Brake Vans in use on mainline?

[The_Rail_WAy]

Are brake vans used at any time on the mainline network in the UK? Last time I saw one would be just over ten years ago on an engineering train.

I suppose the reduction in brake vans, signal boxes, loco hauled services is all part of the process of the modernisation of our railway.

 

[Mugby]

Would the one you saw on an engineering train have been a plough brake?

 

[RichmondCommu]

Brake vans were used on the Denby branch in Derbyshire right up until its closure due to the number of level crossings. I think the last trains ran in around 1999.

 

[Pacerpilot]

They still run daily between East Usk yard and Birdport Terminal. There is no run round facility at Birdport so the train has to propel along the branch, brake van leading with a shunter controlling the movement from the van.

 

[eastwestdivide]

They still run daily between East Usk yard and Birdport Terminal. There is no run round facility at Birdport so the train has to propel along the branch, brake van leading with a shunter controlling the movement from the van.

Do you know what sort of brake van? Is it the standard BR 20T type, or something else? Weren't some SR bogie goods brake vans ("Queen Mary" type) still around for some purpose in recent years?

 

[Pacerpilot]

Its a shark ballast plough.

 

[jopsuk]

technically there's brake vans thundering up and down the ECML, GEML and Chiltern Mainline on fast express trains. They just happen to have a driving cab in them

 

[eastwestdivide]

Its a shark ballast plough.

Thanks. Googling "East Usk Shark" brings up a nice photo:
http://transportmedia.smugmug.com/Trains/FEB2013/27841744_HvD5KC#!i=2395632844&k=5kHVDfW

How many people must think it's a ship's wheel for steering visible there?!

 

[Pacerpilot]

That's the one. Bane of of life that thing. Spent many an hour in East Usk yard waiting for it to come back off the branch so I can take my coal trains down to Uskmouth PS.

 

[Mugby]

Well that wasn't exactly the intended purpose of a Shark but I suppose there's no reason why one can't be used as such.

Perhaps that's all there is now!

 

[9K43]

in the early 1980's all pit tip trains were class 9, after that nearly all trip trains to the pits were vac fitted, with HTV/ MCV/s Mgr trains were double piped air braked,HEA were used to collect coal and coke from the coke works and pits.
Eventually the system went single air pipe on trip trains and HAA's for the powers tations.
The last brake I went on was Christmas Week in 1992.
This was Shark and it went on shed at Neville hill.
In the early 1990's nearly all ballast trains went clas 6 to and from site.
In this time HM did many ballast trains at the weekend and mid week trains .
In one year I worked over 20 BT trains for 1.75 hrs pay.
As far as I could see, a Shark swims in the sea and not for the guard to rid in.
Sea sickness pills were rquired for these so called brakes

 

[caliwag]

Not really part of the question, but when I worked on Ashford international, RfD ran the freights to the Channel tunnel. Thus around 1993 you would see a pair of 47s hauling assorted bogie vans with a brake van at the rear...indeed a 20T BR job. Of course they ran the 47s as pairs in case of failure and the best I recall is 4x 47s with one van and a brake with smoking chimney and the guard leaning on the back platform...quite bizarre.