Ely Queen Adelaide Loop Train.

[zackhally]

Hi all,
I was just wondering what train if any, runs along the 'loop' north of Ely. I know that last year this was the 15.54 Norwich - Man Pic and that was the only service to do so, but I don't seem to see a Sunday service in the current timetable to do so.

Any help appreciated, Ta

 

[eastwestdivide]

PSUL (Passenger Services over Unusual Lines) at https://www.branchline.uk/PSULintro.php would nornally be your best source for this kind of info, but they've not updated it for 2021 due to the 'fluid' changes to timetables.
The 2020 edition shows your 1554 from Norwich as the only service, and sure enough, tomorrow's (30/1/21) 1554 from Norwich (to Sheffield due to engineering work in the Hope Valley) is shown as missing out Ely on Realtimetrains:

Realtime Trains - 1R54 1554 Norwich to Sheffield

Realtime Trains provides live realtime running information for the Great British railway network using open data.

www.realtimetrains.co.uk

Also shown in RTT via the curve for last Sunday and next too.

 

[berneyarms]

It is in the current EMR timetable:

https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/20201113/ej2ZdjT9edTFsZ1s4hoid9oZBFoE6UmurnM0PrxTlrU/trains_from_liverpool_manchester_to_norwich.pdf

15:54 on Sundays.

 

[Meglodon 5]

some freight gets booted onto it. Spot from the foot crossing by the sailing club, t as the best view.

 

[davetheguard]

Two things:

1. Thanks to zackhally for asking this question as I've not heard that this line was called the Adelaide Loop before - you learn something new ever day.
2. Am it right in thinking it's only signalled for movements in a clockwise direction i.e. for trains travelling east - west (I never know what is "up" & "down" in this sort of location)!?

I've only ever travelled on the line once, I dimly remember it being on a short Cl. 31-hauled train of Mk 1s from Harwich to Birmingham New St. in the very late 70s or early 80s - lots of rare curves including Manningtree & the then flyover at Nuneaton. Can anyone with access to old timetables confirm what this train might have been? Thanks in advance for any information.

 

[zwk500]

2. Am it right in thinking it's only signalled for movements in a clockwise direction i.e. for trains travelling east - west (I never know what is "up" & "down" in this sort of location)!?

No, it can be used in both directions.

 

[Callmo]

If running to Trowse yard, Brandon or Norwich yard we (freight) use the loop (if it’s the one I’m thinking of) - it can be used in both directions as we use it on the way back as well to head towards Peterborough.

 

[Ianno87]

No, it can be used in both directions.

Yes, the capability was finally installed for use both ways in about 2015 or so. For many years it was unidirectional (westbound only)

 

[TheBigD]

Never heard it referred to as the Adelaide Loop before. Always known as Ely West Curve.

 

[dk1]

Never heard it referred to as the Adelaide Loop before. Always known as Ely West Curve.

Yes always been the West Curve & gets plenty of use most days.

Yes, the capability was finally installed for use both ways in about 2015 or so. For many years it was unidirectional (westbound only)

From resignalling in the early 90s it was signalled for bi-di working but this was stopped shortly before commissioning & the signal heads covered due to several collisions at single lead junctions. It spent the next 20+ years only being used in the Peterborough direction with all freight running round at Ely. This is also the reason the North Junction is still double blocked from Ely. Apparently TPWS fitting would have been far too complex to drop this at the same time as allowing bidi working round the curve.

 

[Class 170101]

This is also the reason the North Junction is still double blocked from Ely. Apparently TPWS fitting would have been far too complex to drop this at the same time as allowing bidi working round the curve.

I keep hearing the Double Blocking was supposed to have gone with the re-signalling.

 

[dk1]

I keep hearing the Double Blocking was supposed to have gone with the re-signalling.

Definitely not. Maybe with the re-doubling whenever or if that happens but unlikely to be 50mph turnouts.

 

[306024]

Never heard it referred to as the Adelaide Loop before. Always known as Ely West Curve.

Me neither, and we used to time and diagram trains round there. Perhaps it’s an enthusiast description rather than a professional one.

I think, but may be wrong, that it was the collision between a 303 and a 314 at Newton, south of Glasgow, that led to the signalling at Ely becoming more restrictive. Here is a link to that collision:

https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/HSE_Newton1991.pdf

 

[dk1]

Me neither, and we used to time and diagram trains round there. Perhaps it’s an enthusiast description rather than a professional one.

I think, but may be wrong, that it was the collision between a 303 and a 314 at Newton, south of Glasgow, that led to the signalling at Ely becoming more restrictive. Here is a link to that collision:

https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/HSE_Newton1991.pdf

And Bellgrove in I think 89.

 

[306024]

And Bellgrove in I think 89.

Yes that’s right, the report refers to Bellgrove and another at Hyde. This report is very detailed but it is always interesting to see how safety can be improved as a result of these incidents.

 

[TheBigD]

I keep hearing the Double Blocking was supposed to have gone with the re-signalling.

They was/is a scheme to remove the double blocking but from memory there's a substantial difference between the cost and the funds available. Not heard anything about it for about 1-2 years though.

 

[dazzler]

Two things:

1. Thanks to zackhally for asking this question as I've not heard that this line was called the Adelaide Loop before - you learn something new ever day.
2. Am it right in thinking it's only signalled for movements in a clockwise direction i.e. for trains travelling east - west (I never know what is "up" & "down" in this sort of location)!?

I've only ever travelled on the line once, I dimly remember it being on a short Cl. 31-hauled train of Mk 1s from Harwich to Birmingham New St. in the very late 70s or early 80s - lots of rare curves including Manningtree & the then flyover at Nuneaton. Can anyone with access to old timetables confirm what this train might have been? Thanks in advance for any information.

That would have been one of the Norwich-Birmingham trains, which ran every few hours. Class 31 and 5 x Mk1 (SO-SO-BCK-SO-SO from memory! Some of the SOs may have been SKs, it was a while ago!)

My family moved to Norwich in 1979 and back to Yorkshire in 1981, so we used the Nor-Bir service regularly to head to Yorkshire to see relatives. Pretty much all the services were 31 + Mk1s, except the last train on a Sunday back to Norwich, which started at Peterborough and was a Class 105 Cravens DMU!

SO - Second Class Open Carriage
SK - Second Class Compartment Carriage
BCK - Brake Composite (First and Second Class) Carriage with Compartments

 

[JFM]

I found this forum because I was looking at old maps and saw the "Adelaide Loop" and wanted to know more.... you may have already discovered this (so stand by to shout me down - I know what forums can be like) in about 1900 the few houses there were known as Queen Adelaide, so that name is probably what the early railway folk called the loop. (How many points go to the first person so say "yes we know that, we have just never heard it called that? )

 

[eastdyke]

I found this forum because I was looking at old maps and saw the "Adelaide Loop" and wanted to know more.... you may have already discovered this (so stand by to shout me down - I know what forums can be like) in about 1900 the few houses there were known as Queen Adelaide, so that name is probably what the early railway folk called the loop. (How many points go to the first person so say "yes we know that, we have just never heard it called that? )

Welcome to the forum!

Before the railways there was no settlement at what is now Queen Adelaide. It would be quite probable that the first buildings of the embryonic place that we see today were cottages for the three crossing keepers. The pub (now closed) was [The] Queen Adelaide, I visited quite often in the 1970's when it was still open and used as a headquarters for Fishing Matches on the nearby River Ouse. Always a decent pint in my memory but perhaps fishing just brought on an insatiable and non-discriminating thirst!

The settlement may well have taken its name from the pub.

FWIW I have always known the 'loop' as Ely West Curve.

 

[JFM]

Thank you for the welcome, there is some very interesting stuff on here.

Ah... yes makes sense. There is a railway bridge near to me which the Railway call Running Horse Bridge because it is/was close to the Running Horse Pub (Getting trendy, the Pub is now called the Runner). I suspect that many railway features are nick named after the local pub, some then become adopted as official names.

Oooo... looking at the old map again.... although the curve in question is south of West Junction, it calls the loop GER ELY SOUTH CURVE.

Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland