Trivia: Journeys where the route crosses over itself (on the same service)

[E100]

Curious as to how many instances of this there are in the UK.

A couple of examples to get us started:

• T&W metro at monument where the 'yellow' route trains cross over oneanother.
• Ffestiniog railway at Ddaullt using the 'deviation'

 

[bionic]

The 1753 Charing Cross to Barnehurst changes headcode at Barnehurst where it forms a Victoria service and crosses back over its outward route at Lewisham. It's not advertised as Charing Cross to Victoria but train and driver do the whole loop.

 

[Springs Branch]

Merseyrail's 2B03 08:07 Chester to Birkenhead North via Liverpool passes under its route on its second pass through Hamilton Square (the Birkenhead North branch passes beneath the line from Birkenhead Central by a burrowing Junction there).

2R50, 23:19 Ellesmere Port - Liverpool - Birkenhead Hamilton Sq almost makes it in passenger service - but not quite, as this train terminates at Hamilton Sq platform 3 before running empty to Birkenhead North depot (headcode becomes 5B95)

 

[swt_passenger]

Waterloo via Salisbury to Weymouth via Yeovil Jn (reverse) and Yeovil Pen Mill (reverse)? Only a minor deviation in terms of overall distance but I think it meets the requirement.

 

[E759]

Waterloo via Salisbury to Weymouth via Yeovil Jn (reverse) and Yeovil Pen Mill (reverse)? Only a minor deviation in terms of overall distance but I think it meets the requirement.

Ah the 0635 Summer Saturday Only Waterloo to Corfe Castle reversing at Yeovil Junction, Yeovil Pen Mill, Weymouth and Wareham

 

[xotGD]

Through services between the Durham coast and the Carlisle line can sometimes do a "loop the loop" over the Tyne and pass the site of Gateshead depot twice.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

In Holland, the Den Haag - Zoetermeer Centrum West line does a "little twirl"

 

[Old Yard Dog]

And in Serbia, the wonderful narrow gauge Sargan Eight really gets it "knickers in a twist". The red dots are tunnels. Well worth a visit if you get chance.

 

[Ianno87]

Naples Metro Line 1 spirals over itself.

The Ffestiniog railway has the loop at Dduallt.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Liskeard-Looe does at one point near Liskeard.

 

[vlad]

I've done a couple during engineering work.

An XC from Exeter to Birmingham was diverted via Severn Tunnel Junction - the line to Gloucester goes over the top of the Severn Tunnel.

CS from London to Fort William was diverted via Cumbernauld and Linlithgow between London and Edinburgh, so crossed over the usual route from Edinburgh to Glasgow at Coatbridge.

 

[33017]

Liskeard-Looe does at one point near Liskeard.

Surely that just reverses? There are no through trains from Plymouth to Looe as passenger trains are barred from the connection at Liskeard.

 

[Mikey C]

Surely that just reverses? There are no through trains from Plymouth to Looe as passenger trains are barred from the connection at Liskeard.

Non passenger trains do the whole loop, I remember taking a 150 from Plymouth to Liskeard then 15 minutes later catching the same unit to Looe!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Surely that just reverses? There are no through trains from Plymouth to Looe as passenger trains are barred from the connection at Liskeard.

Ah, you're right, it doesn't cross back under itself, I thought it did, it just does a 180 degree turn then a reverse shortly after.

 

[DelW]

I think the last train of the day from Looe does run back to Plymouth in passenger service, and if so you can pass under then over the same viaduct in the same train. However as mentioned above, passengers have to disembark and walk between platforms at Liskeard while the DMU shunts over a non passenger connection. The morning train is ECS from Plymouth to Liskeard. I doubt any charters ever run onto the Looe branch as there's nowhere to shunt clear of the local service.

 

[Clip]

The overlander in NZ does this at Turangarere

 

[stut]

There's a handful that loop-the-loop over the Tyne bridges. Like the rather quirky 1N53 Saltburn to Carlisle via Darlington and Newcastle, which comes into Newcastle over the King Edward Bridge, out on the High Level Bridge, then crosses over the junction it came over on the King Edward, heading towards Dunston.

 

[driver_m]

Don’t know if it’s still the case, but Walsall locals used to run semi fast via Soho and then went back to Walsall all stops via Duddeston and therefore cross over itself at Perry Barr Jn. Could have been different headcodes though on arrival at New St. But I used to use this service to get my WM road learning done.

 

[33017]

I think the last train of the day from Looe does run back to Plymouth in passenger service, and if so you can pass under then over the same viaduct in the same train. However as mentioned above, passengers have to disembark and walk between platforms at Liskeard while the DMU shunts over a non passenger connection. The morning train is ECS from Plymouth to Liskeard. I doubt any charters ever run onto the Looe branch as there's nowhere to shunt clear of the local service.

If you count a 44 minute wait at Liskeard for 2L94 to shunt ECS as 5P98, then form 2P98 from a different part of the station, the you are correct. I wouldn't consider that the same service.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

The Rhätische Bahn in Switzerland has a much photographed loop over itself at Brusio near the Italian border.

 

[Esker-pades]

There's a Liskeard to Gunnislake service (and one in the opposite direction). I think that qualifies because of the crossings of the Cornish Main and the Gunnislake branch lines.

 

[IceAgeComing]

Lines 2 and 5 of the Brussels metro do this: they start at Elizabeth station; go in a big circle and then stop at Simonis station which is... down a set of escalators from Elizabeth station; with both being in the same building with the same entrance. 5 reverses there to go back around the circle; 2 goes up to Roi Badouin. Its basically a circle line where the two ends of the circle don't connect; but it still sometimes works out quicker to go to Elizabeth and change there if you want to get to the other end of the line.

 

[xotGD]

When we eventually get a Kings Cross to Huddersfield service it will cross beneath its path just outside Leeds.

 

[Dr_Paul]

If I remember correctly, there was an ECS working from Ferme Park to Cricklewood that went down through Finsbury Park, round on to the North London line via the connection north of Kings Cross, all the way around to Willesden Junction, thus crossing the Midland Main Line three times -- Camden Road, Gospel Oak and West Hampstead -- then down the West London Line, through on to the South London Line, up through the Elephant, Blackfriars and 'downstairs' at St Pancras and up the Midland main line to Cricklewood, thus crossing the NLL three times.

I suspect that the opening of the ECML to Thameslink link has put an end to this circuitous route.

 

[py_megapixel]

Romsey to Salisbury via Eastleigh stops at Romsey twice. The bizarre thing about this is that if you are trying to get from Romsey to Chandler's Ford, there are two options. One is less than 10 minutes non-stop, one is almost 45 minutes, and both are a few pages apart from each other in the same timetable leaflet!

 

[33017]

There's a Liskeard to Gunnislake service (and one in the opposite direction). I think that qualifies because of the crossings of the Cornish Main and the Gunnislake branch lines.

So there are and they pass at Plymouth. 2C74 1727 Gunnislake - Liskeard & 2G73 1749 Liskeard - Gunnislake, both SX.

 

[AndrewE]

There's a handful that loop-the-loop over the Tyne bridges. Like the rather quirky 1N53 Saltburn to Carlisle via Darlington and Newcastle, which comes into Newcastle over the King Edward Bridge, out on the High Level Bridge, then crosses over the junction it came over on the King Edward, heading towards Dunston.

A departure time and indication of the days run would be helpful...

 

[Merseysider]

A departure time and indication of the days run would be helpful...

0618 from Saltburn Mon-Sat.

 

[Caleb2010]

The Sunday afternoon service from Glasgow to Elgin arrives in Inverness on the highland main line, reverses and goes under the HML on its way to Elgin.

 

[70014IronDuke]

And in Serbia, the wonderful narrow gauge Sargan Eight really gets it "knickers in a twist". The red dots are tunnels. Well worth a visit if you get chance.

Oh, WOW! I've always had the urge to go to that area of Serbia. Now I know why!

This is 760 mm guage, is it? Diesel worked these days, one assumes?