• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Your favourite hybrid / combos / unusual mixed formations

Status
Not open for further replies.
Dr_Paul

Dr_Paul

Established Member
Joined
3 Sep 2013
Messages
1,358
I saw several 159 / 170 combinations on the Waterloo to Exeter service when SWT had both in service. They looked odd because of the completely different unit ends.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

P

PHILIPE

Veteran Member
Joined
14 Nov 2011
Messages
13,472
Location
Caerphilly
TFW had a lash up on Saturday evening on 5V98 19+32 Abbey Foregate to Canton (Sunday service) which after attaching in the station at Shrewsbury was formed 153+150+150+158.
 
anamyd

anamyd

On Moderation
Joined
17 Aug 2018
Messages
3,011
PHILIPE said:
TFW had a lash up on Saturday evening on 5V98 19+32 Abbey Foregate to Canton (Sunday service) which after attaching in the station at Shrewsbury was formed 153+150+150+158.
Click to expand...
Nice! I knew about 15x & 170 multi working yes :) Did you say further up that TfW have now run 170 & 153 combos in passenger service (I knew West Midlands and predecessors have been doing it for years, there's even a photo I took at Telford Central years ago on RWL2011 Flickr; it's a close up of the coupled 170 & 153 cab ends).
 
P

PHILIPE

Veteran Member
Joined
14 Nov 2011
Messages
13,472
Location
Caerphilly
anamyd said:
Nice! I knew about 15x & 170 multi working yes :) Did you say further up that TfW have now run 170 & 153 combos in passenger service (I knew West Midlands and predecessors have been doing it for years, there's even a photo I took at Telford Central years ago on RWL2011 Flickr; it's a close up of the coupled 170 & 153 cab ends).
Click to expand...


The evening before, it was 153 + 3 x 150. I have seen pictures on FB of 5N23 14+59 Canton to Bridgend to work 2N23 1609 Bridgend to Ebbw Vale being worked by a 2 Car 170 + 153 and also 2L63 1723 Cardiff to Maesteg with a similar formation. The latter is booked for a 3 Car 170 and it would appear that there wasn't one available on the day.
As an aside, there has been an abundance of 150+153 formations on the Marches this last week.
 
RPI

RPI

Established Member
Joined
6 Dec 2010
Messages
2,752
My favourites were definitely the rag bag DMU formations that Tyseley used to chuck out on the cross city line in the early 90's, I seem to once recall a 3 car set consisting of a 119, 117 and 116 vehicle!
 
rdlover777

rdlover777

Member
Joined
4 Feb 2014
Messages
450
Location
Kent
Doomotron said:
I read about that. Didn't one of the two trains fail and it was a rescue operation?
Click to expand...
From the thread i linked

Ah, okay, that's a different one to what I was thinking. That's actually very recent by the looks, 375602 and the 395, Ashford depot. As to why they were coupled, no idea. If I find out I'll update.

I've checked and the situation I was thinking of was 395001 and 375923 in December 2007. The AC equipment at Ashford wasn't complete yet, so in order to carry out some static AC testing on the 395s, one would have to be taken to Dollands Moor. So, 60052 (I knew there was a loco involved, and a class 60 at that!) coupled to the front of 395001 through an adapted/translator coupler. 375923 was then attached to the rear of 395001. The 375 then hauled the 395 and the 60 into Ashford station (platform 6), before the 375 was uncoupled and the 60 on front hauled the 395 to Dollands Moor for static AC testing. Pretty odd consist, will probably never be repeated - 60052+395001+375923.

They aren't able to run together really, the coupling is mechanical only. Purely for rescuing in an absolute emergency (possibly what the image you linked to was testing, but not sure).
Click to expand...
 
P

Parallel

Established Member
Joined
9 Dec 2013
Messages
3,937
I was once waiting to board a train, formed of a FGW 150/1 and a SWT 158 (on hire), my colleague who was also catching the same train said the 150/1 was like standard class, and the standard area of the 158 was like first class. :D
 
T

theblackwatch

Established Member
Joined
15 Feb 2006
Messages
10,713
RPI said:
My favourites were definitely the rag bag DMU formations that Tyseley used to chuck out on the cross city line in the early 90's, I seem to once recall a 3 car set consisting of a 119, 117 and 116 vehicle!
Click to expand...

Tyseley was always good at its 'chuck outs'. Here's one I've come across on flickr from the late 1970s, although sadly I don't remember it myself - a Gloucester Class 122 DTS (normally used for strengthening bubble cars), sandwiched between a Class 100 and Class 105 DMBS.

 
B

bluenoxid

Established Member
Joined
9 Feb 2008
Messages
2,461
NorthernSpirit said:
I think there is a photo showing 158943 (52843 + 52842 + 57843) on this forum unless it was on the old Northern Railways forum which closed in 2013, @bluenoxid may know as he was a member on there too.
Click to expand...
There are lots of photos on Flickr. Took until April for them to insert the spare car and it ran round for a good few weeks.

It wasn’t accident damage AFAIK

Thursday 12th January 2012, vehicle 57842, 158842 forming 1Y60 20:45 Nott - Sheff lost gearbox-final drive carden shaft near Belper. Fuel tank and hydro tank ruptured.
This was the via Derby working
 
A

andy1571

Member
Joined
2 Jan 2011
Messages
52
Around the turn of the century, I noted Chiltern running a hybrid 165 with a car from one unit bolted to the front of another set. I had to do a double take when I saw it at Snow Hill as it looked extremely odd having the non-driving end of one Turbo attached to the cab of another.

As far as I’m aware, all carriages were in passenger use as well - hopefully with some form of blanking plate to stop the possibility of someone falling out the end of the shortened unit!
 
Last edited:
hexagon789

hexagon789

Veteran Member
Joined
2 Sep 2016
Messages
15,778
Location
Glasgow
andy1571 said:
Around the turn of the century, I noted Chiltern running a hybrid 165 with a car from one unit bolted to the front of another set. I had to do a double take when I saw it at Snow Hill as it looked extremely odd having the non-driving end of one Turbo attached to the cab of another.

As far as I’m aware, all carriages were in passenger use as well - hopefully with some form of blanking plate to stop the possibility of someone falling out the end of the shortened unit!
Click to expand...

Similar occurred with first generation units in their earlier decades, tacking an extra power car or driving trailer on the end of a set. The Scottish Region in particular seemed to excel at this practice
 
CR165022

CR165022

Member
Joined
12 Nov 2019
Messages
707
Location
Buckinghamshire
andy1571 said:
Around the turn of the century, I noted Chiltern running a hybrid 165 with a car from one unit bolted to the front of another set. I had to do a double take when I saw it at Snow Hill as it looked extremely odd having the non-driving end of one Turbo attached to the cab of another.

As far as I’m aware, all carriages were in passenger use as well - hopefully with some form of blanking plate to stop the possibility of someone falling out the end of the shortened unit!
Click to expand...
Did you see the number?
 
A

andy1571

Member
Joined
2 Jan 2011
Messages
52
CR165022 said:
Did you see the number?
Click to expand...

I don’t recall I’m afraid, but looking on Flickr, it was likely this one (not my photo):

www.flickr.com

Hybrid

Units stabled in the wall siding at Marylebone. A closer look will reveal that this is an unusual hybrid unit with DMS 58852 from unit 165019 coupled corridor-to-cab with unit 165026. It ran like this for quite some time whilst the other car from 165019 underwent repairs. The corridor connection...
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
 
hexagon789

hexagon789

Veteran Member
Joined
2 Sep 2016
Messages
15,778
Location
Glasgow
andy1571 said:
I don’t recall I’m afraid, but looking on Flickr, it was likely this one (not my photo):

www.flickr.com

Hybrid

Units stabled in the wall siding at Marylebone. A closer look will reveal that this is an unusual hybrid unit with DMS 58852 from unit 165019 coupled corridor-to-cab with unit 165026. It ran like this for quite some time whilst the other car from 165019 underwent repairs. The corridor connection...
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com
Click to expand...

That would've been fun for passengers in the spare DMS who needed the "facilities". Rather perpetuating the situation with the older first generation non-corridor suburban units with toilets only in one trailer car.
 
D

Deepgreen

Established Member
Joined
12 Jun 2013
Messages
6,375
Location
Betchworth, Surrey
On the topic of mixed formations, it was only as recently as the 1980s that mixed trains still ran on the Mallaig extension, with trawler fuel oil being carried in tank wagons attached to the rear of some passenger workings. This was the evening Mallaig to Fort William train in, I think, May 1986.
 

Attachments

  • Corpachmixed.jpeg
    Corpachmixed.jpeg
    3.3 MB · Views: 58
Dr_Paul

Dr_Paul

Established Member
Joined
3 Sep 2013
Messages
1,358
andy1571 said:
Around the turn of the century, I noted Chiltern running a hybrid 165 with a car from one unit bolted to the front of another set. I had to do a double take when I saw it at Snow Hill as it looked extremely odd having the non-driving end of one Turbo attached to the cab of another. As far as I’m aware, all carriages were in passenger use as well - hopefully with some form of blanking plate to stop the possibility of someone falling out the end of the shortened unit!
Click to expand...

On some EMUs the intra-set couplings are quite different to the inter-set ones: with the 455, the intra-set coupling consists of two plates, each at the end of a bar, bolted together; whereas the inter-set coupling is a buck-eye. Presumably the intra-set and inter-set couplings on the 165s are the same.
 
hexagon789

hexagon789

Veteran Member
Joined
2 Sep 2016
Messages
15,778
Location
Glasgow
Dr_Paul said:
On some EMUs the intra-set couplings are quite different to the inter-set ones: with the 455, the intra-set coupling consists of two plates, each at the end of a bar, bolted together; whereas the inter-set coupling is a buck-eye. Presumably the intra-set and inter-set couplings on the 165s are the same.
Click to expand...

I think they were like 156s originally with BSI throughout. Might be bar inner couplers now like many/all 156s.
 
M

marsker

Member
Joined
14 May 2020
Messages
104
Location
Marske-by-the-Sea
An interesting thread, this. I remember Tyneside in the 60s. South Gosforth had a selection of 101, 104 and 108 units, they were normally kept within type as 2 or 4 coach sets, but sets were used together pretty indiscriminately. They also had some Derby lightweight units, but being yellow diamond rather than blue square, they always had to be kept within type.
Up in Scotland, it was regular to see Class 24/26 combos on the Highland main line. I did read somewhere that, because of the different speeds at which field weakening happened on the 2 transmissions, such a combo was reckoned as better than a pair of either.
 
hexagon789

hexagon789

Veteran Member
Joined
2 Sep 2016
Messages
15,778
Location
Glasgow
marsker said:
I did read somewhere that, because of the different speeds at which field weakening happened on the 2 transmissions, such a combo was reckoned as better than a pair of either.
Click to expand...

I could buy that, it could make a difference on some of the gradients having one developing higher motor amps with the other dropping off. They also had different top speeds, 75 vs 80 respectively.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top