Unusual Diversions.

D854_Tiger · 26 Jun 2022

Not so common nowadays but weekend engineering works and consequent diversions have always been great fun, what's your most memorable working.

During the early days of Virgin XC, I remember deliberately catching a Summer Sunday working New Street to Southampton, a real marathon that was routed New Street - Kidderminster - Worcester - the Cotswold line (making several stops along the way) then Oxford.

Then that wasn't the end of the fun, onto Reading (reverse) - Basingstoke - Andover - Laverstock curve - Romsey - Eastleigh - Southampton.

For the return, the Saliisbury diversion was still in operation but from Basingstoke to home was by the more normal route.

All with a mk2 half set hauled by class 47, well worth the Weekend First upgrade.

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MisterSheeps · 26 Jun 2022

Was heading for a French exchange in Caussade (on the line to Toulouse), on own, aged 16, CSE level French, the train from Gare d'Austerlitz turned right at Orleans (line via Limoges blocked by an accident), worryingly proceded to Coutras, 2 diesels (BBs) on the rear, pootled across via Perigueux on the ligne secondaire to rejoin the main line at Brive. The maps at the ends of the carriages were fascinating. It started a love of European minor lines.
In Britain, no real diversions but a 'mystery excursion' took me from Nottingham to Morecambe (via Dore South Curve & Manchester), back via Carnforth, Skipton, Cudworth ... all behind a 'Peak'.

181 · 26 Jun 2022

Sometime around 2005 (it may have been October that year) I travelled from Birmingham to Glasgow on an almost-empty Voyager which left the WCML at Norton Bridge or Crewe (can't remember which, but it may have been the former) and ran via Manchester Piccadilly, Bolton, Blackburn, Hellifield, Settle, Carlisle, Dumfries and Kilmarnock, with a lengthy wait at Kilmarnock presumably for a path over the single track north of there. I could have reached my destination (Stirling) much more quickly via the ECML, but that would have been much less interesting.

Taunton · 27 Jun 2022

Oh, a good few ...

Summer morning train, Victoria to Brighton. People could be seen walking up the platform at Victoria the length of the 12-car set to be first off at Brighton. However, on getting to Three Bridges, long stop, announcement we are being diverted via Horsham as line ahead blocked. Went right through to Littlehampton platforms to reverse, then along the coast line.

Meanwhile the "first-offs" started to trickle through from what was now the back, falling over baggage and feet, grumbling as they went, and we rocked along to Hove - where we turned left, round the avoiding line to Preston Park, to reverse again to come into the main platforms.

Whereupon, of course, they were at the back again

Gloster · 27 Jun 2022

Forty years ago going back to Exeter from Fishguard on a Sunday morning the boat train was diverted via Bradford-on-Avon, the Hawkeridge Junction-Heywood Road Junction curve and up the Berks & Hants. I left the train at Reading and then came all the way back down the Berks & Hants.

Tester · 27 Jun 2022

Taunton said:
Oh, a good few ...

Summer morning train, Victoria to Brighton. People could be seen walking up the platform at Victoria the length of the 12-car set to be first off at Brighton. However, on getting to Three Bridges, long stop, announcement we are being diverted via Horsham as line ahead blocked. Went right through to Littlehampton platforms to reverse, then along the coast line.

Meanwhile the "first-offs" started to trickle through from what was now the back, falling over baggage and feet, grumbling as they went, and we rocked along to Hove - where we turned left, round the avoiding line to Preston Park, to reverse again to come into the main platforms.

Whereupon, of course, they were at the back again

That is excellent!

I had the reverse one Sunday morning on a Newhaven Harbour-Victoria boat train.

Turned left at Lewes and arrived at Brighton. Not knowng details of the diversion I thought we would then be direct, but in fact reversed again at Preston Park and went via Littlehampton. I didn't notice people shuffling as I got a good sleep (alone in the single second class compartment of a refurbished 4-CEP) but I can definitely relate to your amusement - three reversals would have done their heads in!

Magdalia · 27 Jun 2022

D854_Tiger said:
Not so common nowadays but weekend engineering works and consequent diversions have always been great fun, what's your most memorable working.

During the early days of Virgin XC, I remember deliberately catching a Summer Sunday working New Street to Southampton, a real marathon that was routed New Street - Kidderminster - Worcester - the Cotswold line (making several stops along the way) then Oxford.

I have done an Oxford-Birmingham diversion, but via Bletchley flyover and Northampton.

In the days of loco hauled trains, Liverpool Street-Cambridge had various diversionary options, and I've done all of these:

Liverpool Street-Seven Sisters-Cheshunt-Cambridge
Liverpool Street-Stratford-Tottenham-Cambridge
Liverpool Street-Carpenters Road curve-Canonbury-Finsbury Park-Welwyn-Cambridge
Liverpool Street-Carpenters Road curve-Canonbury-Finsbury Park-Hertford North-Cambridge

Most unusual was an up train that, on reaching Stevenage, reversed onto the down fast then reached the Hertford loop via the Langley Junction diveunder.

Unfortunately I'm not old enough to have done the diversionary route commonly used during Chenford electrification in 1959 and 1960, which was:

Liverpool Street-Seven Sisters-Palace Gates-Hertford North-Cambridge

I think these were probably the only passenger trains ever to use the Palace Gates-Bowes Park connection.

eastwestdivide · 27 Jun 2022

Couple from the early 1980s, one suburban, one inter-city:
Engineering work east of Dartford had a few Charing Cross-Gillingham services running from London as normal to Dartford, then reverse and head back towards London on the Sidcup loop, turn left at Hither Green on the Lee Spur (3rd side of the Hither Green triangle), then down via the Chislehurst junctions and Sole Street to the Medway Towns.
Again engineering work, but this time the first Glasgow-London on a Sunday had a diesel (47) all the way to Preston via Dumfries and the Settle & Carlisle.

And I've probably mentioned it before, but in the late 70s early 80s, there was a Sundays only St Pancras-Manchester service, Peak and Mk1s, which was prone to making all sorts of diversions. You could work some out by the dated timings in the timetable, but others were a surprise.
Featured at various times were: Corby, the slow lines round the back of Loughborough, turn left at Sheet Stores and run round at Stenson Jn, Derby reverse and via Toton, the Old Road between Chesterfield and Sheffield, the Woodhead line via run-round at Nunnery, and various lines in the Manchester area including one run-round at Northenden Junction!

Tester · 27 Jun 2022

eastwestdivide said:
And I've probably mentioned it before, but in the late 70s early 80s, there was a Sundays only St Pancras-Manchester service, Peak and Mk1s, which was prone to making all sorts of diversions. You could work some out by the dated timings in the timetable, but others were a surprise.
Featured at various times were: Corby, the slow lines round the back of Loughborough, turn left at Sheet Stores and run round at Stenson Jn, Derby reverse and via Toton, the Old Road between Chesterfield and Sheffield, the Woodhead line via run-round at Nunnery, and various lines in the Manchester area including one run-round at Northenden Junction!

I got Woodhead done using that train - unfortunately not electric hauled of course!

Off topic, but the whole line Deepcar-Penistone-Hadfield is easily walkable (except Woodhead tunnel itself - go over the top).

Dai Corner · 27 Jun 2022

Best recent one was during the Bristol East Jn remodelling. Filton-Rhubarb Curve-East Depot (rev)-St Phillips Marsh Depot-Bedminster.

Falcon1200 · 27 Jun 2022

In the mid-1980s I took a Sunday morning Glasgow Central-Euston train diverted (planned) via both the GSW (Kilmarnock/Dumfries) and Settle & Carlisle routes. Leaving Glasgow at around 1000, it was 1600 before we got to Preston. I know they are not universally popular, but a coach via the M74/M6 would have been quicker....

JBuchananGB · 27 Jun 2022

In about 1973 I was travelling from Margate to London. When train reached Faversham there was a bit of a wait followed by reversal, and a tour of Kent taking in Dover, Folkestone & Sevenoaks to name but a few. I was late for work.

D6975 · 28 Jun 2022

Dai Corner said:
Best recent one was during the Bristol East Jn remodelling. Filton-Rhubarb Curve-East Depot (rev)-St Phillips Marsh Depot-Bedminster.

That's wrong - there was no reversal at East depot, indeed if you do go to E Depot and reverse there, you cannot access St Philips Marsh, you have to go into TM.

yoyothehobo · 28 Jun 2022

Got a XC service earlier this year from York to Leeds, didnt know that there was a broken down train between church fenton and Leeds and got the shock of my life as we turned left at Church Fenton and went via castleford with the double voyager set into Leeds from the west, where the train reversed.

Kieran1990 · 28 Jun 2022

During the some of the Woking bay (plat 3 build) one Sunday from Guildford I went up the new line to Surbiton, where we reversed to cross to the main (block on the up slow) and we then crawled to Wimbledon to be then sent via East Putney. First and only time I’ve been via East Putney.

Vespa · 28 Jun 2022

Last Saturday 25th June
Euston to Liverpool strike skeleton service, went through Warrington Bank Quay, Earlstown curve through Rainhill, Huyton to Lime Street.

Via Runcorn was the usual route.

It was certainly an interesting trip.

SeanG · 28 Jun 2022

I remember in 2008ish I took an East Midlands Trains from Sheffield - St Pancras which left northbound, then went via the 'Old Road' to Chesterfield, then preceded to go via Toton before joining the MML proper

mike57 · 28 Jun 2022

Around 1980, I had been working in Salisbury and was returning home mid afternoon. Boarded the usual (for that period) Class 50 and Mk2 stock. Everything was fine until just after the Basingstoke stop, then we started to slow down, by the time we got to Woking there was obviously a serious problem. The guard came through and explained that a problem in the Earlsfield area was the cause of the delays. Eventually we crawled through Wimbledon, by this time it would have been around 5pm. We then 'turned left' and proceeded up the District line tracks through Southfields. The expression on the faces of the commuters was worth the delay, we were probably trundling along at 20 - 25mph at this stage and they were obviously gobsmacked at seeing a 'proper' train, and the class 50s were not the quietest locos on the network. Round the curve at East Putney and through Wandsworth Town to Clapham Junction rejoining our route to Waterloo.

Arrived home well late think I finally made the 7pm out of Kings Cross towards home.

Just wish I had a camera to captures the faces of the commuters on the platforms at Southfields. I know these tracks are used occasionally as a diversion, but not I suspect that often by a full loco hauled set in the rush hour.

jfollows · 28 Jun 2022

In the 1970s, Manchester Piccadilly - Woodhead - Nunnery Sidings (reverse) - Sheffield - much as already stated by eastwestdivide and Tester, then Derby (probably) and Bedford, then Bletchley, locomotive change to early AC electric and Euston.

eastwestdivide · 28 Jun 2022

jfollows said:
..Bedford, then Bletchley, locomotive change to early AC electric and Euston.

I did Leicester-Bedford-Bletchley-Euston all the way with a Peak in the early 80s. Annoyingly slow line on the WCML as the fast was closed for more engineering.

greyman42 · 28 Jun 2022

Recently a late train from St. Pancras to Derby and one back at around 0350 used to do an interesting diversion but it seems to start from Luton now.
Does anyone know why it starts from Luton?

flymo · 28 Jun 2022

During the ECML electrification, Sunday mornings were always fun to explore diversionary routes. There was a map in Newcastle Station, (others too of course) with that weekends diversionary routes filled in on a simplified ECML drawing. Wednesday was usually decision day as to where I would go, with trains going via the Blyth and Tyne a popular one to do. One Sunday I remember one train departing Newcastle over the King Edward then hanging a left behind Gateshead shed; along to Leamside; down to Tursdale Jn, staying on the slows then off to Stockton rejoining the ECML at Northallerton. After York it went via goodness knows where but came out at Doncaster. Then ECML to Stevenage and down the Hertford branch before getting to KX. Took 6 and a half hours in an HST and was fabulous.

alistairlees · 28 Jun 2022

Travelling from Cambridge to Blackpool in December 1990/91, when there was heavy snowfall. I think it was a Thursday or Friday:

Cambridge to Kings Cross
(I think we then stayed overnight at a friend's flat, as there were no trains going north; or perhaps it was planned to stay overnight)

The following day, no trains from Euston, so a train from St Pancras to Nottingham (I think)

Then a 150 (which had possibly come from Cambridge!) to Blackpool North, via Chesterfield, then diverted via Barrow Hill and Nunnery to approach Sheffield from the north. We were then expecting to go via the Hope Valley to Manchester, but were instead diverted via Barnsley and Wakefield Kirkgate to Leeds, where we reversed. We then headed off via Huddersfield to Manchester (probably Piccadilly, but I am not sure), before heading up to Preston and Blackpool.

The 150 was very cold and very, very late; but full marks for trying.

rg177 · 28 Jun 2022

greyman42 said:
Recently a late train from St. Pancras to Derby and one back at around 0350 used to do an interesting diversion but it seems to start from Luton now.
Does anyone know why it starts from Luton?

For whatever reason this week it looks like a service from Nottingham (1B99 2140 from Nottingham) terminates at Luton and then goes off to Cricklewood. It seems to then come back to form the train up to Derby, or at least, another unit leaves shortly after it arrives.

Speculatively, it looks like engineering works affecting the main St Pancras trainshed (or thereabouts) after around midnight, as an ex-Sheffield train terminates at Luton late at night too, with a connection to a TL service.

Looks to be back to normal next week.

LNW-GW Joint · 28 Jun 2022

Some oddball ones from the early 60s:
Chester-Crewe via Malpas and Whitchurch (reverse - Irish Mail train behind EE Type 4)
Sheffield Vic-Doncaster via Chapeltown GC, Wath and Swinton (first part is now the Supertram route)
Wolverhampton LL-Stafford via Bushbury Jn (Wolves end now goes to Oxley)
Manchester-Leicester-St Pancras (normally avoiding Derby via Chaddesden sidings) via Derby station, Melbourne and Sheet Stores

In the 1980s, the Plymouth-Scotland sleeper ran for a few Sat/Sun nights via Severn Tunnel-Hereford-Great Malvern-Worcester-Birmingham - stayed up specially
More recently, Chester-Crewe via Delamere, Middlewich and Sandbach (VT)
One Sunday I also did Chester-Shrewsbury return, out via Middlewich to Crewe and then on ATW via Stafford, Oxley and Wellington to Shrewsbury, then Wrexham-Chester direct

Iskra · 28 Jun 2022

One bit of very rare track I covered on a normal passenger service was a couple of years back.

I was catching a service on the Hallam Line up to Leeds for the football and it was formed of a Northern 144 on the Semi-fast service (fairly unusual in itself). The train proceeded as normal to Wakefield Kirkgate, where it then reversed towards Wakefield Westgate, but took the rare non-platform through line and headed to Leeds from there. The reasoning for this was the unit was needed on a Morecambe service subsequently so it couldn't use P17 at Leeds as normal, so this was a cunning way of getting it into the right bit of Leeds station.

I've also done a loop of the King Edward bridge at Newcastle on an East Coast HST to put a defective power car on the rear, LNER Aberdeen-Leeds via Castleford, XC Bristol reversal around the triangle there, XC HST very slowly via Westbury and Bath (appropriately due to flooding), Caledonian Sleeper via the ECML to Kings Cross and Transpennine over the Calder Valley.

I wish that Virgin still diverted via Hellifield and Dumfries, that would be an epic journey in my mind.

alistairlees · 28 Jun 2022

Aberdeen to Bristol sleeper in the mid 80s:
- diverted via S&C (reverse at Preston)
- diverted via Cannock
- diverted via Solihull, Oxford and Didcot West Curve

A rather long (and late) journey...

jfollows · 28 Jun 2022

Other from the 1970s (all on service trains diverted, not railtours):

Stockport-Crewe via Northwich
Stafford-Birmingham via Rugeley & Walsall
Stafford-Bromsgrove via Bushbury, Walsall & Sutton Park (booked SO working)
Penrith-Hellifield via Carnforth (reverse twice) & direct line Barrow-Settle Junction
Liverpool Street-Cambridge via Tottenham (already mentioned)
there was a service train Oxford-Bletchley one Sunday but I didn't do it myself ( Magdalia refers to it above)
St Pancras-Stoke (for Manchester) via Castle Donington on a Saturday morning - very quickly implemented for unexpected WCML blockage; London Underground tannoys told us not to go to Euston but to go to St Pancras so we did; today it would rely on some kind of "app" or "Twitter" or something I guess. Well, no it wouldn't, because there's no way there'd be such a service today, but in the 1970s there were contingency plans and they were implemented quickly.

Western Sunset · 28 Jun 2022

Coming back on a Merrymaker returning from Plymouth to Derby in January 1973, after Trent junction we were diverted via Castle Donington and the line through Chellaston and Sinfin into Derby. Must've been one of the last passenger trains to take that route.

Whistler40145 · 28 Jun 2022

London Euston to Blackpool North in the early 1990s on a Sunday evening, Fast lines to Ledburn Junction, then via Northampton to Rugby, Trent Valley shut by flooding, diverted via Birmingham International, Bescot and Stafford to Crewe, Train Manager announced that thugs had thrown a concrete block off a bridge near Wigan North Western, thus bringing down the wires, so a 47 was attached and dragged is to Preston via Wilmslow, Styal, Manchester Piccadilly and Bolton, both locos were replaced with a fresh 47 for the final leg to Blackpool North

On another occasion in the early 1990s, Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe via Runcorn, Halton Curve, Chester, Chester North Junction, reverse around the left side of the triangle and back through Chester to Crewe

Unusual Diversions.

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