Double-Deck Railroads. Part-One.

Train lengths shortened.

The United States takes the bite in the biscuit when it comes to it new fleets of double-deck coaching stock. Four cars and a double height locomotive replaces the length of the original eight.

These high capacity units means loading more quickly and faster times between departures and arrivals. America has made the breakthrough thus far and a few other countries around the world have followed.

But it will be sometime before many escape the traditional mode of platform and train infrastructures? In the British Isles the choice has been to have back to back DMU/EMU stock, that overcomes the use of switching engines, but the high platform looks like it will stay on for some time yet.

Even HS2 will be of this conventional style that fits in with the Eurotunnel -TGV. 

BAE Jetstream 31 and 41.

Military to Civil Turbo-Prop.

One of the most successful British designs to hit the world markets. This aircraft as the 31 series was developed by Handley Page, before passing over to Scottish Aviation where it was operated by the British RAF and Royal Navy as T1 and T2.

These first thirty early examples where powered by the Astazou power plants, but later when Scottish Aviation became part of Aerospace, the series 31 was more modified as we know it today. The new power plant for this twin engined nineteen-seater is the Garret Turboprop, over 252 Jetstreams had been sold by 1989 aimed at the commuter and light business markets.

The Jetstream 41 is a Super version of the 31, powered by the TPE 331 engine and capable of carrying 29 passengers. Today Links Air of Humberside operate three British Aerospace  Jetstream 31s, G-GAVA, which is stored and G-JIBO, G-LNKS which are both operational. 

Meanwhile Eastern Airways also based in Humberside operates seventeen of the Jetstream 41.

Registrations G-MAJA-L, G-MAJT-U, W, Y-Z.

Coaching Stock. Part-One.

British Rail. Mark.1. Stock.

There is a lot more to trains than that of locomotives it is the coaching stock that is the passenger bit, that we travel to enjoy or commute to work. Prior to privatisation the four big railway companies in the United Kingdom, LMS, LNER, GWR and Southern Railways had each designed their own carriages.

But in 1951 the BR Mark one was introduced, being built at Doncaster up to 1963 and it has remain in use to this day being the most successful ever built. Mark 1 coaches remain in service as part of the Royal train as well as Departmental duties and are part of nearly every preservation railway. 

The Mark 1 was also supplied to Northern-Ireland railways and exported to the Republic of Ireland from the early 1960's.