Mixed trains

A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. Because mixed trains involve the shunting of goods wagons at stations along the way, they provide passengers with a very slow service, and have largely disappeared today. Their use is also at variance with the separation of passenger and goods services into different subsidiaries by most modern railway administrations.

In parts of Asia and Africa, mixed trains are still the norm on routes with little traffic.

In Australia, mixed trains could also be called a "car goods", "goods train with car attached", or "mixed goods". This last term could cause confusion, as "mixed goods" in some other countries can refer to a freight train carrying multiple types of freight rather than just one commodity. In most states, a mixed train was technically a goods train with passenger accommodation, meaning it had lower priority over other trains and could be cancelled without notice if there was no goods to carry.

The Victorian Railways had a class of train called a "limited through mixed" which limited the amount of goods and ran to a set timetable and would be guaranteed to run even if there was no goods to carry.

In yet another form of mixed train, railmotors or railcars might haul a one or two goods wagons or a goods brake van carrying some freight.

In German-speaking countries, there were two main types of mixed train (Gemischter Zug): the GmP and the PmG.

The GmP was a "goods train with passenger service" (Güterzug mit Personenbeförderung); in other words a goods train that also had one or more coaches for the transportation of railway passengers. These were not an uncommon sight on branch lines and were run for the following reasons:

The passenger coaches were located either in the centre or at the end of the train, so that passengers did not have to travel immediately behind the locomotive. However at times of the year when coaches required heating, the coaches had to run immediately behind the locomotive, because goods wagons usually had no heating pipes. One disadvantage for passengers was the slow speeds of a GmP, because it often had to wait a long time at stations en route whilst goods wagons were detached and added. This was one of the major reasons for the eventual disappearance of this type of train.

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Wikipedia