Tail Loads

Particularly in the early days of their introduction, a DMU hauling a tail load was not an unusual sight. 

One of the main reasons that DMUs were given vacuum brakes, when air brakes would have been easier and more practicable, was to allow this operation as hauled stock was only vacuum braked at the time.

Phil Bartlett has sent in some of his recollections of DMU tail loads.

Chris Thompson remembers catching the train from Oakhampton to Exeter Saint Davids, 1969-71. The formation was a 3-car unit plus a bubble car {121/2} pulling ex-SR utility van or CCT.

GRCW Bubble 55010 has a GUV in tow, leaving Hatton Station on the 6.35pm Gloucester (C) - Leamington Spa. 13th June 1966. Michael Mensing

Stuart Rutherford has sent in details of the 17.30SX (or thereabouts) Middlesbrough – Saltburn service in 1976/77. It was an extra train in the then half-hourly Darlington-Saltburn service;and from what he recalls, was a Met-Cam power twin set and took a van of some sort carrying mail which was loaded at Middlesbrough station platform. At this distance in time, he can’t recall exactly what the van was, but it may have been a standard BR bogie GUV.

Stuart also offered some notes from BR Sectional Appendices from the late 1960’s/mid 70’s which contain some information on tail loads:
Eastern Region (Southern Area) Jan 1969 has a section (2/3rd page) on “Working of 4-Wheeled Diesel Rail Buses”, in East Anglia, and about 1 1/3rd pages on Tail Traffic, with weight limits and routes, including a note that the 4.24pm (Sundays) Cambridge to Bletchley train may convey a van of milk churns from Stowmarket to Bedford (St Johns).
Eastern Region (Northern Area) Jan 1969 has 4 pages with details of route/composition of train/maximum tail load. In this one there are details about the on he remembers above; in 1969, 2D63 17:21 Middlesborough-Saltburn was booked to comprise a twin power set (2 cars 600BHP) and could convey a 100 tons gross tail load. Also 2D50, 04:30 Darlington-Saltburn could convey an 80 ton tail load so long as it was 2 cars (600BHP), 3 cars (600BHP) or 4 cars (900BHP). In 1972 this train (by then 2N50), was booked to stand at Middlesbrough from 05:00-05:20, presumably to unload mail (plus newspapers??).
Scottish Region Oct 1977 has a page with train composition/max tail load.

Paul Fishwick recalls a CCT on the back of an early evening Manchester Picc.  - Liverpool Lime St limited stop service (formed typically of 115s) during the late 1970s/early 1980s. He's sure it used to run SX and departed from Widnes around 7-7:30.

From Eric Stuart: " I remember an up evening train from Barnstaple to Exeter (2x3 dmu) hauling a GUV.  I think the tail-load worked down on the first train, but I could only hear it, not see it, as it was quite early! I saw a 3-car 101 at Whitby Town, with a fish van in tow. One working I never saw, was the Class 115 on the Chesham branch, which had to run-round the BG at Chesham.
Tail-loads of vans of various sorts were very common. Kevin Robertson's book includes a number of pics of this kind of traffic. I find the towing of  passenger vehicles of interest and rarely photographed. A pic in Railway Bylines shows a Bubble Car on the Kingsbridge branch towing a Hawksworth BC. Very interesting, as this is the only incident I have ever seen of such. The Inter-city and Cross-Country sets on the Birmingham - South Wales service used to tow a passenger coach at peak times.
The later GWR cars hauled both passenger and freight vehicles; occasionally both.  The Lambourn branch is probably the most frequent producer of such workings. Both GW cars and Cl 119s ran with loco-hauled stock wired-through and incorporated within in the train.  There are a few pics of these workings around." (these vehicles are detailed here - Stuart)

Birmingham Snow Hill in June 1958, and W5865W is at the rear of a 6-car Swindon Cross-Country set. Michael Mensing

Tom Clift recalls: "The Central Wales Line had regular tail traffic on the first southbound & last northbound services for several years post dieselisation in 1964. This was for mail traffic & a throw back to pre 1964 when the two services concerned started from/terminated at York. The hauled vehicle was any variety of 8 wheel BG/GUV/CCT. Because of the messy detachment/attachment arrangements at Llanelli, towards the end a Class 122 Drive End Trailer was used instead (W56293 springs to mind, & also  121 x W56285?) to make life easier & let the vehicle run to/from Swansea with the 'hauling unit.' The decline of mail carried put an end to this arrangement.
Also, when there were peak traffic requirements (i.e. Summer Saturdays, The Royal Welsh Agricultural Show or Shrewsbury Flower Show) it was not uncommon for an SK to be attached at Llanelli on the busiest morning departure going north to provide more capacity. The formation would be turned on the triangle at Salop for the return working. This was a pretty hopeless for the Guard trying to issue tickets with no corridor connection, & also the adverse effect on power:weight ratio affected time keeping on this hilly route.
At this time the line was worked by a select fleet of headlight fitted Class 120 Swindon Cross Country units (June 1964 to May 1982) in Power Twin formation."

Ian Dobson: "Visiting relations in Bishop Auckland in the late 1970s/early 1980s I recall Met-Camms hauling parcels vans to/from Darlington. I seem to recall that they were usually left in the Weardale line platform all day for loading/unloading."

Alan Rintoul notes that it was quite common during the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s to see ScR 3 car Metro Cammell DMUs with a CCT van in tow. Services from Stirling and Dundee to Edinburgh quite often conveyed a van, particularly in the run up to Christmas. Left: Near Haymarket, this 2x3-car 101 formation has a Class 122 parcels conversion as well as a van. GM Staddon

Jeremy Hunns asks - "In the early 1980's (up until probably 1982 - 3 or thereabouts), the Sunday evening Cambridge - Ipswich via Newmarket service regularly conveyed a tail load in the form of a BR 4 wheel CCT. Was this the last example of regular tail traffic? It was usually worked by a Cravens set which used to leave Cambridge at around 6pm , and I'm not aware of a return working."

Brian Shaw notes - "When I was a guard at Saltley TMD, one our link turns was to relieve a Banbury guard at Leamington Spa and work the same as far as Birmingham New St., where it terminated. The train was worked as a parcels train with an empty DMU towing a tail load, usually a GUV. I well remember being told in no uncertain terms by an "old hand copper band " driver that my place was in the guards compartment and not up the front with him!!! I think the departure time was around 19:30 and would have been 1978/79."

Dave Harrison was a secondman in the late 70's/early 80's. "We, as a train crew, often caught the 00:21 (IIRC) Tues-Fri Reading - Birmingham New St which was something of a celebrated local DMU working, always throwing up a Midlands-based unit, breaking the monotony of 117/118's in the Thames Valley, having worked up earlier in the evening (I cannot recall the timings of the up working) but booked arrival at New St. was 03:15. It stopped at Didcot, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington, then fast via Solihull to New St. Regular performers were Swindon 120's, mainly Etches Park units, but Class 100's were also to be seen, and this service almost always towed a GUV, especially the workings later in the week."

Eric Stuart found the following notes in Railway Observer: Dec. '62 - "On 26th October E8727E was hauled from Exeter to Tiverton Junction behind a cross-country  diesel set ..." (This was one of the Thompson BSs that had come to releive the antidiluian Barry Rly BSs on the Hemyock branch for the last year it operated.)  Jul. '63 - "BLETCHLEY - On 18th May ... M77900, the usual single-unit railcar on the Buckingham branch came in on the 3.11pm arrival towing a delapidated cafeteria car M261M."

Geoff Hood remembers that in 1970/71 the DMU used for the Moorgate - Luton service. It used to return south after the evening journey to Luton, normally as an empty stock journey with a single parcel van it picked from Luton Parcel Dock, anything from a Mk1 or LMS BG to a stove R or ex-SR PMV. He often use to see it standing a a signal on the slow line at near Scratchwood motorway service station going south as he drove up the M1
home at night

David Hick remembers in the mid-1970’s the 8pm Scarborough to York conveyed mail in CCT’s as a tail load-as, recalling there were at least 2 vans attached, possibly three, though there were generally at least two three-car units to provide the power.

Do you have any recollections or photos of tail traffic? Please let us know.

This booklet, "Diesel Locomotive Loads" (WR, Paddington May 1968, BR 20896/24) also has a section for DMUs and this is reproduced to give an indication of what tail loads were allowed.

Section 3 DIESEL MULTIPLE UNITS CONVEYANCE OF TAIL TRAFFIC

3.1  The conveyance of regular tail traffic on passenger carrying services must be authorised by the Divisional Manager. Over gradients steeper than 1 in 50 rising, authority must be obtained from the Movements Manager, Regional Headquarters, if loads not included in the undermentioned Table are required.

3.2  The amount of tail traffic which may be conveyed in both normal working and when engines are isolated is shown below:-

Over gradients rising not steeper than 1 in 50

Formation	All engines running	On rising gradients 1 engine 'isolated'	On rising gradients 2 engines 'isolated'	On falling or level gradients
				1 engine 'isolated'	2 engines 'isolated'
Power cars fitted with 2 x 150 hp engines	tons	tons	tons	tons	tons
Single power car	35	nil	-	35	-
Two power cars	70	40	-	70	-
Single power car and trailer	12	(a)	-	12	-
Two power cars and trailer	35	14	(b)	35	35
Four power cars and two trailers	70	50	16	70	70
Six power cars and 3 trailers	105	84	35	105	105

a - Assistance provided or trailer removed
b - Assistance provided or trailer or van removed

Exception: A van of tail traffic, not exceeding 35 tons, can be worked by 2 power cars and trailer between Oxford and Paddington when one engine becomes isolated.

Over gradients rising steeper than 1 in 50 but not steeper than 1 in 36

Formation	All engines running	On rising gradients not steeper than
		1 in 50 1 engine isolated	1 in 70 2 engines isolated	1 in 90 2 engines isolated
Two power cars	35	35	20	35
Three power cars	70	70	70	5

3.3 DIESEL PARCELS CARS AND DIESEL MULTIPLE UNIT POWER CARS MODIFIED FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF TAIL TRAFFIC

In the London District certain local parcels services are worked by Diesel Parcels Cars. These are fitted with two 230 h.p. engines which are derated to 200 h.p. and may be coupled to a DMU power car (fitted with two 150 h.p. engines). On occasion two such DMU Power Cars work coupled together if a Diesel Parcels Car is not available.
Except on the West London Line, the maximum gross trailing load for any two such power car formations is 160 tons subject to special timings between Paddington and Oxford.
In the event of engines being isolated the gross trailing load conveyed must not exceed that shown in the table below.

Formation	Engines isolated	Gross weight of trailing load Tons
D.P.U + D.M.U.	1 engine of D.P.U.	85
D.P.U + D.M.U.	1 engine of D.M.U.	97
D.P.U + D.M.U.	2 engines of D.M.U.	50
Two D.M.U.	1 engine	96
Two D.M.U.	2 engines	40

The working of these sets in the London Division must be authorised by the Divisional Manager. Loads for working in any other area must be obtained from the Movements Manager, Regional Headquarters, Paddington.

3.4 Diesel Multiple Unit Pullman Trains

These trains are normally restricted to working between:-

Diesel Multiple Unit Pullman trains must not be used on routes other than those shown above without the authority of the Movement Manager. Assistance must be provided in the rear with the banking locomotive not coupled to the train when working over gradients steeper than:-

These trains must not be used to assist other trains in cases of emergency.