Train cab rides

[bronzeonion]

The MNR
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Didnt that 156 that they repaired at Norwich went for a test run along the Mid Norfolk didnt it? A few heritage lines offer training for pway companies or like you said offer the line as a testing ground but for things like road/rail vehicles etc.

 

[D2022]

When was this ? In BR days I expect.

No, about 4 years ago.

 

[D2022]

This makes me wonder if some preserved lines aren't missing a trick. Would it make sense for a line with fairly modern DMUs to open up as a training ground on non-operating days? Rail-connected ones could even bring in a spare main line unit, assuming one is available. It seems like a nice little money-spinner for the line, and a safe environment away from regular traffic for the trainees. It would probably cost more than a simulator, but would provide a realistic experience.

The Swindon & Cricklade do, they are home to Readypower's training scheme, in return for use of the entire line and associated land for training, Readypower provide all their manpower and OTP for the use of the S&CRs Pway, building and works and grounds teams. Readypower also provide a driver for each machine the S&CR want to use, bring in any piece of equipment they want.

It's a sweet deal, the line wouldn't be halfway to Swindon without that little alliance. Best bit is, Readypower just potter about doing their own thing, so the preserved stuff can still happen mid week, Readypower just work around it. I think now a few of the S&CR guys are OTP qualified to use the stuff in preservation. it's pretty groundbreaking to see such intricate cooperation.

Does clutter up the car park though. Readypower use it a staging point for the GWML and South West.

 

[Hyphen]

How crap are the door locks then? Surely you need a T-key?

T-Keys aren't necessary. Don't own one myself (don't want one) but I carry a beer bottle opener on my keyring - insert it at a 45° angle into the lock, twist and it'll open!

Source - needing the baby change facility on a FGW HST! I have no desire or intention to enter safety-critical areas or open up panels.

In terms of cab rides, I have a friend who is a driver for a TOC in "Not England". I've been chatting to him setting up a train (no public on board) before and he's had the cab door wide open, but I won't even step foot inside. I've never asked for a cab ride, and I doubt he'd be open to the idea anyway. It's asking for trouble from all angles.

 

[AndyLandy]

Preserved lines may also allow it too - I know a few weeks ago I was at the KWVR and the train was waiting over for about an hour at Keighley as there was entertainment on the station - I saw the driver allow a person or two on the footplate (until he had to restoke the fire when he asked them to leave for safety)

Or volunteer for a preserved railway. That's how I gained all of my footplate time. I did a few days work on the Watercress Line as part of my Duke of Edinburgh's Award, one of the best perks was definitely the footplate time. Indeed, my avatar picture was taken then.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Not entirely cab ride but me, my dad and somebody else only just made a merseyrail train but when we got to platform 7b, the guard had shut the doors and then quickly ushered us into the back cab of the train where passengers are not allowed then opened the sliding door to let us into the train. It will be featured on my next video diary

 

[Jim_]

As a guard it wasn't uncommon for me to ride up front depending on the driver of course. Some weren't very sociable but others would be grateful for the company. Even if you didn't stop for a chat it was quite usual to pop in with a tea. I don't suppose it was in the rules, but I don't recall anyone ever making a fuss over it.

I don't think having someone in the cab with you is necessarily a distraction and in some circumstances it could help keep you more alert. I don't remember driver distraction being a concern when we had second men.

I do remember one driver who got the sack for having the (female) guard in his cab, but I think that was more to do with the fact that he had his trousers round his ankles at the time!

 

[notadriver]

Guards are no longer allowed to ride up front now ?

 

[Monty]

Guards are no longer allowed to ride up front now ?

Only under specific conditions (a DVD/DSD failure being an example) but otherwise no.

 

[tom1649]

Guards are no longer allowed to ride up front now ?

Still happens round here though.

 

[BestWestern]

Not entirely cab ride but me, my dad and somebody else only just made a merseyrail train but when we got to platform 7b, the guard had shut the doors and then quickly ushered us into the back cab of the train where passengers are not allowed then opened the sliding door to let us into the train. It will be featured on my next video diary

If you have video footage of this, please be careful before making it available in the public domain. The Guard was obviously doing you a favour, however his actions might be frowned upon by the management if he allowed you through a non-public part of his train. You may wish to consider that beforehand.

Regards, BW.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

If you have video footage of this, please be careful before making it available in the public domain. The Guard was obviously doing you a favour, however his actions might be frowned upon by the management if he allowed you through a non-public part of his train. You may wish to consider that beforehand.

Regards, BW.

Yes, Yorkie brought this matter up with me in PM and made sure I didn`t put anything to identify the guard. There is nothing to identify the guard but I cut out the part showing the unit number just in case. Thats the last thing I want to get the guard in trouble after saving me a long wait on a cold Chester station.

 

[notadriver]

Still happens round here though.

Really? Are you sure ?

 

[Monty]

Still happens round here though.

Where would be here anyway?

 

[rob w]

As a teenager I had my own T key, which was just a spare household door handle and the square bar that passed through a door.

When I was younger I used to use it to open up the rear cabs on the SR have had many a fun ride there.

Have also had a couple of interesting experiences

On a baking hot day in the mid 90’s I was taking a 319 from Blackfriars to East Croydon. The train arrived and I noticed that the driver had the door to the passenger compartment open. Seems that the cab was too hot and the driver was happy for me to stand at the opening as long as I didn’t enter the cab. Was interesting and I ended up staying all the way to Gatwick.

On a Network SE day in the 80’s I must have been about 15 and took a trip on the SW mainline to Bournemouth. The Rep + 8TC was packed so used my door handle device to open one of the intermediate cab doors

When putting my cycle in the guards van on an EPB I would often try and use the van without a guard a stay in there

During the last few weeks of the Addiscombe branch a few of us a cab rides up and down the line.

On a gala day in the 80’s to celebrate the East Grinstead electrification there was a 33+73 in the sidings at Oxted giving cab rides up and down the siding. The driver would like you operate the power handle and the attraction was very popular with people of all ages.

I travelled in the cab on the last train from Tunbridge Well’s West to Eridge. I remember there were lots of people in the and I asked if there was any room for one more. The elderly driver was pretty grumpy and said hop on and hurry up. My memory was that it was so cramped with all the people so dark. The driver was having a very lively run down to Groombridge so it was good fun. At Eridge we all got kicked out so it was back to the comfy seats.

There are a few more but they are for another day.

 

[ste]

I've been in the cab of an 87 when I was a kid from London-liverpool and I loved it.

Nowadays, I spend most my time in the cabs of units and it's not the same. Bring back the good old days!

 

[badger1badger]

In the 80,s it was common to ' cab ' locos

D200 , class 87 , 47 , 31 - we never caused any trouble and it was just what was the norm

We even C E R on occasions - writing these letters against my platform 5 spotters book - next to the number

 

[hoffers]

In the early 1980s I used to be a milkman in Walthamstow, North East London, and one of my customers was a driver out of Stratford who invited me to spend a day on the railway. I met him at Temple Mills and boarded a loose-coupled freight to Ripple Lane pulled by a Class 37. I was happy as Larry but then he let me take the controls for a few minutes and it was fantastic and unexpected.
Happy daze. I can't find my old Ian Allan books so don't know which loco is was.

Another time I was seeing what was on shed at Stratford and a Class 56 had recently been delivered and the supervisor at the MPD encouraged me to climb into the cab and walk through to the other end.

Hoffers

 

[DiscoStu]

I agree with a lot of the previous posters, cab rides were easy to get in the 80's and early 90's.

I had rides in ...

A 47/4 on the Kings Cross to Scotland overnight between Peterborough and Grantham in about 1986 (the driver told us to come up front when he saw us photting the loco at Kings Cross before departure)

A 37/4 between two shacks on the West Highland line (can't remember which ones).

A 37/4 between Crewe and Shrewsbury on the very early Crewe - Cardiff.

An 08 shunt at Crewe after arrival from Cardiff.

An 86 on the Northampton to Euston MK1 "Cobbler" rake between Northampton and Milton Keynes.

An 071 between Kildare and Dublin Heuston.

A 001 (A) Class between Cork and Mallow ... best cabride ever. Noise and sparks going up the bank/tunnel from Cork station.

A class 22 (very old electric) between St Niklaas and Antwerp in Belgium.

A German 232 between Reichenbach and Chemnitz on the Munchen to Berlin overnight. Again, the driver invited us in when he saw us photting the loco after the loco change. That was amazing in the snow.

It always seemed to me like you just had to ask years ago ... although being a young kid with the old man probably helped!

And then Elf and Safety had to f*** it up for everybody :roll:

 

[notadriver]

I agree with a lot of the previous posters, cab rides were easy to get in the 80's and early 90's.

I had rides in ...

A 47/4 on the Kings Cross to Scotland overnight between Peterborough and Grantham in about 1986 (the driver told us to come up front when he saw us photting the loco at Kings Cross before departure)

A 37/4 between two shacks on the West Highland line (can't remember which ones).

A 37/4 between Crewe and Shrewsbury on the very early Crewe - Cardiff.

An 08 shunt at Crewe after arrival from Cardiff.

An 86 on the Northampton to Euston MK1 "Cobbler" rake between Northampton and Milton Keynes.

An 071 between Kildare and Dublin Heuston.

A 001 (A) Class between Cork and Mallow ... best cabride ever. Noise and sparks going up the bank/tunnel from Cork station.

A class 22 (very old electric) between St Niklaas and Antwerp in Belgium.

A German 232 between Reichenbach and Chemnitz on the Munchen to Berlin overnight. Again, the driver invited us in when he saw us photting the loco after the loco change. That was amazing in the snow.

It always seemed to me like you just had to ask years ago ... although being a young kid with the old man probably helped!

And then Elf and Safety had to f*** it up for everybody :roll:

Do you think cab rides should be allowed again ?

 

[DiscoStu]

Maybe. How many accidents were ever caused by cab rides when they were common? I doubt there are many statistics, but I doubt there were many.

 

[ainsworth74]

There have definitely been one or two accidents caused by the drive being distracted by someone else being in the cab.

 

[bronzeonion]

I agree with a lot of the previous posters, cab rides were easy to get in the 80's and early 90's.

I had rides in ...

A 47/4 on the Kings Cross to Scotland overnight between Peterborough and Grantham in about 1986 (the driver told us to come up front when he saw us photting the loco at Kings Cross before departure)

A 37/4 between two shacks on the West Highland line (can't remember which ones).

A 37/4 between Crewe and Shrewsbury on the very early Crewe - Cardiff.

An 08 shunt at Crewe after arrival from Cardiff.

An 86 on the Northampton to Euston MK1 "Cobbler" rake between Northampton and Milton Keynes.

An 071 between Kildare and Dublin Heuston.

A 001 (A) Class between Cork and Mallow ... best cabride ever. Noise and sparks going up the bank/tunnel from Cork station.

A class 22 (very old electric) between St Niklaas and Antwerp in Belgium.

A German 232 between Reichenbach and Chemnitz on the Munchen to Berlin overnight. Again, the driver invited us in when he saw us photting the loco after the loco change. That was amazing in the snow.

It always seemed to me like you just had to ask years ago ... although being a young kid with the old man probably helped!

And then Elf and Safety had to f*** it up for everybody :roll:

H&S ruins everything, puts a spanner in the works all the bloody time.

 

[steamybrian]

There have definitely been one or two accidents caused by the drive being distracted by someone else being in the cab.

The Cowden Accident in 1994 on the Kent/Sussex border was suspected of unauthorised persons in the cab.

 

[12CSVT]

Maybe. How many accidents were ever caused by cab rides when they were common? I doubt there are many statistics, but I doubt there were many.

I believe this was a factor in a collision at Preston on 19th January 1986 involving DMU 53433 + 53482 and class 47 47111.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Maybe. How many accidents were ever caused by cab rides when they were common? I doubt there are many statistics, but I doubt there were many.

Just accidents? Or spads, station over runs, fail to calls, wrong routes taken (etc) too? Impossible to quantify because most of it will never get recorded, but I guess the official answer to the question these days is that one is one too many.

 

[scotraildriver]

I have always allowed inquisitive kids a quick look in my cab and a photo in the seat at terminal stations. Unfortunately one parent then tweeted my employer to ask them to thank me. Instead I got b****ing from the boss so no more I'm afraid. Shame, it never did any harm at a terminus and having kids myself it really made their day.

 

[CC 72100]

I have always allowed inquisitive kids a quick look in my cab and a photo in the seat at terminal stations. Unfortunately one parent then tweeted my employer to ask them to thank me. Instead I got b****ing from the boss so no more I'm afraid. Shame, it never did any harm at a terminus and having kids myself it really made their day.

That's really unfortunate that. Do a good gesture, gets mentioned with good intentions, backfires badly on you. I remember being invited into a cab of a VXC 47 (844 I think) at New Street, bet that made my day looking back on it!

 

[DiscoStu]

I thought my roll of the eyes and Lolling in my original post would suggest I was joking when I said h&s ruined it for everybody. Obviously not lol

For the avoidance of doubt, I do not think cab rides should be dished out willy nilly )

 

[A-driver]

The Cowden Accident in 1994 on the Kent/Sussex border was suspected of unauthorised persons in the cab.

More like an unauthorised person insisting on driving!