Steam Railways

[alycidon]

thanks - I think I might have assumed that the driver of the train operated the brakes

Up to a point you are correct in this, Mercia. All passenger trains, and certain freight trains, employed continuous brakes operated by air or vacuum by means of a pipe throughout the train. When the driver, or fireman, applied the brake on the locomotive, the brakes on every carriage or wagon were also applied. On freight trains without continuous brake, while the footplate crew could brake the locomotive, only the guard, by screwing down his brake in the brake-van could slow the wagons,

I can't be dogmatic about the role of a brakesman, but I have always understood that a worker of that title was responsible for pinning down the brakes of wagons being loose-shunted in marshalling yards - a most dangerous practice that would not be allowed today. As I say, I stand to be corrected about this, but this is how I have always understood the process.

[mercia]

thanks alycidon - sometimes g-grandpa is just called a "guard"

[Vile Consort]

He might have been what one might call an assistant guard, working on freight trains. Passenger trains in that period would have had "continuous brakes" operated from the locomotive, but freight trains usually didn't and relied on handbrakes in brake vans to stop the train. If there was only one brake van, the guard would occupy it and operate the handbrake, but on long, heavy trains there could be several, and each would be manned. Only one of these people would be the guard, who would be in charge of the train. (The driver drives the guard's train on the signalman's railway).

On a long train it could be pretty horrible. The wagons were loose coupled. As the train went downhill, the wagons would close up until they were buffer to buffer, but as the train started going uphill, the wagons would start to separate until the coupling "snatched". By the time this snatching reached the guard's van at the back of the train, he could be in for a very sharp jerk indeed, and good guards became adept at knowing where this was likely to happen and at wedging themselves into their seats to avoid being thrown across the van and injured.

[Frances_iom]

Up to a point you are correct in this, Mercia. All passenger trains, and certain freight trains, ..

even up to late 1960s few freight trains unless they were express goods had continuous brakes - most were unbraked with the final brake van having a large wheel to apply brakes to that van only - the marshalling yard brakesman had a pole to slip an arm off its rest which allowed the metal shoes to fall onto the wheel rim and thus provide some braking - hump shunting was an exciting but common technique to marshall freight trains - the last versions of these had remotely operated brakes acting on the flanges of the wagon as it rolled down from the hump

[mercia]

thanks all (he lived on the Wandsworth Road so possibly worked out of Clapham Junction)

"The driver drives the guard's train on the signalman's railway" - that's neat, I like that

sorry - I've been saying BRAKESMAN, the word could well be BRAKEMAN, the handwriting is difficult to decipher sometimes

[clive heath]

Last week I drove a steam train.

Not a very big one.

Not very far, either.

It was a birthday present from my son who bought me a "Driver Experience" on the Sherwood Forest Railway.

You can see it in action here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6Y0dTyTwg

I got instruction from my personal trainer (!?) David, in the order of pulling, pushing, turning various levers and wheels and learnt how to take the engine forward and backward, I added extra coal to the fire, pulled the whistle (whoo! whoo!) and to cap it all drove the engine all on my own for the half mile from the far station "Weldale" back up the hill to the home station. It was great.

[Roehre]

Last week I drove a steam train.

Not a very big one.

Not very far, either.

It was a birthday present from my son who bought me a "Driver Experience" on the Sherwood Forest Railway.

You can see it in action here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6Y0dTyTwg

I got instruction from my personal trainer (!?) David, in the order of pulling, pushing, turning various levers and wheels and learnt how to take the engine forward and backward, I added extra coal to the fire, pulled the whistle (whoo! whoo!) and to cap it all drove the engine all on my own for the half mile from the far station "Weldale" back up the hill to the home station. It was great.

I am very envious now but it' s a lovely present indeed

[alycidon]

Last week I drove a steam train.

Not a very big one.

Not very far, either.

It was a birthday present from my son who bought me a "Driver Experience" on the Sherwood Forest Railway.

You can see it in action here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6Y0dTyTwg

I got instruction from my personal trainer (!?) David, in the order of pulling, pushing, turning various levers and wheels and learnt how to take the engine forward and backward, I added extra coal to the fire, pulled the whistle (whoo! whoo!) and to cap it all drove the engine all on my own for the half mile from the far station "Weldale" back up the hill to the home station. It was great.

Well, lucky you! My journey was much less exotic, as I have today ridden the restored railway between Tweedbank (Galashiels) and Edinburgh Waverley. It was absolute magic, and quite surreal in a way, but a clapped out Class 158 in both directions. I recommend it to all.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

On Sunday, on the North York Moors Railway, we bade farewell to Sir Nigel Gresley 4498. For the next three years, this magnificent locomotive will undergo extensive refurbishment.

[Beef Oven!]

My mate always wanted to be run over by a steam train, it was his ambition. When it finally happened, he was chuffed to bits.

[Barbirollians]

Last week I drove a steam train.

Not a very big one.

Not very far, either.

It was a birthday present from my son who bought me a "Driver Experience" on the Sherwood Forest Railway.

You can see it in action here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6Y0dTyTwg

I got instruction from my personal trainer (!?) David, in the order of pulling, pushing, turning various levers and wheels and learnt how to take the engine forward and backward, I added extra coal to the fire, pulled the whistle (whoo! whoo!) and to cap it all drove the engine all on my own for the half mile from the far station "Weldale" back up the hill to the home station. It was great.

Brilliant I am also very envious .

[mangerton]

There's a few things to comment on here.

Firstly clive heath - what a lucky chap you are, and what a great experience.

Last Wednesday I went on a steam-hauled charter trip on the re-opened Borders Railway. It was a glorious day, especially after the appalling summer we've had, and a marvellous day out. Here is a pic of 60009 at Waverley Station. (NB: NOT Edinburgh, and the clock tower you can see on the sky line belongs to the North British Hotel, not the Balmoral. Showing my age again.)

The trip was steam hauled going, but diesel hauled on the return, as with a singular lack of foresight, running-round facilities have not been provided at Tweedbank.

I'm sorry I missed Sir Nigel's last weekend at the NYMR, but I'm going this weekend for the autumn steam fest. I also see that they are to have The Flying Scotsman 60103 or 4472 next spring. That's one to look forward to!

[umslopogaas]

Back in the late sixties I had two steam train-mad friends. We all had cars, but in the week the last commercial steam trains ran in England, mine was the only one on the road, so I was induced to drive all the way from Surrey to Lancashire in my 1937 Standard Flying Ten, top speed 40 mph, to view this historic sight. I had no interest in trains myself and Surrey to Lancashire is a b****y long way at 40 mph. Anyway, we got there, duly watched the enthusiasts swarm over the engine as it arrived at its final destination, many of them scraping off samples of memorial soot into little glass bottles (I'm not making this up). Then, way up in the Pennines and twelve miles from the nearest garage, it fractured an external oil pipe and I had to be towed downhill for twelve miles with the brakes on to stop crashing into the tow vehicle. The linings smoked, but didnt quite catch fire. Then I had to go home by train, then back again a week later to collect it, then drive all the way home again. The whole experience didnt endear me to steam trains.

[AmpH]

A4 ' Union of South Africa ' at Basingstoke for an evening water stop a few days ago on its return to Waterloo. Currently the only A4 in steam and will sadly be put out to grass at some Scottish museum on the expiration of its current boiler certificate in 2019. Hopefully Sir Nigel Gresley ( currently being overhauled at NRM ) will be back on the rails by then to fly the flag for the A4's.

[cloughie]

A4 ' Union of South Africa ' at Basingstoke for an evening water stop a few days ago on its return to Waterloo. Currently the only A4 in steam and will sadly be put out to grass at some Scottish museum on the expiration of its current boiler certificate in 2019. Hopefully Sir Nigel Gresley ( currently being overhauled at NRM ) will be back on the rails by then to fly the flag for the A4's.

At least we've got Flying Scotsman and Tornado to keep the LNER flag flying. Recently saw Tornado down hear at Gwinear Road en route to Penzance - a wonderful sight!