UK Longest Train

[LE Greys]

I don't know if it was the longest, but I seem to remember it as being so - a passenger service way back in the 1850s, heading south on an excursion from Wolverhampton station. It was so long that on a stretch near Brierley Hill the train split in two - the rear half of the train rolled down a gradient hitting a train behind it. It was the worse railway accident of it's day. I think that was 42 coaches with 2 locomotives.

There might have been one longer, I just thought it was an interesting digression.

That might well have been with fixed-wheelbase coaches, probably four-wheelers. The longest passenger train I know of was a WWII special (can't remember if it was a troop-train or evacuation) that departed King's Cross hauled by a single A4. Twenty-four coaches. Assuming a standard 60ft Gresley coach, that's 1,510ft (473m). I have no idea of the weight. Presumably, the train was picked up in two parts, and the slight downhill into Gas Works Tunnel may have helped, but the whole lot exceeded 70mph north of Hitchin. A King shifted a similar load once, on test with two fireman.

 

[tsr]

Eeh, these real life trains have it easy. When I was a lad I couldn't have more than 10 or so wagons behind my Hornby 47, or they would all derail when trying to start away on a 1st radius curve

Off topic, I know, but I seem to remember I got about 25-30 die-cast wagons behind a newish Hornby 87 on a second-radius curve recently. If they hadn't started derailing after I exceeded that number, I could have added 10 more without the loco struggling.

 

[Badger]

That might well have been with fixed-wheelbase coaches, probably four-wheelers.

You're quite right, I managed to find it on Wikipedia (was searching Brierley Hill, not Round Oak..)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Oak_rail_accident

Described as "a vast train of 42 four-wheelers".

 

[The Snap]

I'd like to think all three sections (i.e. containing the front, middle and rear) are shown as occupied!

They would all show as occupied, it wouldn't affect signalling too much, except that the train behind would effectively be at least 2 or 3 signals behind all the way.

The signalling between London Bridge and Waterloo East means a 12 car 375 can occupy 3 sections at one time.

I didn't realise one train could occupy more than one section at a time. You live and learn! Thinking about it, there's no reason why not, but I suppose I've never really considered it!

Cheers for the info.

 

[LE Greys]

You're quite right, I managed to find it on Wikipedia (was searching Brierley Hill, not Round Oak..)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Oak_rail_accident

Described as "a vast train of 42 four-wheelers".

Sounds like a nasty one.

I didn't realise one train could occupy more than one section at a time. You live and learn! Thinking about it, there's no reason why not, but I suppose I've never really considered it!

Cheers for the info.

It was a major problem with the Gresley P1s, which could shift 100 wagons (presumably 20-ton coal opens so 2,000 tons - not sure whether that's load+train or just load) but the trains were too long for loops, and so ended up holding up expresses. With shorter block sections, they sometimes required double-block working to make sure they could clear home signals safely, effectively occupying two sections at once. Higher-capacity wagons could have helped, but we were a long way from HAAs becoming standard, so both engines were scrapped by Thompson.

Did the LMS Garratts have the same problem?