LNER operating rules for Burdale and M&DR 1947

[AndyB]

For those of you who are interested in how it all worked back in 1947, rules specific to the line as as below:

LNER Line No 32 – Malton East to Driffield West

Between Wharram and Burdale

Burdale Quarry Siding:- No train or portion of the train must stand on the main line at this place unless the engine is at the lower end, or the points are set towards the quarry. The method of working is as follows:-

Through Trains – Driffield to Malton:- On arrival at the quarry the brake van should be allowed to gravitate on to the weigh scale line. The train must then be backed on to the loaded wagons standing in the siding adjacent to the main line, and after the van has been attached the train can then depart for Malton.

Through Trains – Malton to Driffield:- After stopping at the ground frame, the empty wagons for the quarry, which must be next to the van, must be uncoupled, the engine and remaining portion of the train being run into the siding adjacent to the main line. The empties must then be gravitated on to the weigh scale line, leaving the van only on the main line. The train must then propel out, attach the van and depart for the Driffield direction.

Terminating trains from Malton direction:- After arrival of the train at the ground frame, the van must be uncoupled, the remainder of the train being drawn on to the loaded line. The van must be gravitated on to the weigh scale line. The train must then be propelled on to the empty line, the engine afterwards returning to the loaded line to attach its load, back on to the van standing in the weigh scale line and depart for Malton.

Burdale

Station Sidings:- Special attention is directed to the provisions of Rule 115(c).

Trains from the direction of Malton – Detaching:- After the train comes to a stand, the wagons for the siding must be gravitated into position, the engine standing below the points on the main line. If any of the wagons are for the coal depot, the points leading from the main line must be set towards the goods siding before the engine and wagons leave the main line for the coal depot.

Attaching:- When the wagons are to be attached from the sidings to a train which will proceed towards Driffield, the train, or portions of it, may be left on the main line whilst the engine proceeds to the sidings.

Trains from the direction of Driffield – Detaching:- Wagons to be detached into the goods siding will be placed immediately next to the rear van of the train. The Station Masters at Sledmere & Fimber and Diffield will be responsible for seeing that the marshalling of the train is carried out in this manner. The van may be left on the main line during the time the train is detaching into the goods sidings.

Attaching:- On arrival of the train, the van may be detached and left standing on the main line whilst the train is attaching the wagons from the goods siding. When attaching or detaching from the coal depot, the train must be left standing on the main line with the engine only proceeding to the coal depot.

Other rules applying to Line No 32:

Rule 149 - Propelling of guards brake vans – Propelling must not in any circumstances, be adopted through the following tunnels (List of tunnels includes Burdale).

Rule 215 and block Regulation 9 - Apply to trolleys going into or through tunnels – List of tunnels includes Burdale 1746 yds).

Push and pull trains – Malton and Driffield - Number of vehicles fitted for ‘push and pull’ working which may be propelled with the controls in use is a maximum of 2.

Engineers velocipede cars are authorised to over Line No 32, Malton East to Driffield West.

Attaching vehicles behind the rear brake van of passenger trains – Max number of vehicles that may be attached behind the rear brake van in which the guard rides:
From Malton to Burdale = 2 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake.
From Burdale to Driffield = 4 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake or through pipe.
From Driffield to Sledmere & Fimber = 4 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake or through pipe.
From Sledmere & Fimber to Burdale = 2 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake.
From Burdale to Wharram = 1 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake.
From Wharram to Malton = 4 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake or through pipe.

It would be nice to be able to apply some of these rules in the future!
Andy

[E&W Lucas]

Attaching vehicles behind the rear brake van of passenger trains – Max number of vehicles that may be attached behind the rear brake van in which the guard rides:
From Malton to Burdale = 2 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake.
From Burdale to Driffield = 4 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake or through pipe.
From Driffield to Sledmere & Fimber = 4 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake or through pipe.
From Sledmere & Fimber to Burdale = 2 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake.
From Burdale to Wharram = 1 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake.
From Wharram to Malton = 4 - The last vehicle must be fitted with continuous brake or through pipe.


Andy

Are you sure that you've transcribed transcribed that fully? It doesn't make sense operationally.
Piped only vehicles attached at the rear of a passenger train, still means that you've an unbraked vehicle at the rear.

[AlanL]

Looking at it from here it says on the rising sections (with Burdale Tunnel as the summit) the rear vehicle must have a continuous brake. On the downhill stretches it can have a through pipe.Vehicles with pipes only would still have handbrakes, which the Guard could pin down where necessary.
The M&DR stations had unusual track layouts - I know this from shunting Burdale in the train simulator - and this was presumably intended to make life easier.
If the Malton - Driffield pickup goods had coal wagons for Burdale it would make sense to have them marshalled BEHIND the van at Wharram because the train would have to propel the coal wagons into the coal siding at Burdale.
In the Up direction (Driffield to Malton) the Van would have to stand in the platform to prevent runaway vehicles on the 1 in 70 gradient.

[E&W Lucas]

This instruction is for attaching vehicles to passenger trains, so we're talking about cattle trucks and the like. Some would be piped, but any instructions I've seen have always specified the last vehicle has to be continuous braked. Local instructions specify the number of vehicles permitted. Don't forget that the legislation that the legislation that specifies that the brakes on passenger trains must be self acting in the event of division, has been with us since Victorian times.

Pinning down hand brakes is something different entirely. If you pinned down a wagon tacked on the back of a passenger train, you'd have a snapped coupling, sure as anything. You only do it on loose coupled trains, and you start from the front, and work backwards.

Rule books have their own language, and it is very easy for a layman to misinterpret what's written.

[AndyB]

The rules were copied straight from my copy of the LNER General Appendix, and as Alan has stated, I took it that vehicles with continous brake were mandatory on the uphill sections and that through pipe was accceptable for the downhill sections.

[AlanL]

The rules were copied straight from my copy of the LNER General Appendix, and as Alan has stated, I took it that vehicles with continous brake were mandatory on the uphill sections and that through pipe was accceptable for the downhill sections.

Perhaps the LNER were wrong and it was up to the NYMR to interpret what was written?

[E&W Lucas]

Or to look at it from a slightly more grown up viewpoint, the Rule Book is a document that has evolved over time. Hang a "swinger" on the back of any train? Twenty something years experience of working on trains in various places, just screams that's wrong. Basic "railway sense". The reference to the last vehicle being braked is from the 1972 BR book, which is essentially what the NYMR works to. In truth, it was probably an obsolete rule by then, as any branch line passenger work would have been DMU, and cattle trucks & milk tankers were a thing of the past. Obviously there's nothing about this in any of the more recent versions.

If this has changed over time, I would be very interested to know when that happened. I don't have access to the original documents to check for myself. As modifications to the Rules tend to happen as a result of **** ups, one wonders if someone came unstuck in such a situation?

[AlanL]

" the Rule Book is a document that has evolved over time"

I worked on the "real" railway - that is, the one where trains move at 125 MPH and there are 25 KV overhead lines or 750 Volt DC third rails - for 21 years and we were well aware of that.

[E&W Lucas]

I worked on the "real" railway - that is, the one where trains move at 125 MPH and there are 25 KV overhead lines or 750 Volt DC third rails

Likewise, but in the present tense, and at a level where knowledge of the Rules has a great deal to do with my ability to pay my mortgage!

[Will]

Likewise, but in the present tense

Being nosey, but is it for Northern? If so, you might know my stepdad...