FGW/GWR Class 158s with three cabs!

[455driver]

150/1s working in multiples with 150/2s, 153s, 158s or other 150/1s are common around Bristol. Weekends sometimes throw up some interesting combinations, as do summer services to Weymouth. I have seen a 143/150 combination in Devon before too. Makes it all the more fun when local doors are used for short platforms!

We have a booked 143/150 combo booked out every morning before they split at 08;45ish.

You don't see many 6 carriage DMU services around Bath, as HSTs are used for to/from London, and 5 carriages tend to be the maximum for trains travelling in the Avon Valley. That said I have seen a 6 carriage (with every carriage carrying passengers) service before formed of 2 x 3-car 158s. Not sure what the door release arrangement for platforms were. Can unit deselect be used when passengers are in both units?

I have seen a 10 coach formation (2x158/9sand 2x150/2) when one train didn't have a driver to take it between Bristol and Westbury so they coupled the next service to the front and run the lot down before splitting it again.

 

[HSTfan!!!]

The 150/1 will have the 150/2 inserted inside as 150/1's dont have end corridors fitted so the 150/2 will act as the centre carriage utilising its carriage end gangway for the unit

Alternatively a complete 150/2 unit may have a DM from a 150/1 coupled on one end, but the teouble with this formation is there will be a corridor connection at one end of the unit only....

It actually wasn't coupled like you say hence couldn't get from the 153 to the rest of the set! Guard did tickets before departure, very odd but it seemed perhaps they had rushed to get something together to step in and form a continuation for a 3-car 158 from Portsmouth terminating early.

 

[PHILIPE]

You regularly see 143+153 Combos also on the Devon Metro.

 

[Buttsy]

I think the best combination I saw was a 6 coach trains made up of a 3 coach 158, a 150/1 and a 153 which I saw a couple of years ago, heading towards Bath when walking along the old railway path running parallel to the GWML. Probably the most classes of unit I've ever seen in one train formation!

Back in BR (Western region) days, it wouldn't be uncommon to see up to a 9 car formation with various 117, 119, 121, 123, 124, 120 & 101 cars in it. If it had a blue star coupling code, it could be coupled to and into anything... (101 trailers in other sets were not uncommon).

 

[al.currie93]

You don't see many 6 carriage DMU services around Bath, as HSTs are used for to/from London, and 5 carriages tend to be the maximum for trains travelling in the Avon Valley. That said I have seen a 6 carriage (with every carriage carrying passengers) service before formed of 2 x 3-car 158s. Not sure what the door release arrangement for platforms were. Can unit deselect be used when passengers are in both units?

Indeed you don't see many of them - it was quite an oddity! You do get quite a contrast through that part of the line though, I'm pretty sure I've seen a single 153 leaving Oldfield Park a couple of times, which is at the opposite end of the spectrum.