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Class 87 livery


pete007

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With Hornby introducing Class 87 R3656 Sir Winston Churchill in Virgin colours it reminds me that some time ago I read an account that Virgin was looking to use some French hi-density duplex sets with pairs of class 87s to haul them and that there was a trial carried out, but as usual I cannot find anything further on it.

 

R3656 I think was one of the four locomotives used in the testing. It was a pity the train never saw passenger service as it could have been an exciting model to include these coaches in Hornby's range.

 

Does anyone have any further information about these trials.

Thanks Rob

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 Hi Rob

 

Usual story, I'm afraid  -  loading gauge. Virtually every country can go for  Double Decked trains, apart from us (the penalty for being first!)

 

A double stack container train is quite impressive. Regret, when I saw them in Canada, I was too far away to see how tall they were.

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Thanks guys, it couldn't have been economical to run four locos for eight carriages. That would put the price of a ticket up.

Impressive sets though.

 

PP - even more impressive on tother side of the pond were aircraft fuselages going by rail between Boeing plants. They initially went in the open but the local red necks were using them as target practice so they had to build special screened wagons to protect them.

Unfortunately this gun damage was minor compared to the after effects of a derailment pitching several fuselages into the river.

https://goo.gl/images/2JpS81

 

Rob

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I worked as SNCF's maître de dépôt ferroviaire à Rennes and saw the Virgin jeu de duplex being deprived of its vinyles d'entraîneur - but we did not know why.

Rumeur was Virgin to operate trains in France - now we know.

Merci beaucoup mes amis à Hornby!

Olaf

 

 
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