Two views of one line from one spot?

[Peter Fox]

Idle whimsey I'm trying to think of locations in Britain where you can stand (or be in a train) and see 'your' line in a distinctly different and unexpected place. An example would be on the Ffestiniog deviation looking down on Ddualt. Also on the Ffestiniog I recall being in a down train just West of Tan-y-Balch and seeing a 'mirror image' of the up across the small valley! Perhaps the Liskard end of the Looe branch? I wasn't thinking of a long valley view where the line is sort-of continious.

Lots of examples around the world of zig-zags, spirals, back and forth with horseshoes but few, if any in dear old Blighty.

 

[bramling]

Idle whimsey I'm trying to think of locations in Britain where you can stand (or be in a train) and see 'your' line in a distinctly different and unexpected place. An example would be on the Ffestiniog deviation looking down on Ddualt. Also on the Ffestiniog I recall being in a down train just West of Tan-y-Balch and seeing a 'mirror image' of the up across the small valley! Perhaps the Liskard end of the Looe branch? I wasn't thinking of a long valley view where the line is sort-of continious.

Lots of examples around the world of zig-zags, spirals, back and forth with horseshoes but few, if any in dear old Blighty.

There’s something similar on the Welsh Highland Railway, the S-bend just north of Beddgelert.

 

[adrock1976]

The Horseshoe Curve between Upper Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy on the Fort William arm of the West Highland.

 

[richw]

Looking over Coombe Junction standing higher in the valley

 

[Dougal2345]

Standing on Poole station, you can see trains approaching from Hamworthy across the water, before they curve round through 90 degrees to enter the station.

 

[InterCity:125]

Travelling off the wales London mainline at yate the train goes through a turn sharp enough to see the line you were just on.

 

[tonysk14]

Between Whaley Bridhe and Chapel en le Frith you can see the line climbing on a curve across the valley.

 

[Esker-pades]

Highland Main Line around Culloden.

 

[xotGD]

If you stand on the roof of Candle House in Leeds (beside the station) you can see trains approaching from a variety of directions that look as if they are heading somewhere completely different before curving round to then approach the station.

(Before anyone tries to get up there, you would need to know a resident to let you up)

 

[LewFinnis]

On the way out of Dover towards Deal (when the trees have lost their leaves), you can see the line going up the other side of the valley before it curves off to Guston Tunnel.

 

[Lockwood]

Get drunk enough and you'll see the same line twice anywhere on the network?

 

[krus_aragon]

Get drunk enough and you'll see the same line twice anywhere on the network?

And that's before you get overcarried!

 

[MichaelWells]

North Norfolk, you can see trains descending Kelling Bank as you approach Weybourne.

 

[SWTCommuter]

The line though Northam is visible from the line between Woolston and Bitterne and from the bridge over the River Itchen between Bitterne and St Denys.

Trains on the Exmouth branch can be seen across the Exe estuary from the Starcross area, and vice-versa.

 

[PHILIPE]

Neath on the SWML when approaching from the Swansea direction, large horseshoe bend.
Montrose

 

[A0wen]

I don't know the line in question - but is it possible to see the Skegness line twice around Firsby where the line loops around the top of the village?

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Bit of a cheat, this one... but here goes:
On the Devon Metro, if you look across the Exe estuary when travelling between Starcross and Exeter St. Thomas on a train bound for Exmouth, you can (just) see the line the train will travel down.

 

[xotGD]

On a service from Sunderland to the Metro Centre, you can see the King Edward Bridge as you cross the High Level Bridge.

 

[Ianno87]

Dinting viaduct from just the Glossop side of Dinting (by the old level crossing)

 

[SSp]

You can see your train from Borth station about 8miles away but you'll need good eyesight!

 

[DavidGrain]

On the Welsh Highland on the approach to Caernafon if you are looking out for it you can see across the water Caernafon castle between two clumps of bushes. I have been concentrating on the castle so I am not sure if you can see the station in the same view.

 

[route:oxford]

We went for a walk on Fallin Bing nature reserve near Stirling. From the top, you could see the servics coming from Larbert towards Stirling, then a short while later could see them on the other side of the Forth heading to Alloa.

 

[uvarvu]

I do like the view of the coastway and the bridge over the Itchen as you pull out of Southampton Central.

 

[TheEdge]

Sadly its really a traincrew view only heading up road from Halesworth you can see the railway directly ahead dropping down towards the river, look on the horizon and you can see the driver indicator lights for Wenaston and Bramfield level crossings on the hill ahead!

 

[PaxVobiscum]

On the Cambrian Coast line, from Llandecwyn halt one can see the trains at Penrhyndeudraeth station across Afon Dwyryd.
Also when climbing up the hill from Fairbourne it is possible to see the viaduct at Barmouth.

 

[bunnahabhain]

I don't know the line in question - but is it possible to see the Skegness line twice around Firsby where the line loops around the top of the village?

It's so flat beyond Heckington to Skegness that if you know where to look you can see passing traffic from quite a long way away if nothing is between you, the curves between Heckington and Swineshead for example. If you pass on Firsby Curve you'll see the opposite train few the trees for quite a long way if you're looking for it.

 

[cuccir]

From Foxfield station in Cumbria you can see trains on the line across the Duddon Estuary for quite some distance, roughly as they're passing through Green Road station. I wouldn't be surprised if there where other viewpoints along the line there, perhaps around Kirkby in Furness across the Estuary.

 

[Kneedown]

If you stand on Mam Tor in the Peak District, you can see the Hope Valley route in the (roughly) Earles Sidings area, then a look to the left you can see it at Edale.

 

[pompeyfan]

The Gunnislake branch in the Plymouth area gives you several different views where you cross under the mainline twice. Further up the line you can see the calstock viaduct as you descend the 10mph curve from Gunnislake. All in all a very scenic, twisty railway line.

 

[DelW]

The loop at Queen Adelaide, used by east - west or vice versa trains to avoid a reversal at Ely, turns through 180 degrees with the ends about 400m apart. It's many years since I travelled over it (and I'm not sure if it's even in passenger use now), so there may be vegetation blocking the view of one side of the loop from the other.
At around 200m radius (as scaled from Google maps), this and Firsby must be two of the tightest curves in Britain on through lines.