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Whilst the new build Class 325 parcels units came along in the mid-1990s why did Parcels Multiple Units seem to fall out of favour before that? There were a small number of 302 unites converted in the mid-1980s that gained Royal Mail livery and were used in Anglia. But nothing similar seemed to...

A couple of threads have had me thinking about pre-nationalisation schemes that never happened and how the railway might have looked today if they had. Euston rebuild - I wonder if the LMS had done this whether BR would have needed to do its own 1960s rebuild for electrification? The hotel...

In 1985, to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Great Western Railway, BR held a number of events and namings. There were also some repaints. Some seemed logical and others random. I'm hoping people might be able to piece together what was done.  Repaints Four Class 47s were repainted in...

As ordered, the HST fleet was effectively five batches: 27 2+7 sets for the Western Region (WR) 32 2+8 sets for the Eastern Region (ER) 14 2+7 sets for the WR 18 2+7 sets for North East - South West (NE-SW) services 4 2+8 sets for the ER I know that various transfers and reformations happened...

BR continued a long tradition of experimenting with new technology in everyday use. There will be examples from steam days (and pre-BR) that people can recall but a few I can immediately recall to start the thread. This excludes purpose built prototypes such as the Class 89, Class 210, HST or...

Bit of a random thought, but after the Bournemouth Line electrification was there ever any consideration of undertaking a similar sort of scheme for the West of England Line? Electrify from Worting Junction to Salisbury Build additional REP and TC units for Waterloo-Exeter Convert additional...

Replacement of GWR and XC HST fleets will be dependent on DfT involvement. I wouldn't be surprised if the latter go once the twenty Class 221s arrive from Avanti West Coast, probably with pairs of 4-car Class 220s, displaced by 5-car 221s on individual diagrams. ScotRail's replacement of HSTs...

This is more a what if than anything else, but looking at old maps of the Higham Ferrers branch (Wellingborough Midland Road - Rushden - Higham Ferrers) and the Northampton - Peterborough line I wondered if anyone knew if either the Midland or LMS ever considered extending the branch from Higham...

The thread about why the Class 55 'Deltics' were withdrawn and not cascaded got me thinking about the Diesel Hydraulics. BR in the 1970s was very much starting to look at standardisation and withdrawing non-standard loco types. But how much was withdrawing the Diesel Hydraulics about eliminating...

A bit of an odd one but having being re-reading British Rail Mark 2 Coaches by Michael Harris I am struggling to find information about some of the incidents or accidents that wrote off certain coaches. I've tried the Railways Archive website but can only assume that either incidents didn't...

I'm curious about the 1984 re-launch of the Gatwick Express service (at the time branded Railair Link / Victoria - Gatwick even though the stock carried Executive colours). The Southern Railway e-group has articles both about the 1984-2001 push-pull service...

It is noticeable that when BR introduced the Mark 2 coach there was a marked reduction in the number of coach types, with only six types in all and at most five being built in only three of the Marks (2, 2C and 2D). Mark FO FK BFK TSO SO BSO 2 X X X X X 2A X X X X 2B X...

With LNER's HST sets due to bow out by the end of the year, and nine (six Angel - TBC / three Porterbrook - EC61-63) then going to EMR to displace their fleet (all Porterbrook) does anyone have a list of the current EMR set formations plus spare vehicles?

So a few questions on Class 37s I'm hoping people can assist with! Q. Which locos were series 1, 2 and 3? I know that D6700-D6818 were series 1 locos, and that D6600-D6608 were series 3 locos, but where was the split between series 2 and series 3 with D6819-D6999? Q. What were the differences...

I'm trying to work out the build order of the various subfleets of Turbostars (including Clubmans) and Electrostars. I've put my best estimate below, but I'm hoping others can help correct the list. Turbostar (Clubman*)- 1997-1998 168001-168005* 1998-1998 058451-058455* (168/0 MS) 1998-1999...

So, I'm hoping users of the forum can help me work out why the route symbols were chosen as they were by Network SouthEast. Looking at this site quite a few of the symbols are present. But what did they represent? Castle on a star? Similar to the badge of the Royal Anglian Regiment. (Logo was...

I'm hoping members can help - I'm trying to find out full details of the Class 210 units, including lot numbers, etc. Can anyone help?

Crossrail 1 is progressing fast, and planning on Crossrail 2 is progressing well. I've wondered a few times though about a fantasy Crossrail linking Marylesbone/Baker Street and Fenchurch Street... Metropolitain Line services from Watford have to terminate at Baker Street. Metropolitain Line...

In the early 1980s the Class 50 fleet was subject to a refurbishment at Doncaster Works. This removed some equipment that was considered troublesome (rheostatic brakes, sanding equipment) as well as to generally improve reliability. My question is, whilst a small fleet, could they have...

I'm wondering what the service frequency/stopping patterns of the 47/7 push-pull ScotRail Express services were in the 1980s? If I remember correctly from the logo used on window stickers, the ScotRail Express routes were considered as Glasgow Queen Street - Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen...