LMSR London long distance departures, 1928 Plus LNER London departures 1936

[zwk500]

Not really, except for the special case of "slip coaches".
Trains could be split into two portions, e.g. on the WCML where northbound trains might stop at Carstairs, and divide into separate portions for Glasgow & Edinburgh.
Or there could be multiple portions, as for example on the LSWR/Southern Railway/Region, at certain times of the year, the Atlantic Coast Express had the main train from Waterloo to Plymouth, but detached coaches for here, there & everywhere, that proceeded as separate short trains, e.g. to resorts like Sidmouth, Ilfracombe, Bude, etc.
Slip trains were a special case where a mechanism allowed the rear coach or two to be detached ("slipped") from a moving train; momentum carried those coaches to the next station, whilst the express continued non-stop through that station.

I think one distinction would be that Portions *normally* form their own trains once detached, whereas through coaches are *normally* attached to other trains. I am sure counter-examples to both those points existed at various times.

 

[30907]

Was there a difference between splitting trains and trains with through coaches to different destinations?

Through coaches would normally be attached to another service from the point of detachment, a splitting service would run in its own right from that point, as zwk500 has just said.

To give an example: the ACE split at Exeter into Padstow and Ilfracombe portions and then detached TCs for Plymouth, Bude and Torrington (as well as Sidmouth/Exmouth earlier) which were attached to local trains.
But a local coach would regularly be attached to the front of both portions at Exeter - so it's a slightly arbitrary distinction.

 

[778]

Through coaches would normally be attached to another service from the point of detachment, a splitting service would run in its own right from that point, as zwk500 has just said.

To give an example: the ACE split at Exeter into Padstow and Ilfracombe portions and then detached TCs for Plymouth, Bude and Torrington (as well as Sidmouth/Exmouth earlier) which were attached to local trains.
But a local coach would regularly be attached to the front of both portions at Exeter - so it's a slightly arbitrary distinction.

Did trains with through coaches continue after the steam era ended?

 

[hexagon789]

Did trains with through coaches continue after the steam era ended?

Yes, they did. I'm not sure when nor what the last such Through Carriage(s) was, but there were definitely still some into the early/mid-70s.

 

[Gloster]

As late 1982 there was a 23.20 Bradford and a 23.40 Hull (both Fridays Only) that combined at Doncaster and continued together to Paignton. They returned as the 10.15 (Saturdays Only) Paignton that split at Doncaster for Leeds and Hull.

 

[hexagon789]

As late 1982 there was a 23.20 Bradford and a 23.40 Hull (both Fridays Only) that combined at Doncaster and continued together to Paignton. They returned as the 10.15 (Saturdays Only) Paignton that split at Doncaster for Leeds and Hull.

Surely that's just splitting and not through coaches though?

 

[Revaulx]

The Dunfermline-Glenfarg-Perth line was ex-North British, so LNER, so I expect the through cars went that way?

I think it would go via Dunfermline Lower and Kinross Jcn., that was fairly traditional for Perth/Inverness trains until the Glenfarg shut. The Fair Maid from King's Cross went that way to Perth in the 1950s.

Oh gosh I’d completely forgotten about the Glenfarg route being NB/LNER!

I’ll check my Cobb’s before asking similar questions in future.

 

[Bevan Price]

The Dunfermline-Glenfarg-Perth line was ex-North British, so LNER, so I expect the through cars went that way?

Kings Cross 10:05
Grantham 12:00/12:02
York 13:29/13:34
Newcastle 1:07/15:12
Berwick 16:33/16:35
Edinburgh 17:45

Perth portion:
Edinburgh 18:05
Dunfermline Lower 18:29/18:30
Kinross Jn 18:54
Glenfarg & Bridge of Earn: set down request stops for passengers from south of Edinburgh
Perth arr. 19:20

Aberdeen portion:
Edinburgh 18:00
Kirkcaldy 18:39
Cupar 19:06
Leuchars Jn 19:15 /19:17
Dundee Tay Bridge 19:31/19:37
Broughty Ferry 19:46
Arbroath 20:02/20:03
Montrose 20:25
Stonehaven 21:01
Aberdeen 21:25

On certain dates, carries Kings Cross passengers only for stations North of Edinburgh.
Does not convey York to Newcastle passengers.

 

[30907]

Surely that's just splitting and not through coaches though?

Yes. I suppose we could rephrase the distinction - if the coach/es were attached to a train that would have run without them, they are through coaches; if they were run as a separate train, they are a portion.
However, that distinction wasn't used (consistently) in the public timetable.

On that basis, the 0600 Glasgow-Mallaig and return conveyed TC from London (but the successor Ft Bill sleeper is a portion) and arguably that was the last TC working.
The other would be the Workington/Barrow sleeper but I don't have the detail in my head.

I am not sure when the last daytime TC workings as opposed to portions were but it might well have been around 1963 - certainly the SR had a considerable cull then!