouTube. Only just remembered to link it below.

 

Ash Bridge

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Interesting, actually the vehicles visible in the clip appear to be former BR MK1 BG Coaches. These were never fitted out for passenger use but contained a guards office/brake compartment and van space for the carriage of mail, parcels, luggage etc.
 

heedfan

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Thanks for the replies. I'm unfamiliar with translator/barrier coaches but interesting to learn their use. Never occurred to me about old carriages finding another use like this. Are they totally empty inside or still with all the interior fittings?

They are usually old unwanted stock. The barrier vehicles I have seen are stripped out and are pretty shabby inside except for safety critical equipment (handbrakes etc) which is maintained.
 

Far north 37

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Thanks for the replies. I'm unfamiliar with translator/barrier coaches but interesting to learn their use. Never occurred to me about old carriages finding another use like this. Are they totally empty inside or still with all the interior fittings?
They have different couplings to enable them to couple up to locos and multiple units and coaching stock for stock moves.
 

Llama

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And often just as importantly brake translation equipment to allow the loco air brakes to work the (usually) electro-pneumatic brakes on the unit.

Although some more modern unit stock can be braked directly from the loco brake pipe (eg new CAF units) so only an adaptor coupler is needed for the mechanical aspect of attaching the unit to the loco.

Pretty sure I read somewhere that some of ROGs locos have some brake translation equipment on board too.
 

Merle Haggard

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The same set of coaches was in sidings on the Up side just north of Leicester station (presumably something to do with the diesel depot there) last Sunday. They are barrier coaches in pairs.
 

Trainfan2019

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The same set of coaches was in sidings on the Up side just north of Leicester station (presumably something to do with the diesel depot there) last Sunday. They are barrier coaches in pairs.

Where do barrier coaches get stored usually? Are there set locations?
 
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