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The Railways

mw0njm. said:
what a ugly sight:(
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Unfortunately so, but as unlike ths original railway developers, today's designers and builders are paid a living wage and work in safety-oriented surroundings, and costs are watched carefully. If publicly funded HS2 cost were to rise by, say, 75% to make it look 'prettier' would you mind your tax rates rising to cover it?
I do not like the look of many post WW2 constructions (e.g. Madin's central library, now thankfully gone), but accept it as 'functional' rather than 'ugly'.
 
Lloyd said:
Unfortunately so, but as unlike ths original railway developers, today's designers and builders are paid a living wage and work in safety-oriented surroundings, and costs are watched carefully. If publicly funded HS2 cost were to rise by, say, 75% to make it look 'prettier' would you mind your tax rates rising to cover it?
I do not like the look of many post WW2 constructions (e.g. Madin's central library, now thankfully gone), but accept it as 'functional' rather than 'ugly'.
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Lloyd, I must respectfully disagree with your comment regarding HS2 & leave it at that !
 
British railways had a very high accident rate, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In fact, for many decades railways were among the most dangerous major industries in Britain, both for workers (trackmen, shunters, signalmen, drivers) and for passengers.

Since the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the creation of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the accident rate in railways has dropped dramatically.
 
Pedrocut said:
British railways had a very high accident rate, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In fact, for many decades railways were among the most dangerous major industries in Britain, both for workers (trackmen, shunters, signalmen, drivers) and for passengers.

Since the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the creation of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the accident rate in railways has dropped dramatically.
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And that is a very good thing!
 
i was wondering which way aound the corridor coaches went when facing the loco
  • Great Western Railway (GWR): The GWR was notable for building both "left-hand" and "right-hand" versions of their corridor coaches, intending for the corridors to consistently be on the same side of the train (usually the south side) along the entire length. This required careful train formation and meant the coaches often ran as fixed sets.
  • Southern Railway (SR), London, Midland and Scottish (LMS), and London and North Eastern Railway (LNER): These companies generally had the corridor on the same side for all brake coaches, meaning that the corridor would often change sides at some point along the length of the train formation.
  • Specific Services: On the LNER's non-stop Flying Scotsman service, the corridor on the locomotive's tender was specifically on the right-hand side (when facing forward) to allow the crew to change over mid-journey.
  • Orientation: For coaches without a specific "handed" design (like a brake van at one end), the side the corridor was on simply reflected the direction the coach happened to be facing when marshalled into the train.
Ultimately, there was no universal standard across all British railway companies for the corridor to be on one specific side.
 
mw0njm. said:
i was wondering which way aound the corridor coaches went when facing the loco
  • Great Western Railway (GWR): The GWR was notable for building both "left-hand" and "right-hand" versions of their corridor coaches, intending for the corridors to consistently be on the same side of the train (usually the south side) along the entire length. This required careful train formation and meant the coaches often ran as fixed sets.
  • Southern Railway (SR), London, Midland and Scottish (LMS), and London and North Eastern Railway (LNER): These companies generally had the corridor on the same side for all brake coaches, meaning that the corridor would often change sides at some point along the length of the train formation.
  • Specific Services: On the LNER's non-stop Flying Scotsman service, the corridor on the locomotive's tender was specifically on the right-hand side (when facing forward) to allow the crew to change over mid-journey.
  • Orientation: For coaches without a specific "handed" design (like a brake van at one end), the side the corridor was on simply reflected the direction the coach happened to be facing when marshalled into the train.
Ultimately, there was no universal standard across all British railway companies for the corridor to be on one specific side.
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Hi
yea always on my mind this one
on a large Rake they had a luggage coach most of the time followed by a Brake coach
i have viewed tons of footage and photos seems theres no set pattern
on my layout im setting up in new house im running A&B Sets so does not bother me at mo
but i am planning for larger Rakes in near future
 
A 19th-century GWR corridor train formation included a first-class coach, a second-class coach, a third-class coach, and a third-class brake with a guard compartment.
 
On April 1 1967 70042, now without its Lord Roberts nameplates, drifts down grade past Thrimby Grange with a ballast train from Shap Quarry.
1764585388216.webp
Brian Stephenson.
 
I am very interested in railways, but not so much the carriages and engines. Surely , if a train arrives at a station with the corridor on the left hand side and then goes round to the other end of the train, then the corridor is then on the right hand side !?
 
mikejee said:
I am very interested in railways, but not so much the carriages and engines. Surely , if a train arrives at a station with the corridor on the left hand side and then goes round to the other end of the train, then the corridor is then on the right hand side !?
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:grinning:
 
That is not necessarily correct; whether the corridor switches sides depends entirely on the design of the train cars themselves and how the train is reconfigured.
Here's why:
Fixed Car Orientation: In many modern trains, the internal layout of each car is fixed. If the corridor is on the left side of every single car, the train operator simply walks through the entire train, crosses the platform, and enters the locomotive at the other end. The corridor remains consistently on the left side of the train's direction of travel throughout its journey.
Reversible Cars: The scenario you describe could only happen if the individual passenger cars were somehow uncoupled, physically turned around, and then re-coupled in the opposite direction—a process that is not operationally efficient for normal passenger service.
In short, the corridor's position relative to the direction of travel remains the same unless the physical orientation of the cars is reversed. The operator moving from one end to the other doesn't change the physical layout of the carriages.
 
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