Part 3 of a training film made in the 1950's to teach train drivers about the then new diesel multiple unit railcar trains bieng introduced to replace steam trains.
OMG lol xd. Its even better if: Mike Jones: "Mine's on fire" Walter: "Mike, the automatic extinguishers should've put it out for you by now" Mike Jones: "Bloody hell, they've run out of suppressant, the fire is still burning" Walter: "Use the portable extinguishers located in your cab!" Mike Jones: "Cock! we used those a hour ago on a small switch fire!" Walter: "At least my train isn't on fire" Mike Jones: "Don't just sit there from your cab and look at me! Go get the fire brigade!" Walter: "I would, but my train keeps shutting down!" Mike Jones: "These bloody new fangled diesel trains, they can't do anything without either catching on fire or breaking down every fifty miles or less!" Walter: "I'll have my guard protect my train, and I'll run to the nearest signal box, and alert them of the fire" Mike Jones: "Okay, but run like the bloody devil, the nearest signal box is two miles from this exact location!"
I experienced a DMU failure once on my local railway (2013, I think). The driver braked gently, then suddenly the brakes went 'hard on' and we came to rapid stop. All vacuum had been lost from the train pipe and high reservoir and neither would recreate. The crew checked the train but no luck in finding the fault. Help arrived in the form of a 'GWR 28xx' which dragged the unit to safety. The fault later turned out to be a perforated rubber diaphragm (the size of a coin) in the feed valve of one car. A bit embarrassing, but thank goodness for steam coming to the rescue!
I find these videos sincerely very enjoyable. Now that I'm "a bit older" (read, "certified 'geriatric'"), I note that it seems that the railroad has absolutely nobody working for them under age 50 lol
I worked on diesels in the 70s and i can tell you now, the drivers would'nt faff about with a broken down train like these two, the'd just call a fitter out.
As they should. They are not the experts and no one should be line side faffing about pulling, unscrewing and resetting things under a carriage. Like expecting the guard to drive the train if the driver failed to appear. Rubbish design.
@@welshpete12 not their job and stupid. They are not a mechanic. Given their age to expect people to be faffing around wasting time. So you’d be ok with the guard driving as well if you couldn’t?
Used to get one of these to school every day. They were making weird noises in the mid/late 80’s. I remember once the train started to fill up with smoke, we had to abandon it a station short
Once the brake band adjuster stopped working it was either the bands were worn out or the adjuster had packed up. You needed to take the covers off the top of the gearbox to adjust with special measuring tools which were different sizes for each band. Pretty rubbish gearbox really. I overhauled hundreds of them. Second gear usually wore out due to setting off in wrong gear The oil level depth sensor got disconnected because it was inaccurate . The float used to stick. Buses were just as bad with the same engines and transmission. AEC Engines were low mileage with head gasket problems sometimes cured with spurious gasket sets
No. 85 Merlin no it's the earlier version know as the Met-Cam Light Weight. You can tell the difference by the valance below the buffers at the front ends.
Ahh, the good old Wilson epicyclic semi auto gearbox, thousands of trains and buses used them in the 50s 60s 70s, Leyland were still fitting buses with them until late 80s, all be it micro processor controlled by then.
After emitting toxic gases from the automatic fire extinguisher system, two cows in the field died. Mike was docked three and sixpence from his pay packet as a result.
Thanks for uploading these - an interesting insight into the job of a driver of the early DMUs. Surely today's DMU drivers aren't expected to have such an in depth mechanical knowledge and carry out all those running repairs, crawling all over underneath the train, and lineside, no mention of personal safety, and not a hi-viz panel in sight, on train or jacket!
I hope Mike wasn't so preoccupied with watching his controls that he didn't notice the distant signal at 11:50 was at caution 🤔 Blimey, that crossing keeper 12:00 pulled his signal off at the very last minute - and the train didn't seem to be slowing down noticeably either 🤨
Those days they used a thing called common sense, for those born after 1997 common sense was a thing were you used your brain and didn't have to work to the printed letter or instruction of a little jobsworth, they were good days before the nanny state took over.
When I was on the railway’s no driver would do any of this . The union says it’s not my job.they would just call a traction inspector out to have a look.
As they should. Their not mechanics. Nor may they be able to faffing around under trains specially with high speed trains running by. Would you expect a guard to jump into the driver seat ‘just in case the driver didn’t turn up’ either and do their job?
Different thing... but I still retain much of my job training and stock training from LT. Two air systems and lots of fuses ...... and that’s without coupling with different coupler types end to end. When you are stuck in a tube tunnel calling for assistance was the last resort and god help you if you were wrong...
The opening scene is on Reedham Swing Bridge with the signal box and Ship Inn in clear view. First fault, as stated is definitely Wymondham station and the Wymondham South Signal Box is clear to see also. Is the electric fault at Wells Station? Kind of looks like the back end of what is now the bookshop, though I may be wrong! At 11'29" if you cleverly pause, you can see on the station bench, the gearbox problem happened at Hethersett! Walter's 'stuck again' train is displaying Dereham, though not sure where the train actually is.
Stuck again = passed on approach to Hardingham, although main segment filmed elsewhere. Reverses onto Dereham branch, in the deep cutting at Wymondham cemetery.
If these were being operated on lines with 3rd rail electrification equipment (which can happen on occasions) would the driver still be expected to climb around under and beside the train at track level?
Yes. Drivers are still expected to perform basic fault finding. If the line is electrified then a call to isolate the current would take place. Search for Class 455 faults. More modern than this vid and gives you an idea of what a driver does if an EMU fails.
The driver was really expected to crawl about on the ballast under hot, oily engines and fiddle about with this, that and the other in the most inaccessible possible locations that would require a trained gymnast to get at? I suspect ASLEF would have soon prompted a rethink of that
Imagine expecting a driver to get out of a cab and rummage around under and around pulling, pressing and adjusting things under the carriage. Poorly designed.
