One for the railway heads

[tobester]

As an aside, the re-construction od Dalmuir station is due to start next week.

A new walkway with 3 new sets of stairs, and 3 lifts taking you to Plt 1, Plt 2/3 and Plt 4/5.

Due to take approx 6months as it will not have the same problems motherwell have, there will be a temporary entrance onto platform 1, which i think is at the bottom of the stairs leading from Duntocher Road, and a temporary stair case up/down onto the bridge to lewt you get acces to plts 4/5.

If i can get away with no9t being slagged too much i may try and get pictures from the station during construction.

[MacotheIsles]

Mr T> Thanks - I'd be interested in seeing some pics of the Dalmuir redevelopment. Lots of change on the railway front just now.

Here's a couple from the past...

1) Remember the enlightened days when you could look over the driver's shoulder from the passenger compartments?




2) Long-gone class 86 appears to have taken a wrong turning at Rutherglen

[tobester]

One for the people who like to wander, the car stop position at bowling has been moved further up the platform, so when you get off there and want to head straight to the harbour, sit in the rear coach of a 3-car and coaches 3/4 in a 6-car, for ease of leaving the station.

[tobester]

On an aside and a sad note, yesterday (5th march) was the 20th anniversary of the bellgrove crash.

Taken from Wiki

On 6 March 1989 two Class 303 commuter trains crashed on the Springburn branch of the North Clyde Line, just east of Bellgrove station in the East End of Glasgow. One passenger and the driver of one of the trains were killed.

The accident was of a type known as "ding-ding, and away"; caused primarily by a Signal passed at danger (SPAD) in conjunction with the single-lead junction track layout, where two lines converged into one just beyond the platform end and then diverged again - a layout which is simpler to maintain but is vulnerable in the event of a SPAD. This type of junction has been implicated in other accidents, notably to the south east of Glasgow in the Newton rail accident just a couple of years later.

[hazy]

Central station. Actual date to be confirmed. The new Airport/Ayr link train will be making a special appearance some time in May.

[tommytank]

Just out of curiousity, what was it about the 303's that made them so popular? Reliability? I remember being on them once (youth and mostly going ayr>glas meant i was on the later electrics mostly) but i found them pretty archaic.


I will now brace for the impending onslaught as i am not a train affecionado so i'm farting above my beltline!

[Alycidon]

I suppose they became part of the big Glasgow transport nostalgia thing along with the trams, the underground etc. They were far from perfect, but remember when they appeared the Suburban Rail Network was dirty, grimy and unpopular, the new trains were clean, frequent and relatively fast so the public loved them. They were originally a nice design (apart from the outdated bogies), but they were spoiled by "improvements" that removed much of the original charm.

[tommytank]

I suppose they became part of the big Glasgow transport nostalgia thing along with the trams, the underground etc. They were far from perfect, but remember when they appeared the Suburban Rail Network was dirty, grimy and unpopular, the new trains were clean, frequent and relatively fast so the public loved them. They were originally a nice design (apart from the outdated bogies), but they were spoiled by "improvements" that removed much of the original charm.

Ah, i see your point then, to be fair it was one of the first trains i think i saw in the flesh. They looked more purposeful than the later ones that ran the ayr/glasgow route (diesel and elecrics), they just seemed to have the front missing, as if a couple of rogue carraiges were belting up the line.

Anyone got a pic of 303s when they first came out compared to the last ones? What "improvements" ruined them?

[tobester]

The main 2 improvements i think TT is

1 - The took away the comfy big settee style seats that when you bounced you hit the roof and replaced them with seats similar to those in 314s, very uncomfy AND they were mi- aligned to the windows.


2 - They took away the window behind the driver where you could see where you were going and as a kid pretend you were driving the train.



Credit to original creator of the pictures.

[MacotheIsles]

As one who remembers (just) the coming of the Blue Trains, I can vouch for their popularity from outset. They were exciting compared to what had gone before and were very attractive trains on which to travel. As has been mentioned, they had comfy, airy, clean compartments (this was in the days before hooligans were allowed to buy tickets you understand), great panoramic views and they looked beautiful. I would go so far as to say that they are still the most attractive units ever to run on our rails (even with the jumper cables). I can remember people travelling on them just for the experience itself in the early days. And of course the marketing and branding was exquisitely done: they had their own pole-mounted symbol as has been mentioned previously, beckoning would-be travellers to the favoured stations, and that wonderful, modified Caley-blue livery topped off with a white roof that said 'clean, modern, new'. They were also aesthetically enhanced by wrap-round front windscreens that curved to follow the bodywork (removed after the death of driver Joe Conroy). Admittedly they were a bit lively bouncing through Bowling on their Gresley bogies, but that was all part of the fun. We shall never see their like again and I would ask you all to take a minute or so to pay homage to the greatest trains Glasgow has ever seen (or will see).

[tobester]

i missed the bouncing through bowling, only ever used them between hyndland and singer or hyndland and argyle st...altho did work them out of central first time on the trains in 1990.

As an aside the only train on the electric network ive never worked in are the 314s

[MotoMad]

Central station. Actual date to be confirmed. The new Airport/Ayr link train will be making a special appearance some time in May.

Sure? I was under the impression they hadn't begun production yet.

[tombro]

Totally agree, MacotheIsles !

The Blue Trains started just before I left Glasgow for Australia (I think they may have been taken back off for a while shortly after) and they were magic trains for a ten year old kid used to travelling from Drumchapel to either Charing Cross or Helensburgh the other way.

They were clean, bright and roomy as opposed to the old 'Steamie' carriages with eight or ten seats in a 'dog-box' and no way out if you happened to score a 'Happy Glesga Man' making his way home.

In 1960, those Blue Trains were a revelation in travel !

Tombro

[hazy]

MotoMad . I will try and get more info regarding those trains . I have asked some insiders insider and they are confident an appearance will be made but I know have a sneaky feeling that it may be a scale model.

[aland]

the 303's were really good units even post refurb, they did a reliable job. the bogies werent that bad as the gresley was a good bogie, probably as good if not better than a BR1 at the time of build the only option was a BR1 with roller bearings like a DMU bogie or gresley

as for the best trains for shifting folk to and from glasgow I would have to say that the 314 is the pick, nothing apart from routine overhaul since they were built, the 318 is a good unit too but IMO the refurb has ruined them a bit making them too much like the 334 which is the most rancid thing I have ever used

still remember the days when finishing work at 5pm, did I jog and grab the 17.20 largs or fester a bit and get the 17.35 ardrossan town that was a solid 303 move for many a year. many a time on a friday night the move would be have a quick pint of deuchars IPA before grabbing the 17.35 and a 303, of course you somertimes got a 314 which wasnt exactly great but rateable or you got bowled with a 318. happy days grabbing a quick fag on the platform before getting on the train