TRIVIA - Things you saw travelling on BR that you don't see today

Rick1984 · 27 Nov 2019

AndrewE said:
I wouldn't think it is the sort of thing you would fit "by mistake!" I wouldn't even have one in my stock (never having heard of them for current use before now.) It must be to do with controlling (limiting) which sorts bulbs you can install...

But in this case it was a standard ceiling light pendant. I had to go to homebase to get a standard bayonet type fitting.

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Fawkes Cat · 28 Nov 2019

Rick1984 said:
But in this case it was a standard ceiling light pendant. I had to go to homebase to get a standard bayonet type fitting.

When we moved in to a new build house 12 years ago, a lot of the light sockets were three-pin bayonets. The developers told us this was to make sure we couldn't use inefficient incandescent bulbs.

30907 · 28 Nov 2019

AndrewE said:
I have looked in my General Appendix and the Sectional Appendices too, and it seems that you are both right. I am amazed, because I was specifically told that trains had to go into service with all the lights on to discourage people from tampering with the bulbs.
I think my books date back to the 1960s. Anyone else got a similar memory?

In daytime, lights on in tunnels only was standard on SR electrics, and we noticed exceptions.
The compartment trailers in EPBs sometimes ended up short of bulbs after passing through long tunnels late afternoon (not me, Guv...) - and if the cleaners hadn't noticed you might end up in a darkened compartment a day later because only one door had been locked OOU.
BTW the lamps remained on railway property, not stolen but smashed

trebor79 · 28 Nov 2019

Rick1984 said:
But in this case it was a standard ceiling light pendant. I had to go to homebase to get a standard bayonet type fitting.

Fawkes Cat said:
When we moved in to a new build house 12 years ago, a lot of the light sockets were three-pin bayonets. The developers told us this was to make sure we couldn't use inefficient incandescent bulbs.

That's exactly what it is. I bought a new house in Newark in 2006 and some of the pendants were 3 pin bayonet for that reason. At the time you could buy 3 pin bayonet CFLs but not incandescent.
Totally pointless, first thing I did was replace them with 2 pin bayonet pendants as I detest CFL bulbs.
Of course now you can't buy incandescent bulbs at all so the 3 pin bayonet will I guess disappear.

Jamesrob637 · 28 Nov 2019

Is there a thread for what you see nowadays that you didn't see under BR, so the reverse of this?

Grumpy Git · 28 Nov 2019

Jamesrob637 said:
Is there a thread for what you see nowadays that you didn't see under BR, so the reverse of this?

Trains stranded for >5 hours on the WCML?

AndrewE · 28 Nov 2019

trebor79 said:
That's exactly what it is. I bought a new house in Newark in 2006 and some of the pendants were 3 pin bayonet for that reason. At the time you could buy 3 pin bayonet CFLs but not incandescent.
Totally pointless, first thing I did was replace them with 2 pin bayonet pendants as I detest CFL bulbs.
Of course now you can't buy incandescent bulbs at all so the 3 pin bayonet will I guess disappear.

I hadn't come across these at all, and it seems that the bulbs are difficult to find and expensive too. I would go straight for these https://www.screwfix.com/p/british-general-cordgrip-straight-lamp-holder-bc/48002 or similar, it looks as though you would be quids in on your very first bulb-change!
I find LED bulbs excellent (£7.56 for 5 60-Watt equivalent bulbs from Toolstation and I have found 100W equivalent bulbs from somewhere too.) Beware getting an over-bright reading light bulb: I find that 250 lumen warm white is much too harsh!

trebor79 · 28 Nov 2019

Yes when I renovated my current house, we replaced all of the lighting with LED spotlights. Adjustable colour temperature for different rooms. Much better than the CFL bulbs which I refused to use under any circumstances. Horrible things.

Fleetwood Boy · 28 Nov 2019

Grumpy Git said:
Trains stranded for >5 hours on the WCML?

I'd be genuinely interested in anyone's experience of a similar event back in Good Old BR days (I guess second half of the 1970s, once WCML electrified throughout)? A lot less passenger trains north of Preston back then, but what actually happened when the wires were down? I'm not talking about planned diversions (I had the "delight" of diversions via the S&C and GSWR on a number of Sundays back then - road replacements would certainly have been much quicker end-to-end) - but actual full-blown emergencies.

I'm not trying to score points - genuinely interested as to whether (a) less trains overall and (b) the availability of freight locos/crews to be redirected to dragging dead electrics meant a better response in practice, based on an actual event?

DavidGrain · 28 Nov 2019

Fleetwood Boy said:
I'd be genuinely interested in anyone's experience of a similar event back in Good Old BR days (I guess second half of the 1970s,.................... - but actual full-blown emergencies.

In March 1979 I was stuck on a Birmingham to Manchester train south of Crewe for 2½ hours. The train had already left Birmingham over 1 hour late such that many people wanting the Birmingham to Liverpool train had also boarded. This was in snow. I had left my office in Birmingham at 5.30pm and checked into my hotel in Central Manchester about 2.30am the next morning. BTP were out in full force because people were jumping off trains and walking along the track to the station/ A lady across the aisle from me was worrying about her missed connection. I told her not to worry as her train was behind us. She went and looked out of the window!

Bald Rick · 28 Nov 2019

Fleetwood Boy said:
I'd be genuinely interested in anyone's experience of a similar event back in Good Old BR days (I guess second half of the 1970s, once WCML electrified throughout)? A lot less passenger trains north of Preston back then, but what actually happened when the wires were down? I'm not talking about planned diversions (I had the "delight" of diversions via the S&C and GSWR on a number of Sundays back then - road replacements would certainly have been much quicker end-to-end) - but actual full-blown emergencies.

I'm not trying to score points - genuinely interested as to whether (a) less trains overall and (b) the availability of freight locos/crews to be redirected to dragging dead electrics meant a better response in practice, based on an actual event?

There were definitely fewer trains around, and also many more spare locos / drivers sitting around doing not much that could rescue. Also the capability (and willingness) to cancel trains off the route to provide the resources to perform the rescue.

Nevertheless, there are numerous tales of trains being stranded for hours (days even!), particularly in poor weather.

ChiefPlanner · 28 Nov 2019

Bald Rick said:
There were definitely fewer trains around, and also many more spare locos / drivers sitting around doing not much that could rescue. Also the capability (and willingness) to cancel trains off the route to provide the resources to perform the rescue.

Nevertheless, there are numerous tales of trains being stranded for hours (days even!), particularly in poor weather.

BR certainly had it's bad days with delays - can certainly recall an HST stuck outside Bristol Parkway for about 5 hours late one night with numerous frozen points ahead of it. The Far North had a loco hauled service stranded for many hours in a severe blizzard - 1984 ? - (which brought in the carrying of emergency food hampers on those services - that storm also destroyed the signalling pole route and hastened RETB up there) -

One thing BR did was to occasionally cancel freight trains and use the resources to assist or clear lines in poor weather. That would certainly not be the case today.

Mind you the winter of 1947 - under private ownership - an exhausted railway some some catastrophic delays - 20 hours for some services in Kent and outer Sussex due to snow and heavily frozen con rails.

Bald Rick · 28 Nov 2019

ChiefPlanner said:
BR certainly had it's bad days with delays - can certainly recall an HST stuck outside Bristol Parkway for about 5 hours late one night with numerous frozen points ahead of it. The Far North had a loco hauled service stranded for many hours in a severe blizzard - 1984 ? - (which brought in the carrying of emergency food hampers on those services - that storm also destroyed the signalling pole route and hastened RETB up there) -

One thing BR did was to occasionally cancel freight trains and use the resources to assist or clear lines in poor weather. That would certainly not be the case today.

Mind you the winter of 1947 - under private ownership - an exhausted railway some some catastrophic delays - 20 hours for some services in Kent and outer Sussex due to snow and heavily frozen con rails.

Yep. I remember arriving at New St about 0430 on a (very) late train from Euston the previous night, having been diverted via Nuneaton and dragged due to some incident or other. Bed by 0500, then up at 0600 to get to London for a meeting!

Grumpy Git · 28 Nov 2019

Bad weather was not to blame for yesterdays chaos.

ChiefPlanner · 28 Nov 2019

Fleetwood Boy said:
I'd be genuinely interested in anyone's experience of a similar event back in Good Old BR days (I guess second half of the 1970s, once WCML electrified throughout)? A lot less passenger trains north of Preston back then, but what actually happened when the wires were down? I'm not talking about planned diversions (I had the "delight" of diversions via the S&C and GSWR on a number of Sundays back then - road replacements would certainly have been much quicker end-to-end) - but actual full-blown emergencies.

I'm not trying to score points - genuinely interested as to whether (a) less trains overall and (b) the availability of freight locos/crews to be redirected to dragging dead electrics meant a better response in practice, based on an actual event?

A now retired BR manager who was ASM Preston one night - had the wires damaged (not down) at Lancaster , so the local M&EE gang sorted it by using the outstabled Oxenholme branch DMU (Which was handily at Lancaster) - as as a working platform to get at the droppers and reposition them - even in those days , there was later fallout over doing this , but they had a number of heavily delayed Freightliner , postal , parcels and sleeper trains to deal with. They obviously "risk assessed" the job and how long it would take.

AndrewE · 24 Dec 2019

Prompted by the "what is running on Christmas day?" thread (but maybe better posted here) I remember being a clerk in Bath Road depot on Christmas eve, probably in 1974, and booking a few drivers on at the end of my shift... The Traincrew Supervisor and some selected friends from his days on the footplate were settling in for a long cribbage session - and to be on hand to move any locos necessary if a fire should break out! I don't know how many times they got relieved over the holiday...

ChiefPlanner · 24 Dec 2019

Someone , who ended up as a very senior manager, spent his Xmas Eve at New Street (Galton Junction) with a Railman clearing the points manually with a domestic brush and a shovel to get the last services (including ECS trains) home ...that on the end of a 12 hour shift. He got home at about 3 am.

I do not doubt that it is does not happen today , - but it was a "one railway" initiative.

delt1c · 25 Dec 2019

trebor79 said:
That's exactly what it is. I bought a new house in Newark in 2006 and some of the pendants were 3 pin bayonet for that reason. At the time you could buy 3 pin bayonet CFLs but not incandescent.
Totally pointless, first thing I did was replace them with 2 pin bayonet pendants as I detest CFL bulbs.
Of course now you can't buy incandescent bulbs at all so the 3 pin bayonet will I guess disappear.

Joined up network

delt1c · 25 Dec 2019

Jamesrob637 said:
Is there a thread for what you see nowadays that you didn't see under BR, so the reverse of this?

Joined up network. Might sound stupid to youngsters today.

AndrewE · 25 Dec 2019

delt1c said:
Joined up network. Might sound stupid to youngsters today.

They would have to be very (young and brainwashed) stubborn Tories slavishly following the party line if they couldn't recognise that our fragmented railway is not delivering for passengers!
Or shareholders (or money men) laughing all the way to the bank, of course.

krus_aragon · 26 Dec 2019

AndrewE said:
They would have to be very (young and brainwashed) stubborn Tories slavishly following the party line if they couldn't recognise that our fragmented railway is not delivering for passengers!

Acknowledging that there is a problem probably won't be much of an issue for them. The trouble is that opinions differ wildly on how best to fix it...

ainsworth74 · 26 Dec 2019

Think we're starting to get a bit off-topic here. The subject is things you saw on BR which you don't see today. I don't think we need to dive into modern day structural issues and how to fix them!

xotGD · 26 Dec 2019

Back in BR days there used to be gaps of 2 or 3 hours between direct services from Newcastle to Liverpool. You'd never get that today...

Ashley Hill · 26 Dec 2019

BRUTES.

steambuffer · 27 Dec 2019

Hello,

What about:

Red Star Parcels
Platform Tickets
Ladies Only compartments
Freight trains running at 35mph
Slam door passenger coaches
Timetable planners who knew how to plan timetables
Litter bins on the platforms
Station coal yards instead of car parks
Semaphore signals
Luggage Porters
Guards waving green flags
Newspaper trains running all night
Those tinplate strip stamping machines on the platforms
Luggage Labels
Cattle loading docks
Timetables in book form

Not forgetting,
Christmas parcels trains!

Steambuffer

Grumpy Git · 27 Dec 2019

I remember the coal yard at Stockport behind platform 1. I think there is a cinema there now?

TRIVIA - Things you saw travelling on BR that you don't see today

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