Argyle Line: 318 & 320 pairing

[jamesontheroad]

Just back from a few days work in Glasgow.

I noticed that on every trip on the Argyle Line, services were formed of a mixed pair of a class 318 and a class 320.

Is this deliberate, for resilience and redundancy in case of failure etc?

 

[AM9]

Maybe just capacity. After all they are both just MKIII units.

 

[alangla]

They’ve been basically interchangeable for the last few years. Mixed pairings started under First but they tended to only pair with a classmate & diagrams tended to be either 318 or 320, nowadays they just operate anything & couple to anything. As I understand it, the restrictions on the 320/4 have been completely lifted, so you’ll find them anywhere you find a 320/3

 

[alangla]

Just re-read your post- if you’re saying EVERY pairing was mixed I suspect it’s just luck, not aware of any policy of that sort.

 

[433N]

I don't think Scotrail have had the luxury of actually having a 'policy' these past few months. If they're cleared for the route and couple together then that's good enough.

Perhaps a year ago, there were some lines which were reliably 318+320, but likewise Lanark was almost exclusively 2x320s.

 

[laseandre]

As far as I'm aware it's just the luck of the draw now - since the 320/3s were fitted with toilets, and yaw dampers to increase their max speed to 90mph, they've been basically interchangeable with 318s.

 

[SeanG]

I guess that there are very few differences now between the 318s and 320s aside the aesthetics

 

[AlistairCowell]

The Class 318+320 6 car formation began in 2011 when the Class 380s displaced the remaining 318s (as well as 334s) from the Ayr and Inverclyde lines, and the whole Class 318 fleet were concentrated on the Argyle and North Clyde lines. At the same time, the Class 320s began to operate the Argyle Line diagrams (by this time yaw dampers were fitted on the Class 320 fleet to allow 90mph running).

 

[jamesontheroad]

Just re-read your post- if you’re saying EVERY pairing was mixed I suspect it’s just luck, not aware of any policy of that sort.

Spot on - that was my interest. Although it was only 3 or 4 trips, the regularity of the mixed class pairings suggested that there was some reason.

Thanks all.