Steve Beck

@Dominic_Noades Should have had both 73s up front in multi and give it the beans bet Ashford and Tonbridge.

Class 73128 hauling a rake of British Pullman coaches, skirting the English Channel and the Famous White Cliffs, at Folkestone Warren this afternoon, working 5Y87 1341 Dover Priory to London Victoria, training run. 73119 was on the rear. (29/4/2026) flic.kr/p/2sahiwA

@Dominic_Noades Be great to see a 73 back on a passenger duty again on the Southern. Wonderfully versatile locos.

@13milepost Thanks.

@Charing_Steve 👍Number 1 with Great 🛌Western, 2 with Loco Services Ltd 3,5 & 6 with GBRf and Number 4 for sale so still about

For Sale: 95 mph General Motors 2750 hp towing Device,ETS 100 -Two careful owners, The #CaptainDellner 🪝🦅Squadron is disbanded #1Z99 Operations " What U Haulin' Son ? _ Pendos "But you DO have a fleet of Pendo Pullers don't't you" asked the Mayor" WCML ⚡️🧶🦺

@13milepost That’s the beastie. Good design isn’t it.

@Charing_Steve I remember those, had one of each coupler type for a training session 🔧

@kelvin5385 @tansley62 @HastingsDiesels Yes they were and still legal on ex southern territory

@tansley62 @Charing_Steve @HastingsDiesels my guess is the SR's red blinds are a loose interpretation of the rule book requirement for a red light to be displayed on the rear of the train.

@HastingsDiesels DEMU headcodes. Here’s the thread I promised. When the SR adopted numeric headcodes on their EMUs (SUBs, BILs etc i.e. the 1936 stock) the units did not have roller blinds. They had stencils in a box in the cab. There were 10 stencils 0 to 9 only. 1/

@kelvin5385 @Captain_Deltic @port27500 That’s exactly the story. The Southern kept imperial slippers and bolts on 455 319 and 465 so as not to mix up with metric. If you got the wrong metric bolt it fits imperial hole. You can even torque it up. First ramp end at speed it comes out and slipper flies off.

@Charing_Steve @Captain_Deltic @port27500 Still 14" imperial slippers on 465s... owning a bus, have everything from BSF/BSW, Unified, metric and BA. At least you can generally identify these from the nut or bolt head if they're unified.

Trying to modify metal brackets at my dad's using his tools is like trying to build a nuclear reactor with gaffer tape and a lump hammer. Everything is a pre-WW2 hand-me-down. Have you got a 16mm socket? No, how about 5/8? Dad, that's Whitworth... 😂

@Captain_Deltic @port27500 Getting metric and imperial mixed up in railway depots was a big issue. Shoe slippers and bolts between 455s and older stock in the early days. Was potentially lethal if you got it wrong. Long story here I’ll explain some day.

@port27500 A bit like having to have separate imperial and metric tool boxes for 1970s classic car and modern car. Ditto stocks of nuts and bolts. Always used to repack metric box before son's kart racing.

@kelvin5385 @Guard_Amos On its wiki page it does mention being articulated. Also min curve radius is 88m which is very good. We specified 90m in the465 spec. So to get round a 88m curve I think it must have articulation.

@Charing_Steve @Guard_Amos probably a bit outside BR loading gauge and axle weight for it to visit the UK... looks like it is now converted to oil fired, but believe they were coal fire but mechanical stoker. Think the driving wheels are rigid en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Pac…

One loco I'd love to go and see. I actually prefer this to Flying Scotsman

@kelvin5385 @HastingsDiesels Good point. I believe the DEMUs were the first to use red blanks as tail lights from new. I do know and have seen photos of 4EPBs with oil tail lamps and white blanks in their early days. DEMUs paved the way. Why proper tail & marker not fitted no idea.

@Charing_Steve @HastingsDiesels Often wonder why SR went for and stayed with red blanks for tail lights? I know SUBs etc had no batteries, but contemporary EMU such as 501s, Tynesides had tail lamps. 508s were the first with tail and marker lights.

@jsamways There you go !

@Charing_Steve Thank you … I often wondered, but have not heard that before. On the Central we had 55, 66, 77, 88 and 99. Oh, and 31 on the Eridge line from TWW - not sure how that got in!

3/. All the unused codes of 11s etc that EMUs didn’t. SE rigidly kept to this. HGS - CX became 22, HGS - Cs was 33, routes over marsh became 44, 66, 77 etc. 22 became the most recognised as the majority went to CX. (from the Steve Beck memory bank or railway trivia).

So H/Cs such as 11 , 22 etc could never be used. When the 1951 EPBs can along with roller blinds nothing changed as it didn’t have to. When the DEMUs came along in 1957 they needed new H/Cs for new routes they took over from steam. As they had roller blinds they used …….

@kelvin5385 @BLSFixtures @HarleysTravels @GOSHCharity @GBRailfreight @bonessrailway @tms1967 Just writing thread re DEMU headcode sad promised.

@kelvin5385 @BLSFixtures @HarleysTravels @GOSHCharity @GBRailfreight @bonessrailway I know @tms1967 knows the answer cos I told him once. I’ll do a thread later.

The GOSH Ness Monster Friday 22nd May 2026 to Sunday 24th May 2026 Tonbridge - Inverness raising funds for @GOSHCharity thanks to @GBRailfreight @bonessrailway with the amazing Hastings Diesels DEMU Full details: branchline.uk

@tms1967 Thinking more about it Trev I seem to think Pan Up / Reset was connected to Eng Start and Pan Down to Eng Stop. Well that’s how I’d have done it.

@tms1967 They were designed compatible- same auto coupler and 42 was control. Not sure where engine start / stop was fitted in as most wires used in BR 42 way system. Someone will know.

Class 210 at West Ealing on 18th May 1984. My photo @greensignallers @SRichardBowker @railnigel

@chris_railway @ChimeWhistle Big impact on non electric TOCs as well I should think. Still think it wrong to allow OA operator to run to Scotland with diesel 222s. Just saying.

@ChimeWhistle Red diesel has risen about 44% since end of February which has had a big impact on heritage lines.

The moaning starts! I've seen numerous posts moaning about the choice of visitors for the upcoming Severn Valley Railway diesel gala. No doubt this will be followed by complaints about gentle driving methods. Arranging galas is a huge effort and one has to consider diesel prices.