Quicker Uphill?

[route:oxford]

Posted this info in a different forum...

Fastest Services

Perth-Glasgow 1h00m
Glasgow-Perth 0h52m (Quicker uphill!)

Stirling-Glasgow 0h30m
Glasgow-Stirling 0h24m (Again quicker uphill!)

It seems a bit bizarre, as from memory of trips on the route, the trains seem to be working quite hard in the Northbound direction and have it fairly easy on the southbound.

Is it simply the trip into the sulphur mines of Glasgow on the final stretch to Queen Street that slows things down?

 

[A60K]

Nothing unusual about those timings, and you'll find the same comparing most timings at terminal stations in Britain - it's recovery time (padding) in the timetable to allow an amount of late running during the journey not to make the train actually late at the end of the journey, if you see what I mean!

However, mountain railways - check some Swiss timetables - often do run faster up than down, because coming down they need to be more cautious to avoid going too fast towards the terminal at the bottom.

Edit: just thinking about what you said - I don't think Stirling station is any more elevated than Glasgow Queen Street. Both cities are on rivers that are tidal, meaning that the river is at sea level. It's probably the climb out of QS that gives the impression that Glasgow to Stirling is 'uphill', when in fact I suspect the line decends from around Croy to Stirling.

 

[90019]

Edit: just thinking about what you said - I don't think Stirling station is any more elevated than Glasgow Queen Street. Both cities are on rivers that are tidal, meaning that the river is at sea level. It's probably the climb out of QS that gives the impression that Glasgow to Stirling is 'uphill', when in fact I suspect the line decends from around Croy to Stirling.

Looking at some data, apprently Central is about 10m higher than Stirling and Perth.

 

[A60K]

Looking at some data, apprently Central is about 10m higher than Stirling and Perth.

Yep, that would make sense - the entrance on Gordon Street is at street level, but the streets drop away towards the river while the lines are built up on viaduct to keep level and to go across the river bridge. Queen Street I imagine then would be around another 10m higher still, as the city naturally slopes up the further away from the river you go.

From what I remember of the station at Stirling it's only just above river level, enough for the lines to cross the river and no more. I believe Stirling used to be a sea port in long ago times, with the harbour area being just to the east of where the station is now.

 

[djw1981]

Also remember that from a standing start, a train can accelerate up the hill out of Cowlairs, but coming in to Queen St , the train must slow to 10mph before entering the tunnel and is speed restricted in the tunnel - this can easily add 2-3 minutes to a journey.