Exeter St Davids - 30/12/91

[@055deltic]

Fascinating film of BR Western Region in the year I stopped my regular travels to Plymouth. Always so much of interest in and around Exeter SD. The NSE rake hauled forward down the mainline by the ex-Scottish Region 47/7, I presume was one of the occasional Waterloo - Exeters which ran forward to Plymouth. I remember there was an early morning up service started from N Abbott. At 11.14 what was happening with that dmu heading up the hill with a door open! Should have been properly checked before given the right away!

[@peterrawlings621]

Thankfully most of the class 50 fleet were saved. I was pleased to have been hauled by all of them on mainline rail back in the day of BR.

[@astrabelmont]

Hmmm, interesting at 7:20 a C47 hauls a train of NSE coaches, not up the hill to EXC but straight on to... Plymouth. I'd always understood that the SW limit of NSE was EXD but clearly here one went to Plymouth!

[@Dreadnought-is8sy]

It's possibly an ECS working to Laira. However, some NSE services did continue to Plymouth and Paignton (mainly on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday), such as the Brighton to Plymouth, Southampton to Plymouth and Waterloo to Plymouth (I travelled directly between Plymouth and Barnham, Sussex on a couple of occasions and have audio recordings of 50002 on the 9:25 Plymouth to Waterloo on 10/08/91 and 50033 on the 14:26 Exeter to Plymouth on 27/07/91, which originated from Southampton at 11:14).

[@astrabelmont]

@@Dreadnought-is8sy Thanks; very much appreciate your reply:)

[@Dreadnought-is8sy]

@@astrabelmont No worries - had a quick check of an old Platform 5 loco & coaching stock book from 1989 - it looks like they were all designated as RFBs, numbered 1200 to 1221, converted from 1988 onwards from mk2f FOs.

[@astrabelmont]

What in God's name was that at 14:42? I mean, not the HSt power car plus one mk.3 carriage, but what followed next: a mk.II without a single window. Can enyone shed any light, please?!!

[@robertvonvolland4737]

Barrier coach.

[@jayboy3478]

Damn, the year I was born crazy

[@astrabelmont]

10:24 How to paint InterCity livery on a HST power car so it looks nice and previously at 09:40 how not to do it.

[@hoagy_ytfc]

It's the buffers that make the first one look so odd, ISTM.

[@astrabelmont]

@@hoagy_ytfc ISTM what is this?

[@hoagy_ytfc]

@@astrabelmont "It seems to me"

[@DOCTORDROTT]

Great video, but some dodgy practices in train movements, worst was on 11:12 door flew open on a DMU , driving from trailing cabs . I did over 40 years in the industry. A few rules broken here. One guy at Didcot got sacked for less than what happened within the station here. The area manager would be right in the shit at Exeter allowing these transgressions

[@scoobpower]

And the bog van thrashed out with its doors open 😱

[@alfwedarf7764]

Nuts isn't it !

[@astrabelmont]

And another one! At 14:12 a mk.IId First with only five windows; the other two blanked-off. What on earth is this, please?.

[@Dreadnought-is8sy]

Think it's a mk2f RFO (or RFB) micro buffet.

[@astrabelmont]

@@Dreadnought-is8sy But there's no other windows and there's no red stripe. Just the continuous yellow stripe and blanked-out coach side.

[@Dreadnought-is8sy]

@@astrabelmont When BR changed from Executive to Swallow livery, they did away with the red stripe on most coaches. If you look at the mk3s, most had no red stripe once painted in Swallow livery. I found a picture of a mk2f RFB on Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/3952422499/sizes/o/

[@055deltic]

@@astrabelmont To make more Standard class seats available, in the late 80s the Buffet cars were removed (replaced by a TSO) and several Mk2 FO were converted to include a small buffet at one end, hence the blanked out windows. It didn't reduce the number of 1st Class seats by many - I always got a seat - and it was handy to have in the same coach for complimentary drinks/ teas/ coffees/ papers, etc. I believe they also worked a trolley from this buffet "IF" there were sufficient staff available, but they were often single manned. So there was no catering Red stripe as it was a First class seating coach. They were prevalent on the WCML inter regional services, Anglo-Scottish services to the South and South West destinations. I dont really know if they were included in NE/SW consists from Newcatle/York, etc.

[@astrabelmont]

Okay all ye rivet counters abd model enthusiasts everywhere: here at 12:25 we have an excellent real-life study, side-by-side, of InterCity Executive livery versus InterCity Swallow Livery.