Specials, headcode 1T** versus 1Z**?

[TheSignalEngineer]

8 hours ago, Michael Hodgson said:

I never saw them - only read about it somewhere - I assumed they meant something that looked like a miniature monchrome TV screen the size of two adjacent tiles on a NX domino-style panel

 

I also assumed 24v incandescent bulbs rather than LEDs were used in the early NX panels.  At the time, a lot of computer terminals (VDUs) were only capable of displaying alphanumeric characters and the voltage was a lot higher than LEDs or bulbs.  So, the train describer driver equipment would have been in a different box; in any case they also had to  process keyboard input to interpose the codes

Various train describer displays were used on panels in the 1960s. Coventry had edge lit engraved polystyrene displays installed in 1962. Later boxes on LMR has miniature CRT tubes which were approx 4" x 1". The HT drivers were in the back of the panel and consequently it used to get very hot inside. I remember New Street running with the back doors off sometimes just to get the temperature down.

These were later replaced by LED matrix displays of similar size. The front window of the Vaughn LED display was slightly larger than the Westinghouse CRT display, as I found out when carefully filing the apertures on a whole big panel during a replacement. 

Many of the track and signal indications on panels used a BPO No.2 24V telephone lamp which was also a NATO standard part.

[TheSignalEngineer]

On 15/02/2022 at 11:57, APOLLO said:

 

Another brand new Blue EE type1 on a 1T60 southbound passing Springs Branch around 1967

Used to see that sight every day when I spent a spell working just to the right of the shot. That was followed by seeing them running on 1T60 when I was working on the Chester line.

Edited February 17, 2022 by TheSignalEngineer

[TheSignalEngineer]

 

On 15/02/2022 at 14:21, Mike_Walker said:

X    Royal trains, out-of-gauge trains or other such eXceptional working.

 

Royal Trains were IIRC

1X00 empty stock / positioning move 

1X01 Queen or Foreign Head of State

1X02, 1X03 Other Royal / VIP trains

 

The LMR booklet explaining the system is available here :-

http://www.barrowmoremrg.co.uk/BRBDocuments/BRB_4_Position_Train_indicators2.pdf

 

[Michael Hodgson]

 

On a Notice I've got somewhere the class numbers were standard.  That is, the ECS ran as 5X01 from Wolverton, the light engine from Stratford to work it ran as 0X01 and then the loaded royal was 1X01 to Stirling

[APOLLO]

14 hours ago, TheSignalEngineer said:

Used to see that sight every day when I spent a spell working just to the right of the shot. That was followed by seeing them running on 1T60 when I was working on the Chester line.

 

Thanks, confirming what I read somewhere that Crewe 1T60's ran both up to Carlisle and along the North Wales coast line.

 

Brit15

[TheSignalEngineer]

27 minutes ago, APOLLO said:

 

Thanks, confirming what I read somewhere that Crewe 1T60's ran both up to Carlisle and along the North Wales coast line.

 

Brit15

I don't know if they went past Chester as that is as far as I worked.

When I was in the Training School the diesel running of the Class 74s was tested along the Chester line. 

I also saw early Class 20s running light on test turning back at Stafford.

[peanuts]

On 13/02/2022 at 19:15, w124bob said:

I worked numerous specials in my railway career and remember very short notice passenger trains being given 1Z**(or 2Z**). However it has puzzled me for some time why other specials that appeared in the weekly Special Train Notices carried either of the above. For example I worked a football special taking Chelsea fans to Oldham forward from Stockport, the train was 1T11. But then a charter (Northern Belle) was flagged as 1Z** a few nmonths later. So what was the difference. 

Oh, for the record Oldham beat Chelsea 3-0! (August 21st '91)

Oldhams first home league game in the old first division and i had to saddly miss it as couldnt get the day  off which meant i was working Rochdale box so would of signaled you off the Oldham loop small world init 

 

[w124bob]

19 hours ago, peanuts said:

Oldhams first home league game in the old first division and i had to saddly miss it as couldnt get the day  off which meant i was working Rochdale box so would of signaled you off the Oldham loop small world init 

 

Waiting with the empty stock at Rochdale, I'd already been round the loop this way once to drop the fans off. It was unusual for me to have a camera, but this day it proved worth while.

 

[peanuts]

4 minutes ago, w124bob said:

Waiting with the empty stock at Rochdale, I'd already been round the loop this way once to drop the fans off. It was unusual for me to have a camera, but this day it proved worth while.

 

Would of more than likely finished by then 9.15 relief in them days ko 7.45 so would think you followed my local around the loop 

[The Stationmaster]

A couple of headcodes from days of old (well not very old in my terms as I took the photos!)

 

So first up with a have a 'Royal ECS in June 1963.  judging by what can be seen of the formation I reckon it is probably an ECS for a Royal Train ('Grove' as it was once known) working and not for one of the lesser variety.

 

 

Now a return Newbury Races Special almost exactly one year later.  In my time of dealing with such trains 1Z11 was normally used for the Members' Special and knowing the way the Western did things I doubt if it was doing any different at the time I took this photo

 

 

 

 

[Siberian Snooper]

Not sure if it's me or the beer, but the second and third coaches, look to be clerestories. How old would they be IF they are?

 

 

[keefer]

I'm not that knowledgeable on the older Royal stock but there were a few coaches from the early 1900s of LNWR, GWR and ECJS origin (and often 12-wheelers as in the pic).

Royal Train thread here

 

Wikipedia page for Royal Train

 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by keefer

[The Stationmaster]

19 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

Not sure if it's me or the beer, but the second and third coaches, look to be clerestories. How old would they be IF they are?

 

 

Possibly the 1902 build vehicles?