Some questions about Old Oak Common TMD in autumn 1991

[USRailFan]

I am, for personal use, editing the 'Engineering Department' from the Class 66 add-on to be more correct for the era it is set in (Class 66s, and FGW liveried 166s and HTSs in 1991? Uh, yeah, right....), and in connection with that have some questions:

1. 1991 was AFAIK still (very) early days for the Class 166s, so most of the regional services, at least the ones to Oxford, would be composed of NSE liveried Class 47s and Mk I coaches (am probably going to use Richard Armstrong's repaints here). What would the compositions be like for these services (e.g. typical number of coaches, and which types)?

2. How would the various tracks be used? The way the scenario is, you're putting together a trainset for Engineering duty, mostly consisting of cement cars and open gondolas (OAAs) - this takes place in the area of Old Oak Common known as the 'factory' - which AFAIK was really the area used for heavy locomotive repair work. Would this area really be used to put together such a train in real-life, and if not, where in Old Oak Common would it have been most likely to have been put together?

3. Roughly in the middle of the depot, just before the locomotive shed area, there are two sets of sidings called 'Pullman sidings' and 'Coronation sidings' - I assume that originally, these would've been used for their namesake trains, but of course these were long gone in 1991. In the scenario, these tracks are mostly empty, save for two rakes of Malachite Green(!) Mk1s, a rake of HST dining cars, and one rake of Class 165 middle cars. How were these sidings used in 1991, if they were used for anything at all? Is this possibly where it would be most prototypical to put together the construction train? Or would they, as is apparently the case today, also be used for storing charter fleet carriages in 1991?

4. According to http://www.class47.co.uk a large number of Class 47s had Old Oak Common as their home depot in 1991 (mostly Civil Engineers and Network SouthEast locos, and some Railfreight ones as well). The depot was at this time also the final resting place for scrap-ready Class 50s. Would there also have been other loco types stationed there at this time (ie autumn 1991) - possibly Class 37s and Class 08s?




(MODs are free to move this thread to the Real Railways sub-forum, if it is deemed more suitable)

[USRailFan]

Ah well... Guess not then...

[Dougjuk]

Hi there,

I am no expert on Old Oak but I do know that 08's were based there. I cannot recall class 37's but there were class 31's not sure if they were there in 1991 though.

All the best
Doug

[phat2003uk]

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you, you just jogged my memory in the other thread!

1) I think formations were about 7 coaches long and a mixture of Mk1s and Mk2s with one or two first class coaches in each set.

2) I would have thought this sort of train would be more likely to be marshalled in Acton Yard.

3) I really can't answer this one, sorry!

4) I can't say for sure there would be 37s and 08s but I am almost certain there would be one or two 08s and the odd 37.

[whittaker]

Hello
During the 90s the depot also had all the 47/7s which had been transfered to the western from scotland and painted in NSE livery,also on a visit to the area in 1990s i noted a very paint worn large logo 47 and also a railfreight livery one both working passenger trains.

i think most of these servises would have been kept in sets rather than marshalled and as above
mixed mk1 &mk2s all NSE.

also seen on a visit to the depot in this period was a 60 ,very new at the time,dont now if it was a
one off.

This was a great depot to visit,never got refused entry on all my visits,great memories

i would post some photos but they are all on slide,havent scaned any yet.




joe whittaker

ps

pulman shed,when you come down the ramp into the depot the pullman shed was to your right
and i think was full of stored coaches at this time.Aparently this building was built for the all new
Blue pullman trains in the 60s when the depot was full of Kings,Halls,Castles and lots of others.

[londonarnold]

I have a cab ride VHS video from Videoscene, shot when the HSTs were in swallow and the 47s indeed in NSE.

The one I have is Paddington to Bristol via Didcot, and there's surely enough NSE stock passing, though I'm not sure of the exact year.

You would probably be able to buy a copy somewhere on the net or ebay, maybe even padd to Oxford in 1991?

I'll dig it out later and see if that answers any of your questions.

Regards,
Ben

[FoggyMorning]

Hi

I think 1991 would still have found a few Class 50s at OOC