Rolling stock which is "stored" at a station platform overnight.

[Watershed]

It's common practice in many places for units that finish their diagrams relatively early go to depot for servicing/cleaning/fuelling, then return to the station or stabling sidings to make room for other units to be serviced. In pre IEP days HSTs used to do this at Swansea for example.

Indeed with the last GWR arrival at Swansea being so late (circa 02:30, depending on any engineering work diversions) and the first GWR departure being so early (03:46), the last IEP arrives at the depot after the first one for the morning has left.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

So most trains will return to a depot to be stored overnight, but on some occasions, trains are left at station platforms overnight.

My example is the SWR trains at Reading, the last two trains of the day sit on the platforms at Reading overnight to form the first two services of the next day.

How common of an occurrence is this?

Very common

Many will terminate as the last service of the day and form the first service the following day. Doesn't have to be terminal (non-through) stations either

Some will berth stock for the entire weekend (e.g. the "old" London Bridge before rebuilding).

 

[simon7929]

Units are parked up at Darlington and are cleaned every night in platform 2 and 3.

 

[JD2168]

I believe that there are units stores at Sheffield Station on Platform 8 & on the lines in between platforms overnight.

 

[td97]

Bolton P2 has a 319 left overnight on a Saturday, which is moved to Manchester Victoria sidings the following Sunday night.

 

[Gloster]

Pedant alert, but accurate use of language is important on the railway (and in many other places). And also hoping that I am up to date with the correct terms or, more accurately, they haven’t changed since my far off days.

The practice of leaving an item of rolling-stock shut-down between duties, maybe overnight or a weekend, maybe only a few hours, is called stabling. Multiple-units can go into stabling sidings, specially designated sidings primarily intended for stabling, or can be left on running lines, although this is never an ideal option.

Storing is putting an item of rolling-stock out of use for a lengthy period, probably for at least several months, and for a which a certain amount of preparatory work is carried out. There used to be two categories, Stored Serviceable and Stored Unserviceable, depending on the amount of work needed to bring the stock back into use.

Parking isn’t used, except in the sense of parking brake. Illogical, I know.

Berth is a bit of an old one, but I bet some old Southern Region men still use it for EMUs. Berthing sidings and carriage sidings probably still appear; the latter are not just for hauled carriages.

If someone has a better or more up-to-date definition you are welcome to give it. My experience is from the 1980s.

 

[Halish Railway]

Two Class 333s will be kept on one platform at Ilkley overnight to form the first and second trains of the day.

 

[ld0595]

Another Scottish example is Tweedbank which has a set in Platforms 1 and 2 to form the first and second services to Edinburgh of the day.

 

[Peter0124]

Perth also has 158s and 170s stabling at it overnight according to RTT.

 

[D365]

All rather quaint considering the line has so-called state of the art digital signalling!

It is "state of the art", but the Cambrian is very much an outlier when it comes to ETCS-equipped railways within Europe. Many, well, quaint features as a result of its rural nature.

 

[fkofilee]

GTR frequently birth Trains in platforms for early runs on GX for example.

 

[baz962]

Overground leave units at Richmond and Stratford and I believe Euston. EMR at st pancras .

 

[AlbertBeale]

I think it happens on some Underground lines routinely. But especially in situations where there's engineering affecting part of the line - like recently when the Bakerloo north of Queens Park was closed (hence shutting access to the main Stonebridge Park depot. The (not very capacious) London Road sidings at the south end of the line were, I was told, augmented by leaving some trains in platforms, so as to reduce the amount they needed to thin out the service because of the shortage of trains.

 

[Neptune]

Two Class 333s will be kept on one platform at Ilkley overnight to form the first and second trains of the day.

Think it’s a 331 and 333 at the moment. The 331 forms the first Leeds and the 333 the first Bradford.

2 x 333’s at Bradford Forster Square to form the 0546 Ilkley and 0655 Leeds.

Some units stable in the platforms at Skipton rather than Broughton Road sidings.

 

[73001]

Very common on Merseyrail, units are stabled overnight at New Brighton, Rock Ferry & Southport, plus one unit is stabled overnight at Hooton.

I think Southport stables a sprinter as well for the first service to Manchester... arrives at 2355 and leaves at 0605. Last night the arriving service was cancelled but then an empty stock move ran in its place so they must need it to be there.

 

[dk1]

Norwich is brimming in the early hours.

 

[Jez]

Carmarthen has many sets stabled overnight. I think its the only location West of Swansea that does so.

 

[trundlewagon]

Also stables 323s.

There's also a double set stabled at Redditch and Four Oaks overnight as well as 350s at International.

 

[Geeves]

Manchester Vic, Rochdale and Huddersfield all have trains in the bays over night.

 

[60159]

Manchester Vic, Rochdale and Huddersfield all have trains in the bays over night.

I thought I’d read an article about how complicated it was to get incoming trains stabled overnight at Hull so they were in the correct order for the morning with late arrivals causing severe problems.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Berth is a bit of an old one, but I bet some old Southern Region men still use it for EMUs. Berthing sidings and carriage sidings probably still appear; the latter are not just for hauled carriages.

Certainly did throughout my career (use the term 'Berth') as per the Carriage Working Notices, and this is still so today AFAIK even though the CWN's are distributed electronically these days. Example of the latter: Portsmouth & Southsea Down Carriage Sidings (D.C.S.). Other locations use physical/geographical (in relation to direction) terms to describe sidings, eg; at Basingstoke, there is 'Down Yard', 'Up Siding West', 'Down Siding East' and just to throw a spanner in this theme, 'Barton Mill Sidings'! PS: forgot 'Up Siding East' under the old Basingstoke box, and only accessible via Barton Mill Sidings.

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Pedant alert, but accurate use of language is important on the railway (and in many other places). And also hoping that I am up to date with the correct terms or, more accurately, they haven’t changed since my far off days.

Berth is a bit of an old one, but I bet some old Southern Region men still use it for EMUs. Berthing sidings and carriage sidings probably still appear; the latter are not just for hauled carriages.

Still in my vocabulary

GTR frequently birth Trains in platforms for early runs on GX for example.

Now that really is a new one on me :lol

 

[GEC465]

Liverpool Street has a few trains left overnight like the 0121 arrival from SSD then formed either the 0340/0410 or 0440 to SSD.
There's also a few 720s there overnight and occasionally 345s

 

[Steveswan10]

Hereford used to stable 2 of the 3 HST arrivals from Paddington one in platform 1and the other "under the Wall" (line between Barrs Court Road and platform 1) and the 3rd going straight to Bristol-since the IET's now only 1 stays in Hereford I believe snd the other goes down to Bristol

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Ramsgate, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis berths stock in platforms overnight - not sure about Faversham, Dover Priory or Hastings

 

[Tracked]

Pre-pandemic there used to be a 06:03 Doncaster-Lincoln service, usually saw it stored in Platform 2/6/7 at Doncaster overnight. It'd run non-stop to Sheffield, sure I've been told this was because of lack of space in Sheffield overnight at the time. Haven't been early from Doncaster for a while but I guess the first stopper Doncaster-Sheffield is still left in platform 5, maybe a Leeds train in 6 and a few 150/158's in 0/7

 

[Anonymous10]

Usually some units left in the platforms at Carmarthen overnight. There's a new siding now though so presumably they'll be using that in future.

I don't believe the siding is large enough for all the units outstabled at Carmarthen first fishguard, milford and Pembroke dock (first 2) all originate from Carmarthen without counting the Manchester services.

 

[Taunton]

I suspect some of this has come about as the station is seen as more secure against graffiti taggers than remote stabling sidings.

When scotch whisky was delivered in rail wagons to London, if it was being left for the weekend before unloading the BTP used to have it shunted into the handful of centre roads at the main termini, where they could keep a better eye on it.

 

[86206]

Worcester Shrub Hill ?

 

[david1212]

London Marylebone?

I've never been there late but given daytime a number of sets are, or at least back pre-2020 were, in the platforms so a long walk to the units in service I would be surprised if several are not there overnight.