ChiefPlanner
Established Member
Fair to say that the riding quality of a standard brakevan on a main line could be diabolical , especially if there was a driver keen on making home. Comfortless - rock hard "padded" seats and a bare hook to hang a bardic on for illumination , often dirt from the coal fired stove with sometimes cinders etc on the floor. As a trainee , we were ecouraged to ride around a bit - so while 25mph max on the GCG line was fine ,non stop from Hereford to Severn Tunnel Jct was not.
The warm back cab of say a 47 was a much better experience ! - I recall one guard telling me that the need to coal a brakevan in the pouring rain before setting off on a winter evening with brick empties was enough for him to seek a better job - he did by getting a transfer to the Freightliner terminal at Cardiff Pengam.
The warm back cab of say a 47 was a much better experience ! - I recall one guard telling me that the need to coal a brakevan in the pouring rain before setting off on a winter evening with brick empties was enough for him to seek a better job - he did by getting a transfer to the Freightliner terminal at Cardiff Pengam.