Steepest Track Gradient in Stations

[43021HST]

Which Station has the steepest track gradient on UK heavy rail? And what's the steepest permissible track gradient for station in general.

I've heard these are usually minimal, but I haven't been able to find many figures. A source tells me it's 1:260 under Grandfather rights and 1:400 for new stations.

Reason why I'm asking as I'm creating something in Train Sim, the geography of the area is a bit tight, also the station was built pre 1900 so I'm more interested in Grandfather rights.

 

[Deepgreen]

I believe a short section of the south end of City Thameslink has the 1 in 29 leading up to Blackfriars.

 

[big all]

platforms in "manned " stations would where practical be as near to level as possible or at least within the main working area often for no other reason that platform trolleys didn't tend to have brakes in the 18 and early 1900s
also a canopy or station building would look odd if stepped because off a slope

 

[pdeaves]

Reason why I'm asking as I'm creating something in Train Sim, the geography of the area is a bit tight, also the station was built pre 1900 so I'm more interested in Grandfather rights.

In ancient history, gradient would be whatever was required. If a station was built steep before standards came into effect, it will still be that steep. You can't say 'must be no steeper than such-and-such'.

 

[InOban]

There's a further restriction if trains are to terminate at the station. AIRC, when trains terminated at Newcraighall, before the Borders railway opened, they had to proceed forward until the gradient was low enough to be certain that it wouldn't run back while the driver changed ends. Messed up timekeeping no end.

 

[MAV39]

Rudgwick station, on the Guildford to Horsham line was on a 1 in 130 gradient.

From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudgwick_railway_station):

""Rudgwick station opened in November 1865, one month after the rest of the stations on the line, due to objections made by the Board of Trade's Colonel Yolland following the obligatory inspection of the line on 2 May in that year.

Yolland objected to the station being on a 1 in 80 gradient, which he considered dangerously steep as it might, in his opinion, result in trains calling at the station running away back down the slope. (In 1865 continuous brakes for railway trains did not yet exist.) He refused to authorise the opening of the station to traffic until the incline had been reduced to a 1 in 130. The works required were complex as the embankment leading into the station included a partly built bridge carrying the line over the River Arun, which had to be raised by 10 feet (3 m).""

 

[43021HST]

Thanks for the responses all, was sent the included document below, by someone else off forum.
Which states the following:

G 4.2.2
For many years it had been considered good practice in GB to locate platforms on gradients not steeper than 1:260, except where geographic constraints made this unavoidable. This requirement was later changed to refer to a gradient of 1:500, possibly because of a shift from plain bearings to roller bearings across all rolling stock.

G 4.2.4
However, there are many platforms on the GB network that are located on gradients steeper than 1:400 and of those, a significant number are on gradients steeper than 1:100. These platforms continue to accommodate a range of train services without having operational constraints on their use imposed because of track gradient.

 

[big all]

and because deepgreen from betchworth has added to this thread
my favorite trick with a thumper on a stopper from reading was to reach the area around welcome bridge /westcot intermediate signal at the top off dorking bank at between perhaps40-45mph and shut the engine down
this would stop the engine and the compressor but leave the triple pump running [priming oil and water]
i would then coast down the bank in silence stop at dorking town[west ] using the ep brake sparingly as in one application minimal adjustment i would then coast under gravity yes quite painfully but up to perhaps 25-30mph by deepdene then start the engine for departure

yes you would leave perhaps 60-90 seconds late but easily made up at betchworth and reigate

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Dunno what the gradient is through Warwick Parkway off the top of my head, but the area was widely known as Hatton Bank before the station was built and on the down road if you don't use the hill start button when taking power there's a pretty good chance the train is going to roll backwards.

 

[33117]

Keighley must qualify for this surely? No idea what the gradient is but it's bloody steep & being on a fairly sharp right hand curve makes it tricky.

 

[ac6000cw]

Old Hill station is in the middle of a 1:50 gradient between Cradley Heath and Rowley Regis stations. There must be others on similar gradients in the hilly areas of Britain (Darwen springs to mind as a possibility?)

 

[33017]

Dingle Road is 1:40.

 

[Mag_seven]

Which Station has the steepest track gradient on UK heavy rail? And what's the steepest permissible track gradient for station in general

You could have a look at this existing thread on the subject

 

[greyman42]

Keighley must qualify for this surely? No idea what the gradient is but it's bloody steep & being on a fairly sharp right hand curve makes it tricky.

Tricky in what respect?

 

[John Webb]

Keighley must qualify for this surely? No idea what the gradient is but it's bloody steep & being on a fairly sharp right hand curve makes it tricky.

Keighley (the main line) is on a 1:244 gradient rising towards Skipton, so not so steep, but the K&WVR platforms are on a 1:66 gradient which then steepens to 1:58 just outside the station. I've made some good recordings of the trains there!

Goathland station on the North York Moors Railway has just over 2 miles of 1:49 right into the station, where it then eases to 1:138.

 

[trainmania100]

West st Leonard's is on a curved gradient, remember seeing the 37s storm round it on 1Q56 test train once

 

[Mike99]

Is St Austell on a gradient? or am I having a senior moment or three!!!

 

[DanTrain]

Slightly off topic but Netherthorpe Road on the Sheffield trams has a pretty impressive gradient. Apparently the gradient is 1:10, certainly seems about right!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Netherthorpe_tower_blocks_from_tram_stop.JPG

 

[Gwenllian2001]

Dingle Road is 1:40.

It was great fun to watch the Standard Class 3 Tanks lose their feet starting away towards Penarth Town. Thankfully the noise effectively drowned out the 'colourful' language coming from the footplate.

 

[philthetube]

Chorleywood?

 

[Taunton]

It was great fun to watch the Standard Class 3 Tanks lose their feet starting away towards Penarth Town. Thankfully the noise effectively drowned out the 'colourful' language coming from the footplate.

These at the end of their lives came to Taunton, for the Minehead and Yeovil branches. That's where, at a youthful age, I learned the expression "Couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding". Even that met with the disapproval of my grandmother, and I was hustled away.

 

[MadMac]

When the bay was added at Dalmuir (then Dalmuir Park) for ClydeRail, I remember talk of needing a derogation because it was around 1 in 200.

 

[John Webb]

Is St Austell on a gradient? or am I having a senior moment or three!!!

On level track - just! 1:60 on the London side and 1:154 before a 1:84 leading to and over the viaduct.

Chorleywood?

1:106 London side, 1:264 in the station and 1:105 all the way to Chalfont.

(Figures from the gradient maps published late 1930s, and various reprints afterwards for decades! I have 1947 and 1978 editions.)

 

[syorksdeano]

What about Bradford Interchange?

 

[edwin_m]

What about Bradford Interchange?

The platform lines are level at the buffer stops but it's very noticeable that they start climbing before the ends of the platforms.