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London North Western
Railway:
Midland
Railway:
Stratford
Midland Junction Railway
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LMS Route: Rugby to Leamington Spa (Avenue)
LMS Route: Leamington to Weedon
Marton Junction: lnwrmartj4161
Ex-LNWR 2-4-2T 5ft 6in No 46654 is seen on a Weeden to
Leamington service passing the signal protecting the junction on 17th May 1952.
Although still in Motor Train mode and taken on the same day, this photograph
is taken on a separate occasion as the locomotive is in this instant at the
'Rugby' end of the two carriages, where as in the other three photographs, it
was at the 'Leamington' end of the two-coach train. Motor Trains were
introduced from about 1908 to economise and speed turn-round times. A
locomotive could travel almost equally well forward or backward but had to be
at the head of the train so the driver could see the road ahead clearly. At the
end of each journey it had to be moved to the other end - unless the driver
could sit at the front, leaving the engine pushing from the back, or the
middle.
So Motor Train carriage stock was developed with a small
driving compartment at one end, large end windows and controls for the
regulator and brake communicating control signals back to the engine. The
fireman, who had to be left on the engine to tend the fire, had a much more
lonely time! Motor train coaches were often converted from normal service
vehicles: some were suburban compartment stock, and a few were converted open
stock, of many different varieties. Conversion involved fitting a driving
compartment to the brake van end of brake coaches or converting one (or two)
end compartments of non-brake coaches. Trailer coaches needed fitting with the
communicating control equipment but were almost indistinguishable from normal
stock. Motor trains were used mostly on country branch lines or in suburban
areas, and were usually one to four coaches in length.
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