Least used section of OHLE in the uk

Lampshade · 8 Mar 2013

TimSYoung40145 said:
Slow lines between Balshaw Lane Junction & Preston North Junction?

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Hmm, there's a fair amount of electric hauled freight, Royal Mail 325s etc through there, not sure if they use the slows though. Also been through [STN]EBA[/STN] on a Voyager before, I imagine 390s have as well.

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Whistler40145 · 8 Mar 2013

Probably get used if the Fast lines are closed.

I expect they will see more use when Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan North Western is electrified.

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YorkshireBear · 8 Mar 2013

TimSYoung40145 said:
Probably get used if the Fast lines are closed.

I expect they will see more use when Liverpool Lime Street to Wigan North Western is electrified.

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Theres a lot of unused sections that i can see being very well used within the next few years as our Electrification widens.

Bevan Price · 8 Mar 2013

YorkshireBear said:
Oxford road to trafford park not too often. !

Apart from several Freightliners on weekdays.

jonty14 · 9 Mar 2013

Is the Lymington branch still powered. Whern't the EMU's replaced with diesels?

gswindale · 9 Mar 2013

jonty14 said:
Is the Lymington branch still powered. Whern't the EMU's replaced with diesels?

3rd rail though. I believe a 450 runs at weekends.

ainsworth74 · 9 Mar 2013

jonty14 said:
Is the Lymington branch still powered. Whern't the EMU's replaced with diesels?

It remains powered as the DMUs only work during the week. On weekends a 450 works the service. As you might imagine the thought of a DMU shuttling up and down an electrified branchline when it could be used in the North or the South West or Wales much more effectively rather annoys some people.

YorkshireBear · 9 Mar 2013

ainsworth74 said:
It remains powered as the DMUs only work during the week. On weekends a 450 works the service. As you might imagine the thought of a DMU shuttling up and down an electrified branchline when it could be used in the North or the South West or Wales much more effectively rather annoys some people.

Doesn't it just! Especially when we have 508s in store... Although there are absolutely knackered of course....

MattRobinson · 9 Mar 2013

noddingdonkey said:
There are some electrified sidings north of Wakefield Westgate, do they get any use?

I was on a failed 321 a few months ago which was shunted into those sidings. They're regularly used for shunting the Huddersfield dmu out of the way - ironically, when the route to Huddersfield is electrified, Wakefield Westgate will have a bay for the Huddersfield trains. Further, there are occasionally freight wagons (generally hoppers of some kind) are stabled there.

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Cherry_Picker · 9 Mar 2013

I'll admit I've only skimmed this thread, but just by seeing that most suggestions are for sidings, platforms, chords and the odd two or three mile long diversionary/avoiding route then I have to say I can conclude that the OHLE is pretty efficiently used in this country.

AlexS · 9 Mar 2013

Pretty much - although I do remember thinking how odd it was back in the mid 2000s when the 22x had come on stream for VXC and Central were still using 170s on the Liverpool route out of Birmingham that the OHLE had so little use north of Wolverhampton North Junction - a few peak time VWC services routed via the West Midlands and a morning 323 stopping service from Stafford to New Street was about it apart from diversions and a little freight that turned off before Wolves.

RichmondCommu · 9 Mar 2013

MattRobinson said:
I was on a failed 321 a few months ago which was shunted into those sidings. They're regularly used for shunting the Huddersfield dmu out of the way - ironically, when the route to Huddersfield is electrified, Wakefield Westgate will have a bay for the Huddersfield trains. Further, there are occasionally freight wagons (generally hoppers of some kind) are stabled there.

Twenty odd yearss a go I'm pretty certain that these sidings acted as a terminal for freight trains carrying cars. If someone could confirm whether this is true I'd be very grateful!

Cherry_Picker · 9 Mar 2013

AlexS said:
Pretty much - although I do remember thinking how odd it was back in the mid 2000s when the 22x had come on stream for VXC and Central were still using 170s on the Liverpool route out of Birmingham that the OHLE had so little use north of Wolverhampton North Junction - a few peak time VWC services routed via the West Midlands and a morning 323 stopping service from Stafford to New Street was about it apart from diversions and a little freight that turned off before Wolves.

Even then you were only looking at roughly 15 miles to Stafford which you would be daft not to have filled in given it is part of a 450 mile (factoring in diversions) electrification project. It was probably invaluable when Trent Valley trains had to be diverted via the West Midlands.

61653 HTAFC · 10 Mar 2013

RichmondCommu said:
Twenty odd yearss a go I'm pretty certain that these sidings acted as a terminal for freight trains carrying cars. If someone could confirm whether this is true I'd be very grateful!

There used to be a ramp for loading/unloading cars at Wakefield Westgate, but this was on the opposite side of the line, and much closer to Westgate station. It remained OOU up until a couple of years ago when it was demolished to make space for the new car park (I think). Don't think it was ever wired though.

Crossover · 10 Mar 2013

Statto said:
Indeed, & we where on that line on an LM 350 the other week.

Indeed we were. It was back about 18 months (actually a little bit more) ago when I met up with another forum member and thanks to running a bit late, we got stuck awaiting access to the single line after Alsager, due to the unit coming the other way (which I think may also have been running late).

We ended up with a +1 at Crewe (instead of a +7 or something) - it was thankfully cross-platform though so no real issues

ole man · 10 Mar 2013

Between gresty lane signal box and the termination of wire going towards Nantwich is never used.

Max · 11 Mar 2013

Sidious:1387356 said:
When the ECML was electrified, a 250m stretch of the Scunthorpe line from Marshgate Junction was wired, but not leading off the ECML, but leading onto it (i.e. only one road).

I'm not sure if it goes to a LOS near Marshgate CE sidings? I would lay money that it has never seen electric traction since the day the wires went up.

Not entirely true. I have seen a 91+mk4 set on this section of line before. I speculate that it was shunting from Doncaster Works (or the adjacent sidings) to platform 1?

Skoodle · 11 Mar 2013

There's a section of OHLE in New Cross Gate London Overground Depot, adjacent to the wash. It's there for testing of the dual voltage units from the NLL, I've never seen it in use in my 2 years there.

Crossover · 12 Mar 2013

Having just passed it and been reminded, how far down the line from Northallerton towards Middlesbrough is wired and how much use does that see?

ainsworth74 · 12 Mar 2013

Crossover said:
Having just passed it and been reminded, how far down the line from Northallerton towards Middlesbrough is wired and how much use does that see?

As far as I'm aware the wiring doesn't extend towards Middlesbrough at all. Are you sure you weren't getting confused by the sidings just before the junction to Middlesbrough which are wired?

Crossover · 12 Mar 2013

Never sure :P

I'd say I'd check as I pass back through Northallerton sometime soon, but I think it is a touch dark

EDIT: Seems like I totally missed our Northallerton stop anyway...too busy on the laptop I think :P

D1009 · 12 Mar 2013

RichmondCommu said:
Twenty odd yearss a go I'm pretty certain that these sidings acted as a terminal for freight trains carrying cars. If someone could confirm whether this is true I'd be very grateful!

Correct, known as Wrenthorpe.

Crossover · 12 Mar 2013

ainsworth74 said:
As far as I'm aware the wiring doesn't extend towards Middlesbrough at all. Are you sure you weren't getting confused by the sidings just before the junction to Middlesbrough which are wired?

Looking at Google Maps, it could have been (not high enough quality to know for sure) but if not, what about the Northallerton avoider? That was almost definitely wired beyond the junction but leads to an unelectrfied line

ainsworth74 · 13 Mar 2013

Crossover said:
That was almost definitely wired beyond the junction but leads to an unelectrfied line

That's only wired slightly, it might be a dozen metres or so at most (and actually I'm not sure that there's anything once the two lines diverge).

D6975 · 13 Mar 2013

Isn't it pretty much standard practice to wire the first few metres where a non-electrified line branches off an electrified main line? I can think of loads of places where it has been done. At Colton junction there's several hundred metres on the west side, well after the last crossover to access the southbound ECML. At Carlisle the route to the S&C and Newcastle lines and the siding next to it are done - I've seen a pendo sent down there to get it out of the way.
It enables the branch to be used to get an electric train out of the way if needs be and 'future proofs' the junction against electrification of the branch off, no need to re-knit the junction.

Scotrail84 · 13 Mar 2013

I've never seen an electric train use the lines in/out of Millerhill. Either at the monktonhall end or via portobello jn.

DarloRich · 13 Mar 2013

Crossover said:
Having just passed it and been reminded, how far down the line from Northallerton towards Middlesbrough is wired and how much use does that see?

ainsworth74 said:
As far as I'm aware the wiring doesn't extend towards Middlesbrough at all. Are you sure you weren't getting confused by the sidings just before the junction to Middlesbrough which are wired?

I think he means the Cattle Dock by the station - I NEVER seen ahnything electric in there

Rich McLean · 13 Mar 2013

Another one is at Coventry, on the curve towards Leamington Spa

Kneedown · 13 Mar 2013

Does the Old Dalby test track count?
I may well be wrong but i dont think an electric train has drawn power since the Pendo's were tested there.

Whistler40145 · 13 Mar 2013

Hartford Curve (Hartford LNW Jn to Hartford CLC Jn) has a short section of OHLE.

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Least used section of OHLE in the uk

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