Swift-Deere
Member
Today i saw two super voyagers in multiple at Wigan North Western, is this normal practice or just a one off?
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Super Voyagers in multiple
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Ilove165's
Member
It's normal practice. Get them through West Ruislip on WCML diversions
Swift-Deere
Member
Ok thanks, ive just never seen it before
JustinStacey.x
Member
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That isn't the first time I've heard someone questioning the rarity of it but I seem to see it quite a lot, either at Glasgow Central or blasting through Carluke/Newton. I even once got consecutively numbered units on video.
25322
Member
There are loads of multiple 221's on the WCML now. Mainly on the North Wales workings
WillPS
Established Member
On my way back from Blackpool in June, I saw a couple of Super Voyagers coupling at Manchester Piccadilly. Pretty neat mechanism!
Fincra5
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It is often on the Euston-Holyhead. The usually divides at crewe (from experience) then half contiunes to holyhead. Then on the return they join up.
I think this happens when virgin run a service to wrexham?
I think this happens when virgin run a service to wrexham?
MCR247
Established Member
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Its Chester actually
It'll leave Euston as double set
Arrive Chester as double set
Divide. Front set goes on to NW
Rear Set forms service to London Euston/joins to portion from NW?
Turbostar
Member
We get a few 'doublers' at weekends down here, apart from that it's all single units, unless one breaks down & they can't fix it down here, so it'll get joined up with the next available service northwards, to get it up to Central Rivers.
Geezertronic
Established Member
I caught a fleeting glance at two XC Voyagers joined together by Waswood Heath yesterday
Fincra5
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Yh sorry chester. I got muddeled between the two.
SWT Driver
Member
It happens at weekends on the Bournemouths as well, especially (so it seems) when they're on diversion via Guildford & Havant, then you get a combination of 8 & 9 car formations, you used to get 10 cars at one time, which was quite impressive in the noise stakes!
merlodlliw
Established Member
You may have been thinking if the early morning Holyhead to Euston, this joins with a set from Lancashire or Cumbria at Crewe around
0600ish.
Otherwise most split at Chester on the Up or Down, the 0700 ex Wrexham joins
up with the 2nd Holyhead/Euston at Chester around 0725
Turbostar
Member
Doubler's to Plymouth only run at weekends, & not all services are doublers. During the week they're probably split at Bristol Temple Meads.
poshbakerloo
Member
I've seen it a few times...Makes me ask the question, why exactly did they build em so short!
asylumxl
Established Member
DfT decided on the length.
The TOCs desired longer trains, but unfortunately the DfT lives in its own make believe world.
87015
Established Member
Or because DfT picks up the tab?
Virgin are the ones who specified four-car trains in the first place.
asylumxl
Established Member
And now they've created capacity problems because they're always being tight.
Railways should not be run by accountants.
poshbakerloo
Member
Yeah I think that was because they wanted a new high freqancy time table...
But I still don't get why they did it. Virgin them selfs know that the XC routes get very crowded.
I seem to remember them shortenting their HST sets into 5car 'Challenger' sets hmmm...
90019
Established Member
Virgin wanted the Voyagers to be longer, but the DafT said no.
They have the odd coach lettering because of it, because the plan was to legthen them at a later date. I'm not sure if this is likely to happen or not.
That never actually happened.
asylumxl
Established Member
To add, the shortening of the HST sets was to improve their acceleration to match Voyager/Super Voyager timings.
I think towards the end of HSTs on XC some of the sets were shortened
royaloak
Established Member
Not as normal, it was possible to see odd sets when a coach was on maintenance but they remained 2+7 till the end.
There was talk of the "Challenger" which would have been 2+5 but this never got off the drawing board.
87015
Established Member
Yes they were. Most, if not all, of them kept on post Operation Pumpkin were 2+5 and used on both NESW and the then new Birmingham-Manchester/Blackpool circuit, lasted for about a year I think. They were obviously never refurbished to "Challenger" standard but onboard and station announcements referred to them as such sets.
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devon_metro
Established Member
1812 Birmingham - Plymouth splits Bristol, rear set forming the 2000 to Manchester.
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