Train Separation - common occurrence?

[najaB]

I wasn't sure if this should go here or in the International transport section...

How common is train separation while in motion in the UK? The reason I ask is because it's not something that I've heard of happening with any regularity, but watching some US railfan videos it does seem to be not uncommon over there. One channel has recorded at least three different instances (this is the third one) and I've seen another couple of videos of other events.

Are the webcams/railfans just really lucky to capture a rare occurrence, is it more common over there than here or is it common here but just doesn't get recorded/noted?

Thanks.

 

[voyagerdude220]

I can recall at least two instances of trains becoming separated whilst in service within the last few years:

A Class 150 near Leeds split in half one afternoon.

A Cross Country HST departing Bristol Temple Meads towards Bristol Parkway had some sort of issue- I can't remember specifically where abouts in the formation it came apart.

 

[Girner]

A Scotrail class 158 split just outside Newcastle on its way home from Doncaster works a wee while back. Luckily it was on an ECS move.

 

[TBDDesiro]

Didn’t Connex have a couple occurrences with old slam doors splitting apart?

 

[Failed Unit]

A HST from Aberdeen - London split at Grantham a few years back.

 

[YorksDMU]

I recall reports on the news, about a 142 splitting about halfway between Cottingham and Beverley - I am not sure which one. Thankfully no one was hurt, but I cannot recall the outcome into it - it happened soon after their introduction in May, 1987.

 

[najaB]

Thanks all. So it does happen, but it seems not as frequently as in the US since there's at least five instances caught on camera (so, one would assume, many more that weren't videoed).

 

[Peter Mugridge]

There's been a couple of instances in recent years involving 455s haven't there? One near Victoria and one near Norwood Junction if I remember correctly?

 

[PG]

IIRC a doubled up Scotrail EMU on the lines west of Glasgow split from the unit it had been coupled to, thankfully without any injuries.

 

[nlogax]

Are the webcams/railfans just really lucky to capture a rare occurrence, is it more common over there than here or is it common here but just doesn't get recorded/noted?

It is slightly more common on US freight operations to the point where many freight operators carry one or more 'spare' buckeye knuckles just for this sort of issue. Certain operators also have set limits on tractive effort within their trains to reduce the risk of coupler breakage.

 

[edwin_m]

Probably more common on freight in the UK too, but we don't tend to hear about those incidents unless they cause an accident or a near-miss.

 

[pdeaves]

A Cross Country HST departing Bristol Temple Meads towards Bristol Parkway had some sort of issue- I can't remember specifically where abouts in the formation it came apart.

Immediately behind the front power car (thus marginally lower risk to passengers than between passenger vehicles). It was 31 October 2016. Here is my picture of the aftermath: https://flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/30657269586/

 

[voyagerdude220]

Immediately behind the front power car (thus marginally lower risk to passengers than between passenger vehicles). It was 31 October 2016. Here is my picture of the aftermath: https://flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/30657269586/

Thank you.

 

[sprinterguy]

Immediately behind the front power car (thus marginally lower risk to passengers than between passenger vehicles). It was 31 October 2016. Here is my picture of the aftermath: https://flickr.com/photos/pdeaves/30657269586/

08 to the rescue! And wearing an appropriate livery for hauling HST stock about, though at a somewhat more sedate pace than would usually be the case.

 

[Class455]

A 455 split whilst in motion at Battersea Park in early 2016, thankfully it was an ECS working between Stewarts Lane and London Victoria so nobody was onboard. The unit in question was 455811

 

[Mag_seven]

A few years back one summer Saturday I was stuck behind an HST on the Berks and Hants route where the front PC had become detached from the rest of the set.

Then of course there is the famous case of the freightliner train that became divided on the WCML where the signalman diverted the train onto the Carlilse avoider avoiding a potential disaster at the station.