ARE YOUR FREIGHT TRAINS CORRECT ? - VACUUM BRAKED FREIGHT UNTIL 1970 ! It always amazes me that so few modellers today, understand even the basic rules of freight train operation in the age of the vacuum brake !!! BR from 1948, basically painted "unfitted" wagons pale grey to indicate the wagon had NO BRAKES other than a handbrake. It painted BR wagons fitted with vacuum brakes in addition to a handbrake "brown". Which means that all the brown wagons have to be at the front of the train coupled behind the loco, while all grey wagons should be behind the "brown" ones. A Brake van was of course required at the rear of ALL freight trains. And only had to be a "brown" brakevan if the train was "FULLY FITTED", otherwise a Grey one could be used. If the train included only brown wagons it was a "FITTED" freight. If the train included brown & grey (behind the brown), it was a "PARTLY FITTED" freight. If the train contained only Grey wagons it was a "UNFITTED" freight. FULLY FITTED freight trains could run at a maximum 60mph, assuming no speed restricted wagons were included. PARTLY FITTED freight trains could run at 45mph; 40mph; or 35mph; depending on the percentage of "brown" braked wagons there were coupled to the loco. UNFITTED freight trains were restricted to 30mph, as obviously only the Loco had controllable brakes ! Each of these types of freight trains had different Headlamp codes Classes 5-9. Class 0 was a light loco or loco & brake van. Wagons (Brown) marked "XP" (eXpress Passenger) indicates the wagon could be included in a passenger train (normally behind the loco) up to a maximum of 3 such wagons. But the passenger train is now limited to a maximum 60 mph. This speed restriction meant they were rarely included in Top Link Express trains due to the speed limit imposed. Privately owned wagons of course, could be painted in any livery ! So the Guard had to identify every wagon in the train, and ensure the wagons were marshalled correctly. With "FITTED" wagons in front of any "UNFITTED". Which is the main reason there was so much shunting of wagons at virtually every "Goods Yard" in Britain !!!! Hope that little lot helps those "befuddled" modellers currently unaware of some of the basic Freight train RULES.
Excellent presentation . Exactly how a quality video should be presented. Copenhagen Fields will always be this N gauge modellers favourite, but I thought the best of the layouts shown in this video was Ynysybwl....stunning! Many thanks or your time and effort.....subscribed. Cheers, Bob
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE BOOK MATERIAL IS NECESSARY FOR LAYOUT CONSTRUCTION !!! Shame "Gara Bridge" doesn't understand signalling, as some signals are incorrectly placed, or include incorrect signal arms. There is a very good reference book on "GWR Signalling", explaining the methods of Absolute Block & Single line Token Block signalling. With many photos, written by an ex WR Signalman. From memory it was published by OPC, & has been around for Decades !!!
PASSENGER TRAINS & GUARDS VANS. Again too many modellers today, with exhibition layouts, seem totally oblivious to the complex rules applicable to EVERY aspect of of Railways. Until the Law was changed in 1978 ALL passenger trains had to include a Guards Van (with a Guard in it) as the LAST passenger carrying vehicle. Any passenger carrying coaches behind the Guards van had to be locked out of use. In 1978, the LAW was changed, relieving GUARDS of their GUARDING LEGAL REQUIREMENTS. So the Law had to be changed & this had to pass through Parliament !!! Up until this change Guards were legally allowed to restrain passengers "endangering the train or other passengers" in any way the Guard saw fit. Including using his "Bardic Lamp" to thump you in the face, if you broke Railway Law. Indeed this is another reason for the existence of the Transport Police, as the Law even today on Railway Property is NOT THE SAME as elsewhere. Civil Police forces therefore have NO legal rights on Railway property, unless requested by Transport Police to aid them. The change at BR's behest, allowed Guards to leave the Guards van area, to go and check tickets. Which allowed more expensive Travelling Ticket Inspectors (TTI's) to be abolished. NOTE: Included in the passenger vehicle fleet were vehicles such as Horse Boxes, Parcels vans, Mail vans, Newspaper vans & BG's. These were NOT wagons, so due to various other Rules could not normally be included in Freight trains.
ARE YOUR FREIGHT TRAINS CORRECT ? - VACUUM BRAKED FREIGHT UNTIL 1970 !
It always amazes me that so few modellers today, understand even the basic rules of freight train operation in the age of the vacuum brake !!! BR from 1948, basically painted "unfitted" wagons pale grey to indicate the wagon had NO BRAKES other than a handbrake. It painted BR wagons fitted with vacuum brakes in addition to a handbrake "brown". Which means that all the brown wagons have to be at the front of the train coupled behind the loco, while all grey wagons should be behind the "brown" ones.
A Brake van was of course required at the rear of ALL freight trains. And only had to be a "brown" brakevan if the train was "FULLY FITTED", otherwise a Grey one could be used.
If the train included only brown wagons it was a "FITTED" freight.
If the train included brown & grey (behind the brown), it was a "PARTLY FITTED" freight.
If the train contained only Grey wagons it was a "UNFITTED" freight.
FULLY FITTED freight trains could run at a maximum 60mph, assuming no speed restricted wagons were included.
PARTLY FITTED freight trains could run at 45mph; 40mph; or 35mph; depending on the percentage of "brown" braked wagons there were coupled to the loco.
UNFITTED freight trains were restricted to 30mph, as obviously only the Loco had controllable brakes !
Each of these types of freight trains had different Headlamp codes Classes 5-9. Class 0 was a light loco or loco & brake van.
Wagons (Brown) marked "XP" (eXpress Passenger) indicates the wagon could be included in a passenger train (normally behind the loco) up to a maximum of 3 such wagons. But the passenger train is now limited to a maximum 60 mph. This speed restriction meant they were rarely included in Top Link Express trains due to the speed limit imposed.
Privately owned wagons of course, could be painted in any livery ! So the Guard had to identify every wagon in the train, and ensure the wagons were marshalled correctly. With "FITTED" wagons in front of any "UNFITTED". Which is the main reason there was so much shunting of wagons at virtually every "Goods Yard" in Britain !!!!
Hope that little lot helps those "befuddled" modellers currently unaware of some of the basic Freight train RULES.
Excellent presentation . Exactly how a quality video should be presented. Copenhagen Fields will always be this N gauge modellers favourite, but I thought the best of the layouts shown in this video was Ynysybwl....stunning!
Many thanks or your time and effort.....subscribed.
Cheers, Bob
Many thanks for your subscription, I enjoyed this exhibition due to the variety of layouts.
PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE BOOK MATERIAL IS NECESSARY FOR LAYOUT CONSTRUCTION !!!
Shame "Gara Bridge" doesn't understand signalling, as some signals are incorrectly placed, or include incorrect signal arms. There is a very good reference book on "GWR Signalling", explaining the methods of Absolute Block & Single line Token Block signalling. With many photos, written by an ex WR Signalman. From memory it was published by OPC, & has been around for Decades !!!
My best part of this video is the Southurst OO Gauge layout where the entrance to Kings Cross Station is!
Glad that you enjoyed the video and many thanks for your comment.
Good camerawork
Many thanks for your comment, I try to keep the camera as steady as possible.
PASSENGER TRAINS & GUARDS VANS.
Again too many modellers today, with exhibition layouts, seem totally oblivious to the complex rules applicable to EVERY aspect of of Railways. Until the Law was changed in 1978 ALL passenger trains had to include a Guards Van (with a Guard in it) as the LAST passenger carrying vehicle. Any passenger carrying coaches behind the Guards van had to be locked out of use.
In 1978, the LAW was changed, relieving GUARDS of their GUARDING LEGAL REQUIREMENTS. So the Law had to be changed & this had to pass through Parliament !!! Up until this change Guards were legally allowed to restrain passengers "endangering the train or other passengers" in any way the Guard saw fit. Including using his "Bardic Lamp" to thump you in the face, if you broke Railway Law. Indeed this is another reason for the existence of the Transport Police, as the Law even today on Railway Property is NOT THE SAME as elsewhere. Civil Police forces therefore have NO legal rights on Railway property, unless requested by Transport Police to aid them.
The change at BR's behest, allowed Guards to leave the Guards van area, to go and check tickets. Which allowed more expensive Travelling Ticket Inspectors (TTI's) to be abolished.
NOTE: Included in the passenger vehicle fleet were vehicles such as Horse Boxes, Parcels vans, Mail vans, Newspaper vans & BG's. These were NOT wagons, so due to various other Rules could not normally be included in Freight trains.
Century?
Many thanks for your comment.