Slip coach
Encyclopedia
A slip coach or slip carriage is a British and Irish
railway term for passenger rolling stock
that is uncoupled from an express train while the train is in motion, then slowed by a guard in the coach using a hand brake, bringing it to a stop at the next station. The coach was thus said to be slipped from its train. This allowed passengers to alight at an intermediate station without the main train having to stop, thus improving the journey time of the main train. In an era when the railway companies were highly competitive, they strove to keep journey times as short as possible, avoiding intermediate stops wherever possible.
If the express was on the centre track the coach was stopped short of the station and a shunter would move it to the right platform. Some trains would carry a number of these coaches to be slipped at different stations, and sometimes more than one coach would be slipped at one particular station. In some cases the coach would, after stopping at the intermediate station, then be attached to a branch line train to proceed to the terminus of the branch, so passengers from the express train for stations on the branch did not have to change. Special coaches were built for slipping, usually composite, containing accommodation of all classes, and would also contain a small brake section where a guard would operate the brakes and where parcels could be stored.
To reverse the journey, the passengers would board the slip coach at the intermediate station, which would then form part of a local train to the next station on the line where the express was scheduled to stop, and coupled to the express train there to be taken to its destination.
on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
in May 1858. Improvements in the acceleration of trains, the introduction of fixed multiple unit
trains, and the high cost per passenger of operating slip coaches, meant that the operation had mostly died out by the mid-20th century.
The Southern Railway
abolished the practice in April 1932 with the electrification of the Brighton Main Line
. The last two slip coach operations on the London and North Eastern Railway
were out of Liverpool Street railway station in 1936. These were the 6 p.m. which slipped coaches for Waltham Cross
using old GER 6 wheeled slip coaches and the 4.57 express to Clacton on Sea which slipped a couple of coaches at Marks Tey railway station
for Bury St Edmunds railway station
using a bogie corridor slip coach of modern design, with a corridor "trailer".
The very last slip of all was on the Western Region of British Railways
at Bicester North
on 10 September 1960.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
railway term for passenger rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
that is uncoupled from an express train while the train is in motion, then slowed by a guard in the coach using a hand brake, bringing it to a stop at the next station. The coach was thus said to be slipped from its train. This allowed passengers to alight at an intermediate station without the main train having to stop, thus improving the journey time of the main train. In an era when the railway companies were highly competitive, they strove to keep journey times as short as possible, avoiding intermediate stops wherever possible.
If the express was on the centre track the coach was stopped short of the station and a shunter would move it to the right platform. Some trains would carry a number of these coaches to be slipped at different stations, and sometimes more than one coach would be slipped at one particular station. In some cases the coach would, after stopping at the intermediate station, then be attached to a branch line train to proceed to the terminus of the branch, so passengers from the express train for stations on the branch did not have to change. Special coaches were built for slipping, usually composite, containing accommodation of all classes, and would also contain a small brake section where a guard would operate the brakes and where parcels could be stored.
To reverse the journey, the passengers would board the slip coach at the intermediate station, which would then form part of a local train to the next station on the line where the express was scheduled to stop, and coupled to the express train there to be taken to its destination.
History
The first certain example of this practice being carried out was at Haywards HeathHaywards Heath railway station
Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton, and train services are primarily provided by Southern and First Capital Connect...
on the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway
The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1922. Its territory formed a rough triangle, with London at its apex, practically the whole coastline of Sussex as its base, and a large part of Surrey...
in May 1858. Improvements in the acceleration of trains, the introduction of fixed multiple unit
Multiple unit
The term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelled carriages capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one driving cab. The term is commonly used to denote passenger trainsets consisting of more than one carriage...
trains, and the high cost per passenger of operating slip coaches, meant that the operation had mostly died out by the mid-20th century.
The Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
abolished the practice in April 1932 with the electrification of the Brighton Main Line
Brighton Main Line
The Brighton Main Line is a British railway line from London Victoria and London Bridge to Brighton. It is about 50 miles long, and is electrified throughout. Trains are operated by Southern, First Capital Connect, and Gatwick Express, now part of Southern.-Original proposals:There were no fewer...
. The last two slip coach operations on the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
were out of Liverpool Street railway station in 1936. These were the 6 p.m. which slipped coaches for Waltham Cross
Waltham Cross
Waltham Cross is the most southeasterly town in Hertfordshire, England. It is 12 miles from the City of London and immediately north of the M25 motorway, forming part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt. Part of Waltham Cross is located within Greater London.-Geography:It is...
using old GER 6 wheeled slip coaches and the 4.57 express to Clacton on Sea which slipped a couple of coaches at Marks Tey railway station
Marks Tey railway station
Marks Tey is a railway station serving the village of Marks Tey in Essex, England. The station is located on the Great Eastern Main Line and is also a junction for the Sudbury Branch Line.The station is served by National Express East Anglia...
for Bury St Edmunds railway station
Bury St Edmunds railway station
Bury St Edmunds railway station serves the town of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England. The station, and all trains calling there, are operated by National Express East Anglia.-Historical Services:...
using a bogie corridor slip coach of modern design, with a corridor "trailer".
The very last slip of all was on the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
at Bicester North
Bicester North railway station
Bicester North is a station on the Chiltern Main Line, one of two stations serving Bicester. Services operated by Chiltern Railways run south to and north to , and .Bicester North is the larger of Bicester's two stations...
on 10 September 1960.