Loco hauled workings then and now

[Royston Vasey]

These days all loco-hauled passenger workings seem to have either a DVT or another loco TnT (e.g. WSMR 67s, HT 86+DVT, GC 47s etc etc...) I can (just!) remember the days when loco hauled workings were widespread, and they never had a second engine on the back.

So my question is what has changed?

- Less tracks in stations to run around?
- Busier stations so runarounds impossible?
- Higher availability of locos in the few cases they're required?
- TOC policy for backup in case of failure?

And a linked question, when a Deltic would reach King's Cross for example, would it tend to run around the train and head the return working, or would a second loco come down light engine from Finsbury Park depot releasing the first for maintenance/fuel?

Cheers for any insight!

 

[bunnahabhain]

A second loco would normally come off shed at Top Shed over to the station to take the train back out, or a locomotive available in the station would do it, I don't believe Kings Cross ever had loco release crossovers like many other termini stations.

 

[dave12435]

higher reliability i think mmainly

 

[CraigS]

And a linked question, when a Deltic would reach King's Cross for example, would it tend to run around the train and head the return working, or would a second loco come down light engine from Finsbury Park depot releasing the first for maintenance/fuel?

I think a second loco would be needed, I can't recall King's Cross having the trackwork to allow run rounds in the station. I could be wrong though.

 

[45039]

yes what happened normally was the incoming loco would be released from the stock and either go to the holding siding or run light to the fueling point refuel then come back or in the electric case just follow the train out light engine then stable up in the middle road i remember the days when euston and lime street always had a few loco's stabled awaiting there next turn.
In the good old days i was classified as dangerous dragging a dead loco at the rear of the train

 

[rail-britain]

These days all loco-hauled passenger workings seem to have either a DVT or another loco TnT
So my question is what has changed?

Rail access includes sections on reliability and compensation in the event of train failure and subsequent delays to normal services
Also, when a loco needs to runround at some locations a shunter is no longer available and hiring one in from another TOC can be quite costly
The solution to both of these problems is to operate the train in TnT formation

 

[Royston Vasey]

Thanks for all that gents! Seems that there were a lot of locos sat around doing nothing in the old days, which would be seen as dead money in the privatised era. Hence the proliferation of multiple units.

 

[me123]

Moan about units all you want, but running locos around trains every few minutes is certainly a waste of money, time, and space in a busy station like King's Cross.

PS, Royston, if you play simsig King's Cross on the 1985 TT, you'll appreciate the difficulties doing this! They tended to reverse in the Gasworks tunnels, which also blocked another access to the Cross.

 

[rail-britain]

Thanks for all that gents! Seems that there were a lot of locos sat around doing nothing in the old days, which would be seen as dead money in the privatised era. Hence the proliferation of multiple units

There really weren't all that many spare locos even in the period during the introduction of sprinters
Strategically there would usually be one or two spare locos at strategic points across the main network, with a further loco for what has now become known as thunderbird

If you take Glasgow - Aberdeen as an example
There was usually one spare Class 47/7 at either Glasgow or Aberdeen, with one further loco at Perth, and another at Aberdeen
Locos seen at depots were usually incoming from duties for attention, awaiting spares, or out of service for some other reason
I remember a few locos got dumped in Aberdeen due to various failures, so made it look like there were plenty for spare
The sleeper 47/6 failed and the spare loco from Perth had to be sent for