Trivia: Electrification that's (likely) never been used.

[Whistler40145]

Graham Road curve

 

[td97]

Bolton platform 1

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Must be a few short overrun sections of OHLE immediately beyond "No Electric Trains Past This Point" signage.

Possibly at Carnforth on the Barrow-in-Furness line?

Carnforth is used regularly by Charters changing from Electric to steam.

Makes complete sense. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[lancastrian]

Bolton platform 1

Bolton Platform 1 has seen electric services from it, but rarely. I have seen class 331's stabled there a number of times. It is opposite a car park for Iceland and a few other shops on what was the site of the old L & Y Good Shed.

 

[JonathanH]

Platform 1 at Reigate (used only by DMUs from Reading) is electrified with the 3rd rail but there is no access to this platform for EMUs from the Redhill direction with only a trailing crossover, so it can’t have ever been used at all, although 769s will use it if they ever start running.

I have travelled on a 377 from platform 1 at Reigate. Clearly it is rare but double shunt moves to put electric trains into platform 1 at Reigate occasionally happen if the siding is out of use and platform 2 needs to be vacated. It is less likely to happen with current timetables than with the timetable prior to May 2018.

769s also change from diesel to electric at Reigate when they are on test trips.

 

[DanNCL]

Managed to fit a 6 car 185 on to platform 9 once. Well, when I say fit it was more of a case of “oh flick, we weren’t meant to do that….” Still, it proved that 5 could fit on the platform and still be behind the signal….. just, But 6 definitely didn’t.

Late last year I was on a 158 that was routed into platform 11, already occupied by a 220. The front carriage of the 158 was fully platformed, but the rear was hanging off the end of the platform and local door operation had to be used to detrain. Bit of a screw up there, as the 158 wasn't booked into platform 11, and all of platforms 9, 10 and 12 were vacant at the time too!

Darlington south-facing bays platforms 2 and 3?

Platforms 2 and 3 aren't wired. Very few bay platforms at ECML stations weren't wired during the electrification project of the 80s/90s, the only other example I can think of is Grantham Platform 3.

 

[AGH]

Platform 5 Manchester Oxford Road? Altrincham services years ago but nothing remotely since? Is the northern bay at Bank Quay used still off 1 & 2? Trafford park is wired but don't see much electrical heading that way? Observations rather than research.

Years ago saw platform 2 at Hunts Cross used but that must be very rare?

 

[Kite159]

LNER use platform 7, occasionally get the ilkley train from 10 to Menston, depends if platforms 0 to 6 are full.

Can a 5 coach Azuma even fit in platform 7 at Leeds?

 

[liamf656]

Once it's all up, I'd say the section of OHLE between Kettering and Market Harborough (soon to be Wigston Junction I think?). Until the 810s arrive that is

 

[Taunton]

The connecting line from Stratford to Fenchurch Street was electrified back in the 1940s at 1500V but never used as such, and when the Tilbury line into Fenchurch Street was later done at 25kV, and the voltage converted, services ran separately so still nothing made use of it. However an empty train was scheduled once a week for many years, purely to keep the wires cleaned. Does that approach still apply on the various "unused" sections?

The initial WCML electrification did a large amount of wiring which never appeared to be used. Basford Hall shunting yard at Crewe was wired every track, which only diesel shunters used. Someone worked out that the seemingly never used wiring just at Crewe could have covered the adjacent Crewe-Kidsgrove line, which would have had a considerable value.

 

[td97]

Bolton Platform 1 has seen electric services from it, but rarely. I have seen class 331's stabled there a number of times. It is opposite a car park for Iceland and a few other shops on what was the site of the old L & Y Good Shed.

Are you sure P1? This is the through platform to/from Blackburn. P2 is the bay which is used to stable EMUs occasionally. Even when the Blackburn branch is closed for weekend engineering, a DMU is used to shuttle between Victoria and Bolton.

 

[Ken H]

Do the electrified sidings at the Coventry end of the cov-Leamington line see use? By electric trains?

 

[aar0]

Swansea Maliphant Hitachi depot had electrification almost completed before the decision to end the wires at Cardiff. Since then most of the equipment on the posts was removed, but posts mainly still there. What a waste of resources and money!

I was going to mention this one - it does look sad!

Only a waste of resources if (a) the equipment wasn't reused elsewhere; and (b) the wires never reach Swansea. Agreed that there was a waste of time and money.

From memory most of the bits needed to do Cardiff-Swansea plus the depot had been ordered, and plenty sat at Maliphant depot after it had been cancelled. It was later sold off cheaply (and I wondered if the council should have bought it, had it installed, then collected fees for its use!)

 

[Dai Corner]

I was going to mention this one - it does look sad!

From memory most of the bits needed to do Cardiff-Swansea plus the depot had been ordered, and plenty sat at Maliphant depot after it had been cancelled. It was later sold off cheaply (and I wondered if the council should have bought it, had it installed, then collected fees for its use!)

I believe Chris Grayling, Transport Secretary at the time, ordered the materials to be sold off for scrap. I too wonder why the Welsh Government didn't snap them up for future use (and specify more bi-mode trains when they let the new franchise).

 

[najaB]

From memory most of the bits needed to do Cardiff-Swansea plus the depot had been ordered, and plenty sat at Maliphant depot after it had been cancelled. It was later sold off cheaply (and I wondered if the council should have bought it, had it installed, then collected fees for its use!)

So a waste of time and money, but hopefully whomever bought the equipment was able to then on-sell it or use it.

 

[Beebman]

Do any of the electrified tracks at Crewe Gresty Lane get used these days?

 

[InTheEastMids]

Once it's all up, I'd say the section of OHLE between Kettering and Market Harborough (soon to be Wigston Junction I think?). Until the 810s arrive that is

I think the Connect services switch to/from the slow lines at, or south of Harrowden junction, so I think the wiring of the fast lines from there to the current Northern extent of wiring is not used day to day.

Perhaps some Connect services are diagrammed to use Kettering South Junction, but given service patterns during engineering, I don't think 360s reach Kettering P3/4, even when there's weekend possessions (they seem to get turned back at Wellingborough)

Would be very surprised if anything other than a test train has used the short stretch of electrified fast lines North of Kettering station.

 

[tomsy47]

I think the Iver Goods Loop on the GWML is wired but I wonder if anything has used it on the wires.

 

[plugwash]

Trafford park is wired but don't see much electrical heading that way?

From what I can see on google maps "Sattelite" view, the freightliner depot at trafford park is wired, but the passenger station is not.

I remember seeing electric hauled container trains through Piccadilly fairly frequently even before the north west electrification, so I presume they were going to trafford park. I haven't been commuting since Covid though, so I dunno if that has changed.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Similarly, Mossend-Wishaw was wired as part of Weaver Junction-Glasgow but had no scheduled passenger service for many years thereafter.

Mossend - Wishaw was the regular route for the Royal Highlander from 1974 when the traction change at Mossend was introduced

Carlisle platform 7 used to be regularly used by the evening Carlisle Perth service, and platform 8 was used to stable sleeping cars so may have seen an electric pilot used. Unlikely ever to see any electric trains again unless the GSW is electrified.

The southbound sleeping cars were attached rear which would have been a class 08 shunt but northbound they were detached front by the electric loco.

 

[greyman42]

York platform 2:
Too short for Mark 4 sets. Have occasionally been used to stable 86s and 90s.

I assume you mean platform 1.
Regarding York, the York avoider was very rarely used by electric trains until the recent introduction of the "Lumo's".

 

[DanNCL]

I assume you mean platform 1.
Regarding York, the York avoider was very rarely used by electric trains until the recent introduction of the "Lumo's".

Indeed I did mean platform 1.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Redhill-Tonbridge 3rd-rail electrification. I represented Railfreight Distribution on this project which was completed after much delay and at considerable expense, way over-budget of course. The idea was that there would be two electrified routes from Wembley to Dollands Moor at any one time, so if a possession blocked one route the other would be available. Unfortunately the Class 92 locos interfered with the signalling and, as far as I know, no Channel Tunnel freight trains with Class 92-haulage ever ran via Redhill. The investment wasn't entirely wasted (unlike Willesden Euroterminal for example) as EMUs now happily traverse the route.

 

[Carlisle]

Carlisle platform 7 used to be regularly used by the evening Carlisle Perth service, and platform 8 was used to stable sleeping cars so may have seen an electric pilot used. Unlikely ever to see any electric trains again unless the GSW is electrified.

Im pretty sure platforms 7 & 8 have seen TPE 397s on odd occasions during disruption.
Has the OHLE at Hardendale quarry sidings been used at all in recent decades ?

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Im pretty sure platforms 7 & 8 have seen TPE 397s on odd occasions during disruption.

They were Gauge cleared into 5, 6 and 8 for entry to service, not sure if 7 may have followed (it may have required some work to copers.

 

[Peter0124]

Does the CLC line past Old Trafford stadium (excluding the freight) use electric passenger services?
Don't know if this counts though as there would technically be nowhere for the electric services to go west of there. Though I do wonder if the old Man Utd shuttles used electrics?

 

[Kite159]

Does the CLC line past Old Trafford stadium (excluding the freight) use electric passenger services?
Don't know if this counts though as there would technically be nowhere for the electric services to go west of there. Though I do wonder if the old Man Utd shuttles used electrics?

Manchester United shuttles were usually 323s in the last years when they run

 

[Peter0124]

Manchester United shuttles were usually 323s in the last years when they run

Ahh I see!

 

[Carlisle]

They were Gauge cleared into 5, 6 and 8 for entry to service, not sure if 7 may have followed (it may have required some work to copers.

Ok thanks for that additional info

 

[MattRat]

Actually just remembered a pretty long stretch, although there are breaks on the line. Ormskirk to Preston has electrification, but I don't think it's been used since the Burscough curves were removed, and maybe even before that.