hi everyone,
when did the last regular vacuum braked freight trains run and what wagons were they mostly made up of? (16 ton mineral wagons i know, but what others survived into the 80s?). also what were the last regular wagon-load workings with vacuum braked wagons?
i only really remember air braked block trains or speedlink workings myself - I was too young to remember the early/mid 80s in any detail (born 1981).
i want to create an early 80s vacuum braked fairly short mixed freight train - with brake van on the end... so far i have 3 covhops and 2x 16 ton mineral wagons (both with tops codes), so need to add a few more to the rake...
cheers
tim
Ok I may be corrected very fast but werent the old ici hoppers that ran between peak forest and Northwich vacuumed braked??
I know they were running all the way till 1998 / 99 as well they went passed my school everyday. IIRC thats why thwy had 37s running them insread of the more powerful class 60s which became more normal after the old ici wagons were sent for scrap
ah yeh that's right I have a dvd about railfreight in the midlands and they show icI hoppers at peak forest and unless converted I guess they were vacuum braked still
what vac braked 4 wheel vans were still going in regular freight service?
did you get any regular workings with mixed up air braked and vacuum braked trains??
Tim
Many of the original AB wagons were fitted with vacuum through pipes (TOPS code ending in B rather than A) to run in existing (vacuum) fitted freight workings, subject to some restrictions to ensure the number of working brakes in the train was still adequate (which went wrong a few times with predictable results). However I think by the late 70s all general wagonload trains were Speedlink with air brakes, and vacuum braked were confined to specific flows where they didn't have to interwork with other types. Parcels were a major holdout for the vacuum brake too with quite a number of the more modern vans being dual braked (TOPS code ending in X).
There's an interesting article in the latest Rail Express about the NCB Tar wagons, that were built in the 30's/40's still running until the early 80's to Caerphilly, although they were really restricted to Wales, would still make an interesting rake of wagons but would have to be really weathered down by the 80's.
Cheers
Neal.
O.S oooppss my bad, proof if any that i should read the Subject line properly before posting. The Tar wagons were of course Unfitted not Vac Braked :doh: :doh:
^Were they really running unfitted trains in Wales that long? Or were they restricted to Industrial use?
I've got some photos somewhere of a visit to Gwaun-cae-Gurwen and Abernant in summer 1987 including a back cab ride on unfitted coal wagons. I think it was about the last regular unfitted freight on the network, something to do with Swansea docks being unable to accommodate other wagon types I think.
I'm not sure, but I think that some MOD/Army trains still had vacuum fitted vans into the 80s.
Martyn
According to Paul Shannon's book 'Speedlink', the traditional wagonload network closed in May 1983 to all traffic except coal and scrap metal, which were carried for another year. Remaining wagonload traffic was then transferred to the air-braked Speedlink network, though some block workings continued in the older wagons as already noted.
So it looks like May 1983 is the latest date for a traditional mixed goods train, containing unfitted and vacuum braked wagons.
Wagon types I've seen in photos taken after about 1979 include the 16t minerals and covhops bluedepot already has, as well as 21t coal hoppers (NGS kit), grain wagons (Dapol), bogie bolster (Farish), vanwide and various tanks. The precise types seen would depend on traffic flows in the area modelled of course.
I was involved in running vacuum braked engineering trains in the early 90's, with 'Barbel' ballast wagons and all the usual flat wagons (Salmon/Rudd etc) but these weren't mixed merchandise freights, although they did have mixed consists depending on the requirements of the job.
I'm sure vacuum braked engineers trains were running up to about 2000, as I can remember proposals to air brake our Lomac plant carriers. In the end it was decided to use "Comtic" PKA articulated car carrier as the bodywork modification were cheaper.
Dodger
many thanks for all the excellent replies - special mention to edwin and flying pig!
which of the grain wagons (Dapol) and bogie bolsters (Farish) would be appropriate for an early 1980s train?
i don't think any through vacuum piped air braked wagons are made by farish??? i realise you could just pretend because no one would notice in n gauge.
cheers,
tim
ps. i posted a video on my youtube channel of my very short vacuum braked train with class 25 haulage. it's not very exciting i admit but my channel is 'tim's train videos'.
Also still seen into the early 1980s: 21 ton double door minerals (MDV), high sided opens, either wood or steel bodied (OHV) and I found a 24 ton ore hopper (HJV) still in service at Peterborough yard in 1984. Not the best photo in the world but here it is.
(http://i753.photobucket.com/albums/xx178/glencoyne/IMG_20160925_0002_zpsmwtwku3y.jpg)
The Engineers Department was a riot of vacuum braked ex revenue earning stock including vanfits from all the "Big Four", ex LMS three plank opens, pipe and Long Tube wagons, iron ore tipplers and Big Four brake vans including ex GWR Toads.
Richard
Quote from: bluedepot on September 24, 2016, 06:59:05 PM
many thanks for all the excellent replies - special mention to edwin and flying pig!
which of the grain wagons (Dapol) and bogie bolsters (Farish) would be appropriate for an early 1980s train?
The Dapol grain wagon is the 4 wheel bulk grain hopper, 2F-036-001 in BR grey; the Farish bolster is the Bolster C, which doesn't seem to be currently available new. Note that liveries as supplied are for an earlier period so some repainting or lettering may be required. Dated photographs can be found at http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagons (http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagons) amongst other sources. Many of the grain wagons were 99% rust by 1980.
Hi There were some very late on 1991/2 part and unfitted trip workings from Bescot to duddeston wagon repair depot does that count ? They had all sorts of engineers and traffic stock but depot closed shortly after.
cheers
Robert
I paid a visit to Duddesdon Wagon Works just before it shut and took pictures of everything in sight. Now where did they go...... :doh: :confused1:
cheers for all the further info
I may get a few grain hoppers and add rust and then maybe a van and a few more 16 ton minerals
mixed freight is most interesting train to see in real life and to model I think esp for wagon enthusiasts
Tim