Hi Geoff. I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying listening to and watching your videos. Now 72, born in 1950, I grew up living alongside the Waterloo to Portsmouth main line near Esher. Our house backed on to the railway embankment and I spent many happy hours just watching the trains. Trips to London for trainspotting days at the big stations. What memories. We moved to Wales just as steam was coming to an end in the sixties. Such a pleasure to re-live those times. Now retired I've finally got the time for a model railway and, of course, it's the Southern! Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories with us.
Hi Martin, Thanks for your kind words and really glad that you are enjoying my videos and that they are bringing back happy memories for you. All the best Geoff
Would love to meet Eric again after all these years, he got me and a few others through the Juice course in 1976. And I had him again in 1979/80 on Class 33. Incidentally the late Johnny Rutter got us Norwood boys through the rules exam (Pre MP 12) with his MIC classes at Norwood and at his home near London Bridge.
Thank you for all your hard work on these films. It was especially good to see many locos I knew and travelled behind in my childhood. I was a regular visitor to Tumbridge Wells West in the school holidays, and would stand at the Up end of the bay platform, whence you could look into the shed. In particular, you had tho photos of 31543 (a 75F engine), which gave my my first (very unoficial) cab ride from Oxted bay to Hurst Green in about 1962. On that occasion she was facing Up, so had to set back up the platform to take on water, involving the cooperation of the signalman. Incidenatlly, you say the Westinghouse pump was to provide air for Westinghouse brakes, but I had always thought the brakes on these sets were standard vacuum, and that the Westinghouse pumps were for the push-pull controls. Am I wrong? After all, the sets were occasionally seen hauled by locos that were not push-pull fitted.
Dear Hector, Thanks for your kind words and glad that you are enjoying my videos. I've asked Eric Christian your question but he hasn't got back to me as yet. Unfortunately, I didn't experience any Push-Pull working of trains until the REPs, Class 73 Electro-diesels and Type 33/2 Cromptons hauling and pushing TC Units came into force but I'm certain that apart from having an air connection for control of the regulator on the locomotive, the cab of the driving coach would have been fitted with a Westinghouse brake (similar to 1936 stock EMU) with a duplex Main Reservoir/Train Pipe gauge fitted to give the driver an indication of air used. I can only assume that the train you mention hauled by a loco without the air pump (vacuum brake only) was only being hauled and not propelled (the loco running round the train at each end). I've found a TH-cam video that shows a cab of a Push-Pull unit in the IOW which shows the controls but unfortunately, the narrator doesn't give an indication of the brake valve and main res/train pipe duplex gauge even though they are clearly shown in the video. Link below: Kind regards Geoff th-cam.com/video/tAtte0J42H0/w-d-xo.html
@@geoffburch7959 Thanks for the reply. I watched the video, and yes, there are the Westinghouse gauges. Incidentally, that old four-wheeled set gives thhe driver a duplicate boiler pressure gauge, something that the Maunsell sets that formed the majority of the push-pull operations in Surrey/Sussex never had. But then, all the IOW coaching stock was Westinghouse braked, so I'm not sure we've got any further. I do wish one of the Southern sets had survived. The surviving H Class, 31263 on the Bluebell, appears to have had its push-pull fittings removed. Funny how sounds and smells stay with you; I can still hear in my head the seemingly desparate panting of those Westinghouse pumps.
Hector, Please email me on my ramblingrailwayman website contact page email address and I'll send you some details that I've acquired from a 1940s book on the subject.
Good, good Geoff. I notice the 2022 reunion. I would have been very happy to catch up with the assembled, is there going to be a 2023 event?. Inky and Mike Couchman have my number.
Hi Geoff. I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying listening to and watching your videos. Now 72, born in 1950, I grew up living alongside the Waterloo to Portsmouth main line near Esher. Our house backed on to the railway embankment and I spent many happy hours just watching the trains. Trips to London for trainspotting days at the big stations. What memories. We moved to Wales just as steam was coming to an end in the sixties. Such a pleasure to re-live those times. Now retired I've finally got the time for a model railway and, of course, it's the Southern! Thank you for sharing these wonderful memories with us.
Hi Martin,
Thanks for your kind words and really glad that you are enjoying my videos and that they are bringing back happy memories for you.
All the best
Geoff
Very good Geoff. I remember Eric, a very pleasant and helpful guy. Usually smiling if I remember correctly.
Very enjoyable to listen to.
Great memories, Geoff, very enjoyable. Thanks for posting.
Would love to meet Eric again after all these years, he got me and a few others through the Juice course in 1976.
And I had him again in 1979/80 on Class 33.
Incidentally the late Johnny Rutter got us Norwood boys through the rules exam (Pre MP 12) with his MIC classes at Norwood and at his home near London Bridge.
Thank you for all your hard work on these films. It was especially good to see many locos I knew and travelled behind in my childhood. I was a regular visitor to Tumbridge Wells West in the school holidays, and would stand at the Up end of the bay platform, whence you could look into the shed. In particular, you had tho photos of 31543 (a 75F engine), which gave my my first (very unoficial) cab ride from Oxted bay to Hurst Green in about 1962. On that occasion she was facing Up, so had to set back up the platform to take on water, involving the cooperation of the signalman. Incidenatlly, you say the Westinghouse pump was to provide air for Westinghouse brakes, but I had always thought the brakes on these sets were standard vacuum, and that the Westinghouse pumps were for the push-pull controls. Am I wrong? After all, the sets were occasionally seen hauled by locos that were not push-pull fitted.
Dear Hector,
Thanks for your kind words and glad that you are enjoying my videos.
I've asked Eric Christian your question but he hasn't got back to me as yet.
Unfortunately, I didn't experience any Push-Pull working of trains until the REPs, Class 73 Electro-diesels and Type 33/2 Cromptons hauling and pushing TC Units came into force but I'm certain that apart from having an air connection for control of the regulator on the locomotive, the cab of the driving coach would have been fitted with a Westinghouse brake (similar to 1936 stock EMU) with a duplex Main Reservoir/Train Pipe gauge fitted to give the driver an indication of air used.
I can only assume that the train you mention hauled by a loco without the air pump (vacuum brake only) was only being hauled and not propelled (the loco running round the train at each end).
I've found a TH-cam video that shows a cab of a Push-Pull unit in the IOW which shows the controls but unfortunately, the narrator doesn't give an indication of the brake valve and main res/train pipe duplex gauge even though they are clearly shown in the video. Link below:
Kind regards
Geoff
th-cam.com/video/tAtte0J42H0/w-d-xo.html
@@geoffburch7959 Thanks for the reply. I watched the video, and yes, there are the Westinghouse gauges. Incidentally, that old four-wheeled set gives thhe driver a duplicate boiler pressure gauge, something that the Maunsell sets that formed the majority of the push-pull operations in Surrey/Sussex never had. But then, all the IOW coaching stock was Westinghouse braked, so I'm not sure we've got any further. I do wish one of the Southern sets had survived. The surviving H Class, 31263 on the Bluebell, appears to have had its push-pull fittings removed. Funny how sounds and smells stay with you; I can still hear in my head the seemingly desparate panting of those Westinghouse pumps.
@@hectorthorverton4920 I'm meeting some old railway colleagues tomorrow and will try to find out more.........Watch this space!
Hector, Please email me on my ramblingrailwayman website contact page email address and I'll send you some details that I've acquired from a 1940s book on the subject.
Good, good Geoff. I notice the 2022 reunion. I would have been very happy to catch up with the assembled, is there going to be a 2023 event?. Inky and Mike Couchman have my number.
Thanks Ian. I'm sure that 'Inky' will muster the troops and it would be good to see you.
More, please, on Angerstein Wharf.
Ps what barbarity to change from Coal, Oats and Hay to imported diesel and petrol!
*promosm*