Current number:
975000
Any other previous number(s):
BR coach 1003
Notes:
Scrapped on site at Nottingham Heritage Centre, Ruddington 11/13

Usual depot, or current location:
Great Central Railway (North) Ruddington

Photos

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Comments

The following comments have been left on photos of this vehicle. To reply, just visit one of the photos.

• 975000

  22 October 2002 - Jamie M

  Can that really do 125MPH??? and what bogies are they?

• 975000

  24 October 2002 - R Turner

  I believe the bogie designation is LC1as painted on them. They are I assume an APT derivative.

• 975000

  13 March 2007 - ian saunders

  did this vehicle spend all its research life on these bogies ?

• 975000

  4 June 2007 - Jon Horswell

  A bit off the beaten track but does anyone actually know why the ADB, RDB and TDB prefixes were specifically chosen for the departmental number series?

• 975000

  4 June 2007 - Ben

  I answered this recently so am able to copy and paste my answer here!

  Basically the DB part is from the old BR classification for departmental conversions which was actually part of the wagon series. There were the DW, DE, DM, DS regional ones and DB was the all-region prefix.

  The letter before that referred to the department which owned it.

  A = Regional Mechanical & Electrical Engineer

  C = BREL

  K = Regional S&T Engineer

  L = RM & EE Electrical Construction

  R = Research Department

  T = Traffic Department

  X = Stores Department

  Z = Public Relations & Publicity

  I'm quoting from the front of one of the old Platform 5 departmental books - see the books section for details!

• 975000

  4 June 2007 - Jon Horswell

  Thanks very much for the info. Something similar for track machines then with DR, DX and DRP?

• 975000

  4 June 2007 - Ben

  Oh we're into a whole new ball game there probably best reserved for the sister website ;) From memory though DR were registered for TOPS but DX weren't. The third letter usually referred to the make of vehicle - P for Plasser etc.

• 975000

  18 October 2007 - Evan Rees

  Yes, the bogies are of an APT derivative, as are the ones under Laboratory 4. The two vehicles were positioned on eaither end of the APT 'POP' train.

• 975000

  21 October 2007 - Evan Rees

  I would like to correct myself about the testing 975000 was involved in. It never ran as part of the APT 'POP' train, and neither did Lab 4 'Hastings', although it was used to develop the APT-E's tilting system. Lab 1 was used in trials of the BR/Brecknell Willis pantograph for the APT-P at old Dalby.

• 975000

  22 October 2007 - Evan Rees

  In further to my comments on this vehicle, it was used in the testing of numerous other pantographs and, with Lab 6 'Prometheus', was used in evaluation tests for the positioning of the power cars for the proposed HST-E (HST-Electric). Also the LC1/1 markings on the bogie indicate that it belongs to Lab Coach 1 (1/2) and on the other it reads LC1/2.

• 975000

  11 October 2008 - Dave Coxon

  Lab One was originally fitted with BR1 bogies

• 975000

  14 November 2008 - Dave Coxon

  Lab One on the Widmerpool straight at Old Dalby - note it is fitted with BR1 bogies at this stage in its life.

  Still intact and stabled at RTC

• 975000

  5 April 2009 - Dave Coxon

  Lab One was converted from a Mk1 coach No:M1003 into a laboratory coach numbered RDB975000 in the early 1970s. It was built for the Dynamics Group of the R&DD and was based at the RTC, Derby and later fitted with APT-E trailer bogies for high speed work.

  It was used for a variety of main line work including curving tests utilising HSFV1, fitted with Load Measuring Wheels, which took place initially in Cornwall and later on the Conway Valley line in North Wales in October 1976.

  It was also used extensively in the development of the BR/BW high speed pantograph mainly at the Old Dalby test track in the late 1970's, where it was used for both dynamic and static testing, although it was used on the main line under 25kV on one occasion

• 975000

  24 May 2009 - Andrew Harvey-Adams

  Bit 'off-topic'' ,but you don't see many tail-lamps like that one around these days !!

• 975000

  9 June 2009 - Clive Warneford

  Also 'off- topic' you wouldn't expect it to be travelling with the door "on the catch", not setting a good example of safety.

• 975000

  9 June 2009 - kev smith

  like all things doors on catches happen, thats why among other things the green & yellow strip modification was applied to the doors so that offending doors could be caught !!

• 975000

  9 June 2009 - Ben Williams

  I could be wrong but Dave may have just got out of that door to take this photo!

• 975000

  9 June 2009 - Dave Coxon

  The train was stationary whilst test staff made adjustments to the equipment in the 'four foot' out of shot. I took the opportunity to take a photo - a pity I didn't take more opportunities in those halcyon days of the R&DD

  For the whole picture look here - http://www.old-dalby.com/images/Widmerpool%20Straight%20Lab1.jpg

• 975000

  18 June 2009 - Sir Stoat

  do you know what it says on the vestible end...I cant read it with these glasses on

• 975000

  18 June 2009 - Sir Stoat

  do you know what it says on the vestible end...I cant read it with these glasses on

• 975000

  18 June 2009 - Dave Coxon

  It says

  ‘Air braked with spring parking brake. Do not move in RTC without Dynamics Section personnel Tel ext 2841 present’

  ‘Scientific Instruments. Must be handled with care. Must not be loose shunted. Ensure parking and handbrake are off before moving’

  Above the buffer beam ‘100mph’ this is its max permitted speed but it did get dispensation to run faster on occasions

• 975000

  15 February 2011 - John Liddle

  Does anyone know what has happened to this vehicle? It has been moved from its long time storage postion at the Derby RTC in the last week or so, destination a scrapyard somewhere?

• 975000

  21 February 2011 - PAUL WORTHINGTON

  According to my RTC source, Lab 1 is still there but together with Test Car 4 they are about to be moved to Old Dalby but I don't know why yet.

  It would be nice if they could be saved from the scrap man

• 975000

  23 February 2011 - napster

  To the best of my knowledge, the vehicles mentioned by Paul are still owned by Serco, the former operators of the RTC yard. Network Rail acquired some stock from Serco in July 2010 when the new Infastructure Monitoring contracts began, but NR had no need for these vehicles. 975000 is still at RTC today but as Paul states, there is a desire for them to be removed from the RTC for the above reasons. Old Dalby is currently operated by Serco, so therefore it makes sense to move them there. The move will be undertaken by road I believe.

• 975000

  24 February 2011 - Billy J

  I hope some of you guys on here can help me with the formation of a train I would like to model.

  I think it included this coach and Prometheus.

  In the early eighties a test train ran out of Craigentinny for a couple of weeks to do pantograph tests between Carstairs and Carlisle. I recall seeing it as it returned to EC in the evenings.

  It was made up of a rake of out of use Mk3 kitchen cars 405xx series, with a RTC lab on each end and then a HST power car on each end to power it.

  I know its an outside chance, but someone just might have noted down what each car was.

• 975000

  26 February 2011 - Billy J

  I found some mor info on the traintesting website, it was July 1982 and the train ran with up to 10 intermediate cars including TC1 & 6 at speeds of up to 150mph.

  Although the formation varied it involved 8 TRFKs and at least 2 TGS.

  I would love to know the identities of these along with the power cars used.

• 975000

  25 May 2011 - Ben Williams

  This finally left Derby this morning - destination thought to be Ruddington.

• 975000

  29 August 2011 - Shane Wilton

  Can anyone confirm the current location of the vehicle. I was to in May that it had gone to Asfordby, that one side had been painted yellow and that the vehicle owners, Serco, where planning to convert it into and test vehilce. For what purpose I do not know, but it would be capable of 150mph.

• 975000

  14 July 2012 - Shane Wilton

  What are the plans for this vehicle, to important to scrap. To me anyway!

• 975000

  16 July 2012 - Paul Worthington

  Lab 1 is still at Ruddington in the same condition it was when it left the RTC .

• 975000

  21 July 2012 - Shane Wilton

  Well that's some relief. I don't know where some people get there info!

• ADB 975000

  14 September 2013 - Ben Williams

  This looks suspiciously like it is awaiting collection by road. I believe the plan was to recover componants and then send for scrap so this may have now happened. Any more news welcome.

• ADB 975000

  18 September 2013 - Ben Williams

  I'm told from a useful contact at Ruddington that this was bought to provide spares for cinema coach 150353 which is same type - in particular windows, doors and other smaller parts. It was offered for sale but deals fell through, the bogies were also offered but no takers. All copper was apparently removed prior to leaving RTC.

  More stripping out is still planned so will be a few more months yet before it goes for scrap. Thanks to my contact for the details.

• ADB 975000

  18 September 2013 - steve rimell

  I saw & pictured this coach at Ruddington 2/9/13. There's a big hole at the end where the generator was, possibly the easiest way to get it out !!.

• 975000

  18 September 2013 - steve rimell

  Still at Ruddington, as of 2/9/13

• 21 November 2013 - Ben Williams

  Confirmed now fully stripped and remains scrapped on site 14/11/13.

• 27 September 2014 - steve rimell

  It is no more !!

• 975000

  1 May 2017 - Kit Spackman

  To clarify the bogies used by Lab 1 in its later life, the LC1s were non-tilting versions of the H4Xs used on Lab 4. The H4Xs were the FIRST APT-P bogies, and were not developed from APT-P bogies, it was the other way round. LC1s had some heavy duty vertical and horizontal dampers that were not fitted to H4Xs, and they can be seen on the later photos of Lab 1.

• 18 June 2025 - Peter Kellett

  Vehicle observed at 16:32 on 19-Apr-84 passing through Reading station as the leading coach of 5V06 13:15 Derby - Old Oak Common. Power cars were 43149 leading, behind 975000 were coaches 41145-41146-42299-42300-42301-44040, 43150 was the trailing power car.