Names of railway lines

[GuyBarry]

Bit of a newbie question!

Is there any "official" list of names for railway lines? This list on the National Rail website seems to contain a mixture of traditional names (such as East Coast Main Line) and marketing names (such as Heart of Wessex Line), but the majority of lines aren't named there at all.

Presumably every line must have some sort of designation so that it can be referred to in official documents, if for no other reason (just as all roads have numbers for reference purposes, even the "unclassified" roads). Or are they just referred to as the "Bristol to Birmingham Line" or whatever?

 

[142094]

There is a list called the Engineers Line Reference - which denotes part of a particular line. Not sure if there is a list of names, seeing as a lot are made up for publicity. E.g. Newcastle - Carlisle, I've always known it as the Tyne Valley Line but Northern promote it as the Hadrian's Wall Country line.

 

[ole man]

Bit of a newbie question!

Is there any "official" list of names for railway lines? This list on the National Rail website seems to contain a mixture of traditional names (such as East Coast Main Line) and marketing names (such as Heart of Wessex Line), but the majority of lines aren't named there at all.

Presumably every line must have some sort of designation so that it can be referred to in official documents, if for no other reason (just as all roads have numbers for reference purposes, even the "unclassified" roads). Or are they just referred to as the "Bristol to Birmingham Line" or whatever?

All lines have a engineering line reference,such as the wcml is LEC (london euston -crewe) midland mainline is SPC1,the best place to find the proper names and the elr's is to get the quail trackmaps books

 

[Wyvern]

Most lines have names which often derive from the name on the original Act of Parliament under which they were built, or come from simply common usage (although I dont think they are "official,") and will be used in ordinary working railway conversation. Often they were shown in the early Ordnance Survey Maps.They also are shown in Quail such as "The Jewellery Line", the "Derby Curve", the "Roade and Rugby New Line",

 

[The Snap]

All lines have a engineering line reference,such as the wcml is LEC (london euston -crewe) midland mainline is SPC1,the best place to find the proper names and the elr's is to get the quail trackmaps books

Or NESA if you have the access .

 

[Hydro]

All lines have a engineering line reference,such as the wcml is LEC (london euston -crewe) midland mainline is SPC1,the best place to find the proper names and the elr's is to get the quail trackmaps books

Just to expand: ELR's are normally broken into sections, the Midland Mainline goes from SPC1 to SPC8 for example. Each route is further broken down into "TID" numbers, or Track Identification numbers. These are 4 digit numbers that classify the individual track. I should really know them off by heart, and I do if I search my soul hard enough, but it's early and I'm tired. Here are the obvious ones I remember:

Format = wxyz

w = Direction; 1 = Up, 2 = Down, 3 = Reversible/Bi-Di

x = Class; 1 = Main/Fast, 2 = Slow/Relief, 3 = Goods, 4 = Single, 5 = Loop, 6 = Terminal Bay, 7, 8 and 9 escape me, but are arcane ones like siding or reception road.

y and z are two digit identifiers to ID the track if more than one of the above designations exist. You find this at places like large terminal stations like Paddington or any other London terminal, where you'll have a large selection of "Bi-Directional Terminal Bay" roads. So you'll get 36-- and the last two will normally correspond to the platform number; 3606 for Platform 6 for example.

ELR + TID + Mileage = accurate location for the railway. For instance when I get fault reports when testing, I'd get something like (not quite laid out in this user friendly fashion):

SPC7 2100 128m0yds TW3M 26.8mm 36hrs.

I now know that there's a twist on the down road at Derby by the opposite the RTC yard (right by Etches Park carriage washer in fact) that needs to be fixed in 36hrs.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

I wonder how many failed attempts at rebranding there have been? Somebody at FGW tried to rebrand the northern end of the Cherwell Valley Line as the "Oxford Canal Line" not so long back. I dont think it worked.

 

[GuyBarry]

Thanks for the info about ELRs - I've found a list here although I don't know how accurate it is.

What then is the status of generally accepted terms like "East Coast Main Line"? The Wikipedia article states that Network Rail has an official definition of the term, although I've been unable to substantiate this.

 

[The Planner]

You have also got the LOR aswell, such as Euston to the old Armitage Jn being MD101, Westerleigh to Barnt Green being GW400 etc.. These are based on the regional territories.

 

[Hydro]

The Sectional Appendix will give both the ELR and LOR on each diagram. Each of these designations are really used for broadly different things.

ELR's + TID's = Engineering and infrastructure.

LOR = Seems to be more planning and strategic overviews.

Quaint names = Marketing and branding, and informal use.

 

[Zoe]

The Engineer's Line refernce codes are derrived from line names. For example MLN is Main Line Paddington to Penzance via Box and SWM is South Wales Main Line Swindon to Johnston via Gloucester. The line referred to as the Cherwell Valley Line above is actually part of DCL Dictot and Chester Line. Many of these names go right back to the GWR.

 

[Hydro]

Some are, some aren't. For instance, BME1/2 is Buckland (Jn) to Minster East (Jn), and the chord twixt BME1 to the ACR is MSW, which is Minster South (Jn) to West (Jn). The same applies for the SPC, St Pancras to Chesterfield, which runs over several historic lines. You'll find that if the route is the same or very similar to it's historic route, then the ELR will likely reflect the old names.

 

[Zoe]

Some are, some aren't. For instance, BME1/2 is Buckland (Jn) to Minster East (Jn), and the chord betwixt BME1 to the ACR is MSW, which is Minster South (Jn) to West (Jn).

BME is Buckland Junction to Minster East Junction as you say. MSW is Minster South to West Curve. The codes are derrived from this.

 

[Hydro]

Yes, it is. Which is what I just said. The curve runs from South Jn to West Jn.

 

[Zoe]

Yes, it is. Which is what I just said. The curve runs from South Jn to West Jn.

But the code is still derrived from that name, it isn't just some random code.

 

[Hydro]

But the code is still derrived from that name, it isn't just some random code.

I never said it was. I was just pointing out instances where the ELR isn't derived from a historic line name (like DCL), just from it's location/purpose or where it links two points, in this case junctions. I can see where there is confusion, as I got the impression you were saying the ELR came from the historic line name, which I can now see as me getting the wrong end of the stick.

 

[Zoe]

I never said it was. I was just pointing out instances where the ELR isn't derived from a historic line name (like DCL), just from it's location/purpose or where it links two points, in this case junctions. I can see where there is confusion, as I got the impression you were saying the ELR came from the historic line name, which I can now see as me getting the wrong end of the stick.

Yes sorry for the confusion, I was trying to say that all the codes are derrived from names and that the system for naming lines goes all the way back to the GWR.

 

[LE Greys]

Some names seem to have happened by accident. The Midland Main Line is not actually the main line of the Midland Railway, that went from Leeds to Birmingham via Derby, with an extension to Bristol. The London route was more of a long branch line, like the Peak Line, being made up of a collection of branches until it eventually reached London. Originally, it ran via Rugby, then via Hitchin until they eventually finished it. It then became more and more important.

I still sometimes use old names like the Aberdeen Road or the GN/GE Joint. Not sure if anyone else does, but it makes more sense to me.

 

[matchmaker]

The Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line is now known as the SAK. I still think of it as the S&D (Stirling & Dunfermline)...............(OK, the eastern part now open wasn't the S&D )

 

[LE Greys]

The Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine line is now known as the SAK. I still think of it as the S&D (Stirling & Dunfermline)...............(OK, the eastern part now open wasn't the S&D )

The S&D to me is the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (the Slow and Dirty to it's detractors, or Swift and Delightful as it was advertised). Still, that hasn't had track down for a very long time, although I think a bit is being restored.

 

[matchmaker]

The S&D to me is the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (the Slow and Dirty to it's detractors, or Swift and Delightful as it was advertised). Still, that hasn't had track down for a very long time, although I think a bit is being restored.

From The Signal Box - a view of the diagram at Stirling Middle. You'll see the S&D lines at top left

http://www.signalbox.org/gallery/sc/stirlingmiddle-d-big.jpg

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

From the Quail maps the ELRs for the Midland route St Pancras to Carlisle is split SPC, TJC, SKW and SAC.
These stand for St Pancras to Chesterfield, Tapton Jn to COLNE, Skipton to Wennington, Settle to Carlisle.
The Colne bit reflects the historic limit of Midland property when the original line beyond Skipton to Wennington was the (little) North Western, resuming as the Midland for the Settle to Carlisle, until they bought out the North Western in 1874 to make an all-Midland route.

Also interesting is LEN from Northallerton to Newcastle via the Durham Coast. This reflects its origin as the Leeds Northern before absorption into the NER.