975025 Caroline, originally the Southern Region General Manager's Saloon, is an inspection saloon used for rail inspection duties on the railway network in Great Britain, [1] and which has historically been used as a VIP excursion train on several occasions. The saloon carriage is notable for being used as the British Royal Train between London Waterloo and Romsey [2] for the first part of the honeymoon trip following the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer on 29 July 1981. [1] [3] [4] One year later on 28 May 1982, Caroline was the transport for Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom between Gatwick Airport and London Victoria station. [5]
Additionally, Caroline formed the first standard gauge passenger service into the Channel Tunnel on 22 October 1992, leaving from Waterloo International railway station and propelled by 73112 University of Kent into the tunnel. [5] [6] The passengers on the journey were those from the Parliamentary All-Party Channel Tunnel Group. [6] The train left Waterloo International at 10:10, and ran to Clapham Junction where it reversed and ran to Orpington and on to Ashford International for access to Dollands Moor Freight Yard. [6] The Channel Tunnel was entered at 13:00. [6] On 18 March 1996, Caroline and 33109 travelled to Chesham tube station on the London Underground network as part of suitability investigations for the Crossrail project. [7]
The vehicle was originally built in 1958 at Eastleigh Works as type AZA trailer restaurant buffet car (TRB) S60755, for a British Rail Class 203 diesel-electric multiple-unit No. 1036, [3] [8] until withdrawal during 1964. [9] These "Hastings Units" had a narrow body profile for working through tunnels on the Hastings Line, and is the reason for the continued narrow width of Caroline.
As of 2012, the saloon has had push–pull train controls similar to a Driving Van Trailer for a period of several decades, to allow it to remotely control an accompanying locomotive. It was previously the Southern Region General Manager's Saloon, [10] having been converted at Stewarts Lane Depot for that purpose in 1969 [11] and re-numbered as 975025 in 1978. [12] [13] For this, Caroline was fitted with Southern Region-style multiple working controls allowing usage with British Rail Class 33 and 73 diesel locomotives, and other Class 400 EMUs. By 1991 it could be seen in Network SouthEast livery. [8]
In 1999, Caroline was overhauled by Fragonset Railways at the Railway Technical Centre in Derby and transferred to Network Rail, [13] subsequently being frequently operated by Victa Westlink Rail. Modifications in the late 2000s converted Caroline to require an electric train heating (ETH) supply and use the "blue star" multiple working system. [14] After this conversion it was normally propelled by a Class 37 diesel locomotive. [15] The data panel on the side of the cab states that Caroline has a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour (160 km/h). [16]
On 12 December 2008, Caroline was "designated for preservation" following a vote by the Railway Heritage Committee, after earlier consideration by the Artefacts Sub-committee concluded that the case for designation was 'marginal'. [4]
High Speed 1 (HS1), legally the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), is a 109.9-kilometre (68.3-mile) high-speed railway linking London with the Channel Tunnel.
Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. The company was purchased by GEC Alsthom in May 1989; the Washwood Heath factory closed in 2005 and was demolished in early 2019.
The Southern Railway took a key role in expanding the 660 V DC third rail electrified network begun by the London & South Western Railway. As a result of this, and its smaller operating area, its steam locomotive stock was the smallest of the 'Big Four' companies.
The British Rail TC multiple units were unpowered fixed formations of 3 or 4 carriages with a driving position at each end of the set, converted by BR's Holgate Road carriage works from locomotive-hauled Mark 1 carriages in 1966–1967 and 1974. The units built on experience gained from the prototype 6TC unit. In time the 3 car units were reformed into four car units to match the rest of the fleet and later classified as Class 442. This was later changed to Class 491, under which they spent the majority of their working lives. Shortly before withdrawal they were reclassified Class 438 and the units were renumbered to 8001-8034.
The British Rail Class 202 diesel-electric multiple units were built from 1957-58 at Eastleigh and Ashford Works. These units were built to work the London Charing Cross to Hastings services. Several tunnels along the route had restricted clearance, meaning that these units were built with a narrow body profile. Similar to the Class 201 they were built to the longer British Rail Mark 1 standard and therefore had 288 seats compared to the 242 (200+42) of the 6S units.
The Marshlink line is a railway line in South East England. It runs from Ashford, Kent via Romney Marsh, Rye and the Ore Tunnel to Hastings where it connects to the East Coastway line towards Eastbourne and Brighton.
The British Rail Class 92 is a dual-voltage electric locomotive, which can run on 25 kV AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from a third rail. It was designed specifically to operate services through the Channel Tunnel between Great Britain and France. Eurotunnel indicates the Class 92 locomotive as the reference for other locomotives which railway undertakings might want to get certified for usage in the Channel tunnel.
The Hastings line is a secondary railway line in Kent and East Sussex, England, linking Hastings with the main town of Tunbridge Wells, and London via Tonbridge and Sevenoaks. Although primarily carrying passengers, the railway also serves a gypsum mine which is a source of freight traffic. Southeastern Trains operates passenger trains on the line, and it is one of their busiest lines.
An electro-diesel locomotive is a type of locomotive that can be powered either from an electricity supply or by using the onboard diesel engine. For the most part, these locomotives are built to serve regional, niche markets with a very specific purpose.
The South Eastern Main Line is a major long-distance railway route in South East England, UK, one of the three main routes crossing the county of Kent, going via Sevenoaks, Tonbridge, Ashford and Folkestone to Dover. The other routes are the Chatham Main Line which runs along the north Kent coast to Ramsgate or Dover via Chatham and High Speed 1 which runs through the centre of Kent to the coast at Folkestone where it joins the Channel Tunnel.
The British Rail Class 33, also known as the BRCW Type 3 or Crompton, is a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives, ordered in 1957 and built for the Southern Region of British Railways between 1960 and 1962.
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948 until 1992 when railways were re-privatised. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex and Surrey. The region was largely based upon the former Southern Railway area.
An electric multiple unit (EMU) is an electric self-powered train, capable of operating in multiple with other EMUs and without the need for a locomotive; these are typically passenger trains with accommodation in every vehicle and a driving position at each end. The term can also be used to describe a train that is a permanent formation with a non-driving power car, such as the Advanced Passenger Train. As of December 2010, two-thirds of the passenger carriages in Great Britain are formed in EMUs.
The British Rail Class 501 electric multiple units were built in 1955/56 for use on the former LNWR/LMS suburban electric network of the London Midland Region. A total of 57 three-car units were built.
This article contains a list of jargon used to varying degrees by railfans, trainspotters, and railway employees in the United Kingdom, including nicknames for various locomotives and multiple units. Although not exhaustive, many of the entries in this list appear from time to time in specialist, rail-related publications. There may be significant regional variation in usage.
Railway electric traction describes the various types of locomotive and multiple units that are used on electrification systems around the world.
The British Royal Train is used to convey senior members of the British royal family and associated staff of the Royal Household around the railway network of Great Britain. It is owned, maintained and operated by DB Cargo UK.
Diesel multiple units and railcars are trains, usually with passenger accommodation, that do not require a locomotive. Railcars can be single cars, while in multiple units cars are marshalled together with a driving position either end. As of December 2010, 23 percent of the rail passenger cars used on Network Rail are part of a diesel multiple unit.
Network SouthEast (NSE), the sector of British Rail which ran passenger services in London and southeast England between 1986 and 1994, operated a wide variety of rolling stock during its existence. The majority of the network was electrified, and further electrification schemes took place during the 1986–1994 period; and the 7,000 vehicles owned by NSE in 1986 consisted of a mixture of electric, diesel-electric and diesel multiple units, diesel locomotives and the coaches they hauled.
Class 201, Class 202 and Class 203 were the TOPS codes for a series of Diesel-electric multiple units built for the Southern Region of British Railways in 1957–86. They were classified by the Southern Region as 6S, 6L and 6B respectively, and known collectively as the Hastings Diesels or Hastings Units. They were built for service on the Hastings Line, which had a restricted loading gauge due to deficiencies in the construction of the tunnels when the line was built between 1845 and 1852. The Hastings Units served from 1957 to 1988, being withdrawn when the Hastings Line was electrified with single-track sections through some of the tunnels.
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