Couplers

[Philately]

Many thanks, folks!  I feel much encouraged to acquire a length of track and a couple of wagons.  

 

Richard

[NCB]

On 09/11/2022 at 16:32, britishcolumbian said:

The stick from an ice lolly or a tongue depressor split lengthwise works well from beneath. This works well enough for me since coaches aren't generally being shunted, but rather kept in rakes... however a thought does strike me: what if one is modelling a train that splits (do these exist/did they exist in the UK?), where you have to uncouple the last coach or two because they continue in a different direction from the rest of the train? This happens at stations at the platform, might be a challenge doing this with the British high platforms?

Existed. Classic case was the Atlantic Coast Express which spawned many portions. But it  was widespread which is why through trains  of various companies often carried individual coaches from other companies. In 1958 I had the nasty experience of being in a packed single coach detached from a Cardiff-Manchester train at Shrewsbury on a blazing hot day and stuck in a siding for an hour waiting for the Chester via Wrexham train.

[Les1952]

Up until a couple of years ago the Liverpool to Norwich train run by Stagecoach Trains was made up of two portions, each a 2-car Class 158 DMU.  The train ran as 4 cars to Nottingham, where the rear two cars were detatched and the front half of the train ran on to Norwich as a 2-car set.  Coming the other way the 2-cars from Norwich gained another 2-car unit at Nottingham for the journey onwards to Liverpool.

 

It did mean that all of the reserved seats were in the through coaches and no seats were reserved in the other half of the train.  Great if joining at Nottingham to go to Liverpool as there were two empty coaches attached here Westbound.  Coming the other way the REAR two coaches leaving Liverpool were the ones with reservations.  Walk to the front of the train and seats were unreserved.  The front two coaches leaving Liverpool became the rear two when the train reversed at Sheffield, and these were the coaches detatched at Nottingham.

 

East Midlands Trains no longer have this as a through route, the current EMR is a different franchise holder from the previous Stagecoach Trains.

 

The rationale for there being some half-length Azuma sets on the East Coast Main Line is that two short sets can leave Kings Cross coupled together and split at (say) York for each half of the train to serve a different destination.  I don't know if they do, though the short sets serve Lincoln.

 

Les

 

Edited November 26, 2022 by Les1952

[Keith Addenbrooke]

12 hours ago, Les1952 said:

Up until a couple of years ago the Liverpool to Norwich train run by Stagecoach Trains was made up of two portions, each a 2-car Class 158 DMU.  The train ran as 4 cars to Nottingham, where the rear two cars were detatched and the front half of the train ran on to Norwich as a 2-car set.  Coming the other way the 2-cars from Norwich gained another 2-car unit at Nottingham for the journey onwards to Liverpool.

 

It did mean that all of the reserved seats were in the through coaches and no seats were reserved in the other half of the train.  Great if joining at Nottingham to go to Liverpool as there were two empty coaches attached here Westbound.  Coming the other way the REAR two coaches leaving Liverpool were the ones with reservations.  Walk to the front of the train and seats were unreserved.  The front two coaches leaving Liverpool became the rear two when the train reversed at Sheffield, and these were the coaches detatched at Nottingham.

 

East Midlands Trains no longer have this as a through route, the current EMR is a different franchise holder from the previous Stagecoach Trains.

 

The rationale for there being some half-length Azuma sets on the East Coast Main Line is that two short sets can leave Kings Cross coupled together and split at (say) York for each half of the train to serve a different destination.  I don't know if they do, though the short sets serve Lincoln.

 

Les

 

Although the train operator may have changed, I believe this is still what is diagrammed - a few months ago I needed to catch this Service from Liverpool to Alfreton in Notts.  There were regular apologies for the crowding on the train as only two cars available that day - the platform indicator at Lime St. had advised the train would have four cars and would split at Nottingham, with only two coaches heading on to Norwich.  Good example, Keith.