Most demeaning cascade

[randyrippley]

Recently watched archive footage of a filthy 7020 'Gloucester Castle' relegated to being a humble Paddington station pilot (a shunter) in 1964. This task was normally carried out by pannier tanks.

I was under the impression that was common: kept an express loco ready as a hot spare in case of a failure

 

[Calthrop]

A facetious "aside"; but with thoughts of the old LNER's love of sometimes bizarre names for locos, taken from racehorse names: "Demeaning Cascade" might be a rather good name to give to a racehorse.

 

[brstd4260]

A different kind of cascade; the collection of superfluous railway infrastructure in the gigantic garden railway at Fawley Hill. Whilst they've all been saved from destruction, they are now reduced to being garden follies.

At least they've been saved and are looked after and they are there for our (small number of) visitors to see

 

[hexagon789]

CIÉ 071s relegated to the Ballina Shuttle.

Class 87s on sleeper ECS

SNCF TGV Sud-Est on TER-GV

(Effectively all once national flagships relegated to much more minor services).

 

[A0]

How about the 317/7's used by TFL on metro services

Not really. I can remember in WAGN days when the GN inners ran to Kings X as Moorgate was closed it was common to find 317s on Welwyn GC to Kings X services.

 

[RichJF]

Class 508s replacing slam door stock on the Tonbridge line!

 

[yorksrob]

Class 508s replacing slam door stock on the Tonbridge line!

Absolutely agree !

 

[lyndhurst25]

Class 45/1s: from hauling aircon MML expresses to pulling three Mk1s on Sheffield to Leeds via Moorthorpe stoppers due to a DMU shortage in the late 1980s.

 

[Malcmal]

HST's working Newcastle to Sunderland evening local stopping services in the early 1990's vice DMU were fun to see. Didn't fit most of the platforms but safety was not such a concern in those days

 

[30907]

Absolutely agree !

Yes, the 508s deserved better

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, the 508s deserved better

What !!!!

To think that a route, that once enjoyed the luxury of Hastings thumper stock, should be subjected to slidy-door rubbish.

Oh, the indignity !

 

[xotGD]

Split-box 37s ending up on the Western Region!

 

[USRailFan]

Half-length HSTs running regional services in Scotland and Wales?

 

[30907]

What !!!!

To think that a route, that once enjoyed the luxury of Hastings thumper stock, should be subjected to slidy-door rubbish.

Oh, the indignity !

Quite so, from an able-bodied passenger viewpoint (OT but in Cononley post electrification a neighbour moaned about how difficult it was to board the 308s with small children, after we lost the Pacers...) - but this thread started about cascades that demeaned the stock.

 

[yorksrob]

Quite so, from an able-bodied passenger viewpoint (OT but in Cononley post electrification a neighbour moaned about how difficult it was to board the 308s with small children, after we lost the Pacers...) - but this thread started about cascades that demeaned the stock.

Well, you get a step whether it's a Pacer or a 308.

(308's are another one of my preferred trains - I consider their introduction to Yorkshire to have been an upgrade).

 

[30907]

Well, you get a step whether it's a Pacer or a 308.

(308's are another one of my preferred trains - I consider their introduction to Yorkshire to have been an upgrade).

It wasn't the step, it was the narrow manual doors IIRC.

 

[yorksrob]

It wasn't the step, it was the narrow manual doors IIRC.

Well, my mum got me onto various VEP's in the early 1980's, so not an insurmountable obstacle for most parents.

 

[randyrippley]

how about during the "Winter of discontent"?
A Blue Pullman power car at Temple Meads being used as a backup power generator in case of a power cut

also
E2001 used as a mobile load bank
The first of the class 50s to be withdrawn became a stationary test loadbank for EE diesels (I can't remember if at Crewe or Doncaster)

 

[Cowley]

The first of the class 50s to be withdrawn became a stationary test loadbank for EE diesels (I can't remember if at Crewe or Doncaster)

Yes it was 50011 and it went to Crewe to have a cat flap cut into the side of it for all of the wiring...
To be fair it wasn’t long before the steady withdrawal of the whole class generally (continuing with 50006), but it was still a bit of a shock seeing an ETH 100mph machine taken out of front line service bearing in mind that BR had still been converting 31s and 47s to ETH around that time.