Most locomotives booked on a service train in the UK

[GRALISTAIR]

Didn’t that Scottish train mentioned above also have an ETHEL on for a while too? Electric Train Heating Ex Locomotive - converted Class 25s iirc

 

[nlogax]

Related and yet slightly OT, what are or were the limitations / max numbers of locos within a given coupling code?

 

[341o2]

My recollection of the Southern is they generally changed locos at Salisbury, due in part to not having any water troughs on the line so there would need to be an extended stop to rewater the tender anyway, as well as change crews. This accounted for the considerable number of Pacifics allocated to the shed there. Furthermore in the complex break-up of the train at Exeter Central one of the 0-6-0 tanks which did both station pilot and banking up from St Davids was needed to get the restaurant car out of the middle of the formation, as that was as far as it went. That's maybe marginal for being counted.

As well as the restaraunt car, a carriage was detatched at Salisbury in later years and then attatched to a Salisbury - Exeter stopping train
Salisbury also had its own service to Waterloo, remaining steam hauled until 1967
It was also mandatory for all trains to stop at Salisbury after the 1906 crash

Going back to Exeter, the Southern constructed the Z class 8 coupled tank locos for heavy shunting, all eight of the class ended up at Exmouth Junction. Nicknamed "Ducks" due to their motion when running, they spent their final years banking between St Davids and Central, a Meldon ballast train could well have the train engine and two Z class banking at the rear.

 

[Western Sunset]

Think there's a max number of light engines that can usually be coupled together; is it 6? You might see more, but I think that's when the train is classified slightly differently.

 

[OVS Flatbottom]

I never actually saw three locos on a Highland Main Line train but am aware it happened from time to time.
I saw and sometimes travelled behind 2 x 24/26 on the 15/16 coach loads of the overnights many times, and were quite capable of keeping the (admittedly very slow) booked timings. The Highlander had the added weights of a restaurant car and up to eight sleepers each circa 5 tons heavier than a standard coach.
The Sectional Appendix rule throughout Scotland was not more than two locomotives to be coupled together unless specially authorised so I suspect the occasions when three were used would have been the exception rather than the rule.

According to Anthony J. Lambert's chapter on "The Oil Years" in my 1985 edition of Vallance's The Highland Railway (page 168):

Even a Deltic has been seen in the Highland capital; in June 1973 D9004 Queen's Own Highlander assisted a Class 24 and a Class 26 with the up Royal Highlander.

(I don't think I've seen any photos of this, unfortunately.)

Edit - try this:

https://www.railscot.co.uk/img/32/590/
Motive power to make your eyes water! A Class 55 + Class 24 + Class 26 combination at the head of a southbound passenger train coming off Culloden Viaduct in the summer of 1973. The Deltic was returning from a military naming ceremony in Inverness.

 

[CW2]

According to Anthony J. Lambert's chapter on "The Oil Years" in my 1985 edition of Vallance's The Highland Railway (page 168):


(I don't think I've seen any photos of this, unfortunately.)

There are some photos in "Deltics: A Symposium" by C.J.Allen, including 9019 piloting 5338 at Aviemore on the morning mail train from Perth. The locos named after Scottish Highland regiments often attended ceremonies in the Highland homes of their namesake regiments.

 

[randyrippley]

Think there's a max number of light engines that can usually be coupled together; is it 6? You might see more, but I think that's when the train is classified slightly differently.

I once saw a mixed bag of five 33/0 and 33/1 connected via the blue star jumpers at Weymouth heading north, though only the lead engine was powered.
Always made me wonder how they'd ended up with so many "spare" at Weymouth

 

[delt1c]

I never actually saw three locos on a Highland Main Line train but am aware it happened from time to time.
I saw and sometimes travelled behind 2 x 24/26 on the 15/16 coach loads of the overnights many times, and were quite capable of keeping the (admittedly very slow) booked timings. The Highlander had the added weights of a restaurant car and up to eight sleepers each circa 5 tons heavier than a standard coach.
The Sectional Appendix rule throughout Scotland was not more than two locomotives to be coupled together unless specially authorised so I suspect the occasions when three were used would have been the exception rather than the rule.

Saw it quite a few times in early 70's and it often had LMS 12 wheel sleepers which added to the weight

 

[delt1c]

First time I did it we had a 27 do the shunt and then this departed to be replaced by a pair of 37s. Also, the loco that came down from Cowlairs could not act as banker as it was no longer on the back - the loco that brought in the day coaches would have to be the banker (unless I'm misremembering which portion got shunted).

All good fun back then.

Did this many times in mid 70's and always had a solo 27 ( banked out of Queen St) then the single 27's working hard on the WHL but always kept time and never failed

 

[30907]

Saw it quite a few times in early 70's and it often had LMS 12 wheel sleepers which added to the weight

Certainly had a triple header on the southbound sleeper around 1975 including a 47 but I also recall seeing a triple header with a 40 at Perth on a northbound which surprised me (it wasn't a sleeper, so probably a balancing working). The other 2 locos in each case were 24/26/27.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Wouldn't locos in the middle of the train be a bit of a nuisance when it reversed at Folkestone Junction?

Yes - you'd think so; but there were definitely some occasions with one or a pair of locos in the middle. It was exactly the sort of thing I remember pointing out to my parents, who were bored of my interest in it and just wanted to get us down to the beach.

I imagine it might relate to the coaches being on two platforms at the docks, and the two loads being strung together for the climb? I often wondered what the manoeuvres were at the junction, but I've seen photos of several lots of carriages up there at a time.

 

[xotGD]

I've only once had three diesel locos on the front of a train. 47 (failed), 45 (failed), 37 coming to the rescue.

 

[341o2]

The OP excluded multiple headings due to locomotive failure
Likewise any special workings, thought of LE movements in relation to galas

 

[30907]

I imagine it might relate to the coaches being on two platforms at the docks, and the two loads being strung together for the climb? I often wondered what the manoeuvres were at the junction, but I've seen photos of several lots of carriages up there at a time.

From the Disused Stations site http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/f/folkestone_harbour/index.shtml
(as I only knew it post electrification):
The Harbour station had a long Down platform and a shorter Up one - but beyond this the line continued onto the pier, with a second Up platform, and between the two was access to the carriage sidings running parallel to the coastline.
So it's quite possible that some complicated moves took place, though I would have guessed they were ECS up to the Junction sidings.

 

[marsker]

I never actually saw three locos on a Highland Main Line train but am aware it happened from time to time.
I went on a "Grand Tour of Scotland" railtour on 25 March 1967. It ran from Edinburgh via the Waverley Route to Carlisle, then via Beattock, Motherwell, Perth and Forfar to Aberdeen, before using the Speyside line to Aviemore and returning to Edinburgh via Perth and Falkirk. It was so popular that it loaded to 18 coaches (including, interestingly, some Bullied TSOs that had been sent north to replace Mk 1s taken for conversion for the Bournemouth line electrification). Back to topic, the run south from Aviemore to Perth was hauled by 3 Derby/Sulzer Type 2s (Later Class 24). Six Bells Junction website shows them as D5122, D5070 and D5127. Othre motive power was D368 + D1973 as far as Perth and Union of South Africa + 44997 Perth to Aberdeen and Perth back to Edinburgh. D5122 was added to the other 2 Type 2s at Aviemore. I remember it as an excellent day, the fare was 600 old pence (£2.50) for 600 miles.

 

[alangla]

There’s been a few cases recently of Freightliner moving spare/failed locos to/from Coatbridge or Mossend & Crewe in booked trains, so the train will have 2 functioning 86s or 90s on the front then another dead pair behind, then the rest of the train. Pretty sure there’s been some instances of locos for weekend engineering moving in planned trains rather than light engine convoys. Do these count?

 

[wandacat]

Going back to the original post, the Bickershaw Colliery to Fiddlers Ferry MGR workings were booked for 4 x 20s on them in the mid to late 1980s between both Bickershaw Colliery and Springs branch and the reversal at Warrington Arpley (2 at the front and 2 at the back)

 

[theageofthetra]

I'm sure I recall reading in some old book on railway accidents about a bank holiday service to Brighton having about 30 four wheel coaches and 8 locomotives. I suspect this may have not been unusual in the early days of the railways!

 

[341o2]

How about the final run to the scrapyard as steam came to an end. Often convoys of locomotives

 

[30907]

How about the final run to the scrapyard as steam came to an end. Often convoys of locomotives

But I assume only one was in steam?

 

[6Gman]

I have childhood memories of visiting Blackwell (at the top of the bank) in the late 1950s or early 60s, at a time when pannier tanks were in use as bankers, and I'm sure I remember seeing three used on some trains. I think they dropped off separately, ran back through a crossover, then coupled up again before heading back down to Bromsgrove. My other memory of the time is the unfitted freights ("goods trains" then) stopping at the top to have the wagon brakes pinned down ready to descend.

Just been watching a film clip of Lickey. A 9F on a northbound oil train banked by four pannier tanks. No suggestion that it was exceptional.

 

[47296lastduff]

I've had 5 locos on a timetabled passenger train, the overnight Motorail from Stirling to Brockenhurst on 24/25 Sept 1977.
47053 Stirling to Mossend.
82003 Mossend to Coventry.
86205 Coventry to Willesden WL Junction.
08535 round to Willesden SW Sidings.
33023 to Brockenhurst.
I did this as a passenger (no car) after arranging it with Motorail at Kensington, and had a Mark 1 compartment to stretch out in for a good sleep between loco changes.
This beats quite a few railtours of the period for haulage variety.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I've searched through but can't find mention of the following, although I have a recollection I posted it myself on another thresd.

Around 1968 D63xx were still used on passenger work West of Exeter, and there was a westbound local that terminated at Newton Abbot. From Exeter, it was diagrammed for 3 of the class (2 in multiple and the third in tandem). I think it arrived at Exeter double headed and the third loco was attached, rather than the other way round, but I'm not sure (unlikely that any passenger train would be entrusted to a single D6300, though). Presumably it was to return the third loco for maintenance, avoiding the risk of having a lone D6300 running light on the main line.

On a West Country bash I did witness their departure from St Davids (very brisk indeed, in a cloud of diesel and oil fumes) but now regret I turned down the opportunity to travel (leaving one to spend the rest of the night in N/A). And, of course, in those days colour slide film (ASA25) was too slow to be able to photo.

 

[Dr_Paul]

It was exactly the sort of thing I remember pointing out to my parents, who were bored of my interest in it and just wanted to get us down to the beach.

I recall the pannier tanks on the Folkestone Harbour trains, as I went there on holiday there sometime around 1960 and our guest house faced on to the railway. Fortunately, my dad has always been a railway enthusiast, so we were happy watching them.

On the other hand, I can't recall just how many locos were used on the trains.

 

[Spamcan81]

In steam days some trains up the Lickey got three bankers and some of these were double headed too.

Just been watching a film clip of Lickey. A 9F on a northbound oil train banked by four pannier tanks. No suggestion that it was exceptional.

Interesting. I've seen three bankers but never four. Bet it sounded good.

 

[etr221]

Someone was telling that Southern used to use five loco to get ballast trains ex Meldon up the hill at Exeter: train engine, pilot and three bankers...

 

[Inversnecky]

I never actually saw three locos on a Highland Main Line train but am aware it happened from time to time.
I went on a "Grand Tour of Scotland" railtour on 25 March 1967. It ran from Edinburgh via the Waverley Route to Carlisle, then via Beattock, Motherwell, Perth and Forfar to Aberdeen, before using the Speyside line to Aviemore and returning to Edinburgh via Perth and Falkirk. It was so popular that it loaded to 18 coaches (including, interestingly, some Bullied TSOs that had been sent north to replace Mk 1s taken for conversion for the Bournemouth line electrification). Back to topic, the run south from Aviemore to Perth was hauled by 3 Derby/Sulzer Type 2s (Later Class 24). Six Bells Junction website shows them as D5122, D5070 and D5127. Othre motive power was D368 + D1973 as far as Perth and Union of South Africa + 44997 Perth to Aberdeen and Perth back to Edinburgh. D5122 was added to the other 2 Type 2s at Aviemore. I remember it as an excellent day, the fare was 600 old pence (£2.50) for 600 miles.

Amazing value, and one long day! 6am start?!

 

[wulfruna]

Just been watching a film clip of Lickey. A 9F on a northbound oil train banked by four pannier tanks. No suggestion that it was exceptional.

I presume you must have been watching this clip? 5 locos on one train.

WR Panniers were used as bankers on the Lickey after regional boundary changes in 1958.

OP mentioned 37x3 could be found on Port Talbot and Llanwern Iron Ore trains.
Three locos could also be found working Hunterston to Ravenscraig MGR iron ore trains in the late 80s - early 90s. 37x3 or even 37x2+47.

Ok so this is a "special" train - so not what OP requested - but it is a booked working, on a railway in the UK.
And come on, who can't raise a smile at the shear absurdity of an "enneaded" train of class 14s hauling 10 MK1 coaches!

 

[alexl92]

Think there's a max number of light engines that can usually be coupled together; is it 6? You might see more, but I think that's when the train is classified slightly differently.

I'm not sure if you're referrring to a particular class but I've definitely seen more than 6 in a convoy, especially when DBC are moving 66s around!