On Track Machine

[boing_uk]

Must admit, I did toy with the idea of stopping a member of traincrew. I expect bumps and knocks, especially in the bendydildo as they are a bit "knocky" anyway. To use a term from another thread, the ride was quite exhilarating.

 

[Old Timer]

They had a habit of bottoming out quite alot some years back, indeed on one ocasion I closed the UP Fast behind us for a suspected broken rail/pulled joint in S&C because of the bang.

As for lively rides, sadly the experience of an 81 to 85, especially 83s/84s can never be repeated but believe me it was quite something, rocking and rolling like a ship in a storm at 75 with a car train behind was the favourite experience of mine.

In those days we judged how bad a track fault was by whether or not the Driver had been thrown out of the seat. If he had it was a block the line job, if not it was a caution job !

 

[boing_uk]

I remember seeing a video on TV many years ago of an 86 bouncing up the WCML at speed. It looked like fun.

Ah the good old days.

 

[Old Timer]

Actually the 86s were nice riding machines, a little lively occasionally but still nice.

There were certain locations where one left the seat such as Hemel Hempstead South and North Jcts, and a rolling gait could be experienced along Kings Langley but all in all they were nice locomotives.

Indeed in my opinion they were one of the best loco designs ever to have graced the UK.

I very much doubt much of the plastic rubbish we have these days will be capable of running about in 35 years time.

Indeed I just find it so deeply depressing that even a simple suicide can disable the modern plastic junk, something that never happened to the old BR traction.

 

[Flyboy]

Something is being done, as there was NR crew there as I passed on the 11:10 from Scunthorpe today.

Have just been away for a week so I'll check it out shortly.