Heritage on Mainline

[iknowyeah]

Just saw a heritage railcar of some sort hauled by a loco, it flashed by so I didn't spot what it was, can anyone help?

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U35506/2018/08/14/advanced

 

[E759]

Just saw a heritage railcar of some sort hauled by a loco, it flashed by so I didn't spot what it was, can anyone help?

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U35506/2018/08/14/advanced

Looking at RTT it came from DRS Gresty Bridge so that could be Inspection Saloon 975025 Caroline. You can see the return working back to Gresty too.

 

[CarltonA]

I've observed on a couple of occasions that the inspection car can lead with a 37 rattling along behind. The driver appears to have a position in the corner with no separate cab. The saloon seems to be well supplied with catering goodies, a tea urn and plates of sarnies and cakes etc. Who exactly gets to jolly about on these trips? Which locos can work with these vehicles, I assume there is more than one?

 

[Malcmal]

I've observed on a couple of occasions that the inspection car can lead with a 37 rattling along behind. The driver appears to have a position in the corner with no separate cab. The saloon seems to be well supplied with catering goodies, a tea urn and plates of sarnies and cakes etc. Who exactly gets to jolly about on these trips? Which locos can work with these vehicles, I assume there is more than one?

Good Wikipedia article on this actually:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/975025_Caroline

 

[Bertie the bus]

I've observed on a couple of occasions that the inspection car can lead with a 37 rattling along behind. The driver appears to have a position in the corner with no separate cab. The saloon seems to be well supplied with catering goodies, a tea urn and plates of sarnies and cakes etc. Who exactly gets to jolly about on these trips? Which locos can work with these vehicles, I assume there is more than one?

Stocked with too many goodies. I went to photograph it at its destination last year and someone on board was handing out pieces of cake to everybody on the platform.

As to what can work it, it is pretty much anything with ETH. In the last few years the following have operated with Caroline, that I know of - DRS 37/4, 47, 57/3 and 68, ROG 47.

 

[AnthonyRail]

How often do they change the 37 that is used with 975025

 

[alexl92]

How often do they change the 37 that is used with 975025

Not sure but I do know that a while back they were talking about having one 37 dedicated to working with it. Would be interested to know if that’s still the case.

 

[Skymonster]

The working was indeed Caroline - and was pushed by 37424 (which masquerades as 37558)

 

[Macwomble]

RailScot image taken at Carrbridge on 7 August.

https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/65/167/

 

[ArchieWoodbine]

Who exactly gets to jolly about on these trips?

It's typically NR managers who wouldn't get out frequently enough to merit having their own cab-pass, from my experiences.

I'm not sure if the carriage has a set frequency of visits to certain routes, but I've heard that different NR routes and/or projects can pay for it to visit their patch more frequently. Between Swindon and Newport, I'm aware of two instances the inspection carriage covering this route in the past 18-months (or at least, only two instances where people in my office were offered a place onboard).

 

[mushroomchow]

As to what can work it, it is pretty much anything with ETH. In the last few years the following have operated with Caroline, that I know of - DRS 37/4, 47, 57/3 and 68, ROG 47.

I've seen a WCRC 33 hauling it in the past too a good few years back - happens to have been the only time I've ever seen either on the mainline.