Least used electrified mainline

[jfollows]

Is that the only electric passenger service that Carnforth has ever had?

It was certainly news to me when I saw it in the WTT earlier on today. So I'd say "yes" in all likelihood - it wasn't advertised but was in the timetable and presumably could have been announced at Preston at the time.

 

[fairliered]

Dubbs Junction to Byrehill Junction only has ECS workings - normally 5 per day from Ayr depot to/from Largs or Ardrossan. Class 380s. All freight is diesel hauled.

 

[Journeyman]

I know for many years the East Coast Main Line between Newcastle and Edinburgh was carrying so little electric traffic that one of the operators (GNER I think) suggested deactivating the electrification between the two stations.

I'm not sure that was something they seriously wanted to do. I think it was more exasperation at the sheer number of OLE faults and failures experienced on that section at the time, and an attempt to shame Railtrack (I think it was still them at the time) into getting their act together.

There's been some disagreement on this over the years, but it is speculated this section was done on the cheap, and is exposed to worse environmental conditions than the rest of the ECML. That may or may not be true.

 

[Kite159]

The section between Darlaston Jn & Pleck Jn south of Walsall (giving access to the 'direct' route towards Wolverhampton, one passenger EMU a week plus a couple ECSs

 

[Ianno87]

I'm not sure that was something they seriously wanted to do. I think it was more exasperation at the sheer number of OLE faults and failures experienced on that section at the time, and an attempt to shame Railtrack (I think it was still them at the time) into getting their act together.

There's been some disagreement on this over the years, but it is speculated this section was done on the cheap, and is exposed to worse environmental conditions than the rest of the ECML. That may or may not be true.

I think the business case was done as a kind of "counter-factual" precisely to demonstrate one of the options to resolve the ongoing OLE issues (to prove that the other options of strengthening it were better)

 

[Journeyman]

I think the business case was done as a kind of "counter-factual" precisely to demonstrate one of the options to resolve the ongoing OLE issues (to prove that the other options of strengthening it were better)

Exactly. It would have introduced all sorts of operational problems and been a very retrograde step, but was thrown into the mix as one potential solution to a problem, albeit a very bad one.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

Not exactly a main line, but the electrified bay platform 2 at Swindon has never seen an electric train, and as it can only accommodate a 3-car unit, I doubt it ever will.

 

[Metal_gee_man]

The curve from the Isle of Sheppey (Sheerness on sea) towards London on the Chatham Mainline 0 tph currently and 4 tpd in the peaks pre covid

 

[Journeyman]

Not exactly a main line, but the electrified bay platform 2 at Swindon has never seen an electric train, and as it can only accommodate a 3-car unit, I doubt it ever will.

That sort of thing is pretty common. The Shenfield electrification of 1949 saw the line from Stratford to Fenchurch Street wired, but it never carried any regular passenger traffic, and electric trains were absent from Fenchurch Street until the LTS electrification was completed in the early sixties.

 

[randyrippley]

Is that the only electric passenger service that Carnforth has ever had?

No. There have been more recent timetables where Virgin used Carnforth to reverse trains, both mk3 DVT sets and Pendolinos.

But possibly the least used sections of catenary are the north facing bay platforms at Lancaster. Presumably intended for electrification to Barrow and Windermere that never happened

 

[D6130]

No. There have been more recent timetables where Virgin used Carnforth to reverse trains, both mk3 DVT sets and Pendolinos.

Yes....but they normally reversed in one of the two Down Loops and didn't enter the station platforms.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

Oxenholme Platform 3 - interestingly it has a booked 3C81 TPE from Lime St (class 1 in non Covid scenario) but with no apparent return working but looks like at best used once per day 5 days per week by electric traction. Cancelled today.

 

[Intercity 225]

Along similar lines, Penrith platform 3 is electrified and must see minimal use.

 

[randyrippley]

Yes....but they normally reversed in one of the two Down Loops and didn't enter the station platforms.

I've seen them in the platforms on several occasions

 

[Springs Branch]

But possibly the least used sections of catenary are the north facing bay platforms at Lancaster. Presumably intended for electrification to Barrow and Windermere that never happened

I read somewhere* that BR's original Weaver Jn - Scotland electrification plan included electrification of the Morecambe branch.

Obviously that bit was never authorised (neither was the Morecambe - Heysham line included in the Preston PSB resignalling scheme). But it might partly explain how the north-facing bays at Lancaster came to be wired.

Having said that, back in the days of loco-hauled trains - before DVTs and fixed formations, when you might have found more "stray" locos wandering around the system - I recall on one occasion seeing an electric loco parked (pan down) in one of the bays at Lancaster. It's true the plat. 1 & 2 OHLE has probably not seen any use for a good number of years now though.

The same thing could happen very rarely at other random locations where there were never any regular electrically-hauled services - such as Platform 2 at Wigan NW and the north-facing stub at Warrington BQ. Presumably failed locos taken off trains, or involved in some unusual activity like traction swaps in connection with engineering diversions etc.


* O.S. Nock's book Electric Euston to Glasgow.

 

[Ianno87]

I've seen them in the platforms on several occasions

But not in passenger service.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Has anyone mentioned the NW curve at Strawberry Hill?

I don't think the line between Stechford and Aston sees many passenger trains, electric or otherwise, but as it leads to Bescot Yard it gets a fair amount of freight.

 

[nlogax]

Has anyone mentioned the NW curve at Strawberry Hill?

Still about seven services a day I think. Granted, not much for a suburban London route.

 

[xotGD]

I read somewhere* that BR's original Weaver Jn - Scotland electrification plan included electrification of the Morecambe branch.

Obviously that bit was never authorised (neither was the Morecambe - Heysham line included in the Preston PSB resignalling scheme). But it might partly explain how the north-facing bays at Lancaster came to be wired.

Having said that, back in the days of loco-hauled trains - before DVTs and fixed formations, when you might have found more "stray" locos wandering around the system - I recall on one occasion seeing an electric loco parked (pan down) in one of the bays at Lancaster. It's true the plat. 1 & 2 OHLE has probably not seen any use for a good number of years now though.

The same thing could happen very rarely at other random locations where there were never any regular electrically-hauled services - such as Platform 2 at Wigan NW and the north-facing stub at Warrington BQ. Presumably failed locos taken off trains, or involved in some unusual activity like traction swaps in connection with engineering diversions etc.


* O.S. Nock's book Electric Euston to Glasgow.

I have seen electric locos in the 5/6 and 7/8 bays at Carlisle. For example:



And here is an 81 on a rather dubious stretch of wired track at Nuneaton:

 

[AGH]

Platform 1& 2 at MCV appeared to have gained wires in recent years and yet as far as I am aware remain unused. Surely only possible for parking up as the wires currently don't go that far out of the station

 

[Andyjs247]

I suspect that the Portobello Jn to Bushbury Jn section of the original Grand Junction line sees very little use by electric traction. Like Stechford - Aston I think it is just occasional diversionary use by Caledonian Sleeper on a Sunday night/ Monday morning.

 

[leytongabriel]

The original WCML electrification around Crewe, Liverpool, etc got very profligate in how far they wired down the various side lines. Runcorn Docks freight branch was another. The whole of Basford Hall marshalling yard at Crewe was wired, all tracks, yet all the shunting there was done by diesel shunters. Someone worked out there was sufficient unnecessary/unused wiring around Crewe to have done the Crewe-Kidsgrove link.

Dorking to Horsham is now down to one train per hour. Used to be the main line way from London to Bognor etc.

Dorking - Horsham spent quite some years down to a rush hours only service

 

[childwallblues]

Does Crewe-Kidsgrove count as a main line? If so, it only has one electric train per hour in each direction?

Crewe to Kidsgrove was I believe electrified as a diversionary route for WCML expresses. The route gets hourly 350s and EMR DMUs also Postal 325s are regular users.

 

[MadMac]

Crewe to Kidsgrove was I believe electrified as a diversionary route for WCML expresses. The route gets hourly 350s and EMR DMUs also Postal 325s are regular users.

I think it was wired to facilitate diversions for the Crewe resignalling in 1985?

 

[Ianno87]

I think it was wired to facilitate diversions for the Crewe resignalling in 1985?

No, it was only wired for the West Coast Route Modernisation in around 2003 or so.

 

[MadMac]

I read somewhere* that BR's original Weaver Jn - Scotland electrification plan included electrification of the Morecambe branch.

Obviously that bit was never authorised (neither was the Morecambe - Heysham line included in the Preston PSB resignalling scheme). But it might partly explain how the north-facing bays at Lancaster came to be wired.

Having said that, back in the days of loco-hauled trains - before DVTs and fixed formations, when you might have found more "stray" locos wandering around the system - I recall on one occasion seeing an electric loco parked (pan down) in one of the bays at Lancaster. It's true the plat. 1 & 2 OHLE has probably not seen any use for a good number of years now though.

The same thing could happen very rarely at other random locations where there were never any regular electrically-hauled services - such as Platform 2 at Wigan NW and the north-facing stub at Warrington BQ. Presumably failed locos taken off trains, or involved in some unusual activity like traction swaps in connection with engineering diversions etc.


* O.S. Nock's book Electric Euston to Glasgow.

One place that comes up in these discussions is Holytown, which got wires when WCML was done, but never got a scheduled electric train stopping there until years later - I think even that was Lanark services diverted for work at Newton.

No, it was only wired for the West Coast Route Modernisation in around 2003 or so.

Time has clearly fogged the memory.....