Spankthemonkey
Member
- Joined
- 7 Oct 2015
- Messages
- 590
Burton to Leicester via Ashby and Coalville. Lots of freight at the eastern end. Prime candidate for reopening for passenger use.
Don't know, but here are some approx mileages, calculated by tracing the route using gb.mapometer.comAny offers for the longest freight only line in the country?
S.K Baker Rail Atlas?So is there a good map out there somewhere showing where all these freight only lines are?
The Parson Street to Portbury line is a relatively new freight only line but the only current booked traffic is a sporadic weekly car train.
With a couple of exceptions, I restricted my mileage calculations in post 32 to "proper" freight lines of a decent length, i.e. not just little curves, and only lines with no booked passenger servicesWhat is the definition of a freight only line ? Most of the through lines mentioned do see passenger trains, albeit one a day or even one a week....
Not entirely. For a brief time in the 19th century it was used by passengers until someone got killed.The Cromford and High Peak Railway (now High Peak Trail) was one of the few railways which was largely only ever freight only.
Apologies for being a pedantic so and so but it's actually Stenson Junction to Sheet Stores Junction.Don't know, but here are some approx mileages, calculated by tracing the route using gb.mapometer.com
Mileages calculated from junction to junction on the purely freight sections, so I've said "Shireoaks" for ease of reference, but the mileage is to Brancliffe junction.
Kirk Sandall-Maltby-Shireoaks = about 20mi
Chinley-Peak Forest-Buxton-Hindlow quarry = about 15 mi
Coalville line = about 29 mi
Sheffield Woodburn Jn-Deepcar sidings = about 8.5 mi
Rotherham-Chesterfield via Old Road = about 14.5 mi, although only the first 6 are truly freight-only, as there are a few booked passenger workings on the southern half of this route)
Saltburn-Boulby Potash = about 11.5 mi
Hoo Jn-Grain = about 11.5 mi
Apppledore-Lydd (Dungeness) = about 9 mi
Edited later to add:
Stenson Jn-Trent Jn = about 12 mi
(for 6 days a week) Gainsborough-Brigg-Barnetby = about 20.5mi
Grimsby-Immingham-Ulceby = about 11.5 mi
Stockton-Stillington-Ferryhill = about 11 mi
Morpeth-Blyth-Longbenton area = about 16 mi, plus other branches off it?
Ayr-Mauchline = about 10 mi (plus a branch to Killoch)
Fair do's. You could probably add the proper junction names for the rest too! Was trying to make it easy for people, by using well-known names.Apologies for being a pedantic so and so but it's actually Stenson Junction to Sheet Stores Junction.
Yes, post 29 as "Hazel Grove to Altrincham"Has Hazel Grove to Sharston been mentioned?
Hazel grove to northerden. Between Altrincham and Northerden is runs the Manchester - Chester service via the EJNHazel Grove to Altrincham
There are the freight branches to London Gateway (formerly Corringham), Dagenham Dock and what used to be Port Victoria (from Hoo). Shorter freight-only lines around London are Kew Bridge to South Acton; what's left of the GWR Brentford branch; the Canonbury curve. I think that some of the connections at Stratford don't have passenger services.
If we're counting the Canonbury Curve, then I can't believe nobody has mentioned Camden Road to South Hampstead. This route is surely freight-only, since the withdrawal of the passenger service to the now-demolished Primrose Hill station many many years ago ?
(I have, however, travelled this route on a passenger service as recently as September last year, when London Overground ran trains from Stratford to Willesden Junction 'via an alternative route' on several consecutive Sundays, whilst the normal route via Gospel Oak was undergoing work associated with the GOBLIN electrification works)
Stourbridge Junction to Round Oak (Harts Hill), Brierley Hill
Yes there is an electrified single line and a Up direction freight only (loaded) line from Ardossan South Beach to Hunterston. Following the falldown in coal traffic its been considered to convert it into electrified double track passenger line but its a lot of money for not a lot of benefit.Is there not a line that runs along side the Largs line to Hunterston?
Philips park to ashburys is a freight only line which connects the Man Victoria to Huddersfield line to the Man Piccadilly to guide bridge line. There was a suggestion that if the line was electrified it would allow trains from- Hadfield and Glossop to use this route into Victoria station as an alternative to Piccadilly, This was from the northern hub proposals in 2009.
Philips park to ashburys is a freight only line which connects the Man Victoria to Huddersfield line to the Man Piccadilly to guide bridge line. There was a suggestion that if the line was electrified it would allow trains from- Hadfield and Glossop to use this route into Victoria station as an alternative to Piccadilly, This was from the northern hub proposals in 2009.
Something like 11 miles Aylesbury to Calvert I reckon.Aylesbury to Calvert via Quainton ... once had 117 dmu,s to Bletchley am, ...
If abellio get their way, we may see trains back to Brierley Hill yet!
If we're counting the Canonbury Curve, then I can't believe nobody has mentioned Camden Road to South Hampstead. This route is surely freight-only, since the withdrawal of the passenger service to the now-demolished Primrose Hill station many many years ago? (I have, however, travelled this route on a passenger service as recently as September last year, when London Overground ran trains from Stratford to Willesden Junction 'via an alternative route' on several consecutive Sundays, whilst the normal route via Gospel Oak was undergoing work associated with the GOBLIN electrification works)
Another short London freight-only link is Acton Wells Junction via the SW Lines to Mitre Bridge Junction. There are a couple of YouTube in-cab videos showing that route.
The 10.03 liverpool to Newcastle on a Sunday was routed this way until they started raising bridges for electrification work, its in tpe contract for 1 passenger train a week to go over the route liverpool & manchester tpe drivers sign it & liverpool conductors sign the route, passes very close to man city's groundTechnically, it is a "non-passenger" line rather than freight only. It is used for E.C.S. movements between Newton Heath & Manchester Piccadilly, and also a few Class 185 movements to/from Ardwick Depot