Weed Spraying Trains

[Aictos]

Does anyone remember the rake of coaches marked Weed Sprayer or similar text that was used in BR days around the BR network for these purposes?

What ever happened to that set/s?

I do remember when I was younger going back to 1991 to 1995 of seeing a rake stabled up in Westfield yard at Peterborough.

 

[gordonthemoron]

when I worked for BR in the 80s, a friend borrowed some of the weedkiller for use on her garden. She sprayed it onto a flower bed. Unfortunately, it rained soon after, the weedkiller leached into the lawn and destroyed half of it.

 

[WatcherZero]

Defoliant is not weed Killer....

 

[BritishRail.tv]

Can't recall the exact wording but you can see footage of a Hunslet Barclay weedkilling train near Eastbourne in 1992 here http://www.britishrailways.tv/component/hwdvideoshare/?task=viewvideo&video_id=1236

 

[Soft Mick]

I remember them as the Chapmans weedkillers. Top and tailed 20s in grey and red livery towards the end too! BR used to use Paraquat as weed killer, destroyed everything including the livers of any unfortunate cattle sprayed along the way! Needless to say, that stuff was banned and we use a near commercial weedkiller.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I think it was Chipman's, not Chapman's? Painted in a green livery?

 

[sprinterguy]

The weedkilling set(s) were operated, or perhaps owned, by Hunslet Barclay in the early 90s, and used a fleet of reconditioned 20/9s (20901-906) in Hunslet Barclay two-tone grey livery with a red solebar, running in top and tail formation. That there was a fleet of six locos suggests that there were at least two trains, but I'm not sure. I have a picture somewhere that I'll have a look for later and probably update this post a bit. I can only vaguely remember the train, but I think it had a two-tone grey former mark 1 BSO, and a couple of green liveried TTA four wheel tank wagons for the weedkiller. And I think "CHIPMANS" was the correct lettering.

I can also dimly recall, after the Hunslet Barclay 20s had been withdrawn and were about to head to DRS, seeing a similar train formation top and tailed by two EWS 37s, which was probably the same rake.

 

[O L Leigh]

A quick Fotopic search using the word "Chipmans" throws up some interesting variations, so it's probably fair to assume that there was no one set formation or colour scheme during the Hunslet Barclay era.

However, the three TTA's were usually blue while the formation usually seems to be up to four Mk1's of various types in a version of BR blue/grey livery with a red stripe, though later they seem to have gained the same shade of blue as the TTA's.

O L Leigh

 

[sprinterguy]

Links to some pictures (Scroll down to the bottom):
http://www.railwayherald.org/imaging.centre/stock/viewloco.php?sid=20901

The mark 1s look to me to be in some form of the Hunslet Barclay two-tone grey with red stripe. There also seems to be some sort of van, possibly with end windows, in the first shot.

And this shot shows the set in the green livery with white stripe:
http://www.penmorfa.com/Conwy/20902+903-GConwy.jpg
And here: http://www.bafrua.connectfree.co.uk/jpg/class20_2.jpg

And one website I've visited says that there were two weekilling trains.

 

[Bonemaster]

As far as I am aware a few of the Normix Chipmans coaches are still stored at Horsham although I believe all the tanks wagons were cut up long ago, this was the grey set from memory based at Horsham

The Schering/Agrevo train was exported to Belgium after use here, although I believe they have been scrapped abroad, this was the green set which was based at Chesterton Junction and later Peterborough

 

[Aictos]

As far as I am aware a few of the Normix Chipmans coaches are still stored at Horsham although I believe all the tanks wagons were cut up long ago, this was the grey set from memory based at Horsham

The Schering/Agrevo train was exported to Belgium after use here, although I believe they have been scrapped abroad, this was the green set which was based at Chesterton Junction and later Peterborough

That must be the set I used to see all the time at Peterborough then, thanks for being able to I'd it for me though.