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Peak Rail General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by kestreleyes, Nov 22, 2009.

  1. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    Hi Woody. I tried shortening the operating rake one day about fifteen years ago for the reasons you suggest. I had been flatly told that the loco would use just as much coal with a short train as a long one, but in those days I had enough clout to get things done occasionally. I am not sure how much coal was saved, enough for the loco crew to say that it was significantly easier to fill the bunker that night, but it was never tried again. I know you live locally; if you are feeling brave, why don't you call in and suggest it to management now and see what happens?

    Tim
     
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  2. sycamore

    sycamore Member

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    I don't think that this I unique to PR. Many lines run fixed rakes regardless of passenger number at the time of year. Not sure if it is because of the savings being minimal (depending on gradients etc...) or if it's an 'image' thing. Personally I think its better to keep swapping carriages around both for shunting competence and to keep the buckeyes inspected more regularly.

    Will
     
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  3. GWR Man.

    GWR Man. Well-Known Member

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    I think the pushing of coaches is down to where the driver is, ie the front of the train and with full control of the train, as in extreme case of following the rule of the power unit has to be on the front at all times, there will be no two/three car DMU operating, as the non powered coach/s are leading 50% of the time.
     
  4. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    The NYMR prefer to keep fixed rakes because the risk of accidents during shunting is reduced (and they know that better than most having had a fatal one) but also because shortage of siding space makes it hard to park the oou ones.
     
  5. burmister

    burmister Member

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    Indeed.

    The Southern Region conducted a lot of work in the early 60s on locos and tractor emus propelling stock at up to 100 mph between Tonbridge and Ashford for the proposed method of stock working for Bournemouth and Weymouth modernisation. The REPs and TC stock came about as a result. You could also insert suitably wired buffet coaches into these formations as required. Using buckeyes and buffing plates it was concluded it was safe. EMUs and DEMUs also push their trailers and driving trailers from their motor coaches. We run our 207 in a similar manner as it was intended running next to NR for over a mile on leased NR track.



    B
     
  6. Woodster21

    Woodster21 Member

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    Let me think about that one! Just an interested bystander now
     
  7. Sheff

    Sheff Resident of Nat Pres

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    I'm not sure I'm even interested any more. Only group I've ever given up on.
     
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  8. chrisj94

    chrisj94 New Member

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    Once again it appears that this thread has turned into the realms of bad blood, instead of, as Dominic has quite rightly stated in the past, a place to discuss news of work and progress at the railway in question. While I am more than for freedom of speech and opinion,after all that is what a forum is for, the public goading and slating of individuals in previous posts is not cool! You'd all do well to remember you are dealing with other human beings with human emotions, who deserve as much resect as any other of our fellow beings,no matter how strongly you feel about their policies. I would wager that most of the volunteers involved in the railway, as across the country, are little interested in petty politics, and continue to come to work in their own time to get away from the stresses of daily life. How could you know if they are dealing with debilitating illness, caring for a relative, mental stress etc. The railway you all continue to bring down is probably a lifeline for them, and they probably don't want or need to read alot of what is posted here...
    Anyhow, I will be continued to be found getting my hands dirty with fellow like minded individuals who I can always rely on to have a laugh, a joke and even a cry with. After all, isnt that what it was always meant to be about...
     
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  9. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Something of an over-exaggeration...


    Keith
     
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  10. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    Personally, I sympathise with Stan Loco. I have no doubt that there are many splendid people still working at Peak Rail, and I wish them all the best, and hope the railway prospers. However respect cuts both ways and I did not feel that the volunteers were treated with any particular respect in the later years while I was there. If you had ideas or asked questions then any minor differences seemed to escalate to all out conflict; anyone wanting to research the point need look no further than the 48624 thread in early 2010. The various obstructions were so frustrating that I gave up on main railway projects and worked on my own stock.

    I worked at a variety of railways before and after leaving Peak Rail and without exception, I found that working with them made working latterly at Peak Rail seem like running in concrete wellingtons.
    Paul and Lynn Tomlinson were nice people and I am sorry to hear that they have gone. I genuinely worry that if the middle level organisers go, and if ordinary volunteers like you only want to do the job in hand and not think about a bigger picture, that is quite understandable, but who will be there to take over when the senior management die or retire? In business terms, does the railway have a succession plan?

    I am told that ordinary members such as yourself do not receive Association accounts. If that is so then that does not sound like respect to me.

    Tim
     
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  11. chrisj94

    chrisj94 New Member

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    Granted, that came across wrong in translation, no intention to those not involved
    ..
     
  12. Mick Bond

    Mick Bond New Member

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    I would like to respond to Tim Oaks both as a member of the Peak Railway Association board and at a personal level. I will deal with the issue of the accounts first. A statement of financial activities was supplied to all members along with notice of the AGM and nomination papers. The issue of provision of fuller documentation was raised at the meeting and the board has undertaken to review this before the next AGM. I would like to thank Paul and Lynn for their contribution to the board and more widely to Peak Rail I am sorry that they decided not to stay on the board. As a board we do recognise there is a need to involve younger members at a management level. This is something which has been discussed at recent meeting. It is not something I can personally follow up; the archives and membership issues keep me fully occupied!

    At a personal level I would like to thank Tim for his considerable contribution to Peak Rail over many years. I enjoyed working with him on the PWay and in other activities. However as he says he has now left Peak Rail and although he is entitled to his opinions on its running I do wonder if his time and energies would now be best placed contributing to other parts of the heritage railway movement where I hope he will continue to play an active role for many years.

    Mick Bond

    Director
     
  13. Jamie Glover

    Jamie Glover New Member

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    A typical Peak Rail management response. Translation: As you are no longer active on Peak Rail .....please cease from criticisising us.
    Fact. Many volunteers have left Peak Rail owing to the ( possibly gerrymandered ? ) board not accepting advice, suggestions and criticism. Mr Bond should ask himself why so many ex Peak Rail directors and volunteers are to be found beavering away on the nearby EVR and CVR lines?
    Perhaps Mr Bond might also like to explain PR's latest management debarcle. This was when when they lost a small claims case that never should have taken place, if accounting matters had been correctly dealt with, in the first instance.
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2016
  14. Woodster21

    Woodster21 Member

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    Mick

    That was the most patronizing response I have seen for a long time. Disappointed, I thought you were better than that

    Andy
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2016
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  15. kestreleyes

    kestreleyes Well-Known Member

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    Rowsley bits

    The cycle way footpath work continues apace,the contractors I spotted at work at half seven yesterday morning well on with forging a way through the old sidings land that's now a forest,at rowsley the hardcore base for the path has been laid and there's fencing,an earth bund and some replanting still to do on the contractors list,the land towards markovitz has started to be cleared off trees and the route established, the base of the old north cabin signalbox has also been exposed up near the sites access gate.

    In the shed,E1 is on the pits having her engine attended to,with a lot of hard work appreciated from us all to Kev and all who've been working upon her and teaching me various bits along the way, the j94 is on with having it's brake hangars fitted now most of the pipe work has been attended to in the cab and the bunker fitted properly,she's coming on nicely, work on Penyghent continues and there is another dmu in the works now,this time a BR blue and white example,with two digit head code board which looks very nice too, the heritage shunters trust were busy in their sheds and I noticed them working on the 08 but didn't get a chance to stop and talk though.

    On my own department

    I'm sure we've had every season known to man his weekend,rain,sun,cold,heat,wind and err more wind.
    Apart from manning riverside saturday and Sunday this week,I've done quite a few other things besides.
    Darley dale cabin has had a repaint on it's inside of the roof and windows,the rear wall and sides come next in a couple of weeks time, I've also repositioned the hammer on the bell as it had slipped sideways so wasn't ringing properly, away from there at riverside I've adjusted no 3 point in the head shunt as the last bit of the pull into reverse was tight up with the switch banging up early, so I've taken some stroke off to balance it up and it fits without fighting the lever now, I've also fitted the large solar panel we gained to get rear of the cabin and ran the cable into the battery enclosure whilst at the same time tidying up some of the cable conduit as well, at riverside also I've trial fitted the facing point locks and the king lever with a small pull device in case of complete power failure,the idea being if anyone needed to move the points in an emergency and the power had failed then apart from taking a long time to undo four lock covers and then manually pick the locks to release the levers it'd be a ball ache to do, so some small shafts of polycarbonate have been attached to the armature of the lock as we did at Darley for the gate releases,through a hole drilled in the front casing, the difference there being we used cords as not to foul the lock with them being outside,here at riverside in the dry,the shafts are better, these are attached by a ringlet to the armature to provide a means of allowing the pull on the shaft to be flexible whilst not allow heavy hands to damage the lock, the shaft has a hole through which an attached pin on a chain can be put through to hold the lock open without having to remove the cover, having tried them all weekend they work fine, when not required under normal circumstances the pin is removed and the lock simply drops back in, some laminated labels will be affixed to the relevant locks next time[​IMG]
    I'm covering riverside next Saturday so the plan is to look at some of the mortar around the bridge end wall top where it meets the box and redo that weather allowing,then after service it'll be down to church lane to fit the new busbar on the motor point feed in the point loc, I've also the woodworm killer to drop off and dose to the rear of the frame downstairs.
    Looking ahead one job for next month will be to replace the dowty micro switches on the rear of 1,2&5 signal levers,these have worked well over time but they don't last forever and invariably will be changed after a few years service as is usual, plus spares will become an issue as we use them all up, originally with that type of frame they should have had contact boxes fitted as standard but due to the tight clearance between frame and track in the space the box fitted in it meant that they would have covered up the lever locks, so was never originally fitted, having measured up the space available I should be able to fit a piece of angle to mount the contact boxes off from the uprights previously used on the lock supports and then fashion some connecting arms to the levers which will need a hole mag drilling to take the rod from the contact box,annoyingly only one lever currently has the hole,number six which is out of use.
    Elsewhere Chris has been fortuitous in finding a perfectly good slotting balance weight and arm dug up by the contractors clearing the path for the new cycle way at Rowsley,plus a few concrete benches which we'l try and recover if we can,they may be ok,I've seen LMS ones dating back to 1927 in good condition before now dug up.
     
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  16. kestreleyes

    kestreleyes Well-Known Member

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    image.jpg

    The weight bar from a slotting post found up at rowsley
    image.jpg
    Couldn't resist it,from the box window at riverside,sorry about quality,have to photo the photo from iPad to phone hence it's fuzziness
     
  17. kestreleyes

    kestreleyes Well-Known Member

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    One of the dmu under current work in the shed,again apologies for fuzziness but my phone won't download to the net,iPad will so involves some bodgit and scarper tactics to get one working with the other, image.jpg
     
  18. Woodster21

    Woodster21 Member

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    Derbyshire County Council are tendering for contractors to fence / plant hawthorn bushes on the White Peak Loop - including the section through the Peak Rail car park at Rowsley South

    Is the DMU staying or is it just at PR for a paint job?
     
  19. Spirax

    Spirax New Member

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    What happened to getting the carpark tarmaced, bridge 35 repainted and the new rail/cycle bridge over the A6 at Rowsley then out of the cycle budget? I remember being told that this was all going to take place. Also when is the new shed going up behind the existing one which I was told was due to start January 2015? I see all the steelwork is still onsite so I presume its still on?
     
  20. Jamie Glover

    Jamie Glover New Member

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    It is interesting to note that at 13:00 hours GMT today Andrew Briddon's site containing a statement concerning his winning of a County Court case against Peak Rail had received an amazing 2465 hits. Is this a record number of hits concerning a Peak Rail issue?

    Jamie Glover.
     

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