Trivia: Stations with surviving run-around loops?

[Minilad]

Stratford upon Avon has a sizeable headhunt to enable run rounds

 

[Whistler40145]

Stratford upon Avon has a sizeable headhunt to enable run rounds

It sure does.

 

[111-111-1]

Nice picture! There were loco-hauled mail trains every night, so I would assume it was those in the main.

There was a regular weekday engineers train that used it, from memory it was late morning.

 

[Peter Sarf]

London Bridge definitely used to have a loop at the end of platform 13 to release locomotives. Don't know whether it survived the remodel (I doubt it some how). Finally managed to find a picture, knew I wasn't going mad!
As an aside, any idea what trains would of used this & why?

View attachment 76050

Oooh. Is that an MLV ?.

Nice picture! There were loco-hauled mail trains every night, so I would assume it was those in the main.

The trains to East Grinstead that are now 171s used to run from London Bridge hauled by 33s. A diesel LOCO island !.

 

[Ianno87]

London Bridge definitely used to have a loop at the end of platform 13 to release locomotives. Don't know whether it survived the remodel (I doubt it some how). Finally managed to find a picture, knew I wasn't going mad!
As an aside, any idea what trains would of used this & why?

View attachment 76050

Was removed in the remodelling.

 

[alistairlees]

Oooh. Is that an MLV ?.
The trains to East Grinstead that are now 171s used to run from London Bridge hauled by 33s. A diesel LOCO island !.

It is an MLV. I nearly added the loco-hauled East Grinstead / Uckfield services, but I don't think they ran round as the station was too busy (it would have required the adjacent platform to be free), so the loco was released by another loco coming in light engine to take out the stock. At least in the peaks, anyway. Perhaps it was different in the middle of the day London Bridge was way quieter then (people would probably be quite shocked at how quiet it was outside the peaks).

 

[Peter Sarf]

It is an MLV. I nearly added the loco-hauled East Grinstead / Uckfield services, but I don't think they ran round as the station was too busy (it would have required the adjacent platform to be free), so the loco was released by another loco coming in light engine to take out the stock. At least in the peaks, anyway. Perhaps it was different in the middle of the day London Bridge was way quieter then (people would probably be quite shocked at how quiet it was outside the peaks).

Your right, quite possibly loco release as the service was busy enough. I think there was a siding to the East of London Bridge where a 33 could lurk. The services used to leave from the terminating platforms nearest to the, slightly higher, through lines. I think the platforms that were outside the train shed in what was probably once a gap between the two halves of the station.

Yes London Bridge outside the peaks was rather dead in the terminating platforms. Just the shuttle to Victoria iirc. Certainly I can remember in the early 90s assuming wrongly that I would easily get a train to East Croydon in the late evening !.

 

[Jona26]

The trains to East Grinstead that are now 171s used to run from London Bridge hauled by 33s. A diesel LOCO island !.

Are there any regularly scheduled Class 171s to East Grinstead from London Bridge these days?

Do you mean the peak time Thameslink Class 700s?

 

[Whistler40145]

Are there any regularly scheduled Class 171s to East Grinstead from London Bridge these days?

Do you mean the peak time Thameslink Class 700s?

Most East Grinstead services are from London Victoria and are EMUs

The Uckfield service is Class 171s, but those start at Oxted at present

 

[Jona26]

I was just trying to make the point (obviously not very well ) that the peak London Bridge services were Thameslink Class 700 EMUs rather than diesel.

 

[Whistler40145]

I was just trying to make the point (obviously not very well ) that the peak London Bridge services were Thameslink Class 700 EMUs rather than diesel.

No worries

 

[Peter Sarf]

Are there any regularly scheduled Class 171s to East Grinstead from London Bridge these days?

Do you mean the peak time Thameslink Class 700s?

Sorry I never remember whether it is East Grinstead or UCKFIELD that is still diesel. The 171s never go to Victoria - ventilation better at London Bridge aiui !.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Most East Grinstead services are from London Victoria and are EMUs

The Uckfield service is Class 171s, but those start at Oxted at present

Yes. I mean Uckfield .

 

[Bevan Price]

It is an MLV. I nearly added the loco-hauled East Grinstead / Uckfield services, but I don't think they ran round as the station was too busy (it would have required the adjacent platform to be free), so the loco was released by another loco coming in light engine to take out the stock. At least in the peaks, anyway. Perhaps it was different in the middle of the day London Bridge was way quieter then (people would probably be quite shocked at how quiet it was outside the peaks).

Only a few peak hour services to/from London Bridge were worked by Class 33s. All the others were DEMUs.
In 1981 (according to 1H81 publication, Peter Watts publications),
London Bridge dep. 17:20 to Uckfield; (thence 19:10 to East Croydon).
17:34 & 17:50 to East Grinstead.
Morning: East Grinstead to London Bridge at 07:25, 08:01, 08:25. (one formed from stock off East Croydon at 07:29)
(All SX)

I think there were one or two other workings in the 1970s.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Only a few peak hour services to/from London Bridge were worked by Class 33s. All the others were DEMUs.
In 1981 (according to 1H81 publication, Peter Watts publications),
London Bridge dep. 17:20 to Uckfield; (thence 19:10 to East Croydon).
17:34 & 17:50 to East Grinstead.
Morning: East Grinstead to London Bridge at 07:25, 08:01, 08:25. (one formed from stock off East Croydon at 07:29)
(All SX)

I think there were one or two other workings in the 1970s.

I think East Grinstead got electrified eventually but Uckfield lost out. It was round about the time the short line from Eridge to Tunbridge Wells got closed - now the Spa Valley Railway. I never remember which is which just that Oxted is where the two routes split from each other. I can remember being on London Bridge and being pleasantly surprised to see locos !. Might well have been 1982.

 

[30907]

Sorry I never remember whether it is East Grinstead or UCKFIELD that is still diesel. The 171s never go to Victoria - ventilation better at London Bridge aiui !.

But in any case the class 33 workings were basically to/from East Grinstead (just one evening Uckfield out of the 8, later 6).

 

[Bedpan]

Yes London Bridge outside the peaks was rather dead in the terminating platforms. Just the shuttle to Victoria iirc. Certainly I can remember in the early 90s assuming wrongly that I would easily get a train to East Croydon in the late evening !.

Really? I had always assumed that, apart from services transferred to Thameslink, there wasn't a lot of difference between now and pre-remodelling.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Really? I had always assumed that, apart from services transferred to Thameslink, there wasn't a lot of difference between now and pre-remodelling.

Compared to Victoria, which is admittedly very frequent, London Bridge could mean a long wait. And in those days there was not much to do, food wise, if you wanted to kill time. The Thameslink 2000 services have certainly made a difference.

 

[30907]

Compared to Victoria, which is admittedly very frequent, London Bridge could mean a long wait. And in those days there was not much to do, food wise, if you wanted to kill time. The Thameslink 2000 services have certainly made a difference.

Quite so. IIRC around 1980 the offpeak fast(ish) service was the 1/2 hourly Tats and Cats (Tattenham/Caterham) ex Charing Cross plus a Brighton line stopper, whereas from Victoria there were 11tph. It improved when the through Uckfield service started. Then along came Thameslink

 

[Rick1984]

Great Yarmouth can still technically do it. Somehow the ground frame between platforms 2 and 3 survived the resignalling. If it'll ever be used however...

When I look at it I'm amazed there's enough length to turn around a loco. Must be tight

Pretty certain none exist now, but some terminal stations had a traverser or sector plate at the terminal end, a few (Ventnor?) had a turntable!

And Bembridge

 

[30907]

When I look at it I'm amazed there's enough length to turn around a loco. Must be tight


And Bembridge

Bembridge was a sector plate; Ventnor was replaced by 3-way points at some stage (guess 30s).
Moor Street had a traverser - was that the last surviving one (except at works)?

 

[Jona26]

I know what a traverser is but could someone explain sector plate to the uninitiated please?

 

[bishdunster]

A sector plate is similar to half a turntable. pivoted at one end rather than in the centre.

 

[Jona26]

A sector plate is similar to half a turntable. pivoted at one end rather than in the centre.

Thank you

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Penryn

 

[Rick1984]

Bembridge was a sector plate

Without wanting to correct, looking online it seems it was a turntable?
You can see in this picture from disused stations

Link: http://disused-stations.org.uk/b/bembridge/index.shtml

 

[30907]

Without wanting to correct, looking online it seems it was a turntable?
You can see in this picture from disused stations

Link: http://disused-stations.org.uk/b/bembridge/index.shtml

You appear to be right, though it is called both in different online sources - today's learning point
Doubtful it was ever used through the full 360deg - indeed, after it was enlarged to fit an O2 I wonder if it still could?

 

[essexjohn]

There would be no point in turning locos at Bembridge as there was no means of turning at the other end of the branch (Brading). In fact, apart from this disputed example, no station on the island had a turntable for locos. They were turned when they worked a duty Newport - Sandown - Ryde - Newport to the annoyance of Newport men.

 

[Lucan]

There would be no point in turning locos at Bembridge as there was no means of turning at the other end of the branch (Brading)

I would say there was no point in turning locos on the IoW, period. They were tank engines on short lines, perfectly capable of running bunker first. In fact every photo on the Disused Stations website shows locos with bunkers oriented towards the end of the branch.

What was at Bembridge may have been either a turntable or a sector plate, but if it was a turntable I bet they never turned the loco round, and only turned it enough to access the loop. In fact the first actual photo on that website shows a railwayman making what appears to be a great deal of effort to move the thing at all!

 

[Peter Sarf]

I would say there was no point in turning locos on the IoW, period. They were tank engines on short lines, perfectly capable of running bunker first. In fact every photo on the Disused Stations website shows locos with bunkers oriented towards the end of the branch.

What was at Bembridge may have been either a turntable or a sector plate, but if it was a turntable I bet they never turned the loco round, and only turned it enough to access the loop. In fact the first actual photo on that website shows a railwayman making what appears to be a great deal of effort to move the thing at all!

Ah so a turntable that functions only in the manor of a sector plate !. Like loints ?.