Trivia: Two trains from the same origin merging to go to a single destination

[Topological]

Looking at trains from Swansea to Manchester Piccadilly tomorrow morning, there are two trains that merge at Cardiff to continue to Manchester.

RTT Link: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W20576/2025-02-04

There is a 06:31 from Swansea which serves the Swanline stations on its way to Cardiff. That joins with a 06:49 from Swansea which only stops at the main stations. The whole consist continues to Manchester Piccadilly.

Are there many other cases where both units of a combined service have the same origin?

 

[NSE]

There used to be Southern services that ran from Victoria to Haywards Heath, then split to Brighton, one fast, one all stations. Southeastern definitely had some that were ‘Ramsgate & Ramsgate’ splitting at Ashford and running one via Dover and one via Canterbury West. I have no idea if they ran the opposite way in the morning peak, which would be exactly what you’re after.

The only similar one I can currently think of would be the Portsmouth & Bognor Regis services where they both call at Barnham and give Barnham 4tph to London, albeit they join at Horsham, meaning in reality Barnham only has two London arrival times per hour.

 

[ls2270]

There used to be Southern services that ran from Victoria to Haywards Heath, then split to Brighton, one fast, one all stations. Southeastern definitely had some that were ‘Ramsgate & Ramsgate’ splitting at Ashford and running one via Dover and one via Canterbury West. I have no idea if they ran the opposite way in the morning peak, which would be exactly what you’re after.

The only similar one I can currently think of would be the Portsmouth & Bognor Regis services where they both call at Barnham and give Barnham 4tph to London, albeit they join at Horsham, meaning in reality Barnham only has two London arrival times per hour.

There is an hourly SWR service off peak from Weymouth and Poole that joins at Bournemouth similar to that example, giving three TPH from Poole to Waterloo but only two Waterloo arrival times per hour. Pre Covid there also used to be Southeastern morning peak services from Hastings whereby a stopping service left Hastings first and was then joined at Tunbridge Wells by a faster service that had departed later from Hastings.

 

[Kite159]

1L24 0711 Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Pen Mill to London Waterloo

One part starts at Yeovil Pen Mill to go via Yeovil Junction & Sherborne, the other goes via Westbury to join up at Salisbury.

 

[Topological]

1L24 0711 Yeovil Pen Mill and Yeovil Pen Mill to London Waterloo

One part starts at Yeovil Pen Mill to go via Yeovil Junction & Sherborne, the other goes via Westbury to join up at Salisbury.

This may be the only contemporary one so far.

Plenty where both halves pass through the same stations, but do not join up until a later station. However, there do not seem to be many where they genuinely start at the same station. (The Brighton example from @NSE was an answer, but does not run any more)

 

[Flange Squeal]

On weekdays, Weymouth has departures to London Waterloo both starting their journeys there, at 0724 and 0755.

The 0724 serves most stops to Southampton Central arriving 0917.

The 0755 follows with fewer stops arriving in Southampton 0926.

The 0755 attaches to the rear of the 0724 and continue to Waterloo as one train at 0930, arriving into Waterloo at 1049.

Realtimetrains link: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:Y20691/2025-02-04#allox_id=0

The screenshot below shows the services described above in the South Western Railway timetable highlighted in red.

 

[dodecahedron67]

There is one in the morning from Scarborough

1T10 0550 Scarborough to York joins at York with 1P12 0648 Scarborough to Manchester Victoria to strengthen that to 6.185

 

[Magdalia]

Kings Lynn had one of these about 10 years ago with 0714 and 0725 departures joining at Cambridge. The former was all stations but the latter only called at Downham and Ely.

For a very long while, both before and after electrification, up morning peak services on the Hastings line did this, joining at Tunbridge Wells.

 

[Nottingham59]

Are there many other cases where both units of a combined service have the same origin?

I suspect there are going to be plenty more tandem splits like that when HS2 opens. Any HS2 service that head towards Manchester via Stoke will be limited to 200m when they get to Piccadilly. But there is every incentive to run these trains as 400m consists to maximise throughout at Handsacre and Colwich, and split them somewhere en route.

 

[Kite159]

Is there any South Eastern trains in the current timetable which depart Ramsgate attaching at Ashford. One going the direct route via Canterbury the other going the longer route via Dover?

Or is that a thing from history when Dover - Ramsgate swapped from mostly '375' operated to '395' operated

 

[WAB]

Looking at trains from Swansea to Manchester Piccadilly tomorrow morning, there are two trains that merge at Cardiff to continue to Manchester.

RTT Link: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W20576/2025-02-04

There is a 06:31 from Swansea which serves the Swanline stations on its way to Cardiff. That joins with a 06:49 from Swansea which only stops at the main stations. The whole consist continues to Manchester Piccadilly.

Are there many other cases where both units of a combined service have the same origin?

This is a planning error. 2B40 does not attach to 1W14 at Cardiff. If they do attach, that's under control arrangements.

 

[Topological]

This is a planning error. 2B40 does not attach to 1W14 at Cardiff. If they do attach, that's under control arrangements.

Yes, sadly even the original inspiration does not meet the requirements for the question.

I can see that in the end the earlier train terminated in Platform 0, whilst the later train continued to Manchester through Platform 2.

Question still stands though.

 

[Route115?]

Post 10 notes Ramsgate to St Pancras services. The other example, certainly in the past were fast and slow sections from Hastings combining at Tunbridge Wells - I can't see any in the current TT.

 

[NSE]

I always found it weird seeing ‘Brighton & Brighton’ or ‘Ramsgate & Ramsgate’. One of those instances where it makes sense to have the train as ‘Brighton & Preston Park’. I think SE did it with ‘Ramsgate & Sandwich’ but it’s not my patch so I’m not sure if it was for that service.

 

[xotGD]

The sleeper portion from Newcastle to Darlington via the Durham Coast used to attach to the main service at Darlo that departed Newcastle some time later.

 

[mm333]

I've just noticed in RTT that there's one service a day where both halves start at Dover Priory for London Victoria. The 1618 via Canterbury East and the 1522 via Sandwich and Margate then join at Faversham for London.