Trivia - Multiple shortest routes virtually the same length

[FenMan]

I was looking up the shortest routes from Blackwater (BAW) to Clapham Junction (CLJ) - a little research as NRE (incorrectly) sometimes disallows one of the routes as part of a longer journey.

The distances are remarkably similar, according to http://www.brroutes.com/mileage/#new?:-

38 miles 68 chains: via Guildford - Effingham Junction - Surbiton*
39 miles 12 chains: via Wokingham - Ascot - Richmond

* The "normal" i.e. fastest, route via Guildford - Woking is 39 miles 20 chains.

Only 24 chains difference for two completely different routes.

Can this difference be beaten?

 

[damo44]

Radyr to Cardiff Central via Danescourt 4m59ch

Radyr to Cardiff Central via Llandaff 4m79ch. Difference 20 chains

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Birmingham New Street to London Euston via Coventry & Milton Keynes is 112 miles and 60 chains.

Birmingham Snow Hill to London Marylebone via Banbury and High Wycombe is 112 miles and 20 chains.

 

[urbophile]

What is a chain?

 

[IanM]

What is a chain?

22 yards or 1/80 of a mile

 

[CheapAndNerdy]

Teddington to Clapham Junction. Only 17 chains difference.

Edit:

Sutton Common to Streatham - only 8 chains difference!

 

[3141]

What is a chain?

Couldn't you have looked that up? You're on the internet, obviously.

In any case, a chain has featured in the measurement of distances on railways since the nineteenth century

 

[Surreytraveller]

Couldn't you have looked that up? You're on the internet, obviously

Calm down dear.

 

[kieron]

Sutton Common to Streatham - only 8 chains difference!

There are 8 chains between the shortest two routes between Caergwrle and Bebington (via Shotton and Neston, and Shotton and Chester) according to that site. The next shortest route (via Wrexham General and Chester) is another 25 chains further.

And it states that you travel an extra 6 chains if you go between Carluke and Motherwell via Wishaw rather than using the avoiding line.

Most trains which call at Carluke go via Wishaw, but there are a few exceptions such as this one.

...

Looking at the engine, I notice that it says you save 7 chains by going through Apperley Bridge between Leeds and Shipley compared with avoiding it. The Apperley Bridge platforms are 14 chains apart according to the Sectional Appendix, so that's not the reason for the discrepency.

The real next longest route is via Baildon, and the 4 miles on the site looks correct to me.

It may be a good idea to treat the results the page gives with a little caution.