Class 318 diagrams

[Strathclyder]

Why are so many attached to a 320?

Why not? They are worked fairly indiscriminately and there are 21 318s and 34 320s. Therefore, it isn't really surprising to find 318s paired with 320s. I imagine that if a snapshot was taken on a different day there could be more 318 pairs than there were yesterday. There are likely to be more 320 pairs than 318 pairs.

In regards to 318s and 320s working together: it may be a everyday occurrence now, but this has only been the case since about 2010-11. The 320/3s lacked yaw dampers from new and thus were limited to 75 mph (121 km/h). Driver visibility issues at the sub-surface city centre stations on the Argyle Line precluded their use there too IIRC (or so the story goes; would be interesting to see whether or not there is any truth to that).

As part of the fleet reshuffle resulting from the Airdrie - Bathgate reopening and the arrival of the 380s, they had yaw dampers fitted in late 2010 to increase their top speed to 90 mph (145 km/h); this allowed them to both work over parts of the Argyle Line shared with the West Coast Main Line & run in multiple with the 318s at full speed in normal service (which were ofc 90 mph-capable from the outset). The aforementioned driver visibility issues at the sub-surface city centre stations on the Argyle Line were addressed at the same time.

 

[Ilovetrains43]

In regards to 318s and 320s working together: it may be a everyday occurrence now, but this has only been the case since about 2010-11. The 320/3s lacked yaw dampers from new and thus were limited to 75 mph (121 km/h). Driver visibility issues at the sub-surface city centre stations on the Argyle Line precluded their use there too IIRC (or so the story goes; would be interesting to see whether or not there is any truth to that).

As part of the fleet reshuffle resulting from the Airdrie - Bathgate reopening and the arrival of the 380s, they had yaw dampers fitted in late 2010 to increase their top speed to 90 mph (145 km/h); this allowed them to both work over parts of the Argyle Line shared with the West Coast Main Line & run in multiple with the 318s at full speed in normal service (which were ofc 90 mph-capable from the outset). The aforementioned driver visibility issues at the sub-surface city centre stations on the Argyle Line were addressed at the same time.

Yes, but why when 320/4s from Greater Anglia arrived in 2017-19, would they have enough 318s for the line?

 

[JonathanH]

Yes, but why when 320/4s from Greater Anglia arrived in 2017-19, would they have enough 318s for the line?

No 320/4s ever arrived from Greater Anglia. By the time the first 320/4s arrived from London Midland, the existing 318s and 320/3s were already working together. (The latter 320/4s came from First Capital Connect.) They allowed more services to run as six-car.