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Trivia — Shortest Routes Between Stations of the Same Name (For Example: Catford to Catford Bridge)

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greaterwest

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Farnborough North to Farnborough Main:

Farnborough North > Guildford > Havant > Fareham > Eastleigh > Basingstoke > Farnborough Main
 

aliceh

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Avoiding reversals, Dorchester South to Dorchester West would have to be: Dorchester South - Southampton Central - Havant - Guildford - Farnborough North - Reading - Newbury - Westbury - Yeovil Pen Mill - Dorchester West
 

Old Yard Dog

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Avoiding reversals and freight-only lines, I think you would need to go via Lancaster and Preston to get from Bradford Forster Square to Bradford Interchange
 

tomwills98

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Bridgend (Pen-y-Bont ar Ogwr) to Pen-y-Bont (Powys)

Bridgend-Cardiff-Newport-Cwmbran-Hereford-Craven Arms-Knucklas-Pen-y-Bont

There's also Bridgend-Swansea-Llanelli-Pantyffynnon-Llandovery-Llandrindod-Pen-y-Bont
 

The exile

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Heath Low Level to Heath High Level was possible until recently via the Aberthaw Power Station loop, but maybe not possible now?
Think this would still be possible - albeit retracing your steps for the majority of a long route.
Heath- Cardiff- Briton Ferry — Swansea districts- central Wales - Shrewsbury abbey foregate curve - choose your loop in the Birmingham area then back the way you came. Much easier to walk!
 

adrock1976

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What's it called? It's called Cumbernauld
Springfield to Spring Road via Springburn:

Springfield>Dalmeny Curve> Falkirk High> Bishopbriggs> Springburn> Gartcosh> Coatbridge Central> Carlisle> Preston> Crewe> Wolverhampton> Birmingham New Street> Bordesley Jct> Tyseley> Spring Road.

Bridgend (Pen-y-Bont ar Ogwr) to Pen-y-Bont (Powys)

Bridgend-Cardiff-Newport-Cwmbran-Hereford-Craven Arms-Knucklas-Pen-y-Bont Reversal at Craven Arms

There's also Bridgend-Swansea-Llanelli-Pantyffynnon-Llandovery-Llandrindod-Pen-y-Bont No need to reverse at Llanelli - go direct via Swansea District

See bolded comments above.
 

Glenn1969

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Is any route possible for:

Bromley North- Bromley South
Chessington North- Chessington South
Tyndrum Lower- Upper Tyndrum

?
 

D6130

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Tyndrum Lower- Upper Tyndrum
Tyndrum Lower-Crianlarich-Westerton-Anniesland-Yoker-Crianlarich-Upper Tyndrum.

Bromley North- Bromley South
Bromley North-Grove Park- Lewisham-Nunhead-Factory Junction-Longhedge Junction-Pouparts Junction-Clapham Junction-Balham-Crystal Palace-Beckenham Junction-Bromley South.

Chessington North and Chessington South are adjacent stops on the same line, so I wouldn't have thought that they would come under the remit of this challenge.
 
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Western 52

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Think this would still be possible - albeit retracing your steps for the majority of a long route.
Heath- Cardiff- Briton Ferry — Swansea districts- central Wales - Shrewsbury abbey foregate curve - choose your loop in the Birmingham area then back the way you came. Much easier to walk!
Or via Crewe Chester and Wrexham General. Would be a great railtour!
 

aliceh

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Whilst the link between the two is now fairly regularly used (we'll quietly ignore that), you can do Yeovil Junction to Yeovil Pen Mill via Exeter St Davids, Taunton, Bridgwater, Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Westbury and Castle Cary.

Ash to Ash Vale I can only seem to manage via Guildford, Redhill, East Croydon, Clapham Junction, Peckham Rye, East London Line, North London Line, Willesden Jn, Richmond, Virginia Water, Chertsey and Woking (but you have to use the lesser-used curve between Chertsey and Byfleet)
 

oddiesjack

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New Mills Newtown to New Mills Central:
Stockport, Parliamentary route to Guide Bridge, Romiley.

This section of the Stockport to Stalybridge shuttle was equally useful for Buxton (LNW) to Buxton Midland, and for Middlewood Lower to Middlewood Upper.
 

30907

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through the depot maybe?
Direct route (with regular services) until the area was redesigned 40 years ago - IIRC it was just too complicated to include it.

Pontefract Baghill to Pontefract Monkhill (or Tanshelf) via Milford Junction, Church Fenton, York, Harrogate, Leeds, Hambleton West and South Junctions, Doncaster, Gainsborough Lea Road, West Holmes Junction, Boultham Junction, Newark Castle, Nottingham, Trowell Junction, Chesterfield, Sheffield or Beighton Junction, Masborough Station Junction, Swinton, Doncaster (again!), Shaftholme Junction, Askern and Knottingley West Junction.
Or just Newcastle, Gateshead West, Leeds, Normanton - not sure which is longer!
 
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Dr_Paul

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Waterloo to Waterloo East via Denmark Hill and Queens Rd Peckham is quite short and doesn't involve reversals
Waterloo to Waterloo East: that's one where the modern route is much shorter than the historical one. Prior to the curve for the Eurostar services, one would have to go via Clapham Junction > Twickenham > Kingston > Wimbledon > Streatham > Peckham Rye > London Bridge. Another route was available from the 1930s via Clapham Junction > Wimbledon > Sutton > West Croydon > Norwood Junction > New Cross Gate > London Bridge.
Is any route possible for Tyndrum Lower > Upper Tyndrum?
This is way out of my patch, so it's a bit of a guess: any corrections will be happily received. This, of course, is strictly historical.

Tyndrum Lower > Crianlarich (Caledonian) > Balquhidder > Dunblane > Larbert > Kilsythe > Maryhill (NB) > Drumchapel > Dumbarton > Garelochhead > Crianlarich (NB) > Upper Tyndrum. There seems to have been an alternative route on the NB from Larbert, via Bishopbriggs; and one on the Caledonian via Cumbernauld > Gartcosh > Possil Park > Dalmuir > Dumbarton, assuming that there was through running on to the NB at Dumbarton.

Back to my patch: Acton Mainline to Acton Central: Acton Mainline > Acton Wells > Dudden Hill > Cricklewood > Kentish Town > Kings Cross/St Pancras > Blackfriars > Elephant and Castle > Wandsworth Road > Clapham Junction > Barnes > Kew Bridge > Acton Central. I think that this is both present day and historical, except for when the Blackfriars > Farringdon Street line was removed. Another route, both present day and historical, is Acton Mainline > Acton Wells > Willesden Junction > Stratford > South Tottenham > Upper Holloway > West Hampstead > Cricklewood > Dudden Hill > Acton Wells > Acton Central. I don't which is the shorter of the two routes.
 
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JohnRegular

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Avoiding reversals, Dorchester South to Dorchester West would have to be: Dorchester South - Southampton Central - Havant - Guildford - Farnborough North - Reading - Newbury - Westbury - Yeovil Pen Mill - Dorchester West
I don't know which route would be shorter, but you could also do Dorchester South-Southampton Central-Basingstoke-Didcot-Chippenham-Westbury-Yeovil Pen Mill-Dorchester West
 

61653 HTAFC

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Shepley to Shipley:
By scheduled services the only way to avoid a reversal would be to walk across Bradford. If we're able to charter a train then Huddersfield > Healey Mills > Woodlesford > Whitehall curve would be the shortest route.

Apperley Bridge to Appley Bridge:
Whitehall curve > Normanton > Healey Mills > Brighouse > Rochdale > Manchester Victoria > Wigan Wallgate.
 
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Meglos

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Dorking to Dorking Deepdene (or Dorking West)
Dorking-Leatherhead-Guildford-Dorking Deepdene. OR Dorking-Norwood Junction-Redhill-Dorking Deepdene
 

Dr_Paul

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Pontefract Baghill to Pontefract Monkhill (or Tanshelf) via Milford Junction, Church Fenton, York, Harrogate, Leeds, Hambleton West and South Junctions, Doncaster, Gainsborough Lea Road, West Holmes Junction, Boultham Junction, Newark Castle, Nottingham, Trowell Junction, Chesterfield, Sheffield or Beighton Junction, Masborough Station Junction, Swinton, Doncaster (again!), Shaftholme Junction, Askern and Knottingley West Junction.
Looking at the New Adlestrop Map, is it not possible to go Leeds > Outwood > Wakefield Westgate > Wakefield Kirkgate > Featherstone > Pontefract Monkhill (or Tanshelf)?
 

D6130

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Dorking to Dorking Deepdene (or Dorking West)
Dorking-Leatherhead-Guildford-Dorking Deepdene. OR Dorking-Norwood Junction-Redhill-Dorking Deepdene
But surely both of these would required reversal - at either Leatherhead or Norwood Junction - which is not allowed.

How about Dorking-Sutton-Tulse Hill-Herne Hill-Factory Junction-Longhedge Junction-Ludgate Junction (Clapham Junction)-Point Pleasant Junction-Wimbledon-(via Woking, Cobham or Bookham)-Guildford-Dorking West or Deepdene?

Looking at the New Adlestrop Map, is it not possible to go Leeds > Outwood > Wakefield Westgate > Wakefield Kirkgate > Featherstone > Pontefract Monkhill (or Tanshelf)?
Only by reversing at Leeds. There is nowadays no access from the Harrogate line at Armley Junction to the Woodlesford line at Whitehall Junction.
 
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ANDREW_D_WEBB

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Back to my patch: Acton Mainline to Acton Central: Acton Mainline > Acton Wells > Dudden Hill > Cricklewood > Kentish Town > Kings Cross/St Pancras > Blackfriars > Elephant and Castle > Wandsworth Road > Clapham Junction > Barnes > Kew Bridge > Acton Central. I think that this is both present day and historical, except for when the Blackfriars > Farringdon Street line was removed. Another route, both present day and historical, is Acton Mainline > Acton Wells > Willesden Junction > Stratford > South Tottenham > Upper Holloway > West Hampstead > Cricklewood > Dudden Hill > Acton Wells > Acton Central. I don't which is the shorter of the two routes

Acton Mainline, Acton Bank, Kensington Olympia, Clapham Junction, Barnes, Chiswick, Kew East Junction, Acton Central is quicker.
 

Gathursty

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Wigan North Western to Wallgate: Wigan North Western - Acton Bridge - Greenbank - Stockport - Manchester Piccadilly - Salford Crescent - Wigan Wallgate.
 

peters

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So are we talking about two stations serving the same town when they are on different lines e.g. Runcorn and Runcorn East or does it include instances where towns share similar names e.g. Brighton to New Brighton (in Merseyside)?

Wigan North Western to Wallgate: Wigan North Western - Acton Bridge - Greenbank - Stockport - Manchester Piccadilly - Salford Crescent - Wigan Wallgate.

Possibly a similar route would apply for the Runcorn to Runcorn East suggestion I just made?
 

Dr_Paul

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Acton Mainline, Acton Bank, Kensington Olympia, Clapham Junction, Barnes, Chiswick, Kew East Junction, Acton Central is quicker.
Of course! I really should have seen that one.
Only by reversing at Leeds. There is nowadays no access from the Harrogate line at Armley Junction to the Woodlesford line at Whitehall Junction.
Thanks for confirming that. That's the problem with not knowing the area and not having track-plans to hand: something which looks possible in a railway atlas or 2.5" or 6" map can't actually be done in practice. For example, one can't go directly from the ex-Great Central line from Harrow on to the Dudden Hill line at Neasden Junction, whereas one can from the line from High Wycombe, although one needs a track-plan to see that.
 
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jfisher21

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Birmingham New Street to Birmingham Moor Street: WCML south to Willesden - Acton Canal Wharf Jn - Acton Wells Jn - Acton West Jn - Reading - Oxford - Banbury - Leamington - Birmingham Moor Street

I guess willesden - acton canal wharf junction - acton wells jn - acton west junction - west ealing - greenford south junction - greenford west junction - high wycombe - banbury - leamington - moor street is slightly fewer miles! (but still a long trip)
 

flitwickbeds

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No direct train from Helensburgh to Glasgow Central or Queen Street via Cambuslang.

You could go Helensburgh Central > Glasgow QS > Helensburgh Upper.
I didn't interpret the question as needing a direct train. You could change at Dalmuir for Central.
EDIT: Falkirk High - Croy - Bishopbriggs - Ashfield - Anniesland - Partick - Glasgow Central Low Level - Newton - Hamilton - Motherwell - Cumbernald - Falkirk Grahamston. I'm pretty sure this works?
There are no services which connect Bishopbriggs to Ashfield.
I think I can better that : Falkirk High - Croy - Bishopbriggs - Springburn - Cumbernauld- Greenhill Lower Jn - Camelon - Falkirk Grahamston.
There are also no services which connect Bishopbriggs to Springburn.
 

Dr_Paul

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Sudbury Hill Harrow (ex-Great Central) to Sudbury Hill (Piccadilly): Sudbury Hill Harrow > Neasden Junction > Acton Wells > South Acton > Turnham Green > Earls Court > Kensington High Street > Edgware Road > Gloucester Road (via clockwise Circle Line) > Hammersmith > Acton Town > Sudbury Hill. That's historical, as the north to east curve enabling South Acton > Turnham Green has gone. Nowadays, the route would be much longer: South Acton > Hounslow > Staines > Weybridge > Wimbledon > Earls Court > etc.
 

big all

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I wondered about that. I've never been sure whether one could go directly from Selhurst to Norwood Junction (or vice versa).
you can only travel via the depot as ecs [empty coaching stock] as they removed the passenger loop from the running line about 40 years ago ??
 
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