Rake of coaches

[Ben1337]

I was wondering.

Do UK locomotive-hauled passenger trains (For example, steam trains and trains in non-fixed rakes (unlike the HST and the intercity 225)) have to have coaches of the same colour?

I was wondering because I've got more then one livery of the MK1 coaches on http://www.settleandcarlisle.co.uk/ and I was wondering how mixed the MK1 coaches can be on the UK lines and I also wonder if there's any structure in the general makeup of the MK1 coaches (Like, for example of general makeup: first class coaches go at one side of the restaurant/buffet coach and second class coaches go on the other side).

As of fixed trains, the trains have to be in the same colour and have a fixed number of coaches, these normally come under Multiple units and HST and the intercity 225 (possibility the only fixed rake locomotive-hauled trains that I've ever come across).

 

[Paulsw2]

The short answer is 'no' - liveries can be mixed and so can rakes. In the golden age before our railways were taken over by glorified trams, rakes of mk1 or mk2 carriages would be marshalled as necessary from what was available out in the carriage sheds. This means it was quite possible to have multiple liveries - such as when carmine and cream was giving way to maroon, or maroon to blue and grey - in the same rake. Similarly, there was no 'standard' as to the composition of the rake, the key issues being how many first class and catering vehicles would be needed depending on the service to be worked. A typical express might be 10-12 coaches, with 3 first class and 2 catering, a brake of some sort and remainder second class. However, where they'd go in the formation could be quite arbitrary, particularly in Mk1 days. Then you throw in some composite coaches (under Mk1, but abolished from Mk2 onwards) and it gets even more messy.

HST introduced the idea of fixed formations, so now we rather take for granted that the first class will be at the London end, followed by catering, followed by second class and this will never get jumbled up.

I think I prefer the old higgledy-piggledy railway! :hehe:

Paul

 

[Ben1337]

The short answer is 'no' - liveries can be mixed and so can rakes. In the golden age before our railways were taken over by glorified trams, rakes of mk1 or mk2 carriages would be marshalled as necessary from what was available out in the carriage sheds. This means it was quite possible to have multiple liveries - such as when carmine and cream was giving way to maroon, or maroon to blue and grey - in the same rake. Similarly, there was no 'standard' as to the composition of the rake, the key issues being how many first class and catering vehicles would be needed depending on the service to be worked. A typical express might be 10-12 coaches, with 3 first class and 2 catering, a brake of some sort and remainder second class. However, where they'd go in the formation could be quite arbitrary, particularly in Mk1 days. Then you throw in some composite coaches (under Mk1, but abolished from Mk2 onwards) and it gets even more messy.

HST introduced the idea of fixed formations, so now we rather take for granted that the first class will be at the London end, followed by catering, followed by second class and this will never get jumbled up.

I think I prefer the old higgledy-piggledy railway! :hehe:

Paul

Yeah, I think that it would make it more interesting.:hehe:

So, keeping on the topic of coach rakes, where (as in name of place) would the coaches be stored and set up in a rake in real life rather then trainz?

 

[Snowhill]

This site might interest you as towards the bottom of the page there are photos of carriage sheds at Longsight MPD
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...ay+Carriage+Sheds&hl=en&sa=G&gbv=2&tbs=isch:1

Dennis

 

[Ben1337]

Hey, thanks guys.:Y:

I've been looking for answers for those questions for ages.