Singling of lines

[steamybrian]

I may be wrong but I think the line to Addiscombe was singled some time in the 80's, maybe when the Selsdon line was closed, before totally succumbing to Tramlink in the late 90's

The Addiscombe line was singled about a year before closure due to Addiscombe Signal Box being burnt out by fire (arson suspected..!). The service had already been reduced to a one train only shuttle service several years previously so there was no effect on the timetable. The homeless signalmen were given the job as acting as pilotman on every train until the line closed in 1997.

 

[Whistler40145]

Was the Windermere branch always single?

 

[jones_bangor]

Was the Windermere branch always single?

I had a look at this a few weeks ago as I was travelling along back to North Wales from Windermere, and thought it must always have been single based on clearances. However, I was wrong, 1914 maps show the Windermere branch as twin tracks!

 

[steamybrian]

Was the Windermere branch always single?

It was double track and was singled in the 1970s and as a guess possibly 1973

 

[yorksrob]

Sadly the Victorian Contractors who built the line, were cowboys! and built the tunnels to such a poor quaility using four layers of bricks instead of the six that were neccessary, after Wadhurst tunnel collapsed the SER had to add the two layers of bricks to all the affected tunnels but could not afford to re-bore them.
Farnham to Alton was reduced to a Single Line in 1985, another short sighted BR decision they were quite busy that year as they also closed the Tunbridge Wells West Line!
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In a similar area the Tattenham Corner Branch Line was singled probably at a similar time to the Epsom Downs Branch

It's amazing to think that so much of my railway enjoyment thumper wise is entirely down to the actions of a few dodgy Victorian builders. Esther Rantzen would have a field day

With regards to the others, I would rather BR had singled the Groombridge route than closed it - but that's history.

 

[David Dunning]

Fareham - Eastleigh was singled as far as Botley when it was electrified I believe.

It was done many years before that. It was single in the 1970s

 

[Whistler40145]

S & C over Ribblehead Viaduct!

 

[9K43]

Shipley - Guiseley and Apperley - Guiseley on the Leeds North West system.
These were singled in the 80s but in the early 90s they were then re aligned through various tunnels to approx centre and electrified or in the case of Springs Tunnel redoubled.

I worked on this electrification from this time in 1993 for about 4 years.
We did all of Skipton, Ilkley branch, Dockfield Junction and all of the wire upto Bradford foster Sq and all round the Leeds area.
We used clapped out 31's, which bounced like a rubber balls at 40mph, the exhaust was fit to choke you, and the doors and windows had gaps a mile wide.
These were replaced by class 47's after we complained.
The signing on times were 17:45hrs out pass to Donny then 0015hrs to site to rel 1745 men. Then back to Donny and catch the 0720 back to Wakefield Westgate(If you were lucky)Then service car back to the Mill.
Bailing out at Turners Lane ( Kirkgate.)was the favoured course of action

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When the Merseyrail electrification works went ahead, the part of the line from Fazackerley Junction onwards towards Kirkby was singled. Double track is only re-commenced from Rainford into Wigan. This used to be the main line from Liverpool Exchange to Manchester Victoria.

 

[andyc20050]

Brading to Sandown on the Isle of Wight in 1988.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Britannia Bridge over the Menai after the fire and rebuild in 1972.
Crewe-Radway Green section of the North Staffs line (when Crewe was remodelled in 1986).
Ledbury-Shelwick Jn (Hereford) around 1990.
either side of Deansgate Jn (Altrincham-Navigation Road-Skelton Jn) when Metrolink opened
Not sure if you would want to count Frodsham Jn-Halton Jn (Runcorn) - only one track open northbound

 

[NSE]

I may be wrong, but I think that when the Chiltern line was modernized under NSE it was singled from Bicester to Anyho. They took up the old track and made it single. It has of course been doubled in the meantime.

 

[OuterDistant]

Crewe-Radway Green section of the North Staffs line (when Crewe was remodelled in 1986).

Was just gonna say that one! Happily, it did get electrified in 2003 for the WCML diversions.

 

[Class172]

Stoke Works - Droitwich Spa Jct was singled in the 19(60s?) when Gloucester PSB took control of the line south of Barnt Green (I think)

Malvern Wells - Hereford (don't know when or why)

 

[a good off]

Britannia Bridge over the Menai after the fire and rebuild in 1972.
Crewe-Radway Green section of the North Staffs line (when Crewe was remodelled in 1986).
Ledbury-Shelwick Jn (Hereford) around 1990.
either side of Deansgate Jn (Altrincham-Navigation Road-Skelton Jn) when Metrolink opened
Not sure if you would want to count Frodsham Jn-Halton Jn (Runcorn) - only one track open northbound

Ledbury - Shelwick Jn was singled in November 1984 when Stoke Edith and SJ boxes closed.

 

[Class172]

Ledbury - Shelwick Jn was singled in November 1984 when Stoke Edith and SJ boxes closed.

That recent!? I thought it was going to be 1960s

 

[a good off]

Yes Shelwick Jn was that recent. Another line that was short sightedly singled in the mid 80s was the Cockett West - Gowerton - Duffryn West section of the Swansea - Llanelli line. it is going to be redoubled in the next few years to remove the bottleneck.

 

[Flywaver]

Ely to Soham..

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

A host of lines in eastern England end in single branches, not sure about the dates of singling but some are quite recent:

Wickford-Southminster
Thorpe-le-Soken-Walton on the Naze
Witham-Braintree
Marks Tey-Sudbury
Harwich PQ-Harwich Town
Felixstowe branch
Wroxham-Cromer
Brundall-Gt Yarmouth (not sure if the Berney Arms line was ever double)
Littleport-Downham Market and Watlington-Kings Lynn
Grimsby-Cleethorpes
sections of the East Suffolk line
sections of Sleaford-Boston-Skegness
Ware (on the Hertford East branch)
Romford-Upminster

 

[a good off]

Ely to Soham..

This was only ever built as a single line. It should be double though!

 

[SWTCommuter]

According to Wikipedia, the Weston-super-Mare loop was singled in January 1972.

 

[Whistler40145]

Has the Windermere branch always been single?

 

[steamybrian]

A host of lines in eastern England end in single branches, not sure about the dates of singling but some are quite recent:
Wickford-Southminster
Witham-Braintree
Marks Tey-Sudbury
Ware (on the Hertford East branch)
Romford-Upminster

The above lines were always single track....

 

[Julia]

I believe Ware has always been single... built that way because of problems with a landowner. By the time doubling had become a possibility the GER had sold running rights to the GNR over all their double-tracked routes, and could extract more per-ton-mile fees by leaving Ware as a single line and denying the GNR access to the spur from Hertford North - East.

 

[steamybrian]

Has the Windermere branch always been single?

No- It was originally double track but was singled around 1973.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

Don't know the dates but..Mouldsworth to Mickle Trafford is single line (was obviously double track in the past) also a large stretch from just outside Stockport to near Northenden Junction was Singled, I presume in the 80's

 

[Drsatan]

Did the Exmouth branch used to be double track from Exmouth Junction to Topsham?

I'd also be interested to know whether parts of the Cowley Bridge Junction - Barnstaple line were ever double track.

 

[steamybrian]

I'd also be interested to know whether parts of the Cowley Bridge Junction - Barnstaple line were ever double track.

As far as I am aware the whole route from Cowley Bridge Jn-Barnstaple was double track until the late 1960s. I am sure that Cowley Bridge Jn-Coleford Junction was still double track until around 1972 after the Okehampton line was closed for passengers.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The above lines were always single track....

Thanks Brian, I stand corrected.
I covered all these branches last year and thought they looked like they had once had double infrastructure.
The Ware case (thanks Julia) is a great anomaly. It looks today like a BR economy job to save station/signalling costs!

 

[PinzaC55]

The York-Harrogate line was singled on some sections in about 1970 after, I think, it was planned to be closed but the local councils bailed it out. It is planned to be resignalled next year but there's been no mention of the single track portions being redoubled.