Farish Traveling Post Office

[richie894]

What loco would work for TPO? (something which I can get now or pre-order)

The TPO coaches are Farish 374-900, era 8/9.

[Geoff]

Many years ago I bought a Graham Farish Post Office starter set, and that was ERA 8 and the loco was a class 47, I still have the Loco and Carriages.

[koyli55002]

Virtually any Class 47 would have been used on Mail Trains in that era.....in the early 80's most likely in either blue or "large logo" livery and then later on in "Royal Mail" or "RES" livery. By the early 90's, most photos I have seen show them hauled by RES Class 47's but of course (as usual) there were exceptions when the beasts refused to co-operate and they had to drag something else in at short notice.....

Towards the end of the TPO operations, they were mostly taken over by Class 67's, I believe - I think it was the mid 90's when the TPO services ended but maybe somebody else can put me right on that one ?
Looking at the current available range on the Farish website, looks like they are a bit short of Class 47's just at the moment until the new releases come out .....

Hope this helps

[RussellH]

What about...

http://www.anticsonline.co.uk/787_1_105848522.html

will that do?

Regards
Russ

[koyli55002]

Absolutely - and of course there may also be some available on that auction site as well !

[richie894]

What about...

http://www.anticsonline.co.uk/787_1_105848522.html

will that do?

Regards
Russ

Perfect thanks and at a good price too.

[SmileyFace]

Towards the end of the TPO operations, they were mostly taken over by Class 67's, I believe - I think it was the mid 90's when the TPO services ended but maybe somebody else can put me right on that one ?
Looking at the current available range on the Farish website, looks like they are a bit short of Class 47's just at the moment until the new releases come out .....

Hope this helps

I'm no 'real railway' expert but am aware that the Class 67s were delivered in late 1999/ early 2000 and TPOs ceased in January 2004 so they would certainly have been seen with TPOs.

I had the same question as you on this matter so have done a bit of background research to clarify matters.

Hope this helps.
SF

[47033]

The 1S09 Cardiff to Glasgow and return between Cardiff and Birmingham was a class 47 until mid 2000 when it changed to class 67.

The 20.00 Cardiff - Crewe/York and the old Shrewsbury to York and vice versa were class 47's in the 80's.

The 19.38 Bristol to Newcastle and Newcastle to Bristol was almost solid class 45/46 in the 80's.

I do believe the TPO that you have is red though so probably a RES liveried class 47 or 67 would fit the bill in that case.

Jamie

[richie894]

I found some images of the same TPO coaches being pulled by a class 47 in Intercity livery. Like the Farish "Titan".

[47033]

Yes Inter City class 47's would have been on the TPO services in the late 80's and very early 90's. One that springs to mind was 47549 in the early 90's, I had it on the 20:00 Cardiff to York TPO service which went via Crewe and Stockport (1E24).  I'm sure I've had others too but I would have to look back through my diaries.

Jamie

[koyli55002]

Have to confess that most of my reference books (and indeed my knowledge) is of the late 80's but I seem to recall that, even when RES got their own fleet (and mostly named 47's ?) the availability was not good and the pages of the railway magazines were forever showing this and that "borrowed" loco on a TPO service.
Anyway, there's always Layout Rule No. 1 to fall back on !