How long can a train be before it's too long?

[hexagon789]

http://metcam.co.uk.nstempintl.com/1980s.htm

That's the one

 

[Killingworth]

My father spoke of wartime trains on ECML of 20 carriages. I recall walking through a lot of coaches to find a seat at York in the 1950s when 14 hauled by a Pacific was quite normal.

 

[hexagon789]

My father spoke of wartime trains on ECML of 20 carriages. I recall walking through a lot of coaches to find a seat at York in the 1950s when 14 hauled by a Pacific was quite normal.

The Elizabethan loaded to 13 until the late 1950s when a simplification of the catering provision reduced it to 12; the Flying Scotsman was often up to 16 coaches pre-war until it gained a brand-new set of carriages in 1938 to match the upgrades brought in with the streamliners and had its running time slashed.

 

[30907]

13 was not uncommon at Waterloo in steam days, but only a few llatforms could take it (plus train engine and ecs loco). The Night Ferry was permitted 17 IIRC including two shorter baggage vans, but only P2 at Victoria could take it.

At the other extreme, you have Bourne End to Marlow that can only take 2 cars, so there are circumstances where 3 cars is "too long" as per the thread title. And of course there's Stourbridge Town...

 

[MarlowDonkey]

At the other extreme, you have Bourne End to Marlow that can only take 2 cars,

That's 165s which are 23m I believe. I would imagine it was originally designed for a three car 117. Before the closure of the line to High Wycombe in 1970, a much longer train could be reversed into the Branch by virtue of blocking the level crossing immediately next to the station. But Marlow had been rebuilt in 1967 or 1968 as a single platform of limited length.

In the "117 era", the Branch shuttle was usually a 121 and trailer.

 

[talltim]

In the earlier days of the WCML you could get trains of 30 coaches, although they were 4 wheelers of course!

 

[Bletchleyite]

At the other extreme, you have Bourne End to Marlow that can only take 2 cars, so there are circumstances where 3 cars is "too long" as per the thread title. And of course there's Stourbridge Town...

The Marston Vale can only take 2 x 20m - 2 x 23m doesn't fit - the only reason why the 150/153 persisted and the 230s got built. Otherwise I would imagine a pair of Class 172s would be used.

 

[Indigo Soup]

In the earlier days of the WCML you could get trains of 30 coaches, although they were 4 wheelers of course!

I seem to recall that the Great Northern once ran a special that was something silly like 47 coaches. Even with four-wheelers, that's a bit ridiculous!

 

[6Gman]

I have a recollection that in the 60s/70s there was a limit of 17 for passenger trains but 20 for ECS.

Interestingly the timing loads on the WCML at least were based on 455, 595 and 700 tons, which equated to 13, 17 and 20 coaches respectively.

 

[sprunt]

which have separate signed access stairways and loading areas dedicated for the different parts of the train (at the 2 London termini anyway. Is it the same at Ashford?)

Don't know about Ashford, but it is like that in Paris. Do we know yet whether it will be the case for HS2?

 

[Btpkey]

DB Schenker car trains run down to Southampton quite regularly with 50 containers, each about as long as a passenger saloon.