Paired by use or paired by direction

[Bald Rick]

Showing your age calling it the wood too

Specially done was for older readers

 

[Aictos]

BIB - Except weren't turnback sidings also constructed at both St Albans and Tring to allow the that move and to avoid blocking the slows ? An alternative approach is what was done at Welwyn Garden City when electrification took place that allowed a train to leave from the western bay platform (can't remember if it's 1 or 4 now as they renumbered them at some point), by building a flyover on the south side of the station.

I think you may be confused but just to clarify Tring never has had a turnback siding, Platform 4 is used to turnback terminating services.

That is observed using RTT, OTT and Trakys.

You are however correct with regards to St Alban's.

 

[CW2]

The WCRM took three attempts to come up with the present (very good) layout at Rugby, so the configuration of the tracks and junctions either side of Rugby was iterated several times before we reached the current state.
The extra down line north of Hartford was a late arrival at the WCRM party. It was justified by demonstrating that its construction would allow one additional freight path per hour to run on the WCML north of Crewe, significantly easing some of the timetabling / capacity difficulties being encountered. As stated above the unusual configuration of having the new Down Fast line on the outside of the layout allowed freights coming off the curve from Northwich to recess in the middle of the layout to await a path. It also enable construction of the new line to take place more easily. As a bonus, Crewe - Hartford test runs could reverse there and head back south.

 

[SE%Traveller]

I can only think of two places where that is done - the Metropolitan/Jubilee Lines between Finchley Road and Wembley Park, and the SDWR Windsor route between Queenstown Road and Barnes. In both cases it allows the stopping services to use island platforms. The Great Central Railway's London Extension was built with island platforms and extra-wide bridges to allow fast tracks to be added later, but it never came to pass.

There used to be an unusual working arrangement between Loughborough Junction and Blackfriars. In the peaks the four tracks were paired by use, with the eastern pair used by trains towards Denmark Hill (mainly Catford Loop services) and the western by the Central Division services via Herne Hill and Tulse Hill (the ancestors of today's Thameslink Wimbledon Loop services, although destinations varied over the years - Holborn Viaduct - Norbury - Norwood Junction - Gipsy Hill - London Bridge for example). Off peak, all up trains used the eastern (Denmark Hill) up line and all down trains the western (Herne Hill) down line, up trains from the Herne Hill direction crossing over north of Loughborough Junction and back again south of Blackfriars, whilst down Catford line trains did the opposite. With only 2tph on each route this rarely led to any conflicts. I could see no reason for this other than to allow platforms 1 and 4 at Elephant & Castle to be closed off peak - all trains using the island.

funnily enough almost exactly the opposite now At Elephant and Castle with all all the Ups on Holborn Slows (Save the Orpington/ Luton and the Sevenoaks Peaks which run in in tandem with the Beckenham Junctions Stoppers) and all the Downs on the Holborn Fasts Save the Sevenoaks Service). You think it be possible to have al the Catfords to use the fasts and platform 4 rather than alternating 2/4. they always did prior to 2018 change even when running from the terminating platform's at Blackfriars. It is long slog from Platform 2 to 4 for the fit and able let alone those who are not. I don't know why they don't distribute trains to correct lines at Loughbough junction heading north and. Blackfriars going South. The London Bridge Trains are out of the mix by then and if you can't make the moves you've got the two further opportunities to do so (Fasts to Slows) and one further (Slows to Fast) before The divergence of the line

 

[MarlowDonkey]

The Great Central Railway's London Extension was built with island platforms and extra-wide bridges to allow fast tracks to be added later, but it never came to pass.

Although when it joined the GWR in the joint line through High Wycombe, they put the fast lines in the middle and the platforms on loops.

 

[A0wen]

Although when it joined the GWR in the joint line through High Wycombe, they put the fast lines in the middle and the platforms on loops.

Though High Wycombe station existed before the GW / GC joint - which may be the reason it was done that way.

 

[vic-rijrode]

Specially done was for older readers

As an older reader I used to travel to college from Apsley to Euston and return in the late 60s, early 70s. Over the three years I did so, I travelled on both Fast and Slows, Up and Down, used every crossover (Watford Wembley etc.) and even got off and on occasionally at the slow main line platforms at Queen's Park to transfer to the Bakerloo.

But once and once only (and I cannot remember when), exiting the Up Slow Primrose Hill tunnel, the train I was on lurched to the left and trundled down the ECS tunnel, virtually at walking pace, exiting after about 5 minutes (!) of course on the other side of the lines near the down side carriage shed before pulling into one of the higher numbered platforms. I'm pretty sure no-one but me on the train realised the unusual route we had just taken.

Some decades later, I was sad to see that the line had been taken out of use.

 

[30907]

I can only think of two places where that is done

Millbrook (the Southampton one, lest anyone be misled) is another - the island platform is only on what used to be known as the Through Lines (Bournemouth expresses used the Locals); I think they have been redesignated though.

There used to be an unusual working arrangement between Loughborough Junction and Blackfriars. ... Off peak, all up trains used the eastern (Denmark Hill) up line and all down trains the western (Herne Hill) down line, up trains from the Herne Hill direction crossing over north of Loughborough Junction and back again south of Blackfriars, whilst down Catford line trains did the opposite. With only 2tph on each route this rarely led to any conflicts. I could see no reason for this other than to allow platforms 1 and 4 at Elephant & Castle to be closed off peak - all trains using the island.

I'm sure that was the main reason - in the days of slam doors and platform staff - but another factor may be that the western Up platform (Up Local then) isn't full length.

Though High Wycombe station existed before the GW / GC joint - which may be the reason it was done that way.

Or simply because the loops were provided from the start: side platforms were used on the joint section, but also on the pure GC through Sudbury Hill and at numerous GW stations, new and rebuilt, of the period (Bicester, Badminton, Wellington as well as larger stations).

 

[Bald Rick]

As an older reader I used to travel to college from Apsley to Euston and return in the late 60s, early 70s. Over the three years I did so, I travelled on both Fast and Slows, Up and Down, used every crossover (Watford Wembley etc.) and even got off and on occasionally at the slow main line platforms at Queen's Park to transfer to the Bakerloo.

But once and once only (and I cannot remember when), exiting the Up Slow Primrose Hill tunnel, the train I was on lurched to the left and trundled down the ECS tunnel, virtually at walking pace, exiting after about 5 minutes (!) of course on the other side of the lines near the down side carriage shed before pulling into one of the higher numbered platforms. I'm pretty sure no-one but me on the train realised the unusual route we had just taken.

Some decades later, I was sad to see that the line had been taken out of use.

Just discovered this tweet from @timmydunn that has a cutaway drawing of the Camden complex - I knew this drawing existed but hadn’t been able to find it.

https://mobile.twitter.com/mrtimdunn/status/1098189849159450624?lang=en

If you google ‘Euston rathole’ you’ll also find some urban explorers’ accounts of the Up Empty Carriage Line. I know the maintenance guys hated it, it was steep, wet, dank, full of vermin, and the track had a tendency to creep to the ‘sump’ of the tunnel which meant it needed pulling back up every so often.

 

[Annetts key]

I know the maintenance guys hated it, it was steep, wet, dank, full of vermin, and the track had a tendency to creep to the ‘sump’ of the tunnel which meant it needed pulling back up every so often.

Most maintenance staff hate any tunnel anyway!

 

[Bald Rick]

Most maintenance staff hate any tunnel anyway!

I quite like them on a hot summer day, or if it’s raining!