My Permanent Questions Thread

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

I've decided to make this my permanent 'real world' questions thread, to avoid posting tons of threads, it also makes answers easier to relocate.

My first question..

Did the Merchant Navy Class(Before Rebuild/After) and/or West Country Class haul freight occasionally?

To expand to the question, did passenger locomotives ever haul freight? I don't mean MT Locomotives, I mean locomotives that were designed for passenger work, but look like they could haul freight..

Let's be honest...
The Rebuilt Merchant Navy looks that way..

 

[edh6]

West Countries certainly hauled freight trains, they were always mixed traffic locos (technically the MNs were as well on paper, allowing them to be built during the war). As steam on BR drew to an end in the 60s it was quite common to see all sorts of express passenger locos on goods trains, but I'm not certain if this included MNs as the Southern region had relatively fewer freight trains than the others, but was well equipped with mixed traffic locos (especially West Countries).

 

[MeowRailroad]

Chances are for any type of locomotive that at least a single example was pressed into freight/passenger (whatever it wasn't designed to do) at least once if there weren't enough engines or if it was the only available engine to replace a broken down engine.

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

New question, was it common for GWR Toad brake vans to run backwards occasionally? If so, what was the reason for it running open end first?

 

[captainkman]

If so, what was the reason for it running open end first?

If it was found that way, it would be used that way. Turning it around, if the facilities were even available in the first place, would waste valuable time.

Kieran.

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

Turning it around, if the facilities were even available in the first place, would waste valuable time.

Kieran.

So if it was on a tight deadline, turning around was simply not a option, you just got it and went..?

 

[narrowgauge]

Turning was not an option because there was no need to do so, look at the name- 'brakevan'. The main purpose was to assist in braking a train of unfitted rolling stock, there were others but none that made direction important. It made no difference what end the platform was.

Peter

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

I get it, it was designed for purpose, not apperance, so it didn't matter which way it ran.

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

Another question! What were these babies good for..
A.K.A Combined Home/Distant Semaphore signals.

This desc dosen't help me understand really what these were good/used for..
(Taken from The Signal Box site)
Where signal boxes are close together, the necessary position of a Distant signal sometimes falls within the area of the adjacent box's signals. The Distant signal can be mounted beneath the Section signal of the box in rear, and it will be interlocked or slotted so as to ensure it is only cleared if the Stop signal has been cleared.

I think I heard somewhere they were used when the line speed was high or something like that...

But I'm honestly not sure what they were really useful/good for..

 

[edh6]

That description from the signal box describes it almost as simply as possible...
It's like any distant signal: The yellow arm indicates the position of the next stop signal. It's just that in this case the next stop signal is so close to this one that the distant signal needs to be in the same place as this stop signal.

There are all sorts of reasons the section might be short, from relative positions of junctions, stations etc. to the speed or density of traffic...

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

Good desc, but I still don't see the usefulness in it..

 

[BLACKWATCH]

The usefulness in it is, that the driver knows the state of the next signal, if the 'distant' is up, then the next
signal is up, but if the 'distant' is down, then the driver knows to slow the train & be ready to stop at the next signal.
This is useful in preventing accidents.

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

So basically.. if the top semaphore is up, the line ahead is clear, but if the bottom semaphore is down, you may need to be prepared to stop at the next signal right?

And I presume if they are both up, it means the line is clear ahead and the next signal is set at clear as well?

If I'm mistaken, please correct me.. I won't mind..

 

[BLACKWATCH]

By jove, I think you've got it, well done.

 

[itareus]

...By jove, I think you've got it...

I say old boy, methinks he jolly well has ...

Time for a G&T Jeeves, what ?

 

[Saieditor]

I say old boy, methinks he jolly well has ...

Time for a G&T Jeeves, what ?

Shaken, not stirred :hehe:

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

Where's the sexy girl Mr.Bond? :hehe:

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

I get it what it's like, it's like nowadays when you have a BR Signal on yellow, it's the same principal, just simpler.. The line ahead is clear but you MUST be prepared to stop at the next signal.

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

New question, where can I learn about the lamps on the side of the front of US Steam Locomotives? For example, learning what the green lamps on the side of the N&W Y6B(Trainz) mean?

 

[JCitron]

Google and Bing are your best friends.

http://modeltrains.about.com/od/cmodelrailroadterms/g/Locomotive-Class-Lights-And-Their-Function.htm

These are called Class lights and are used to tell the interlocking tower operators and station attendants which priority these trains had, or if they were part of another train consist.

These were mainly white and green.

White lights designated this train was not part of the timetable and ran as an extra consist. During the day, they would use flags, but at night they used these lights or markers.

A train with green lights would be an extra train running on a regular schedule - following another scheduled train.

This practice was very common during the busy seasons when trains would be full and extra trains were needed such as during the summer holiday season when many, many people would be traveling to the shore or the mountains. With freights trains, this would be common with big shipments such as what we used to see where I live with the Bangor and Aroostook shipping potatoes - the famous Maine Potatoes - during the harvest seasons. I remember seeing trains upon trains of boxcars with the "STATE OF MAINE" emblazoned on the sides of them. These were carrying mostly potatoes and there would be train after train of them. These were picked up from the BAR, handed over to the Maine Central, who then in turn handed them over to the Boston and Maine. After a run to Worcester, they were then handed over to the New Haven for their run to New York City and points beyond. This all ended in the early 1970s when the Penn Central screwed the farmers and BAR by not handling the shipment of potatoes, and all this traffic went to trucks.

Anyway, outside of some historical operations, this practice is pretty obsolete now because of better communication methods.

John