Slip-carriage Working.

An interesting feature of Home railway passenger working has for many years been the practice of running what are known as “slip” carriages on the principal main-line trains, enabling one or more carriages to be detached en route, without actually stopping the train, and thus serving intermediate stations without loss of time on the throughout journey. The Great Western was the line to favour most this working. Last summer it ran 35 slip carriages daily, these being detached from the fast trains running between London and West Country points. During the present summer, slipcarriage page 21 working is being cut down, and it will not be a surprise if, in time, the arrangement is abolished altogether. The principal objection to slipping is that an additional guard, to manipulate the uncoupling apparatus and bring the slip portion to a stand by means of the brakes, is required for each slip portion. Furthermore, the slip carriages cannot be connected by gangway with the remaining portion of the train, and this means that passengers cannot enjoy the amenities of dining cars and other special facilities.

The slipping equipment consists of a coupling hook on the slip portion hinged on a pin and retained in its normal position by a sliding-bar fitting over the point of the hook. The bar is connected at the other end to a lever in the slip guard's compartment. This lever, when drawn back, removes the bar from the point of the hinged hook, and allows it to drop, there by releasing the slip section from the main train. At the same time the vacuum brakes on the slip portion are partially applied, and the slip carriage gradually loses speed as the main train proceeds on its journey. The slip carriage is brought to ultimate rest at the station platform by the guard operating the hand-brake. Slip carriages, of course, are marshalled in the rear of the train.