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TRIVIA: Lines with only the odd passenger train to keep up route knowledge

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AY1975

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Not sure if there's already a thread on this, but how many examples of lines can you think of that are mainly used by freight and/or empty stock workings but that do have the odd timetabled passenger train routed that way to keep up route knowledge among train crews in case trains have to be diverted that way?

Offhand, the only examples I can think of are:

Point Pleasant Junction to East Putney (which I believe is used by one Waterloo-Wimbledon train in the early hours of the morning, otherwise only by empty stock workings to and from Wimbledon depot)

The "Old Road" between Chesterfield and Sheffield via Beighton Junction.

I'm sure there are many other examples, though. In the early 2000s there was a booklet entitled "Passenger trains over unusual lines". I think it may have been published by the Branch Line Society. Not sure if they still publish it.
 
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swt_passenger

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I'm sure there are many other examples, though. In the early 2000s there was a booklet entitled "Passenger trains over unusual lines". I think it may have been published by the Branch Line Society. Not sure if they still publish it.
They now have a regularly updated website, Passenger Services over Unusual Lines (PSUL). It comes up in discussions here every few months:
Introduction:
https://www.branchline.uk/PSULintro.php
current version:
http://www.psul4all.free-online.co.uk/2020.html
 

3141

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There used to be a Cross Country train between Southampton and Basingstoke via the Laverstock curve at Salisbury, but I don't know if there still is.
 

swt_passenger

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There used to be a Cross Country train between Southampton and Basingstoke via the Laverstock curve at Salisbury, but I don't know if there still is.
There isn’t at the moment, as shown on the PSUL website.

But XC can still maintain route knowledge without taking their trains round it, as was seen during the diversions last week caused by the Eastleigh problems.
 

greaterwest

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There used to be a Cross Country train between Southampton and Basingstoke via the Laverstock curve at Salisbury, but I don't know if there still is.
On a similar note, on Saturdays, XC run a direct service from Bristol to Taunton, non-stop via Trowbridge, Westbury and Castle Cary, with a set of empties in the other direction to Bristol St Philips Marsh depot.
 
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I’ve managed the Laverstock loop on a diverted cross country service (due to a fatality at Winchester).
 

Kite159

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There isn’t at the moment, as shown on the PSUL website.

But XC can still maintain route knowledge without taking their trains round it, as was seen during the diversions last week caused by the Eastleigh problems.

There is at least one ECS on a Sunday morning which goes via Laverstock.
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XC have a few other route knowledge bits, ie Stetchford towards Aston in Birmingham, Perry Barr towards New Street, Lichfield towards Burton.
 

py_megapixel

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There is at least one ECS on a Sunday morning which goes via Laverstock.
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XC have a few other route knowledge bits, ie Stetchford towards Aston in Birmingham, Perry Barr towards New Street, Lichfield towards Burton.
Also Manchester to Stafford via Crewe, a common diversionary route when the line through Stoke is disrupted.
 

Cambus731

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Is this the reason why there is one or two passenger trains a day that go via Melton Mowbray and Corby to/from London? And why a couple of trains from Sleaford to Nottingham use the Granthan avoiding line?
 

woodhouse122

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There used to be one sheffield to hull service and return every day that used the Kilnhurst freight line (cutting out swinton) for route knowledge purposes ,not sure if this is still running
 

swt_passenger

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There is at least one ECS on a Sunday morning which goes via Laverstock...
The perils of checking RTT for only a few future dates, :wub: it isn’t running for a few Sundays but is in the WTT. I think only a few years back the early evening Reading to Southampton extension went that way with passengers, that’s possibly the last time it would have been on the PSUL site?
 

RichardGore

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Battersea Park sees only very occasional London Overground services in one train a day. It’s mainly there in case of disruption rendering Clapham Junction unusable.
 

AndyW33

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Is this the reason why there is one or two passenger trains a day that go via Melton Mowbray and Corby to/from London? And why a couple of trains from Sleaford to Nottingham use the Granthan avoiding line?
The service between Corby and London is a franchise requirement and electrification is under way right now. As the depot that provides the current diesel stock is at Derby, the operation via Melton is to get the stock in position without reversal at Kettering or further south. But this route has been used for planned engineering diversions for many years and so route knowledge retention is also a significant factor. Some form of service, loaded or ECS, via Melton and Corby is likely for this reason after the Corby electrification is completed, especially if electrification of Kettering-Market Harborough (and points north) gets the formal go ahead soon.
 

Dr_Paul

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Point Pleasant Junction to East Putney (which I believe is used by one Waterloo-Wimbledon train in the early hours of the morning, otherwise only by empty stock workings to and from Wimbledon depot).

There's a down Basingstoke service in the late evening that goes via East Putney (for example, https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W18735/2020-02-03/detailed). I've been on it a couple of times. It takes ages, as it has to fit in with the Underground services, which stop at every station. When I've been on it, on one occasion it crossed over to the down fast at the London end of platform 7; on the other occasion, it went through on the up slow (platform 5) then crossed to the down fast. I didn't know platform 5 was reversible until then.

There's also a late evening up Basingstoke service that goes via East Putney (for example, https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/W18742/2020-02-06/detailed).
 

Sprinter107

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Theres a West Midlands Worcester to Birmingham New Street train on a Saturday afternoon that goes into New Street via Camp Hill, instead of the more usual West Suburban Line.
 

johnnychips

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A late TPE goes from Doncaster via Rotherham Central along the tram-train line to near Meadowhall then along the single track to Woodburn Jnc then Sheffield. The station announcement was really emphasising that the train didn’t stop at Meadowhall.
 

vlad

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Also Manchester to Stafford via Crewe, a common diversionary route when the line through Stoke is disrupted.

That's not really an uncommon route, though. There are more trains per hour between Manchester and Stafford via Crewe than via Stoke, even taking changes into account.
 

py_megapixel

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That's not really an uncommon route, though. There are more trains per hour between Manchester and Stafford via Crewe than via Stoke, even taking changes into account.
There aren't any trains in a normal hour which do Manchester to Stafford via Crewe, except the hourly London service, and that isn't the even same TOC as the daily Bournemouth service, and doesn't stop.

In contrast, XC runs two trains via Stoke, stopping in Stafford, every hour.
 

vlad

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There aren't any trains in a normal hour which do Manchester to Stafford via Crewe, except the hourly London service, and that isn't the even same TOC as the daily Bournemouth service, and doesn't stop.

In contrast, XC runs two trains via Stoke, stopping in Stafford, every hour.

True - but as I said there are plenty if you change at Crewe.

It might be less convenient but it means you get to avoid Stoke so it's certainly an option.
 

43096

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The "Old Road" between Chesterfield and Sheffield via Beighton Junction.
As I understand it the "Old Road" is the route from Chesterfield to Masborough avoiding Sheffield, the line from Beighton into Sheffield is not the "Old Road" as such.
 

6026KingJohn

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There are several XC trains early morning and late night using different routes e.g.
1O04 0511 Manchester - Bournemouth runs via Crewe
1V43 0600 Manchester - Bristol also runs via Crewe
1V01 0500 Birmingham - Cardiff runs via Stourbridge Junction and Worcester
1V02 0537 Birmingham - Cardiff runs via Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Worcester
1M76 1935 Newcastle - Birmingham runs via Lichfield
1M79 2202 Reading - Birmingham runs via Coventry, Stechford, Perry Barr and Soho
1M80 2018 Paignton - Birmingham runs via Worcester and Stourbridge Junction
1M87 2105 Cardiff - Birmingham uses the Camp Hill line
There are two empty stock trains from Birmingham New Street To Barton under Needwood that depart at the same time
5D70 2151 normal route via Proof House Junction and Tamworth arr 2228
5D77 2151 runs via Selly Oak, Lifford Curve, Camp Hill, Water Orton, arr 2248
There used to be a Fridays only LM service to Gloucester at 2300 (returning ecs to Worcester) but it appears to no longer run (may have been a Parliamentary train)
There is a TfW train from Chester at 0422 (1G00) to Birmingham via Crewe, Stafford and Wolverhampton.
 

route101

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2105 XC from Glasgow to Edinburgh via the Edinburgh Suburban.
 

BigCj34

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Ely West Curve

I do wonder why this is not used more. Ely already has a hourly services to Cambridge and Norwich, and the Ipswich - Peterborough train will become hourly. It would shave 8 minutes off the journey time from Norwich to Peterborough and avoid reversing at Ely.
 
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