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Trivia: Stations with surviving run-around loops?
- Thread starter Peter Sarf
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lincolnshire
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Not sure but think they are soon to be removed shortly.
They are, I was working there yesterday, some material for track replacement has been dumped in the disused Platform 1
Where do we draw the line? If you include any station with crossovers beyond each end, there must be lots. Both East and West Croydon come to my mind, and Wimbledon (without involving the depot). Morden and Golders Green at either end of the LU Northern Line tunnel have loops (neither involving the depots). Whether there are the shunt signals for the movement is another matter, Multiple units don't need loops, but engineering trains might.
City terminii did not generally have run-round loops in loco days because they need a lot of space ahead of the point where the carriages stop (as in Skipness's photo on Page 2). Also, running round took time and needed the adjacent platform road to be empty unless there was a centre road - requiring more space. City terminii needed their platforms vacated quickly so for a quick turn-round a loco from a previous service which had already been refuelled (and visited the nearby turntable if it were a tender loco) would back on to the carriages and take them out on the next service, while the original trapped loco would be released to the refuelling point in turn. Or a shunting loco would take the carriages off to their sidings for servicing.
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Ashley Hill
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To be fair trains can be run round at many stations with signalling and crossovers either end.
Quite, but "run-around loop" in the hread title is much more restrictive: it suggests track that is there for that sole purpose. I think engine release crossovers come within the spirit of the title too.
Peter Sarf
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Yes that is what I will settle on. There are the centre roads at Birmingham New Street - assuming they are still there as I last looked about 1978 !. Even had cab/loco rides end to end there in the 1970s. Cabbed a Western on platform 1 D1067 - that is when i got a fondness for the beautiful machines waiting at New St for the next train from Paddington and hoping it would be a Western not a duff !. End to end on an 86 (or 81-85) - that is when the inter regional trains would arrive from the South West (from Bristol etc) with a 46 on and then the train would go back out North west towards Manchester with an electric on, that is unless the 46 went onwards to the North East (Derby etc).
Was Blackpool North unique in the way the loco pushed the stock into the carriage sidings, ran round then pushed it back into the station. Then being ready for the off?
I always found it a little strange as there was often a spare loco located by the signal box. Was it due to train lengths - would the lines be blocked with a loco at each end?
I always found it a little strange as there was often a spare loco located by the signal box. Was it due to train lengths - would the lines be blocked with a loco at each end?
Good few in Scotland.
Wick, Thurso, Kyle, Inverness, Aberdeen, Perth, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Oban, Fort William, Mallaig.
Dundee has a loop that was used to split off Platform 1 from 1s (the southbound sleeper used to use it to loop a Dundee terminator back in the day), though I doubt think this was used for loco run arounds due to it's awkward position for such purposes.
Wick, Thurso, Kyle, Inverness, Aberdeen, Perth, Edinburgh Waverley, Glasgow Central, Oban, Fort William, Mallaig.
Dundee has a loop that was used to split off Platform 1 from 1s (the southbound sleeper used to use it to loop a Dundee terminator back in the day), though I doubt think this was used for loco run arounds due to it's awkward position for such purposes.
Ashley Hill
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Used to do this at Barnstaple after the loop in the platform was removed.
Pinus contorta
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This might sound a daft question. ( Sorry if it's in the wrong thread) If the steam train that runs Fort William to Mallaig and back is travelling bunker / tender first on one journey but not the other. Does it have a different speed limit going towards Mallaig?
Jona26
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Between I think 3 and 4. They were still there at the time of the recent remodelling but I've not been back since and can't recall the revised layout.
Certainly still at New Street yesterday and don't think there was a possession last night to remove them
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rower40
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And therefore, for an identical reason, Bodmin Parkway!
Kendalian
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Yes it normally runs boiler end first (ie the "normal" way round) from Fort Wiiliam to Mallaig then returns tender first. From memory the speed limit for the steam specials are 40mph max both ways, with some slower stretches.
Fairly certain the line limit is 40 anyway, so tender first isn't an issue!
Pinus contorta
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Grand. Thanks for that guys.
And Princes Risborough and Alton too. Unless these would be excluded by virtue of the fences along the platforms.
AlexNL
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Eastbourne perhaps? There's a track adjacent to platform 1 which has points quite close to the buffer stops. This can be seen on Google Maps' satellite imagery and on Traksy.
Here's the drawing from the NESA PDF extract on the Network Rail website:
I suspect it's possible to use that track as a run-round loop. If the points aren't clipped, that is.
Here's the drawing from the NESA PDF extract on the Network Rail website:
I suspect it's possible to use that track as a run-round loop. If the points aren't clipped, that is.
Kendalian
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It's 50-55 for most of the Loch Eil stretch for 156s
BantamMenace
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Possible to do at Hellifield and used double figure times each year.
Man of Kent
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Chingford, though no idea if it is useable. Contolled from a ground frame between the buffer stops.
1D53
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Believe the Easter work may be off.
Quakers Yard
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Possible on p2 and 3 at Pontypridd and other stations with a crossover at both ends.
Pretty sure they did that at Llandudno also.
Pinus contorta
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I guess that would also be the case if a train arrived at Barrow from Whitehaven and the locomotive had to run round. No idea if this ever actually happened way back in the day.
lewisf
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Chessington South has a loop that can be accessed by going past the station and then running back through the unused platform
Ted633
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London Bridge definitely used to have a loop at the end of platform 13 to release locomotives. Don't know whether it survived the remodel (I doubt it some how). Finally managed to find a picture, knew I wasn't going mad!
As an aside, any idea what trains would of used this & why?
As an aside, any idea what trains would of used this & why?
alistairlees
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Nice picture! There were loco-hauled mail trains every night, so I would assume it was those in the main.
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