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| Doodargh begins a journey around the complicated layout |
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| A sideways view of Doodargh |
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| Railcar number 3 |
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| Yard view |
[1] Royston Morris, Miniature Railway Locomotives and Rolling Stock (Amberley, 2018) p. 17
Bekonscot Light Railway
The Bekonscot Light Railway is a 184mm gauge railway at the famous Bekonscot model village in Beaconsfield. The railway was opened in 2001, running along the perimeter of the model village site, to give passenger rides. The railway was extended a few years later and has proved very popular carrying over 85, 000 passengers a year.
The railway has three battery-electric locomotives. Two were built in-house at the Bekonscot workshops and the third by Maxitrak. One of them, Number 3, is a 4w-4w railcar which passengers sit astride [1]. The railway have also added two petrol hydraulics to their fleet plus often have visiting locomotives.
[1] Royston Morris, Miniature Railway Locomotives and Rolling Stock (Amberley, 2018) p. 17
[1] Royston Morris, Miniature Railway Locomotives and Rolling Stock (Amberley, 2018) p. 17
Simplex 60S
The Motor Rail / Simplex 60S was, along with the 40S, the successors to the highly successful 32/42. The 60S has increased power between 50 to 72hp and had an improved version of the 32/42's three speed gearbox [1]. The 60S could be fitted with a cab or an exhaust quencher depending on the customer's requirements.
The illustrated locomotive, Sandy, is Simplex 11218/1962 which is fitted for 607mm gauge. It is preserved at the Lancashire Mining Museum [2] and is shown whilst undergoing work at the Statfold Barn Railway.
[1] Alan M. Keef, Simplex Locomotives at Work (Lightmoor Press, 2019) p. 11
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| Sandy (11218/1962) at the Statfold Barn Railway |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Builder: | Simplex |
| Motor: | Dorman L series diesel |
| Power: | Up to 72 hp (52 kW) |
| Wheel arrangement: | 4wDM |
The illustrated locomotive, Sandy, is Simplex 11218/1962 which is fitted for 607mm gauge. It is preserved at the Lancashire Mining Museum [2] and is shown whilst undergoing work at the Statfold Barn Railway.
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| Another view of Sandy |
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| Sandy is fitted with a cab |
[1] Alan M. Keef, Simplex Locomotives at Work (Lightmoor Press, 2019) p. 11
[2] Industrial Locomotives Handbook 18th Edition (Industrial Railway Society, 2019) p. 157
Class 700 Desiro City
The huge fleet of Class 700 EMU has being built for the upgrade of Thameslink. They have replaced a number of old (and not quite so old units) such as the Classes 317, 319 and 377. The Class 700 is designed for high reliability, rapid acceleration, short dwell time and an increase in capacity.
The Class 700 is a development of the Desiro which is already common on British rails (the Class 450 for example). As they operate on cross-London services (North-South) they are equipped for both 25kV AC OHLE and 750v DC third rail operation.
The Class 700 was originally planned to enter service in 2012 though was delayed - however mostly due to political and legal not technical reasons. The first train arrived in the UK in 2015 and entered service in the Summer of 2016 with Thameslink.
The Class 700 comes in two versions, the 700/0 is an eight car unit and the 700/1 a twelve car unit. There are sixty 700/0s and fifty-five 700/1s.
The Class 717 is a similar unit built for Great Northern for the Northern City Line. The Class 707 is another member of the Desiro City family operated by Southeastern Railway.
The Class 700 is a development of the Desiro which is already common on British rails (the Class 450 for example). As they operate on cross-London services (North-South) they are equipped for both 25kV AC OHLE and 750v DC third rail operation.
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| Thameslink 700 134 at Oxted |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 1140 (115 8 and 12 car units) |
| Built: | 2016-19 |
| Builder: | Siemens Transportation |
| Engine: | Siemens traction system (750v DC third rail / 25kV AC OHLE) |
| Formation: | (700/0) Driving Motor Composite Open (DMCO)+Pantograph Trailer Standard Open (PTSO)+Motor Standard Open (MSO)+ Trailer Standard Open (TSO)+TSO+MSO+PTSO+DMCO (700/1) DMCO+PTSO+MSO+MSO+TSO+TSO+TSO+TSO+MSO+ MSO+PTSO+DMCO |
The Class 700 was originally planned to enter service in 2012 though was delayed - however mostly due to political and legal not technical reasons. The first train arrived in the UK in 2015 and entered service in the Summer of 2016 with Thameslink.
The Class 700 comes in two versions, the 700/0 is an eight car unit and the 700/1 a twelve car unit. There are sixty 700/0s and fifty-five 700/1s.
The Class 717 is a similar unit built for Great Northern for the Northern City Line. The Class 707 is another member of the Desiro City family operated by Southeastern Railway.
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| 700 003 at Bedford |
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| 700 003 again this time at St Pancras International |
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| 700 004 passes through Mitcham Junction |
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| 700 007 at Catford |
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| 700 024 at London Bridge |
Manchester Corporation Tramways 107-187
Manchester Corporation Tramways was the second largest tram network in Britain after the combined London tram network. At it's peak the corporation operated 953 trams. The corporation took over from the horse tram Manchester Carriage & Tramways Company in 1901 when the earlier company's leases expired. The corporation began a huge programme to electrify the network, and obviously required a lot of electric trams. Following a small number of trams built for evaluation purposes, the corporation placed large orders for three types for delivery in 1901, eighty were these double decker trams built by Brush.
The trams were originally open topped though top covers were retrofitted to most of the fleet at a later stage (Manchester, due to it's weather, began adding top covers to it's trams as early as 1904! [1]). The trams were built with Peckham Cantilever trucks though these were later changed to Brill 21E trucks. All of the trams were withdrawn by 1938. One tram (173) has been preserved.
[1] Charles Knapper, The Golden Age of Tramways (David & Charles, 1974) p. 134
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| Manchester Corporation Tram [2] |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 80 |
| Built: | 1901 |
| Builder: | Brush Traction |
The trams were originally open topped though top covers were retrofitted to most of the fleet at a later stage (Manchester, due to it's weather, began adding top covers to it's trams as early as 1904! [1]). The trams were built with Peckham Cantilever trucks though these were later changed to Brill 21E trucks. All of the trams were withdrawn by 1938. One tram (173) has been preserved.
[1] Charles Knapper, The Golden Age of Tramways (David & Charles, 1974) p. 134
[2] "New power station and electric car house as Manchester, England", Street Railway Journal (September 6 1902) Vol. XX No. 10 p. 300
Class 307 AM7 / PCV
The Class 307 EMU, originally known as the AM7, was built for London Liverpool Street-Southend Victoria services. Originally they operated off 1500V DC overhead supply but in the early 1960s were converted to AC electric, first at 6.25kV and later the standard 25kV [1]. They were built to the then-standard EPB style of Southern Region though operated on Eastern Region rails.
The Class 307s were refurbished in the 1980s, which introduced gangways between the vehicles, improved interiors and new bogies. They continued to be used on Great Eastern routes throughout the 1980s, some also working on the Wakefield Line for a time. All were withdrawn from passenger service in the early 1990s.
Originally it was planned to rebuild the Class 307s for parcel traffic as the Class 300 but the Class 325 was built instead for this work. However forty-two were rebuilt as Propelling Control Vehicles (PCV) for use on the end of locomotive hauled mail trains (the other end from the locomotive obviously) with the cab allowing for the train to be controlled at slow speeds [2], the PCV itself is unpowered. All but two were withdrawn from use in the early 2000s and many scrapped though some remain in storage. One PCV has also been preserved as well as an unconverted driving trailer as shown below.
[1] Alec Swain, Overhead Line Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1990) p. 28
[2] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 221
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| Preserved DTBS 75023 |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 128 (32 4-car sets) |
| Built: | 1954-56 (PCV conversion) 1994-96 |
| Builder: | BR Ashford/Eastleigh (PCV conversion) Hunslet-Barclay |
| Engine: | 4 GEC WT44 traction motors (1500V DC OLHE later 6.25/25kV AC OLHE) |
| Power: | 700 hp (520 kW) |
| Formation: | (original) Driving Trailer Standard Open (DTSO)+ Motor Brake Standard (MBS)+Trailer Composite (TC)+ Driving Trailer Standard (DTS) (AC conversion) Driving Trailer Brake Standard (DTBS)+ Motor Standard (MS)+TC+DTS (refurbished) DTBS+MS+Trailer Standard (TS)+ Driving Trailer Composite (DTC) |
The Class 307s were refurbished in the 1980s, which introduced gangways between the vehicles, improved interiors and new bogies. They continued to be used on Great Eastern routes throughout the 1980s, some also working on the Wakefield Line for a time. All were withdrawn from passenger service in the early 1990s.
Originally it was planned to rebuild the Class 307s for parcel traffic as the Class 300 but the Class 325 was built instead for this work. However forty-two were rebuilt as Propelling Control Vehicles (PCV) for use on the end of locomotive hauled mail trains (the other end from the locomotive obviously) with the cab allowing for the train to be controlled at slow speeds [2], the PCV itself is unpowered. All but two were withdrawn from use in the early 2000s and many scrapped though some remain in storage. One PCV has also been preserved as well as an unconverted driving trailer as shown below.
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| Front view of the preserved car |
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| Another view, at the time the car was at the Electric Railway Museum (now closed) |
[1] Alec Swain, Overhead Line Electric Multiple Units (Ian Allan, 1990) p. 28
[2] Colin J Marsden, DMU and EMU Recognition Guide (Ian Allan, 2013) p. 221
Class 24 (BR/Sulzer 1,160hp Type B(2) Diesel-Electric)
The Class 24 was part of the original wave of diesel locomotives built as part of the British Railways Modernisation Plan in the 1950s. The initial twenty were Type B (later Type 2) pilot-scheme locomotives and the design was sufficiently successful to gain a full production run of 151. The locomotive was further developed as the follow-on Class 25.
The Class 24 saw service across the network but mainly on the London Midland and Eastern Regions handling lighter freights and passenger services, and double heading on heavier trains. One problem which the locomotives had was a lack of sufficient brake force on longer loosely coupled freights which meant that diesel brake tenders were required [1]. The locomotives also served on the Southern and Scottish Regions, the latter batch having tablet catchers on the cab side for use on the Far North Line.
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| Preserved 5081 at Kidderminster Town |
| Information | |
|---|---|
| Number built: | 151 |
| Built: | 1958-61 |
| Builder: | BR Darlington, Derby and Crewe |
| Motor: | Sulzer 6LDA28 diesel |
| Power: | 1, 160 hp (865 kW) |
| Wheel arrangement: | Bo-Bo |
The Class 24 saw service across the network but mainly on the London Midland and Eastern Regions handling lighter freights and passenger services, and double heading on heavier trains. One problem which the locomotives had was a lack of sufficient brake force on longer loosely coupled freights which meant that diesel brake tenders were required [1]. The locomotives also served on the Southern and Scottish Regions, the latter batch having tablet catchers on the cab side for use on the Far North Line.
Compared to other Type 2s such as the Class 26, which had the same engine, the Class 24 had a number of disadvantages. The engine room air intakes and louvres were awkwardly situated making maintenance difficult [2] and filtering inefficient, they also suffered from having draughty cabs due to the little used cab end doors.
Withdrawal of the Class 24s began in earnest in the 1970s with the last withdrawal from revenue earning service in 1980. A number remained in departmental use [3] until the last was withdrawn in 1987. Four have been preserved.
[1] Brian Haresnape, Early Prototype & Pilot-Scheme Diesel-Electrics (Ian Allan, 1981) p. 67
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| Another view of 5081 |
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| 5081 (24 081) was the last loco to be withdrawn from revenue service in 1980 |
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| 5081 at Kidderminster Town |
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| 5081 arrives at Arley |
[1] Brian Haresnape, Early Prototype & Pilot-Scheme Diesel-Electrics (Ian Allan, 1981) p. 67
[2] Brian Haresnape, Production Diesel-Electrics Types 1-3 (Ian Allan, 1983) p. 33
[3] Colin J Marsden, Departmental Stock (Ian Allan, 1984) p. 106
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