Trivia: Standard guage lines that never had a connection to the rest of the British Rail network?

[gazthomas]

The CAF factory at Newport must have internal track for assembly purposes, but is unconnected to the NR network.

Which is fantastic given how close it is to the mainline..... Hey, let's just use lorries instead

How about Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town?

 

[pokemonsuper9]

The CAF factory at Newport must have internal track for assembly purposes, but is unconnected to the NR network.

Yep, it has a decent bit of track within it, pointing towards the service lines which later join the main line

 

[Fermiboson]

How about Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town?

Connected at Junction to the mainline via a reversal off the bay platform, I think.

 

[Sun Chariot]

Which is fantastic given how close it is to the mainline..... Hey, let's just use lorries instead

How about Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town?

Is the Junction end no longer connected? It certainly was when I travelled over it in '88.

Connected at Junction to the mainline via a reversal off the bay platform, I think.

Thanks. You answered what I thought.

 

[eastwestdivide]

The Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield supertram and Tyne and wear Metro all have NR connections

But Sheffield only since the tram-train project

 

[EyeKay]

The Blackpool tramway connection as shown on the map posted by alex17595 was at the Copse Road depot. It was used from the late twenties to the 1940's to transfer coal wagons which were hauled by an electric loco (which still exists) to sidings at Thornton Gate

 

[LittleRedTrain]

A couple of Standard Gauge demonstration lines within heritage sites perhaps?

Things that come to mind are that at Fawley Hill near Henley-on-Thames (on the McAlpine estate) and the (sadly currently out of use) short section at Hollycombe near Liphook.
I think Statfold might also include Standard Gauge on one of its multi-gauge sections.

 

[Ashley Hill]

The Blackpool tramway connection as shown on the map posted by alex17595 was at the Copse Road depot. It was used from the late twenties to the 1940's to transfer coal wagons which were hauled by an electric loco (which still exists) to sidings at Thornton Gate.

Fascinating,here’s a link to the loco at Crich giving details on that locos history.

Blackpool Corporation Electric Locomotive (aka No. 717) - Crich Tramway Village

Blackpool Corporation’s electric locomotive serves as a reminder that not all electric tramcars were built to carry passengers. In different parts of the world trams have also been used for […]

www.tramway.co.uk

 

[vic-rijrode]

The Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield supertram and Tyne and wear Metro all have NR connections.

The Tyne and Wear Metro has more than a connection to Network Rail. From Pelaw to Sunderland station and to just east of Jarrow on the South Shields line, Metro shares both up and down lines with NR.

The Pelaw to Sunderland line may well be unique in the UK as having "Express" trains (Grand Central and LNER), Freight (to and from Tyne Dock - especially Drax), local trains (Northern) and Metro all sharing the tracks.

When the Pelaw to South Shields Metro opened in the early 80s, the tracks were segregated from NR until last year when the same sharing arrangement was put into place.

Going back to the OP, the short line at Beamish Museum has never been connected to British Rail...

 

[D7666]

A more niche way of defining a connection to National Rail might be if the driver can drive from the branch onto NR without leaving his position. In that case, whe the W&C lift was working, the driver could drive onto it and after it rose or fell drive off. That would make the lift a set of vertical points.

excellent definition (assuming, of course, that is what the OP intended) (and if NR = BR which is the OP wording)

How about Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town?

What about it ?

 

[zwk500]

excellent definition (assuming, of course, that is what the OP intended) (and if NR = BR which is the OP wording)


What about it ?

As the OP asks about 'Never' then a connection during BR days would still count, even if later removed.

 

[D7666]

A couple of Standard Gauge demonstration lines within heritage sites perhaps?

Not just demo lines at heritage sites, but some heritage site themselves e.g.
Kent East Sussex
Spa
Llangollen
easily come to mins and I a sure this forum being what is will now list the rest ...................



Methinks now this is a 'how long is a piece of string' thread (pun again intended)

 

[zwk500]

Not just demo lines at heritage sites, but some hertgae site themselves e.g.
Kent East Sussex
Spa

K&ESR and Spa Valley would challenge the 'never' part of the criteria, depending on how re-openings are counted.

 

[D7666]

K&ESR and Spa Valley would challenge the 'never' part of the criteria, depending on how re-openings are counted.

indeed
i had not finished my post .............

They are 'never' to NR but not to BR ..... and as I had already posted, only if OP really means NR = BR.

How long is a piece of string and what sort of string are we talking about ? QED.

 

[d9009alycidon]

Possibly one of the most remote stretches of standard gauge track is in the McCulloch Rail Depot in Ballantrae! There is also a stretch of track complete with OHLE near junction 4A of the M8 Heartlands Business park

 

[Gloster]

Spurn Point Railway?
I think there may have been some bits of standard-gauge in the Orkneys, particularly at Lyness on Scapa Flow.

 

[The exile]

A more niche way of defining a connection to National Rail might be if the driver can drive from the branch onto NR without leaving his position. In that case, whe the W&C lift was working, the driver could drive onto it and after it rose or fell drive off. That would make the lift a set of vertical points.

Would that not preclude any connection accessed only by trailing points, though? Driver of an 08 or 20 perhaps?

 

[HSTEd]

Would that not preclude any connection accessed only by trailing points, though? Driver of an 08 or 20 perhaps?

Those connections could conceptually be accessed by a driver making a propelling move.

 

[D6975]

Yep, it has a decent bit of track within it, pointing towards the service lines which later join the main line
View attachment 162265

It was going to be connected to the main line, as is clearly apparent from the map. BUT a problem was encountered and the connection was not made. I seem to recall that it was something to do a pipeline.

 

[John Luxton]

Smeaton's Pier St Ives Harbour. Anyone walking along Smeaton's Pier today will have noticed some railway track above the arches. This is a good distance from the station and was never connected to the St Ives Branch. There was one item of rolling stock a rail crane (it wasn't a travelling crane) which was used to insert and remove the timber baulks from the arches on the landward end of the pier to induce scouring for the harbour. There are one or two photos where one can see the crane in the distance but not seen a complete one close up. Looked like a typical railway hand crane on 4 wheel chassis.

There is the Devon Great Consols Mineral Railway which linked the mine with the port of Morwellham. Situated in the Tamar Valley near Tavistock it was standard gauge but physically isolated from the network. Details can be found here: https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MDV3880&resourceID=104

 

[edwin_m]

The Tyne and Wear Metro has more than a connection to Network Rail. From Pelaw to Sunderland station and to just east of Jarrow on the South Shields line, Metro shares both up and down lines with NR.

The Pelaw to Sunderland line may well be unique in the UK as having "Express" trains (Grand Central and LNER), Freight (to and from Tyne Dock - especially Drax), local trains (Northern) and Metro all sharing the tracks.

When the Pelaw to South Shields Metro opened in the early 80s, the tracks were segregated from NR until last year when the same sharing arrangement was put into place.

When the Metro first opened it had regular freight services from the ECML via the south to west curve east of Benton. These used a dedicated track round the back of Gosforth depot to reach the Rowntrees factory near Fawdon and the ICI explosives factory at Callerton. Callerton route was beyond the then terminus at Bank Foot and most of it was later incorporated in the Airport extension.

 

[Trainman40083]

Which is fantastic given how close it is to the mainline..... Hey, let's just use lorries instead

How about Stourbridge Junction to Stourbridge Town?

Connection to the mainline at Stourbridge Junction

IIRC, the waterloo and city used to be connected to the mainline network via a rail vehicle lift, however it was demolished to make way for the Eurostar terminal. So all maintenance now has to be done on-site and train replacements require a big crane.

I'm pretty sure the Blackpool tramway has no connection to the national rail network. Don't know if it ever had one.

The Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield supertram and Tyne and wear Metro all have NR connections.

I'm not sure what the situation is with other tramways.

I belive the DLR is isolated, even though some of it's lines use former rail routes.

Regarding the underground, looking at the carto-metro map.

The central line looks like it has a NR connection at Ruislip Depot.

The metropolitan shares tracks with Chiltern.

The bakerloo shares the watford DC line with London overground.

The circle shares tracks with the metropolitan, district and hammersmith and city.

The picadilly shares tracks with the metropolitan and district.

The victoria appears to be connected to the picadilly at finnsbury park

The nothern appears to have a NR connection at romford.

I remember seeing the "lift" area at Waterloo, close to the platform one side of the station.

 

[py_megapixel]

Does Metrolink actually have a connection? Between Navigation Road and Altrincham, for some distance out of Victoria, and within Manchester Airport station, they share the same trackbed, with Metrolink and mainline trains running directly alongside each other - but is there actually anywhere a vehicle could run from one onto the other?

 

[Trainman40083]

Does Metrolink actually have a connection? Between Navigation Road and Altrincham, for some distance out of Victoria, and within Manchester Airport station, they share the same trackbed, with Metrolink and mainline trains running directly alongside each other - but is there actually anywhere a vehicle could run from one onto the other?

If you recall, there is a connection near Bury, because locos from the East Lancs Railway were used on P Way works on that section of Metrolink.

If you recall, there is a connection near Bury, because locos from the East Lancs Railway were used on P Way works on that section of Metrolink.

In fact, a previous post under East Lancs Railway/Metrolink, around 2017 seemed to cover the link.

 

[Haywain]

I remember seeing the "lift" area at Waterloo, close to the platform one side of the station.

The lift was on the other side of the station and was lost when the Eurostar station was built.

 

[D7666]

I remember seeing the "lift" area at Waterloo, close to the platform one side of the station.

Interesting ................

............. especially as the 'lift' we are talking about here was on the other side; it was on the Windsor side, north of the station, not the Main side south of the station.

The device that was used for lifting cars to/from W&C was that on the north (high number) platforms side; the other lift on the south (low numbers) was only a sort of goods lift for components and materials

see here

BloodandCustard - Waterloo & City Line 1940 Stock

There still is a permanent crane on the south side in Spur Road; rated at about 2 tonne (?) iirc; although I have to say each time I pass there it does not look as if it is used much, if at all.

 

[Haywain]

If you recall, there is a connection near Bury, because locos from the East Lancs Railway were used on P Way works on that section of Metrolink.


In fact, a previous post under East Lancs Railway/Metrolink, around 2017 seemed to cover the link.

I believe that there was also a link just outside Victoria station in the early days.

 

[Trainman40083]

Interesting ................

............. especially as the 'lift' we are talking about here was on the other side; it was on the Windsor side, north of the station, not the Main side south of the station.

The device that was used for lifting cars to/from W&C was that on the north (high number) platforms side; the other lift on the south (low numbers) was only a sort of goods lift for components and materials

see here

BloodandCustard - Waterloo & City Line 1940 Stock

The last time W&C coaches were lifted out, was from the shaft by the road up to adjacent to platform one. I recall pictures of the crane lifting a unit appeared online at the time.

 

[D7666]

The last time W&C coaches were lifted out, was from the shaft by the road up to adjacent to platform one. I recall pictures of the crane lifting a unit appeared online at the time.

Yes, but why are you quoting my wording which is not related to that ?

That shaft has nothing to do with either of the previous lifts on either side of Waterloo main line station, both were different 'holes' in the ground.

 

[Rescars]

By definition, funiculars are normally isolated. I think a couple of the lines in Scarborough are standard gauge. There may well be others.