Steam movement to blame for Mk 1 carriage crisis

I have followed with interest the saga of Mk 1 carriages and the safety requirement for central door locking (CDL). In 1994, at the time of privatisation, the combined efforts and policies of the BR InterCity sector and the Steam Locomotive Operators Association (SLOA) left the movement with sufficient sets of Mk 1 carriages all fitted with both air and vacuum brakes so that steam‑hauled trains could run air‑braked on the non‑ steam legs at up to 100mph and be vacuum‑braked for the steam legs. This ensured safe braking at high speed and provided a transition period for steam locomotives to be fitted with air‑braking equipment. The only exception to this was the Fort William to Mallaig steam service, which remained vacuum‑ braked only, with a special set painted in LNER green and cream tourist livery.

InterCity, for its part, approved a system of air‑ braking for steam locomotives using brake valves and other parts from withdrawn diesel locomotives that could be reconditioned, thus enabling the conversions to cost as little as c.£8,000 per locomotive. In addition, a legacy of £30,000, left to me by an enthusiast journalist with the stipulation that it be spent to further the operation of steam on the main line was allocated to

Sir Nigel Gresley, Princess Margaret Rose, City of Wells and King Edward I to enable them to be air‑braked. This arrangement was agreed upon with Richard Hardy and Brell Ewart as chairmen of SLOA. Subsequently, the owners of Flying Scotsman, Duchess of Sutherland, Bittern

and Tangmere made similar conversions and there may have been others. Clan Line had been converted as a test locomotive to enable it to work the VSOE train.

Air-braking was essential to enable a failed steam train to be rescued, as there were then few main line diesels still equipped to work a vacuum train, and also for hauling the Royal Train and as a reserve for the VSOE contract.

At the same time, following an incident at Marylebone when a pipe burst in a saloon, steam heating was abolished because there was no means of testing the equipment and it had not been maintained for years. It also avoided the problem of trains being cold when pipes were blocked by frozen condensate, or a failure to open the rear steam cock to expel all the condensate in the system. This could take up to 15 minutes before departure on a long train. To provide electric heating on the steam-hauled section, InterCity donated a Mk 1 BSK to SLOA and provided the technical expertise, maintenance and fuelling for it to be converted to a Generator Car. As an interim measure, the ETHEL generator vehicles recently withdrawn from use on the West Highland sleeping car train were reinstated for use on steam trains.

All the special train carriages sold at the time of privatisation were up to date on their coded repairs and, although the Mk 1s were, by then, over 32 years old, they were in good shape to last another ten years – but not much longer without very major body repairs to eliminate corrosion.

All the foregoing was achieved jointly with SLOA, with cordial relationships existing with their four

successive chairmen: George Hinchcliffe, Michael Draper, Richard Hardy, and Brell Ewart, together with their secretary Bernard Staite, who always proclaimed to the SLOA members: “If you want to play in the Premier Division, you must have Premier Division standards”.

In the subsequent 30 years, air-braking of steam locomotives has ceased, resulting in dual-braked privately owned diesels having to be attached to the rear of steam trains as a reliability insurance and to provide train heating. Steam heating was tried again, despite the safety risks, but was doomed to failure and the BSK Generator Car appears to have vanished. Worst of all though is a failure to recognise that the Mk 1 carriages are now well over 60 years old and suffering from severe structural corrosion of door pillars, gangway support pillars, toilet floors, window surrounds and sills and, from the few carriages which have had this repair work done, the cost can be up to £100,000 per vehicle, in addition to that needed to fit CDL and toilet retention tanks. At the same time, the movement has spent millions on new-build steam locomotives and maintenance of existing locomotives but rejects using more modern carriages already fitted with CDL and retention tanks because they are air-braked only and therefore rule out using steam locomotives which are only fitted to work vacuum trains. Modern carriages are also seen as out-of-keeping with steam locomotives, but there is evidence to suggest that modern carriages could be preferable for the dining market, which has now become the main source of revenue.

When, 35 years ago, I introduced the highly successful First Class-only

Sunday Lunch trains from Marylebone to Stratford, the then editor of this magazine accused me of being elitist. Experience now seems to show I was ahead of the marketing curve, and today’s solution could be to form steam-hauled trains of Mark 3b First Opens and get rid of vacuum brake working and Mk 1s. This would allow investment into air-braking steam locomotives, instead of wasting it on obsolete and worn-out Mk 1s, and make steam-hauled operation much closer, reliable and safer for the modern railway.

The steam movement has also failed to recognise the change in public attitude to safety. Today, when an incident occurs, the first question asked is: “Who can we blame?” and this attack is

usually directed at the safety regulator for not insisting on the necessary safeguards.

Today’s position is a mess, with a large fleet of steam locomotives into which very substantial investment has been made, and now there is no long-term plan to provide sufficient carriages for them to haul. As the foregoing history shows, the movement has only itself to blame for this crisis. Perhaps another guiding mind like SLOA is needed. David Ward, Director, BR Special Trains 1982-94