BR Brakevans after privatisation

[Iskra]

A number of BR brakevans continued in use after privatisation, carrying liveries such as Mainline, Loadhall and EWS. Can anyone kindly provide some information on why these were still required when most trains would be fully fitted in this era, and what sort of trains they would be found attached to?

Thanks in advance

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Movement of unbraked LUL stock to and from West Ruislp to Crewe / Derby for refurbishment etc (with barrier wagons of course)

Escort duties for particular loads

Amongst other things

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

Loadhaul had a number of "Shark" brake vans which were fitted with ballast ploughs and used on engineering trains.

There were also some vans which were used for propelling movements, i.e. they were attached to the leading end of the train.
The first example I can bring to mind is the branch from Castleford East Junction to Allerton Bywater colliery, but IIRC this ceased just before privatisation; however I'm sure some survived after.
The van used at Castleford was a standard BR TOPS class "CAR".

 

[WL113]

EWS at Bescot refurbished an ex Southern Region Queen Mary bogie brake van sometime around 2001. The van was used for propelling moves between Walsall Station and Midland Yard. The van carried EWS livery and was used until 2004, it entered preservation at the Gloucetershire and Warwickshire Railway.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

EWS at Bescot refurbished an ex Southern Region Queen Mary bogie brake van sometime around 2001. The van was used for propelling moves between Walsall Station and Midland Yard. The van carried EWS livery and was used until 2004, it entered preservation at the Gloucetershire and Warwickshire Railway.

Was that S56302 - originally in battered green which I spotted under Tennyson Road bridge at Norwood Jct , got it dug out and we used it to good effect on West Midlands car trains. Went out on it once , a nippy day and foraged around for coal , lit the stove and regretted it as this coal spillage must have been old (GW ?) loco coal and once it got going it was far too hot - and left a trail of smoke akin to a destroyer in blacking out mode. I apologied to the staff at Bescot on arrival - but they just shunted it out onto a spare road , and checked it periodically.

It rode well though ! ....

 

[Gloster]

Loadhaul had a number of "Shark" brake vans which were fitted with ballast ploughs and used on engineering trains.

The BR ‘Shark’ was designed to be primarily a ballast plough and all were originally fitted with underfloor ploughs for this purpose. They could be used as brake vans, but normally this would be only on ballast trains. Some of the regions concentrated their Sharks on locations convenient to the supply of ballast: the SR had all its examples at Meldon (and I wish the guard luck bouncing up the West of England main line in a 9’ wheelbase van).

 

[d9009alycidon]

EWS at Bescot refurbished an ex Southern Region Queen Mary bogie brake van sometime around 2001. The van was used for propelling moves between Walsall Station and Midland Yard. The van carried EWS livery and was used until 2004, it entered preservation at the Gloucetershire and Warwickshire Railway.

There was another one uses on Ayrshire Coal Trains for a propelling mive

 

[Iskra]

Was that S56302 - originally in battered green which I spotted under Tennyson Road bridge at Norwood Jct , got it dug out and we used it to good effect on West Midlands car trains. Went out on it once , a nippy day and foraged around for coal , lit the stove and regretted it as this coal spillage must have been old (GW ?) loco coal and once it got going it was far too hot - and left a trail of smoke akin to a destroyer in blacking out mode. I apologied to the staff at Bescot on arrival - but they just shunted it out onto a spare road , and checked it periodically.

It rode well though ! ....

That’s a fantastic recollection, thanks for sharing

 

[ChiefPlanner]

That’s a fantastic recollection, thanks for sharing

I filled the stove right up to the top - basic error , should have used the firing adage pf "little firing - let it burn through"

The old girl got a stretch of wheels on the Dagenham - Halewood car trains too - BTP to ride to Stratford GE only and got some "custom" around Forest Gate Jn - a noteable car radio theft area back in the day ! Marshalled about half way through on a train , really surprised the criminal fraternity.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Was that S56302 - originally in battered green which I spotted under Tennyson Road bridge at Norwood Jct , got it dug out and we used it to good effect on West Midlands car trains. Went out on it once , a nippy day and foraged around for coal , lit the stove and regretted it as this coal spillage must have been old (GW ?) loco coal and once it got going it was far too hot - and left a trail of smoke akin to a destroyer in blacking out mode. I apologied to the staff at Bescot on arrival - but they just shunted it out onto a spare road , and checked it periodically.

It rode well though ! ....

Oh stop please - that's brilliant - but my wife has told me off for laughing so loudly during her TV programme.

 

[Ashley Hill]

We had a travelling shunter who after picking up scrap from a local siding would climb on top of the wagons whilst waiting at the exit signal. Here whilst waiting for a path onto the mainline he would cut the flex off old electrical equipment. He would then put it in the brakevan stove to burn the insulation off. We would pass through the mainline station with black smoke coming from the van’s chimney even in the summer. He had a locker full of copper cable which he then sold to a different scrap yard.

 

[Carbean]

Slight drift as this is well before privatisation but at Gloucester Barnwood yard a couple of the stored ex LMS brake vans became cosy homes for local tramps.Assured supply of loco coal from the shed.

 

[Forty29]

, Some great recollections in this thread. Planning to go travel on some guards van trips at diesel gala's this year starting with Chinnor next month.