It was once four track from Market Harborough to Great Bowden where there was a junction where the LNWR Stamford route diverged by passing under the Midland:
This is where the LNW line to Peterborough diverged and went under the Midland a little further up. The path of the disused railway can easily be spotted on Google earth.
That`s a much better reply than mine! Great map.
The 'headspans' that are new aren't supporting the catenary & contact in any way; they're just supporting the feeders from the new TSC.
Seriously surprised at how many tracks there were!
According to Thameslink's website, one of the 4 tracks is out of commission all day - the track in question isn't specified.
Thanks for clarifying @Bald Rick - assumed that would be the case as there were no possessions north of Luton Town.
Specifically, this one:
The original intention up to c2016 was to relign all the way to the A6 bridge, using the older direct trackbed, closing the curved flyover. This would have given 110mph from the station rather than 85mph. In order to develop an achievable project, this was de-scoped, leaving the station platform straightening and wiring from Glendon Jn to MH.
I suspect this might become a project for consideration, if it hasn't already.
It was in the 1980s resignalling scheme and deleted at a late stage, after the people using the land had been given notice and cleared off. It was again planned in the 1990s, and again the users (the riding school by then, I think) were moved, and then privatisation intervened. Then it came up again with the station rebuilding, only to cut out in the usual not-London-South-East de-scoping. Thus instead of the planned 90 on the curve south of the station and then 110 through the station and on towards East Langton we're stuck with the 85 throughout dictated by the radius of the curve over the LNW-line bridge. I believe the ownership of the old route is still entirely with the railway. And even after it ceased to be running lines it remained in use as sidings right up to the 1960s. And it's a good expanse of levelled land ...
The curved flyover could make a very useful southbound freight loop, if they ever were to slew the main lines back to the old alignment.
Excellent, thanks for the explanation
I think part of the issue is that 50% of the benefits are lost because at least half the trains stop at Harborough so won't be anywhere near line 85mph through most of this section.
To be fair, the MML in this area is not short of opportunities for passing loops. There were 3- and 4- track sections North of Kilworth and between MH and Desborough - for instance the drawings of the new overline bridge recently built South of Harborough showed provision for 3-tracking.
Part of the gain is a slightly shorter route free of expensive civil engineering issues.
Agreed, can only assume that the condition of earthworks and bridges are good enough that the avoided maintenance/replacement costs were not enough to put the business case in the right place to do the works prior to electrification; although it does seem like a bit of a missed opportunity.
If I'm not mistaken, that means all the MSE-era cabinets are now either disconnected or modified from their original configurations.
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yep. going through wigston junctions right now and there's still vegetation right up to the tracks
Is this an innovative cost saving buzzword initiative to make the OLE supports out of buddleia wood, grown in situ???
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Shame it’s only going up to South Wigston for now.
It’s heading in the right direction.
