Guards vans on fully-fitted freights

[ChiefPlanner]

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.

 

[Falcon1200]

I have enjoyed brake van rides on various heritage lines, and have to say that the riding of a Shark (ballast plough van) even at 20mph was diabolical! In contrast the Southern Railway's Queen Mary bogie brake vans are like Pullman cars.

 

[Gloster]

I have enjoyed brake van rides on various heritage lines, and have to say that the riding of a Shark (ballast plough van) even at 20mph was diabolical! In contrast the Southern Railway's Queen Mary bogie brake vans are like Pullman cars.

Hardly surprising: Sharks had a 9’ wheelbase but were 24’ 5” over buffers. In days of yore the SR used to use Sharks as guards vans on ballast workings from Meldon right up to Salisbury or beyond: I do not envy the guards.

 

[Harpo]

The warm back cab of say a 47 was a much better experience !

Especially if you could jam something in the 47’s cooker ring to stop it’s death rattle when loco power was around a half.

 

[Justin Smith]

That is very interesting and could lead to some discussions about the realism or otherwise of people's model railway train consists!

Funnily enough I was investigating this just the other day. My N gauge layout has two sets of locos/coaches, essentially rail blue and rail green / steam. When running the latter it has an A4 in green and a Deltic in green with a yellow warning panel. Since the latter were added from 1962 and the last A4 ran on the ECML in late 1963*, my layout (when running with that rolling stock) is 1962 or 1963 !
OK it could be in Scotland, in which case it's between 1962 and 1966.....

* Though I believe 6009 Union of South Africa left KX with a rail tour in Oct 1964.