Longest Train?

[Bayum]

Right, so Virgin a few months ago, or something... Had on 13 Car, (and i've heard 15 car?) voyagers, when some diversion was on...

But apart from that... The longest passenger train, in the UK (in timetabled use) since the 1990's, has surely got to have been GNER/NXEC 11 Car Sets? Both Mallard and HST... BUT my question is... Are there/has there been any longer sets in use (excluding Eurostar and White Rose sets) in use at all ?

 

[90019]

Currently, the 12 car trains used at peak times in and around London come to mind, not sure there's any longer trains that run in service.

 

[EM2]

13-car boat trains from Victoria to Dover - 3 x 4-CEP+1 x MLV
And Vic - Brighton was very often 12 cars - 4-CIG+4-BIG+4-CIG

 

[Turbostar]

And the Weymouth/Bournemouth-London Waterloo TC+REP trains of years gone were often 12-car. How about the current Caledonion Sleeper? Isn't it quite long when it's goin up to Scotland before being slit into it's various portions, & vice versa when it's had all it's various portions combined before heading to London?

 

[mumrar]

Yes, the sleeper from Euston is usually 18 vehicles, so easily the longest timetabled service for passenger use.

 

[jopsuk]

Sleepers are 17, aren't they? Two BSOs, two lounges and twelve sleeper cars hauled by a single loco? Same for both trains. Mind, there's an extra loco in the platform on northbound departure.

At these long train lengths, 23m versus 20m becomes important! Roughly, seven 23 metre cars are the same length as eight 20m cars.

 

[me123]

What about the 20 carriage Eurostar sets?

If that's excluded, then the North of London sets that GNER operated for a while were 16 cars, which isn't as long as the sleeper but still pretty long.

 

[poshbakerloo]

I think the longest are some 12 coach commuter trains in and around London. But they are just x2 6 coach units hucked up...

I think Virgin is gonna make some of there 390s into 12 coaches aswell...

 

[mumrar]

What about the 20 carriage Eurostar sets? If that's excluded, then the North of London sets that GNER operated for a while were 16 cars

Why do some people seem to not read a thread of only a few posts before replying? The initial question specifically states no Eurostar or White Rose services. I doubt, however, that a full Eurostar is as long as the sleeper because the trailer vehicles which account for 14 vehicles out of an 18 vehicle set are only 18.7m long.

I think the longest are some 12 coach commuter trains in and around London. But they are just x2 6 coach units hucked up...

Why would you think a 12 car set would be the answer if you've read the previous answers? I'm not sure if there are any units formed of 6 vehicles either. I think the word you were looking for is hooked, not hucked.

I think Virgin is gonna make some of there 390s into 12 coaches aswell...

Current plans are to order a few new sets and additional vehicles to make the 390s 11 car sets. They'll still be way shorter than the sleeper though.

 

[jopsuk]

Quite- most 12 car services are formed of three four car units- though the "Javelins" are six car, and I'm pretty sure they will run as two-unit services at peak times.

 

[LondonLarry]

Quite- most 12 car services are formed of three four car units- though the "Javelins" are six car, and I'm pretty sure they will run as two-unit services at peak times.

Aren't Javelins basically Elctrostars with a pointy nose?

 

[jopsuk]

Nope- they're a Hitachi design, part of their A-Train family. The design has lot to do with this with some of the technology from this.

So, really not pointy Electrostars.

Also, with regards 11 car Pendolinos:
11 Car Pendolino: approx 253 metres
12 Car Electrostar/Desiro*/Networker/Mark 3**/etc: approx 240 metres

Add in: Caledonian sleepers:
12 x 23m Mark 3 Sleeper cars: 276m
4x 20m mark 2 lounge and seated cars: 80m
1 x Class 90 Loco: 19m
Total: 375m

Eurostar (Standard): 394m
Eurostar (North of london sets): 319m

East Coast HST 9 x mark 3: 207m
2x class 43 power cars: 36m
Total: 243m



*except 444, but then they're five car units anyway
**317/319/320/321/322

 

[Skie]

Not done in service, but Merseyrail once had to run a 24 car train after a series of incidents. Something silly like a 6 car (2 x 3 car) failed, then its rescue unit (2 x 3 car) managed to get gapped so required another 12 car to extricate it from its predicament.

All happened late at night after service, but would have been amusing to see.

 

[me123]

Why do some people seem to not read a thread of only a few posts before replying? The initial question specifically states no Eurostar or White Rose services. I doubt, however, that a full Eurostar is as long as the sleeper because the trailer vehicles which account for 14 vehicles out of an 18 vehicle set are only 18.7m long.

Err.....

 

[Helvellyn]

Before privatisation, InterCity used to run some lengthy loco-hauled sets.

On the West Coast, the Super Pullman sets were formed with 12 Mark 3 coaches, plus a locomtive, giving a train length of approx 294m. Formation was: -

DVT-BFO-RFM-FO-FO-FO-RFM-TSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-Loco


Some of the EBW (Euston-Birmingham-Wolverhampton) sets were 13 coaches, but a mix of Mark 2F and Mark 3A coaches, giving a train lengthy of approx 284m. Formation was: -

DVT-FO-FO-FO-FO-RFM-TSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-TSO-Loco


In the late 1980s some of CrossCountry sets could be 13 coaches (usually one of the "Scot" sets, e.g. Cornish Scot) that had portions for Glasgow and Edinburgh/Aberdeen. However, as these were formed with Mark 1/2 vehicles plus a loco the length again came to approx 278m. Typical formation could be: -

BG-TSO-TSO-FK-TSO-TSO-RBR-TSO-TSO-FK-TSO-TSO-BG-Loco

There were variations though, with some sets having BFKs in place of FKs, and then two TSOs were removed in later years, with the first class vehicles then positioned either side of the catering vehicles. Electrification of Carstairs-Edinburgh, the ending of trains dividing at Carstairs and the cascade of HSTs to the majority of "Scot" services saw those longer sets disappear.

In these days of fixed formation trains (and most trains being multiple units) having a few sets like BR did that were much longer is no longer going to happen.


On SWT the longest formations are the 12-car 450s (3x450 units), 10-car 444s (2x444 units) and 10-car diesels (2x158 2-car units and 2x159 3-car units).

Southern have 12-car Electrostars (3x377 4-car units or 4x377 3-car units) and the 10-car Wessex Electrics (2x442 units).

 

[Old Timer]

The biggest booked I ever worked with in the 1970/80s was 1A00 2045 (SO) Barrow to Euston overnight sleeper which regularly ran with up to 20 vehicles, although the norm was around 16/18.

It came out of Barrow as a short formation and picked up the remainder of the train at Preston. The length of the train was because it conveyed empty parcels vans back to Euston marshalled rear.

On odd occasions it would also take a dead electric marshalled inside the leading loco to work it back to Willesden or Euston for booked work.

During the original Rugby Up Side Remodelling back in 1980, we would normally have to drag this beast with a pair of 25s either Up the Old or Up the New to Bletchley because of OHL Isolation limits for the work. The sound of those 25s working hard was a joy to behold as they stormed away from Rugby, wrenting the night sky for the benefit of all the clubbers going home.

Happy days, happy days

The longest NPCCS had to be the (SO) Saturday morning Stranraer Hbr to Camden parcels working (3A65 or 3A67 I seem to recall, but I could be wrong after 20 years).

This called in all over the place collecting newspaper and parcels vans and not surprisingly it did not appear into the old LM London Division until late on the Saturday afternoon. One of its last stops was Bletchley, where the train was so long, that it had to be drawn forward through the station so that the rear of the train cleared the track circuits ahead of the signal in rear so that the signal route could actually be released. The train then had to set back again into the middle of the platform, the loco came off, picked up the Bletchley news vans, marshalled immediately inside the loco and then set back coupled up and departed. I cannot remember how many vans this train loaded to but it was easily between 15 and 20.

 

[driver9000]

Edited to remove early morning brain freeze