Locos running round their trains

[alexl92]

What happens on the sleeper at Mallaig? As far as I can see on Google Maps there isn't a run-around loop and the plaform's very short anyway.

 

[sprinterguy]

What happens on the sleeper at Mallaig? As far as I can see on Google Maps there isn't a run-around loop and the plaform's very short anyway.

The sleeper doesn't run to Mallaig, it terminates at Fort William.

If you're referring to the Jacobite, though, then there is a run round loop on the seaward side of the station. The time I travelled on it, the train pulled in on the seaward platform face. After passengers had alighted, the loco set the carriages back, ran round and then shunted the train across into the landward platform road.

 

[jamesontheroad]

I recall the locomotive running around an early Virgin XC service at Reading - probably in the early 2000s just before the Voyagers arrived.

Before Sprinterisation of Regional Railways, I imagine the Cambridge / Norwich - Liverpool / Birmingham trains had fairly regular run arounds at Ely and Sheffield as well.

 

[Andyjs247]

I recall the locomotive running around an early Virgin XC service at Reading - probably in the early 2000s just before the Voyagers arrived.

Before Sprinterisation of Regional Railways, I imagine the Cambridge / Norwich - Liverpool / Birmingham trains had fairly regular run arounds at Ely and Sheffield as well.

In latter years (1990s - 2004?) XC locos would run round at Reading. Previously it would normally have been a loco change. At Birmingham New Street there was often a swap from diesel to electric and vv. There were relatively few workings where the same loco ran round at New Street as it was usually a loco swap - it was quicker and didn't tie up platform space for so long.

As mentioned the loco hauled trains to / from Norwich did run around at Birmingham up to 1988 and were among the few workings that did so. They went via Ely curve to avoid a reverse though. The Ely stop and Liverpool - Norwich services began with sprinterisation.

 

[221129]

The night Riviera often runs around in Exeter St Davids if it is being diverted via Honiton. And the FGW summer loco hauled rus around in Exeter New Yard.

 

[CosherB]

Apparently there will be a DBSO soon on one of the runs because of platform changes at Waverley later in the year, according to a recent post on here. DRS have a few but require a good lot of work. They also have a DVT that was used for Class 68 testing but again, would require an overhaul.

I would expect once more 170s are sent down south, the more loco hauled runs there will be?

DBSO's on Fife circle? So does this mean that the Mk2 stock will all be converted for AAR compatibility with the 68's? I'd be surprised .....

 

[breadfan]

The summer Saturday only London Liverpool Street to Great Yarmouth would have the 47 run round at Great Yarmouth until very recently, 2012 at least.

 

[richa2002]

It ran round at Great Yarmouth until last year.

 

[SpacePhoenix]

When the class 50s done the Waterloo-Exeter route, would they have run round at Exeter (presumably at Waterloo a fresh loco would take the train back out)?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

When the class 50s done the Waterloo-Exeter route, would they have run round at Exeter (presumably at Waterloo a fresh loco would take the train back out)?

My memory is a little hazy, but ISTR that the 50 took the coaches out of Exeter station, then ran round and brought them back in. I think they had to change platform to get on the correct line up the hill.

 

[55013]

Yeah, in my experience (unless the in-bound service was late) the 50 and stock used to head to the sidings East of St Davids, over the level crossing, and run round there.
The same place that the 159s go to now in fact.

 

[G0ORC]

In latter years (1990s - 2004?) XC locos would run round at Reading. Previously it would normally have been a loco change. At Birmingham New Street there was often a swap from diesel to electric and vv. There were relatively few workings where the same loco ran round at New Street as it was usually a loco swap - it was quicker and didn't tie up platform space for so long.

As mentioned the loco hauled trains to / from Norwich did run around at Birmingham up to 1988 and were among the few workings that did so. They went via Ely curve to avoid a reverse though. The Ely stop and Liverpool - Norwich services began with sprinterisation.

I'm pretty sure that the Class 31 hauled Birmingham - Norwich trains used to run into New St. via Camp Hill, Lifford East and Lifford West just to get around the need for a run-round. Then, to clear the platform the ECS would do the circuit again and stand at Lifford West until the platform was available.

A run-round in New Street was a very rare occurrence, due, as you say, to the high platform occupancy.

Before the HST invasion, shortage of Class 45/1s at Nottingham used to inevitably cause the incoming loco to run-round (sometimes via the fuelling point) the London - Sheffield - London services although these were not diagrammed like that.

In summer the overnight Fri/Sat Sheffield - Portsmouth was a run-round at Nottingham, the 2134 (Fri) Nottingham - Paignton and the Saturday morning 2 x Class 25 hauled 0728 Nottingham - Llandudno was a run-round at Derby as well, before it was replaced by 2 x Class 120 DMUs and evenually, from 1985, the then brand-new Class 150/1s.

Talking of summer, the ECS from Etches Park - Leicester for the 2 x 20 hauled 1E86 0928 Leicester - Skegness would run round on the bi-directional goods line at Knighton South as no platform was available at Leicester.

 

[D6975]

Birmingham-Norwich 31 hauled services used to run round in the station, they didn't go round via Camp Hill. At least not when I did them in the late 80s.

 

[G0ORC]

Birmingham-Norwich 31 hauled services used to run round in the station, they didn't go round via Camp Hill. At least not when I did them in the late 80s.

Well I have WTTs here that prove they did do that and there are numerous pictures around the various picture sites of Class 31 and ECS standing at Lifford.

The WTT's I have are from the early 90s.

See here another thread on this subject...

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=95735

and a picture... (not mine, but not sure to whom credit is due)

From memory - which is getting a little hazy now, I think 1O13 the 0700(?) Mon-Fri Newcastle - Poole arrived into New Street via Lifford as well.

 

[Taunton]

In the days of loco-hauled services running round was relatively unusual, especially at dead-end termini (more common at through stations) it was more common to provide a fresh "turnover" loco. Long ago it was also less common to turn round "in the platform", the stock would be taken away by a pilot loco to sidings, and returned later for the departure. Major terminal stations were often divided into "arrival" and "departure" sides, which lasted until the 1960s brought modern air-braked stock, more frequent services, and much higher stock utilisation. Until then major express stock, for the likes of the Cornish Riviera or the Flying Scotsman just made one single journey per day.

A further combination not mentioned so far I think is that the incoming loco would just propel the stock, without any loco at the other end, back out to sidings. If they were dead-end sidings facing the terminus this was the only way to do it. A shunter was needed in the leading vestibule, leaning well out of the leading droplight, to give handsignals during the propelling. At Taunton west end, well into diesel days with Hymeks, when propelling stock arrived from Minehead, Barnstaple, etc, it was standard practice for the shunter to grab a handful of paper towels from the adjacent toilet compartment to make their arm waving more visible!

 

[30907]

A little OT geographically, but I've just been in the Czech Republic where I've seen propelling movements from sidings (of two trains coupled!), running round, turnover engines... and there are railcars that to run round as well, though I didn't see it happening. And the local version of a DBSO set. Visit before it's too late....

 

[Bald Rick]

A further combination not mentioned so far I think is that the incoming loco would just propel the stock, without any loco at the other end, back out to sidings.

Ed Burkhardt (in)famously had a moan about not being able to do this with the empty sleeper stock after arrival at Euston, ie propel a 16 coach train out to Wembley in the slow lines in the morning peak to save a loco hock:

The converse of this was ECS being propelled into the station by the train engine. This used to happen well into the 1990s at Euston for a couple of trains a day that ran without DVTs. They had a Mark III brake at the London end with a shunter controlling the brake.

 

[CockneySparrow]

Still got run round facilities at Norwich, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft

 

[ac6000cw]

Birmingham-Norwich 31 hauled services used to run round in the station, they didn't go round via Camp Hill. At least not when I did them in the late 80s.

That is my recollection as well (in the same timeframe). I think some also ran out to Soho for run-around/stabling.