Brake Van

[lionwing]

Slowly but surely I am building up my rolling stock to run on Newdale (http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=9421.msg109323#msg109323)

My latest wondering concerns the use of a brake van and under what circumstances it would be used?  All the time or when the load exceeded a particular limit perhaps?

[keithfre]

My latest wondering concerns the use of a brake van and under what circumstances it would be used?  All the time or when the load exceeded a particular limit perhaps?

There's a "Brake van" article on wikipedia.

[edwin_m]

Broadly speaking, ignoring some unusual exceptions:

Before about 1968 a brake van would be the last vehicle on any freight train however short. 

Later on they were used on all partly fitted or unfitted trains (where some of all of the wagons didn't have automatic brakes so the guard would have to stop them if a coupling broke).  Particular wagon types did or didn't have automatic brakes and even when fitted they might not have been connected, so a bit of research is needed. 

After about 1988 all freight trains were fully-fitted and brake vans became pretty rare. 

[EtchedPixels]

The other case a brake van was used for some time longer was with a single cabbed locomotive. That's basically down to the unions who eventually agreed with BR that a guard could travel in the rear cab of a fitted freight. So a single class 20, a shunter on a trip freight, a class 14 or class 17 would have had a brake van. I believe pairs of class 20s could have the guard in the rear of the two locos.

Once they were no longer needed for unfitted trains they remained in use for various reasons including

- propelling moves (locomotive at the back)
- closing gates (on some very lightly used freight branches the train stopped, one of the crew got out and opened the crossing gates and secured them, they got back in drove over the crossing and once the train had cleared the road the guard got down from the back and opened the gates again). It is after all a long walk down a train of 30+ coal wagons.
- providing additional braking loads (for example when moving a vehicle with failed, incompatible or untested brakes). Nowdays coaches seem to be preferred for this.

For a long period it was permissible to run brake van railtours on BR and they did run on a few lines including at least one where ordinary coaches simply wouldn't have fitted. Actually go back to the 1960s and with enough signatures even open wagons were permissible There was a railtour of the BP&GV in 1964 using a 16xx pannier, three brake vans and 3 open wagons full of the youth of the day. Can't imagine Network Rail approving such a move nowdays!

(I bet it would raise a few eyebrows in model form too)

Alan

[EtchedPixels]

Found a page with photos of said railtour

Imagine this being allowed nowdays 

http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/640516sl.html

[Newportnobby]

I'm glad that link explained what the BP &GV is (was) as I was getting splinters scratching my head

[lionwing]

Thank you for the advice - you never stop learning!

[GroupC]

This may be no help at all, but my sister used to think it was a "break" van, i.e. somewhere just for train crew to have their sarnies and tea. She may have missed the fundamental purpose of the van but she was right in many, possibly more important, ways I suppose.

[Jerry Howlett]

Obviously never tried drinking Tea in a van thats swaying around at the end of a train. I knew several drivers that delighted in giving a disagreeable guard a swift jerk as they pulled away , in the hope that he may have a cuppa in his hand.

[Caz]

This may be no help at all, but my sister used to think it was a "break" van, i.e. somewhere just for train crew to have their sarnies and tea. She may have missed the fundamental purpose of the van but she was right in many, possibly more important, ways I suppose.

You mean I've been under a misconception all these years as well, I thought it was the breakfast and dinner wagon. 

[Newportnobby]

This may be no help at all, but my sister used to think it was a "break" van, i.e. somewhere just for train crew to have their sarnies and tea. She may have missed the fundamental purpose of the van but she was right in many, possibly more important, ways I suppose.

You mean I've been under a misconception all these years as well, I thought it was the breakfast and dinner wagon. 

There was me thinking S.R. meant Sausages and Rashers