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Longest Multiple Unit formations

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Aictos

Aictos

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I've had a quick look on TRUST and found one formation that is longer then the International Eurostar's and not one I expect to see.

The train in question was the 07:58 London Waterloo to Southampton Up Goods Loop running as 5B17 with 450084/450099/450079/450024/450075.

Although looking at arrivals for said location, only shows 450079/450075.

Does this train actually leave London Waterloo with all 20 coaches as I cannot find any location en route where any splitting takes place.

This brings me to the question in the title, what is the current or past longest Multiple Unit formation in the UK be it in passenger service or ECS.

Secondly, I thought the longest formations on the Southern were only 12 cars as the Desiros are so power hungry.
 
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12CSVT

12CSVT

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There used to be 13 car formations on Dover Western Docks services consisting of 3 x 4CEP plus an MLV (class 419)
 
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jopsuk

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In current domestic service, pretty sure there's no MUs longer than 12x20m cars- the end cars of the 395s are slightly longer though- but the 390s will be 265.3m long once they're 11 car.
 
Jedipickles

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I always thought it was a 12 car limit on the DC 3rd Rail, but I've seen a 16 car ECS go through Walmer :lol:
 
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swt_passenger

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CWN's show 5B17 as the SX down ECS of 2F12, the 0702 from Woking, which would have arrived at Waterloo at 0747 diagrammed as a 12.450

5B17 then runs as a 12 car, the 07+58 from Waterloo as far as Basingstoke, arr 08+39. The front two units then split and run to Southampton UGL. The rear unit on arrival at Basingstoke remains in P1 after the split and becomes the front portion of 2L26 the 0854 to Waterloo, with 5L26 joining from Basingstoke Down Yard.
 
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The Colonel

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EM2 said:
There used to be 14-car Boat Trains from Victoria:
MLV/MLV/4-CEP/4-BEP/4-CEP
Click to expand...

I can remember 14 car ones formed MLV/TLV/CEP/BEP/CEP. The other factor for limiting a train would be the Current Line Index. IIRC basically a 4 car unit was index 4 and a 2 car unit index 2, apart from things like the REP's which were 14, and ED's were 8. The 8VAB was 12 so could and did work with another VEP to make 16. I've also seen a REP with a 2 HAP - not sure if both were under power but could have been.
 
Class377/5

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Jedipickles said:
I always thought it was a 12 car limit on the DC 3rd Rail, but I've seen a 16 car ECS go through Walmer :lol:
Click to expand...

ajax103 said:
I've had a quick look on TRUST and found one formation that is longer then the International Eurostar's and not one I expect to see.

The train in question was the 07:58 London Waterloo to Southampton Up Goods Loop running as 5B17 with 450084/450099/450079/450024/450075.

Although looking at arrivals for said location, only shows 450079/450075.

Does this train actually leave London Waterloo with all 20 coaches as I cannot find any location en route where any splitting takes place.

This brings me to the question in the title, what is the current or past longest Multiple Unit formation in the UK be it in passenger service or ECS.

Secondly, I thought the longest formations on the Southern were only 12 cars as the Desiros are so power hungry.
Click to expand...

Southern regularly run 16 car ECS moves. Longer lengths than 12 cars are possible but not in passenger service.

For example here is a video of a 23 car 375 ECS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jta4c9FMmCA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

On the Electrostars once your train is over 12 carriages long you have to get Mitrac to ignore than other units. While this means you can move the train, it means braking will act differently to normal, hence why it's ECS only, and even then lower speeds than normal. Not sure what happens with a Desiro.

24 car ECS can be expected at some point once the new Thameslink stock stock comes into service. At some point a 12 car is going to be rescued by another units, most likely another 12 car.

**EDIT**

Didn't see the other link to the video, but still it's impressive!
 
sprinterguy

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Masboroughlad said:
Have we witnessed a 15 car 221 in service too?
Click to expand...
At least one sixteen carriage 220 formation (4 units) operated on the ECML while the units were undergoing trial runs.

Two Pendolinos have also been coupled together just to make sure it could be done, on the northern stretches of the WCML, but I think only one unit was powering as the trial was meant to represent one 390 rescuing a dead classmate. And I believe that it used two eight carriage sets, so a sixteen carriage formation in total.
 
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Tubeboy said:
Am sure Virgin used 3 Voyagers coupled together to form a few services during a WCML blockade a while back. Think it ran from Paddington. Might have been a picture in the RM.
Click to expand...

They ran via a short stretch of the GWML but only to get from the Chiltern line to the WCML, (via Greenford, Ealing and Acton Mainline), but still terminated at Euston.
 
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156450

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One regular long train is the caledonian sleepers. Usually 16 coaches on both services. 8 from glasgow and same from edinburgh (total 16 to euston) , highland portions run 7 from inverness/aberdeen and 4 from fort william. However the day coaches from fort william are removed at edinburgh or reattached so it's regularly 16 coaches. Average formation is 6 sleepers - lounge - brake - 6 sleepers - lounge - brake.
 
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swt_passenger

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156450 said:
One regular long train is the caledonian sleepers. Usually 16 coaches on both services. 8 from glasgow and same from edinburgh (total 16 to euston) , highland portions run 7 from inverness/aberdeen and 4 from fort william. However the day coaches from fort william are removed at edinburgh or reattached so it's regularly 16 coaches. Average formation is 6 sleepers - lounge - brake - 6 sleepers - lounge - brake.
Click to expand...

Er... which part of 'longest multiple unit' didn't you quite get?
 
Class377/5

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Schnellzug said:
Sounded like only the rear three units were under power. That must have been a bit of an effort.
Click to expand...

The Electrostar (well the 377/5 anyway) can haul dead units pretty well. Worst case a 4 car can drag a dead 12 car, tho be about 5mph.
 
HSTEd

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Did a Cl373 ever fail and end up being rescued by another?

Because that would be 36 trailers and four power cars.
 
Aictos

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swt_passenger said:
CWN's show 5B17 as the SX down ECS of 2F12, the 0702 from Woking, which would have arrived at Waterloo at 0747 diagrammed as a 12.450

5B17 then runs as a 12 car, the 07+58 from Waterloo as far as Basingstoke, arr 08+39. The front two units then split and run to Southampton UGL. The rear unit on arrival at Basingstoke remains in P1 after the split and becomes the front portion of 2L26 the 0854 to Waterloo, with 5L26 joining from Basingstoke Down Yard.
Click to expand...

I see, thanks for that.
 
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