TRAIN FORMATIONS
Regular maintenance and renewals are key to the safe and efficient operation of the rail network. MARK CHIVERS looks to British Rail’s departmental wagon fleet and presents a selection of typical train formations from the 1950s to the 1990s that can be readily modelled in ‘OO’.
THROUGH the years, dedicated teams of maintenance staff and engineers have helped keep the railway running with regular checks of the permanent way, signalling and telecommunications equipment, repairing and replacing as necessary. A fleet of specialist rolling stock enables plant and materials to be transported between depots and worksites supporting the engineers.
Whilst there were some new builds, a good proportion of these departmental vehicles were hand-me-downs from redundant revenue stock with some receiving a new lick of paint, while many were rebuilt or converted to make them more suitable for their new roles. Each of the subsequent wagon types also received a distinctive ‘fishkind’ moniker as a means of helping staff identify the many different vehicles employed. BR operated a wide variety of train types for the transportation of ballast, rails, sleepers, track panels, signalling, structures and other…
