Oddest Coupled Trains you have seen

[ainsworth74]

26 actually... .

Now there's been an failure on my part to add up the numbers properly

There are indeed 26!

 

[pemma]

Had to do the maths on that one :P

It's not actually a majority; by my reckoning (i.e. taking the numbers off Wikipedia) SWT has 172 out of 354 Desiros, or 48.5%.

When the 350/3s and 350/4s are delivered it'll be 172 out of 374, or 46%.

Reference: there are 51×185, 67×350, 26×360, 38×380, 45×444 and 127×450.

If you do a DfT and count the number of vehicles instead of the number of trains that would make it a majority, with the 185s only being 3 car and the 444s being 5 car.

 

[Eagle]

If you do a DfT and count the number of vehicles instead of the number of trains that would make it a majority, with the 185s only being 3 car and the 444s being 5 car.

733 out of 1393, or 52.6%. Indeed a majority (but the 80 extra carriages for LM and TPE will make it 733 out of 1473, or 49.8%).

 

[yorksrob]

I'll raise you a 56 propelling two EPBs in passenger service.

Photo has been posted twice before on the forum, but I can post it up again if you can't find it on a search...

I fold

 

[RJ]

5H00 into Marylebone is booked 172 + 165 + 168 + 172.

 

[SprinterMan]

5H00 into Marylebone is booked 172 + 165 + 168 + 172.

Where does this train originate?

 

[Eagle]

Where does this train originate?

Wembley depot.

 

[SprinterMan]

Wembley depot.

Thanks
I was hoping it was a passenger train :P

 

[jopsuk]

A head code starting with a 5 is always an ECS

 

[onlydjw]

How about a class 60 hauling a dogbox? Happened in Central Trains days when one failed at Metheringham with a siezed (well - non existant by then) axle bearing), and a few weeks later, Central/Maintrain hired a 60 from EWS to tow it back toLincoln on a wheel skate at 5mph on a Sunday morning (well - afternoon by the time they got it back).

Sadly it was removed by road from Lincoln to Tyseley to be repaired.

 

[sutty]

Right! I finally remembered to upload it. Chiltern 172+168 at Moor Street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yvT_ey3oDQ&feature=youtu.be

 

[mainlinemiller]

I have seen a class 59 push a FGW HST along with its loaded stone train!

 

[Failed Unit]

Maybe mentioned elsewhere, but a 153 coupled to 1/2 a 158. Also see 156 / 158 combos (half of each set)

 

[southerner2174]

Ah yes. I was waiting for this one to pop-up. According to the logs, the 378 driver misjudged the braking distance and there was an accidental impact of about 1.6mph if I remember correctly. Enough to cause a mechanical coupling.

The MOM pointed out that the shoegear was down on the 378 and the pan was up on the 350 causing people to expect smoke...

That was definately a mistake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[4SRKT]

I had a 26 pulling a failed 3-car 101 on a train from Perth to Edinburgh in August 1987, which was then the one train of the day that went via Ladybank. Was great to sit in the former First Class section and be able to see the McRat spluttering away just feet away!

 

[AndyLandy]

Agreed. I think it's the combination of corridor connection and non corridor connection stock that makes it a bit weird. I think that about the 153/143 combos we have here in Devon.

SWT used to do that with Salisbury-Waterloo services, pairing up 159s with 170s. Always looked really peculiar. Eventually they swapped all their Turbistars for 158s (Ex-FTPE ones, IIRC) so they look far more sensible.

 

[Eagle]

Eventually they swapped all their Turbistars for 158s (Ex-FTPE ones, IIRC)

It was a direct swap with TPE, more or less.

The Salisbury line services can throw up pretty much any length of train between 3 and 10 cars made of 158s and 159s; I've seen services that are in weird orders like 158+159+158 or 159+158+159.

 

[Failed Unit]

It was a direct swap with TPE, more or less.

The Salisbury line services can throw up pretty much any length of train between 3 and 10 cars made of 158s and 159s; I've seen services that are in weird orders like 158+159+158 or 159+158+159.

SWT got the better deal Better quality units

 

[CC 72100]

SWT got the better deal Better quality units

I'd agree with that. I'm not at all convinced on the 170s, but I know for a fact that a 158/159 in decent condition (so SWTs fleet) is a very nice unit to travel on.

 

[pemma]

It was a direct swap with TPE, more or less.

The Salisbury line services can throw up pretty much any length of train between 3 and 10 cars made of 158s and 159s; I've seen services that are in weird orders like 158+159+158 or 159+158+159.

Some of the 159s were 3 car 158s under TPE that got re-classed as 159s when they were refurbished.

The day it was the 2005 Champions League victory parade in Liverpool TPE used a combination of a 3 car 158, a 2 car 158 and a 3 car 158 with the 2 car 158 being in CT livery.

SWT got the better deal Better quality units

I think the 170s would be decent units for Hull-Manchester if they were 4 car units and I mean 4 car units not pairs of 2 car units.

SWT lose 8 x 2 car 170s (7 to TPE and 1 to Southern) and gained 8 x 3 car 158s. So yes TPE would have been better off if SWT had kept their 170s and TPE had kept the 158s that went to SWT.

 

[172212]

LM: class 150 + class 153
You can usually find an LM 170+153 formation during peak times

 

[AndyLandy]

I'm not sure I'd class any of the mixed Sprinter formations as particularly odd. Part of the point of the 15x sets is that they should all be inter-operable. Seeing a 150 and a 156 or a 156 and 158 together, or with a dogbox on the back should be reasonably common, I'd have thought.

 

[172212]

In Birmingham it's very rare

I'm not sure I'd class any of the mixed Sprinter formations as particularly odd. Part of the point of the 15x sets is that they should all be inter-operable. Seeing a 150 and a 156 or a 156 and 158 together, or with a dogbox on the back should be reasonably common, I'd have thought.

 

[sprinterguy]

In Birmingham it's very rare

It wasn't just a couple of months ago when there was a regular 150+153 diagram on the Snow Hill lines. The ATW 158 operated services sometimes operate as 158+150 as well.

Overall I agree with AndyLandy, various multiple Sprinter formations aren't all that unusual.

 

[172212]

The 150s on the Snow Hill lines have scattered. There's only 2 sprinters that run in Birmingham. They both run on the Bromsgrove line, which pretty much never couples. So yeah, I'm Birmingham they're rare, I've never seen a 158+150 formation in Birmingham

It wasn't just a couple of months ago when there was a regular 150+153 diagram on the Snow Hill lines. The ATW 158 operated services sometimes operate as 158+150 as well.

Overall I agree with AndyLandy, various multiple Sprinter formations aren't all that unusual.

 

[IanXC]

c2c, TPE and LO.

LO's fleet is the youngest at just over a year and a half old on average.

I raise you Hull Trains, the question was TOCs rather than franchises after all!

 

[Schnellzug]

Agreed. I think it's the combination of corridor connection and non corridor connection stock that makes it a bit weird. I think that about the 153/143 combos we have here in Devon.

I've seen on FGW 153 + 150/1 + 153; corridor connection just between the middle two coaches. Decidedly inconvenient for ticket inspection purposes, I'd have thinked.

 

[sprinterguy]

The 150s on the Snow Hill lines have scattered. There's only 2 sprinters that run in Birmingham. They both run on the Bromsgrove line, which pretty much never couples. So yeah, I'm Birmingham they're rare, I've never seen a 158+150 formation in Birmingham

I'ts certainly true that the majority of LMs' 150s have gone elsewhere, but you still don't have to go particularly far from Birmingham to encounter "mixed Sprinter" formations.

 

[Metrailway]

I think you will struggle to beat this (photo not mine!):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffytank/3510402459/in/set-72157616968828535/

Yes it is a triple header comprising of Metropolitan No. 1, a GWR Pannier tank, and a LT battery electric loco hauling a Mk1 coach, a Mk2 coach and a 1st Gen Great Eastern A/C EMU (Class 308 I think)...

 

[172212]

Where do you have to go then? Cause I'd sure like to know

I'ts certainly true that the majority of LMs' 150s have gone elsewhere, but you still don't have to go particularly far from Birmingham to encounter "mixed Sprinter" formations.