Front of the bubble [DotD 10.4.2020]

[whole diary]

[eightf48544]

Managing to get near the front of a set of 117s on an Oxford Northampton excursion via East West and the Bletchley flyover. Interesting to watch the stagger on the overhead.

[Umberleigh]

Once travelled in one of a pair headed from Barnstaple down to Exeter. I appreciated the view out of the rear cab but not so much the bucking and swaying at speed, which could be quite alarming!

[Ralph Ayres]

Once things return to some sort of normality I'd strongly recommend a visit to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, which has a particularly good collection of traditional DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit). Their Railcar weekends, with a varied mix of types and the occasional towed goods van, are excellent. On a quiet trip we were treated to an explanation of the various coupling codes and some of the tricks which can be used with care to join different combinations, so long as you understand which commands will or won't be sent along the train. We also had a demonstration of how a trainee driver who doesn't notice that one car hasn't gone properly into gear can make a bit of a mess of the gearbox, but that's a different story...

[Trowres]

I came across this set of photographs of DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) cab interiors. Some rare long-gone examples in the set. Wrap-round windows on the class 124 forced a significant rethink on the layout of indicators!

http://www.dawlishtrains.com/cabs-dmu-heritage.html