Colin Marsden
BR Official
Brian Dawes
Lab coach 1
| In 1970 the R&DD converted a Mk1
second corridor coach M1003 into a high speed dynamics laboratory coach numbered RDB975000. It was designed such that it could carry a pantograph but not under 25kV OHLE as it was not fitted with insulators on the roof, nor earthing straps etc. The vehicle was equipped with an original compartment, a kitchen (below the flat roof area), a large instrumentation area, a generator compartment but no separate workshop. It had no internal access to the flat roof. The main instrumentation area had a raised dias from which any pantograph fitted to the flat roof area could be observed. Instrumentation including an on-board computer which had large associated reel to reel tape recorder and punched card reader. Although it initially retained its original BR1 bogies the vehicle was later equipped with APT-E bogies and was capable of being hauled at up to 125 mile/h. I only recollect this happening when it was paired with Lab 6 on a series of high speed tests in Scotland when investigating 2-pantograph operation at using an HST set in June 1982. The vehicle still exists,having been stored at RTC out of use for many years. Click on the picture for a bigger image - All pictures are the author's unless otherwise credited |
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Lab Coach 1 in the R&DD Test
hall on 17th September 1987 in its new Research livery of red and beige Colin Marsden |
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Inside Lab One on a pantograph test at Old Dalby circa 1980 - note the telex keyboard for entering data into the computer, the oscilloscope above it. On the right is the instrumentation rack and computer tape machine |
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Lab One in a curving test train pictured at Llanwrst on the Conway Valley branch in October 1976 |
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Lab One on the Old Dalby test
track during static OHLE resonance testing in the late 1970's BR Official |
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Lab One with HSFV4 pictured at the top of the Widmerpool straight on the Old Dalby test track behind an unidentified class 47 in the late 1970's. Note that the pantograph is not raised suggesting that the train is stopped next to the PWay hut at 114MP where instrumentation was sometimes housed. |
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Lab One is marshalled next to the loco in this long distance view of a pantograph test train at Old Dalby in 1982 |
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Lab Coach 1 on 12th September
2002 in the RTC way and Works sidings where it has lain for many years
slowly rotting
away Brian Dawes |