Trivia:Remaining trains that divide/split

[gnolife]

The Sheffield to Worksop train at 5:46 splits at Retford.

You've crossed Retford and Worksop in that post - the train splits at Worksop, with the front portion running through to the ECML platforms at Retford, the rear portion forms the 06:30 from Worksop to Leeds.

 

[gnolife]

Is there still a HS1 service from St Pancras to Ramsgate via Canterbury and Ramsgate via Dover?

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Until recently GWR had a Paddington to Moreton-in-Marsh and Banbury that split at Oxford.

 

[bussnapperwm]

VT Voyagers join/split at Chester, Crewe and Wolverhampton.
XC Voyagers have some splits too, certainly at Bristol.
ATW split 158s all over the place, notably at Shrewsbury.
The practice is going to increase with 5-car 80x operation.

I've seen ex Shrewsbury Virgin's attach at New Street to a ex Euston to head back to Euston

 

[jopsuk]

it's a useful practice- allows more destinations to be served directly from capacity constrained major stations and reduces the carriage of "fresh air" at the extremities of services.

I gather in Japan there are services that split that have specific orientation - eg these have 9 car and 2 car units. The outer ends have full width cabs, the Tokyo end of the 9 car has a proper cab with gangway and the country end of the 2 car has a shunting cab with gangway.

 

[Ianno87]

there's at least one peak time Cambridge service that splits at Royston, with both portions going on to Cambridge, but the rear calls at the south cambridgeshire villages.

Correct - 1814 off King's Cross.

There are a number of Up morning peak trains that combine at Cambridge. Rear part from King's Lynn, front part from Cambridge North or Ely (or a slower portion from Kings Lynn).

 

[A Challenge]

Waterloo to Alton and Basingstoke (split at Woking, Sundays only) I do not think it has been mentioned. Also, I don't know whether this is still running (used it December 2014) Charing Cross to Ramsgate via Canterbury or via Dover (the day I used it it was Dover portion non-stop via Canterbury and emergency RRB). We ended up getting off at Canterbury despite a final destination of Deal, and got a taxi (we had a lift from Deal).

 

[rmt4ever]

He means Kings Lynn and Kings Cross, not Kings Cross and Kings Cross.

Bloody hell must have been majorly at the cooking sherry..

 

[xotGD]

TPE have various services where a second set is attached/detached, but as far as I'm aware they don't normally run true splitters with two separate destinations.

 

[the_wanderer]

As someone already mentioned XC 1S49 runs as a 4-car to Bristol TM from Plymouth, where a second 4-car (usually from 1V51) attaches. Depending on the diagrammed working, these either both go all the way to Dundee together, or one splits off at Newcastle.

Similar happens with XC 1V64 (1307 EDB - PLY) most days, it is booked to run as a double set to Gloucester, with a detachment there and only the rear unit to continue to Plymouth (occasionally this will happen BRI vice GCR if the coverage of driver diagrams is not as booked)

 

[mwmbwls]

Manchester to Blackpool/Windermere/Barrow (2 out of the 3) services split at Preston.

Once the Blackpool line goes electric, and the Windermere line now will not, joining and dividing of all the Barrow and Windermere services could provide an hourly service to both destinations and save train paths into Manchester. Were this to be the case would it be better to divide trains at Lancaster north-bound and join them at Preston south-bound?

 

[Merseysider]

Until very recently there was a daily EMT from Liverpool to Nottingham/Norwich, with one portion detaching midway and going off to Worksop. I can't seem to find it anywhere now though!

Were this to be the case would it be better to divide trains at Lancaster north-bound and join them at Preston south-bound?

Not too sure on that. As it takes several minutes to join/detach it'd depend on what else needs the platforms at Lancaster

 

[Parallel]

In terms of destinations, there are also some morning/evening valley line destinations where the train splits at Cardiff Central. There’s also a couple in the Thames Valley with trains splitting at Oxford for Moreton-In-Marsh and Banbury.

In terms of strengthening where extra carriages split and then join onto something else or go to the depot, this happens a lot with GWR at Westbury, Bristol and Exeter - probably elsewhere too.

Are trains only permitted to join/split at certain stations? So if GWR wanted to run a 4 car service from Axminster, could it split at Credition with 1 unit going to Barnstaple and the other, Okehampton?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Northampton ? - LM and predecessors used to attach / detach every hour on the Eus - West Midlands services.

 

[PHILIPE]

ATW Birmingham International to Holyhead drop the rear 2 (of 4) coaches at Shrewsbury which then stay in the platform and attach to the fron of a train in the opposite direction

Lots of people have nominated trains with attachments and detachments where there is still only one portion of the train - i.e. part of the train either originates or terminates at the station where it attaches or detaches. The OP didn't make clear if they meant to include these in their trivia or not, but if they did there are rather a lot of them!

I was going to post the Shrewsbury position but realised they are not through portions involved. The detachments have emptied of passengers.

 

[Kite159]

Waterloo to Alton and Basingstoke (split at Woking, Sundays only) I do not think it has been mentioned. Also, I don't know whether this is still running (used it December 2014) Charing Cross to Ramsgate via Canterbury or via Dover (the day I used it it was Dover portion non-stop via Canterbury and emergency RRB). We ended up getting off at Canterbury despite a final destination of Deal, and got a taxi (we had a lift from Deal).

Used to be on Sundays with the 375s splitting at Ashford, one portion to Ramsgate via Canterbury every half hour, the other unit to either Dover or Ramsgate via Dover. But I believe that practise ceased around 2015 time when the HS1 Rounders came into existence (which had the effect or dropping the frequency for the smaller stations to hourly with Folkestone/Dover getting 2 trains an hour both which depart within 15 minutes of each other.

Although I have a feeling the practise continues with a couple services during peak-times, splits at Ashford to serve either Dover or Ramsgate

 

[PHILIPE]

Again just wondering if the OP meant through portions because if every attachment/detachment is mentioned the list would be endless. Happening somewhere or other all the time.

 

[DarloRich]

TPE have various services where a second set is attached/detached, but as far as I'm aware they don't normally run true splitters with two separate destinations.

I am fairly certain there is an evening splitter at York with the front unit going to Scarborough and the rear unit to Middlesbrough.

 

[xotGD]

I am fairly certain there is an evening splitter at York with the front unit going to Scarborough and the rear unit to Middlesbrough.

I knew someone would prove me wrong!

 

[PeterC]

Shrewsbury sees quite a number of splits and joins up throughout the day of ATW services. Most BHI to Holyhead services leave a unit behind which either joins up with a Holyhead to BHI service or detach to go to Aberystwyth (unadvertised). There's also ex Wrexham or ex Crewe trains that combine with Cambrian on s to go forward to Birmingham.

That short of reshuffling at Shrewsbury is nothing new. I recall travelling to university at Aberystwyth in 1970. Not only did the train from Wolverhampton divide with half going on to Chester but we picked up and unadvertised portion from Cardiff as well. The train was rammed, in those days we were considered old enough to make our own way to uni at 18, so I don't know if it was a regular thing or just for the start of term.

 

[DarloRich]

I knew someone would prove me wrong!

I am not there often enough to confirm!

 

[driver9000]

On Saturdays a Northern 185 from Windermere attaches to a Transpennine 185 from Glasgow Central at Preston before going on to Manchester Airport. When they get back to Preston they split with the front portion going non-stop to Carlisle and the rear portion going on to Barrow.

It's a hangover from both services being TPE and I can't see it surviving too much longer.

 

[swt_passenger]

Waterloo to/from Portsmouth and Poole splitting/joining at Eastleigh, on Sundays (until mid afternoon).

 

[Doctor Fegg]

08.21 from Paddington to Hereford carries a portion which is detached at Moreton-in-Marsh, and then forms the 10.22 back to Paddington. It's formed of two Turbos: the rear Turbo is locked out of use from Oxford to Moreton on the down journey, but I presume is available for use from Paddington to Oxford.

 

[swt_passenger]

Some other SWR ones I've come across too are;

Alton
& Portsmouth Hbr
via Basingstoke

Alton
& Haslemere

Portsmouth Hbr
& Haslemere
(divides at Guildford, rear portion becomes a stopping service, front fast to Haslemere)

Weymouth
& Brockenhurst / Bournemouth
(divides at Southampton Ctl, rear portion a stopping service, front fast to Brockenhurst or Bournemouth)

I think some of those have been temporary use only. But the last one of four, on the Weymouth route, is slightly different to how described. They are five Weymouth fasts dropping a slower portion at Southampton (in the down direction) with the rear portion usually being for Poole, with one of them only going as far as Bournemouth. The front portion runs fast Southampton to Brockenhurst or Bournemouth then on to Weymouth. There are slight variations over about 5 trains, but the fast portion is always to Weymouth. Logically that's what you would expect, the front portion going the furthest.

There are only 3 corresponding up trains in the morning peak, in this case joining at Southampton.

 

[stut]

Correct - 1814 off King's Cross.

There are a number of Up morning peak trains that combine at Cambridge. Rear part from King's Lynn, front part from Cambridge North or Ely (or a slower portion from Kings Lynn).

The King's Lynn & King's Lynn service is a curious one - presumably to work around the 4-car limit north of Ely.

(The 0714 leaves Lynn calling at all shacks. The 0725 then sets off calling at Downham Market and Ely. The two have an emotional reunion at Cambridge. I rather like it.)

VT do splits to Wrexham and Preston on their Holyhead services.

 

[DanTrain]

Until very recently there was a daily EMT from Liverpool to Nottingham/Norwich, with one portion detaching midway and going off to Worksop. I can't seem to find it anywhere now though!

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C80457/2017/11/16/advanced

This certaintly seems to divide at Notts to form a Worksop train and a Norwich one

 

[greaterwest]

I think some of those have been temporary use only. But the last one of four, on the Weymouth route, is slightly different to how described. They are five Weymouth fasts dropping a slower portion at Southampton (in the down direction) with the rear portion usually being for Poole, with one of them only going as far as Bournemouth. The front portion runs fast Southampton to Brockenhurst or Bournemouth then on to Weymouth. There are slight variations over about 5 trains, but the fast portion is always to Weymouth. Logically that's what you would expect, the front portion going the furthest.

There are only 3 corresponding up trains in the morning peak, in this case joining at Southampton.

You're correct in the fact that they were only temporary, but they are still used (usually during engineering works) so I thought it was best to point them out anyway.

 

[mrcheek]

A recent addition to the list: GWR will be splitting some IETs at Bristol Temple Meads, with a single unit continuing the connection to Weston-super-Mare

 

[Master29]

With the advent of the GWR 5 car 800`s it seems likely that many will split at Plymouth and the other portion will continue down to Penzance.