Historic passenger train lengths in the UK

[darwins]

I always presumed that stations with massively long platforms were mostly for end-to-end trains on the same platform, not for a very long train - in some cases because there was only one main platform to use.

Wasn't Cambridge like that years back? And Gloucester? And Bournemouth?

Cambridge is typical of very early railway stations. Three designs seem to have been very common. (1) Termini with a platform either side and often extra roads in the middle (originals at Bristol, York and elsewhere). (2) Important through stations like Cambridge where a single long platform was split in two by a crossover. (3) Wayside stations where platforms were staggered either side of a level crossing.
Long platforms in other places appeared later - like Euston and Perth - for long trains.

 

[Ken H]

Cambridge is typical of very early railway stations. Three designs seem to have been very common. (1) Termini with a platform either side and often extra roads in the middle (originals at Bristol, York and elsewhere). (2) Important through stations like Cambridge where a single long platform was split in two by a crossover. (3) Wayside stations where platforms were staggered either side of a level crossing.
Long platforms in other places appeared later - like Euston and Perth - for long trains.

Is Gloucester another long platform used as 2 platforms station. For many years it had the long 1/2, the 3 bay. Later they reopened 4

 

[Magdalia]

Cambridge is typical of very early railway stations. Three designs seem to have been very common. (1) Termini with a platform either side and often extra roads in the middle (originals at Bristol, York and elsewhere). (2) Important through stations like Cambridge where a single long platform was split in two by a crossover. (3) Wayside stations where platforms were staggered either side of a level crossing.
Long platforms in other places appeared later - like Euston and Perth - for long trains.

There was a lengthy discussion about Cambridge here not long ago.

Cambridge Old Layout

Does anyone know the history behind the layout of Cambridge station (before the construction of platforms 7 & 8). It has always struck me as a very odd layout for a through station and I can't really fathom why it was ever built like that. I know other stations have similar platforms...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[darwins]

Looking back to the LMS marshalling of 1938 - trains of 13 or 14 bogies were common on the Western Division, making up many of the principal expresses to and from London. Of course they were mostly 57ft long with some 60ft or 65ft and a few 68ft or 69ft 12-wheeled (perhaps balanced in length if not in weight by 50ft brake vans or kitchen cars). That is just the marshalling arrangements - extras could be added in some cases. Though the front page states very clearly:

"No Train must be made up to more than 500 tons, and not more than 15 Bogie Vehicles may be run on any Train, except where laid down herein, or specially authorised by the Divisional Superintendent of Operation."

 

[Dr_Paul]

I remember travelling Euston to Keswick (steam hauled) in the early sixties. The long, long train stopped at Lancaster first for the front portion and then moved forward to enable those in the rear portion to alight.

Presumably passengers were made aware of this operation. But how was this done before the days of in-train announcements?

 

[StephenHunter]

Station information boards or the guard walking through, I guess.

 

[hexagon789]

Presumably passengers were made aware of this operation. But how was this done before the days of in-train announcements?

Guard walking up the train or station staff on the platform?

 

[Taunton]

Guard walking up the train or station staff on the platform?

More than that, station staff would walk off the ramp along the ballast and look for heads out of droplights, shouting up to " 'ang on a moment, zir, he'll be Drawing Up* to the platform in a minute, 'ee will".

Other regional accents were available.

* : Drawing Up was the correct railway expression for this. In addition the same would be announced over the station PA, though making loudspeaker announcements for those who were out of earshot beyond the platform, as my railway-knowledgeable grandfather would dryly observe, was a bit of a waste of time.

 

[ac6000cw]

Talking about drawing up (and why it's generally best avoided if all possible):

About 15 years ago, I watched the US Amtrak 'Empire Builder' train call at a small wayside station in Columbus, Wisconsin. Only 10 Superliner cars + 2 baggage/parcel cars, but it had to draw forward twice (so three sub-stops in total) due to the 'platform' only being long enough for about 3 cars. The whole pantomime took about 6 minutes for a relative handful of passengers, also blocking a level crossing for most of that time...

 

[plugwash]

Wasn't Cambridge like that years back?

Cambridge still has a very long through platform, split in two by a scissors crossover and given two separate platform numbers. Indeed it was recently made longer so that both portions could accommodate 12 car trains.

Until relatively recently (I forgot exactly when but sometime in the 2010s) this was the only through platform (or platforms depending on how you count) at Cambridge.

 

[hexagon789]

Until relatively recently (I forgot exactly when but sometime in the 2010s) this was the only through platform (or platforms depending on how you count) at Cambridge.

Through platforms 7 and 8 came into use in December 2011.

 

[Requeststop]

Along the Cornish Main Line, at various stations you can still see the posts for 10 Car, 11 Car and 12 Car Stops. I well remember as a youngster in the mid sixties spending hours at St Erth, watching the holiday trains with 12 cars. Now I see the only Cross Country service in Cornwall travel through the county with just 5 coaches. So sad.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Aren't many GWR services in Cornwall (those for London Paddington) usually still formed of 9 or sometimes 10 coaches?

 

[Diplodicus]

But does it stop 'Cambourne on Wednesdays Jethro?

 

[2192]

I put my bike in the front van at Oxford, not hearing any loudspeaker announcements as I don't think they were any that far along the platform. The Front van was off the platform at Moreton-in-Marsh. So I opened the doors wide as a signal, and the fireman came, climbed up, told me to jump down; he handed me the bike, shut the doors, returned to the loco, and the train set off before I was even on the platform. Trains longer than the platform have disadvantages!

 

[Dai Corner]

I put my bike in the front van at Oxford, not hearing any loudspeaker announcements as I don't think they were any that far along the platform. The Front van was off the platform at Moreton-in-Marsh. So I opened the doors wide as a signal, and the fireman came, climbed up, told me to jump down; he handed me the bike, shut the doors, returned to the loco, and the train set off before I was even on the platform. Trains longer than the platform have disadvantages!

Fortunately these days we have ways of preventing such dangerous practices and advising passengers for short platformed stations which coaches to travel in.