[HM181]

When BR ran class 9 trains, the brake van tops number was prefixed by CAB.
As a BV was a BV I never paid much attention to the BV numbers.
The worst brake vans were SHARKS and should only have been used on Engineering trains.
Riding at 35 mph in a shark was a fate worse than death,
They rocked and rolled like a ship in a force ten gale, to be avoided like a dose of salts.
The Eastern BV's were good if they had roller bearing on the axles, as these would run just like a MK1 coach.
The LMS BV were like riding in a big freezing shed. They had great gaps between the floor boards, which produced gales right up your trousers legs.
I have had many a happy hour on a summers evening riding back to the Mill from all points of the compass in a good brake van.
On a engineering jobs when it was raining the PW would come up into the BV for a warm.
I had no objection to this, but smoking was prohibited in my BV as I am a non smoker.
At HM in the Down Yard there was a incline where the Brakes were shunted, and the guard would see his train pass him then stop, and you rolled down this incline onto the back of your train. This incline had the name of " Brake Kip. "
Each BV had to contain, a shunt pole, a brake stick, a red tail lamp, 2 side lamps, 2 track circuit operating clips. The guard had to have a packet of in date detonators and a Bardic hand lamp.
The last BV I rode in was Christmas Week 1991.
From Turners Lane, Wakefield to Neville Hill Depot, Leeds.
Now just a nice memory of times gone by.