Trivia: Platforms on one 'fast' line but not the other?

[devon_belle]

I am wondering which stations are configured with a platform on one 'fast' line but not the other.

I am thinking of stations like Surbiton, which was rebuilt in its current layout in the 1930s, rather than stations like Earlsfield, which just had the up fast platform removed at some point in the past. If a station was reconfigured in this form, like Peterborough, I think this also counts.

Bonus question - what was the rationale behind the provision of a layout such as Surbiton? Is it typical to provide an up fast platform but not a down fast, or the other way around?

 

[Snow1964]

West Byfleet also has a down fast, a remnant of third track being added and line eventually quadrupled when extra track was added turning down platform into an Island.

Surbiton was rebuilt, but wasn't room to easily add another fast track, work had been done around 1913-1915 west of the station with the aim of six tracking from Guildford new line and Hampton Court junctions including the Hampton Court flyover (which had room for 6 tracks). The 6 tracks nearly got built to Surbiton, but work stopped during WW1. The electrification got as far as Claygate when stopped by the war.

The LSWR had plans to 6 track throughout from Clapham, and lots of work was done before it fizzled out due to manpower shortages during the war in 1915-16, the additional running lines and long sidings and altered bridge abutments at various locations around Wimbledon are evidence. After the war it was found that the colour light signals and electric trains meant more could be squeezed on the existing 4 tracks, so work never resumed. Surbiton was ultimately rebuilt in 1936 as part of extension of colour light signalling to handle the extra trains of Portsmouth and Alton electrification scheme.

 

[dazzler]

Hatfield on the ECML has platforms on the Up Slow, Down Fast and Down Slow, but not the Up Fast.

 

[civ-eng-jim]

Bedford (MML) has a platform on the Down Fast but not the Up.

 

[devon_belle]

I wonder if Swindon would count, as it has a single through road (although it is not quadruple).

West Byfleet also has a down fast, a remnant of third track being added and line eventually quadrupled when extra track was added turning down platform into an Island.

Surbiton was rebuilt, but wasn't room to easily add another fast track, work had been done around 1913-1915 west of the station with the aim of six tracking from Guildford new line and Hampton Court junctions including the Hampton Court flyover (which had room for 6 tracks). The 6 tracks nearly got built to Surbiton, but work stopped during WW1. The electrification got as far as Claygate when stopped by the war.

The LSWR had plans to 6 track throughout from Clapham, and lots of work was done before it fizzled out due to manpower shortages during the war in 1915-16, the additional running lines and long sidings and altered bridge abutments at various locations around Wimbledon are evidence. After the war it was found that the colour light signals and electric trains meant more could be squeezed on the existing 4 tracks, so work never resumed. Surbiton was ultimately rebuilt in 1936 as part of extension of colour light signalling to handle the extra trains of Portsmouth and Alton electrification scheme.

Thanks, this is really interesting.

 

[ANDREW_D_WEBB]

Hanwell has one adjacent to the up fast but not the down equivalent. Track alignment means the up platform is not usable for boarding and alighting

 

[swt_passenger]

Hanwell has one adjacent to the up fast but not the down equivalent. Track alignment means the up platform is not usable for boarding and alighting

But Hanwell had a down fast platform in the past, (like many other similar locations), so would be ruled out like the OP’s example of Earlsfield…

 

[61653 HTAFC]

For the time being Mirfield has a platform on the Up fast... however also for the time being there is no Down fast which probably disqualifies it.

 

[PGAT]

Battersea Park shares an island: the Up Slow with the Down Fast

 

[CyrusWuff]

Stamford Brook has a (disused) platform on the Westbound Piccadilly Line, but not on the Eastbound.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

None of the lines at that point on the Windsor side are actually designated fast or slow, it’s Windsor Reversible, up Windsor and down Windsor. I don’t think it counts.

Battersea on the Victoria lines the OP means not the SWML.

 

[swt_passenger]

Battersea on the Victoria lines the OP means not the SWML.

Oh my mistake please ignore.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Peterborough is another one: Platform on the Up Fast but not the Down Fast.

Also Dunbar, other way round: Platform on the Down Main but not the Up Main.

Acton Main Line also is Up Main only no Down Main platform.

 

[swt_passenger]

Also Dunbar, other way round: Platform on the Down Main but not the Up Main.

That was one I first thought of, also Durham, but ruled them out on the number of tracks part of the question.

 

[Magdalia]

Peterborough joined this club only recently, the platform on the up fast being an addition.

I'm wondering if Ipswich counts? The middle road used to be the up fast but is now bidirectional.

Alexandra Palace has a platform on the up fast but not the down fast, though it is now out of use.

Ely used to have no platform on the down fast but the down platform was extended outwards a long time ago now. The canopy on platform 1 gives a clue as to where the platform 1 track used to be.

 

[HamworthyGoods]

That was one I first thought of, also Durham, but ruled them out on the number of tracks part of the question.

Fair point about Dunbar!

 

[devon_belle]

Acton Main Line also is Up Main only no Down Main platform

Not sure I'm counting that one as it was built with a down fast platform that was removed in the 60s.

That was one I first thought of, also Durham, but ruled them out on the number of tracks part of the question.

I've rephrased the question to allow these kinds of stations as I'm also interested!

It seems like Woking would count presumably after quadrupling in 1904 and before rebuilding in the late 30s?

 

[swt_passenger]

I've rephrased the question to allow these kinds of stations as I'm also interested!

Well in the case of Durham, prior to electrification there were 4 lines through the station, in a conventional paired by direction layout with platforms only on the slows. But the tracks combined into 2 immediately just south of the station, with a significant curve in both fast lines between viaduct and station.

When they electrified they rationalised/optimised the number of lines down to 3, the down fast now running along the former up fast alignment, and the up lines being combined into one and running through the platform. The electrification masts stand in the line of the original down fast. Last but not least, they then smoothed the entry route into the down platform - an aerial view, (such as Google maps satellite), makes it fairly clear what they did, you can see the taper to the altered down platform edge.

 

[E27007]

St Johns, near Lewisham, in London, Platform A

 

[swt_passenger]

St Johns, near Lewisham, in London, Platform A

That’s another example that previously had a more conventional layout with platforms on all four tracks, like Earlsfield.

 

[steamybrian]

St Johns, near Lewisham, in London, Platform A

St Johns is only two platforms one each side of an island platform.

It would appear that New Cross (the next station) has 3 main line platforms (ignoring the bay for East London Line services) but they serve the 3 slow lines.

Just thought of Chesterfield which has 3 platforms but no platform on the up fast.

 

[zwk500]

Just thought of Chesterfield which has 3 platforms but no platform on the up fast.

Chesterfield has no platform on the Up Barrow Hill, but platforms on both Main lines.

 

[AJDesiro]

Rugby is similar to Peterborough, platform 4 is the up fast, but the down fast is a middle road. Upon looking at the track diagram it seems that the layout at rugby is merely for operational convenience, due to the nature of the junction it’s easier to have a middle road on one end, but not easy to have one on the other, due to the positioning of the platform and main building in association to the Birmingham flyover.

 

[AlbertBeale]

Stamford Brook has a (disused) platform on the Westbound Piccadilly Line, but not on the Eastbound.

Would it be more accurate to call the W/B Picc platform unused rather than disused?

Incidentally, I believe that situation stems from the time a century or so back when the 4 tracks along there were paired by service not by direction, with platforms needed only on one pair. When the current situation (inner "fast" tracks for Picc Line and outer "slow" tracks for District) was instituted, one side of the existing island became redundant (given the Piccadilly wasn't intended to routinely stop there), and an extra platform was squeezed onto the northern side of the station so that the E/B Districts could call,

 

[Bill57p9]

Carstairs before this year’s remodelling, though technically no up slow at this point, the up passing loop being located west of the station.

• Up main (with platform)
• Down platform
• Down main
• Down passing loop

 

[vlad]

Loughborough (Midland) isn't an answer to this question as both fast lines have platforms. However, only one of the slow lines does, so southbound stopping trains have to use the platform on the northbound line.

 

[mailbyrail]

Port Sunlight had two platforms on the outer tracks of a four track railway meaning one was on the fast and the other on the slow - I think it was Down fast and Up Slow

 

[JohnElliott]

Earlswood has or had a disused platform on the down fast line, but the corresponding platform on the up fast was demolished in (IIRC) the 1980s.

 

[Spartacus]

Loughborough (Midland) isn't an answer to this question as both fast lines have platforms. However, only one of the slow lines does, so southbound stopping trains have to use the platform on the northbound line.

While Ilkeston & Langley Mill go the whole hog with none on the slow line.

 

[SargeNpton]

Bushey has an Up Fast platform, but no Down Fast platform.