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Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by martinr1, Sep 12, 2014.

  1. gwalkeriow

    gwalkeriow Well-Known Member

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    Yes they were transfers just like the BR crest.
     
  2. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    The first completed Mk1 brake, M 34625 enters traffic tomorrow. The maintenance facility is strangely empty now it has moved outside. Work continues on the other one and that is not far off either. Much of the effort will shortly shift to the LMSCA Brake Open which promises to be a very interesting vehicle indeed.
     
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  3. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    Another 08 shunter has arrived - 08605. Work has started on the base of the signal box at Shottle; the railway has recently purchased a mini digger with the aid of a large donation which will be used on this project and for many drainage improvement tasks.
     
  4. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    Members living in Derbyshire may be interested to know that the EVR has joined forces with Derbyshire Now magazine, distributed by Derbyshire County Council. At the back of the current issue there are vouchers giving two adult rover tickets for the price of one between June and the end of September.
     
  5. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    The recently arrived shunter, Wigan 2 formerly 08 605 has had the vacuum brakes reinstated and underwent a successful brake test. The diesel locomotive weekend on 11/12 August should see it in action, possibly double headed with the other 08.

    There will be an hourly service with 2 trains working for the Bus gala on Sunday 1st July and the Transport Gala on 14/15 July; trains will cross at Shottle and the new Down platform will be in use.

    Also at Shottle, the foundations for the new signal box have been dug out and shuttered and the concrete is due to be poured next week. The LNER teak buffet, on contract repair for the LNERCA has been moved under cover.
     
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  6. Luke McMahon

    Luke McMahon Member

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    I've seen a few phots of that & it does indeed look very interesting, operationally will it possibly have buckeye couplings added? I only mention because it'd be easier when & if it gets marshalled into a regular running rake saves a bit of time faffing about with screw couplings.
     
  7. gwalkeriow

    gwalkeriow Well-Known Member

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    Fitting Buckeye couplings to a vehicle that was not designed for them would involve a major rebuild if the ends of the underframe. The normal drawbar for the screw coupling is only designed to take drawbar forces and not the combined drawbar and buffing forces that a Buckeye takes. Additionally the underframe would have to be modified to take into account the need to fit a Pullman gangway, the take a proportion of the buffing forces. In other words a total redesign.

    I think that a little bit of " faffing " about might be a little easier?
     
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  8. Luke McMahon

    Luke McMahon Member

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    Yes true sorry I hadn't realised that I just knew there's a few older similar vehicles that've had the mods done.

    Any recent updates on the pair of industrial tanks that are being restored yo work on the evr? Look forward to some regular steam action. Also look forward to seeing some proper signalling & being able to pass trains at shottle will make things better.
     
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  9. gwalkeriow

    gwalkeriow Well-Known Member

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    Which older vehicles have had that mod done? I can think of the 5 BEL set, which involved replacing substantial parts of the underframes with MK1 underframe ends. Any more that you can think of?
     
  10. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    We can and do pass trains at Shottle on an occasional basis using the ground frames, but this requires one operator for each ground frame and a supervisor in the middle, and there is little shelter for any of them, so we don't do it very often. There will be a 2-train hourly service for the Bus rally this Sunday, and for the Transport Weekend on 13/14 July and at the Diesel Gala later in the year. The supply of signalling equipment from Network Rail is so restricted (despite our offering a good price for anything which may possibly become available) that we are making new semaphore signals. If anyone out there has any surplus mechanical items, including post furniture and sections of cut up signal post with bits attached, we would be very glad to hear from them.

    Bagnall 2746 The Duke is just about complete mechanically; a new bunker has been fitted and work continues on the cab and saddle tank. The boiler is under contract repair at LMS at Loughborough. Work done so far includes making and machining a new copper tubeplate, making and machining a new foundation ring, welding in a new large section of the thoatplate and lower outer sides, which last have been drilled tapped and stayed. We await a new backhead and new several other things. Regular bulletins appear in "Industrial Updates" in the steam traction section. It'll be done when it is done. We were hoping to steam it by Christmas, but I think Easter 2019 is looking a bit more realistic at the moment.

    Shameless plug: Bagnall Locomotive Group market a range of limited edition Dapol wagons, mostly based on prototypes from the Peak District, also the spoof "Buggleskelly Gas". Ask for us if you visit Wirksworth on a Saturday.

    The other industrial, Cathryn, is also just about complete mechanically, but I gather their boiler problems are probably a bit worse than The Duke.
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2018
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  11. Luke McMahon

    Luke McMahon Member

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    Thanks for the update, how much longer until the signalbox can be lifted into place at shottle?

    Should make it operationally a lot easier rather than working the ground frames, 1 bloke can do the job of 3. Older coaches I've seen with buckeyes fitted are gresley teak stock. The GCR have some & theirs all have buckeye couplings although I think they might've had them originally.
     
  12. gwalkeriow

    gwalkeriow Well-Known Member

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    They are all original equipment Luke, the GNR started fitting Buckeyes in the 1890s !
     
  13. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    The signal box should be on its legs by the end of the summer. Getting hold of the necessary equipment and making it operational is something else again.
     
  14. daveannjon

    daveannjon Well-Known Member

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    I'd say screw couplings are marginally better on a preserved line, once buckeyes get worn you can get all sorts of problems as the correct relationship between buckeyed coaches is important, whereas screw couplings don't affect the adjacent coach, are easier to maintain and you shouldn't get that jolt when starting off if the buffers are slightly compressed. The downside is having to connect or disconnect the gangways - forget to do this properly and damage ensues!

    Dave
     
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  15. Gav106

    Gav106 Well-Known Member

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    Is there any update on the new building at Wirksworth? I know a fund was started, is it progressing along?
     
  16. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    If a coach is fitted with a buckeye, it really must remain a buckeye vehicle as you can't realistically fit a screw coupling. the emergency screw coupling is just that. You have to lock the gangways out of use when the vehicle is screw coupled as the necessary extended buffers prevent the gangways from being used. That's as I understand it, anyway as us footplate crew don't have to get involved with such things.
     
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  17. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    Three SR electric Pullmans, built with screw couplings and British standard gangways that were converted to loco haulage for the VSOE set had the ends of their underframes cut off and replaced by the ends from salvaged LNER underframes from BGs and an RMB, in order to convert them to buckeye couplers, the Pullmans in question being Audrey, Gwen and Vera. They also receive rebuilt ends to accept Pullman gangways. Another car, Bertha, was adapted for loco haulage a the Bluebell railway retained its BS gangways and screw couplings.
     
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  18. marshall5

    marshall5 Well-Known Member

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    I thought B.R. used gangway converters so that Mk1 vehicles could be coupled to vehicles with standard gangways and the gangways remain usable by passengers. I seem to recall that the SVR may have run mixed rakes of LMS and Mk1 stock together.
    Ray.
     
  19. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    That is correct. When the buckeye is dropped and the buffers are extended they are flush with the gangway faceplate, just as the BS gangway is flush to its set of buffers and they can be coupled using a faceplate adaptor and the screw coupling.
     
  20. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Not being an expert in these things, I'm only going by the instructions contained in the relevant General Appendix regarding the use of emergency screw couplings and Pullman gangwayed stock.
     

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