hi.
i just got hold of a sir rowland hills class 47, but im unsure of what travelling post office coaches i should use. There seems to be a few to choose from in the farish catalogue. ie general utility van, Bg full brake, super bg full brake, and Tpo coaches.
cant seem to find a decent picture when i google. so hoping someone could help
thank you
The shortest TPO train with a 47 would be something like the Workington - Huddersfield TPO which ran to early 90s and ran as BG-TPO-BG or BG-TPO-BG-BG with the BGs in blue grey or red. For a period it ran with a courier van instead of one of the BGs.
For later trains then Super BGs and GUVs would be appropriate.
Cheers, Mike
so for the later trains would they just have a few Guv and super bg and that was it?
Depends entirely on when you mean by later and which region! You need to give us a bit more info.
Google and Flickr are good for searching.
I run my red 47 with 2 GUV's, a BG and 3 TPO coaches. I personally want to avoid the superbg as the are not from the blue riband range of coaches and to my eye the difference shows as well as the older tooling coaches sitting higher than the new ones.
My rake is comprised of:
374-132 Mk1 GUV Blue
374-133 Mk1 GUV Rail express sytems
374-039 Mk1 BG blue/grey
374-900 Mk1 POS Royal Mail Travelling post office
374-902 Mk1 POS blue/grey
374-903 Mk1 POS Royal Mail Letters
For a general parcels train, a motley collection of GUV's and at least one brake coach would suffice and look realistic. There are CCT's due out soon as well.
Hope that helps.
Mark
The Super BGs are very good and although they might not be quite as good as the newest Mk1s they are much nicer than the old Mk1s - they were a sort of intermediate.
The sitting higher might be down to wheelsizes (and whether the bogies have the correct sizes in).
I have just bought the Grafar Mk1 TPO sorting van-mainly because it looks great! However may I ask what sort of consist could a TPO reasonably be included in circa 1957. I have a collection of Mk1 full brakes, composites, and vans and brake seconds which I throw together as parcels consists. Could a TPO attach to a passenger service, mixed train or parcels train? Or, could the TPO be hauled singly on any ocassion? Most grateful for suggestions.
TPO vehicles could run in both dedicated trains and as add-ons to a passenger service in that period. one nice shot I have seen is of a Penzancto Liverpool express with a tpo portion at the front. The tpo portion consists of a single sorting coach and 2 pre-nationalisation BGs.
That's useful info- i've struggled to find many photos of anything but TPO dedicated trainsets (the Night Mail re-make of 1948 doesn't dwell on the set much though it seems to be three TPOs and assorted vans). Plenty of shots of mongrel van trains with all sorts of miscellaneous vehicles seemingly thrown together half at random. Any photo links most welcome.
slightly off topic, but does anyone know if there is any truth in the rumour that Farish are to release a postal storeage carriage to go with their TPO sorting carriages ?
I bought the TPO at Craven Models the other day and it was 'just in' - the chap who runs the place is new to the trade and wasn't aware of any more related units-however I'll check in Colne soon, Howard at West End usually knows what's imminent.
Quote from: class37025 on May 14, 2013, 07:10:33 PM
slightly off topic, but does anyone know if there is any truth in the rumour that Farish are to release a postal storeage carriage to go with their TPO sorting carriages ?
It would be very welcome and a logical addition to the range. Sadly I have not heard anything to suggest that Bachmann are planning to release one in either 00 or N gauge.
If anyone hears anything to the contrary, let me know. :NGaugersRule:
Hi,
Announced for the Bachmann 2013/4 OO range:
QuoteBR Mk1 TPO Stowage Van
39-750 BR Mk1 POT TPO Stowage Van Post Office Red (As Preserved) £39.95
39-755 BR Mk1 POT TPO Stowage Van BR Blue & Grey £39.95
39-760 BR Mk1 POT TPO Stowage Van Royal Mail Letters Large Red £39.95
39-765 BR Mk1 POT TPO Stowage Van Royal Mail Travelling Post Office Red £39.95
A quick check shows eHattons have pre-order page for these, but I've not seen any delivery date promised. With any luck they'll do well to get that Graham Farish 'shrink ray' turned on them 8)
Regards, Gerry.
many thanks for that,
fingers and lots of other things crossed that the shrink ray hits them
>:D
In the meantime, there are TPO overlays made by Robbie's rolling stock
Hi,
I used to work on the TPO, from Penzance To Bristol and back. It consisted on the front a Stowage BG 4 Sorting Coaches and the rear was another stowage BG. It started pre 40s with apparatus for mail bag pick up red stock then changed to Blue and Grey Stock and in the latter stages of service changed to all red without the apparatus.
Hope that helps.
GWRGirl
That would have been the Great West up then.
The following is not about a TPO rake, but may interest some.
I started with Royal Mail in the early 1980s in the main Bristol sorting office, adjacent to Temple Meads station. It was usual for new starters to be placed on a late or night duty for some months, finishing at 0100 or 0600.
Invariably your duty would entail a visit to the station to transfer mail bags between TPOs on different platforms. Lifts took you and a station barrow of mail bags down to the tunnels below the station, taking one up to the required platform. It was very busy for around an hour with 40-50 postmen, or I should say post persons transferring mails between TPO's.
The last TPO to arrive in Bristol was the down Midland around 0445, having started it's journey in Newcastle. I remember class 50s and Peaks being used a lot of the time. Of course all history now, given that Royal Mail decided to abandon TPO's and triple their fleet of articulated wagons. Very green!
They later had PCVs at the ends of some of the sets - I've not looked into which sets or what the formations were. This allowed them to move the train out of a terminus station for a short distance. As I understand it, although the PCVs had cabs and driving controls, these just showed up on a screen in the actual loco, allowing a driver in that to set the loco's controls appropriately. Locos used were fitted with nose-mounded RCH jumpers (in the case of 90s, 86s and rarly 47/7s these were already there for TDM - later 47/7s had them added and 67s were built with them).
I'm not aware of anyone having produced a PCV in N gauge.
The real ones are now all long withdrawn although a number survive - there are several, belonging to WCRC, stored in the sidings next to Hellifield station.
Quote from: DizzyBlonde on April 10, 2016, 09:47:31 PM
Hi,
I used to work on the TPO, from Penzance To Bristol and back. It consisted on the front a Stowage BG 4 Sorting Coaches and the rear was another stowage BG. It started pre 40s with apparatus for mail bag pick up red stock then changed to Blue and Grey Stock and in the latter stages of service changed to all red without the apparatus.
Hope that helps.
GWRGirl
So my 'play rake' wasn't so inaccurate as I thought. It consists of a Royal Mail BG (Farish 0787) + 6 Royal mail sorting coaches (Farish 374-901) + Royal Mail BG (Farish 0787).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/1zol3dmmp2kr17j/Mail%20Train%20002.MOV?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/s/1zol3dmmp2kr17j/Mail%20Train%20002.MOV?dl=0)
Robbie's Rolling Stock list overlay's
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjazPCWyYbMAhUI7RQKHWa8CrgQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.robbiesrollingstock.co.uk%2F&usg=AFQjCNFLlrnv_QtAzQ2Z13kHBLy0Obc_jw&bvm=bv.119028448,d.ZWU (https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjazPCWyYbMAhUI7RQKHWa8CrgQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.robbiesrollingstock.co.uk%2F&usg=AFQjCNFLlrnv_QtAzQ2Z13kHBLy0Obc_jw&bvm=bv.119028448,d.ZWU)
In 1956, the Norwich portion of the evening mail to/from Liverpool St was;
POS;BG;BCK:SK:BG.
This portion ran from Ipswich (Haughley?) to Norwich; the full train leaving Liverpool St included non-TPO vans and passenger coaches for Peterborough.
Martyn
Hi Martyn,
I take it that was the East Anglia TPO. As there were some TPO'S that ran out of Kings Cross and Euston.
Gloria (GWRGirl)
Here is an unusual working on the WCML
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater)
Cheers
Mark
The Aberdeen to Carstairs West Coast Postal, which joined with relevant rolling stock at Carstairs from Glasgow, had the following:
Consist in 1978: CK, BSK, BPOT, POT, POS, POS
Consist in 1982: BG, TSO, BPOT, POT, POS, POS
In the sixties, this was a combined postal & passenger train from Aberdeen as far as Perth where the forward postal coaches were carried forward, often by an LNER Pacific, whilst the passenger coaches became a stopping service between Perth and Glasgow Buchanan Street.
From the photographs I've seen, the postal section was usually three or four carriages in number, with an example I think being 3 POS and 1 BG. I do have a Marshalling Manual from that period so I will check when I can.
Quote from: scruff on April 11, 2016, 02:42:40 PM
Here is an unusual working on the WCML
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater)
Cheers
Mark
Someone has made a really bad job of spraying the yellow on the class 87. Could it have been me, I wonder? :hmmm:
Hi Gloria;
yes, that was the East Anglian TPO. It ran as a combined train to/from Liverpool St, but I'm not sure if it joined/split at Haughley or Ipswich (most likely). The Norwich section ran as described, the Peterborough section did not have a Post Office vehicle, but used standard stock. In LNER days, it is possible that these were two separate trains throughout.
I don't know when the vehicle was withdrawn, but until at least the late 50s/early 60s(?), the TPO was Gresley design, with 'blisters' on the side.
A 1959 photo shows the first three vehicles of the Up train as Gresley TPO, then 2xLNER BGs, probably the steel sided version.
Martyn
Quote from: newportnobby on April 11, 2016, 08:05:33 PM
Quote from: scruff on April 11, 2016, 02:42:40 PM
Here is an unusual working on the WCML
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater)
Cheers
Mark
Someone has made a really bad job of spraying the yellow on the class 87. Could it have been me, I wonder? :hmmm:
Can't have been you Mick... You'd still be trying to find the chimney so you could put the smokebox numberplate on!! :laugh3:
:sorrysign:
Cheers
Mark
Quote from: scruff on April 13, 2016, 08:47:51 PM
Quote from: newportnobby on April 11, 2016, 08:05:33 PM
Quote from: scruff on April 11, 2016, 02:42:40 PM
Here is an unusual working on the WCML
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1635814353371333&set=a.1485501575069279.1073741851.100008283522835&type=3&theater)
Cheers
Mark
Someone has made a really bad job of spraying the yellow on the class 87. Could it have been me, I wonder? :hmmm:
Can't have been you Mick... You'd still be trying to find the chimney so you could put the smokebox numberplate on!! :laugh3:
:sorrysign:
Cheers
Mark
To say nothing of trying to shove coal where it shouldn't go, Mark :-X
Back to the TPO rake before we have to sit on the naughty step... :-[