Weirdest Oddities Still on the UK Network?

[TurbostarFan]

The fact that a busy level crossing, which is on Browick Road, is located near Wymondham station but is an AHB crossing.

 

[LowLevel]

The fact that a busy level crossing, which is on Browick Road, is located near Wymondham station but is only AHB.

There's lots of AHB crossings on busy roads. Sleaford to Boston is full of them.

 

[Llama]

Standedge tunnel has a local instruction to traincrew (and others) regarding the use of emergency telephones located in the disused centre bore tunnel. Only certain numbered cross passages can be used because of the risk of falling down vertical shafts into the canal tunnel, at a lower level, in between the railway tunnels.

 

[HaggisBotherer]

Do they not have something similar at Eridge?

I think you're getting confused with either the mailbag chute from the booking office down to platform level or when the down loop platform at Eridge was cut back to a bay (no need for it to be a through platform once the Cuckoo Line closed and trains from TWW terminated there) and the footpath from the car park was extended across the (now empty) trackbed and up steps at the platform face.

Of course both faces of the down island platform at Eridge are now no longer through lines and are used by the Spa Valley Railway. Passengers for the Big Railway have to go over the footbridge to the bi-directional (former up main) platform.

 

[krus_aragon]

I think theres a fair few stations like this around the country though the only one that comes to mind right now is Sturry in Kent.

Ty Croes is another.

 

[swt_passenger]

And at Alton for the Holybourne tanks. Slightly more unusual is that this causes a gap in the clock face timetable on a weekday with the 10:23 from Waterloo only running to Farnham to provide a path on the single line. Not that it is a frequent freight service!

It hasn’t run in ages, since Fawley stopped rail reception. We discussed the end of the rail service well over two years ago.

There’s no reason I can see not to fill in the gap in the passenger timetable. Anyone know why the freight paths are still there in the current timetable period?

 

[VioletEclipse]

Many of the weirdest oddities on the UK network are to be found at the end of platforms with cameras and notebooks.

Great post!

 

[Dr_Paul]

Halesworth station still has the level crossing in the platforms (see Google Streetview picture and details here). I travelled on this line to and from Lowestoft a couple of times around 1970 and it was disused by then, and I'm a little surprised that it's still there and hasn't been replaced by a normal platform structure.

 

[TurbostarFan]

The fact that platform 1 at Wymondham station on the down line actually slopes downwards on a portion which is publicly accessible just before the footbridge to the other platform and an alternative exit.

 

[Deepgreen]

It hasn’t run in ages, since Fawley stopped rail reception. We discussed the end of the rail service well over two years ago.

There’s no reason I can see not to fill in the gap in the passenger timetable. Anyone know why the freight paths are still there in the current timetable period?

RTT showed the working a couple of weeks back (and actually showed it as having been activated). Nothing more was seen of it that day, though.

 

[Deepgreen]

Modernisation plan diesels (Class 20's, 31's, 37's, 47's etc) still in revenue earning service after more than 50 years.

Not really that weird an oddity - they were designed to have at least a forty year life, but as so many of the early diesels fell over after such a short life, the (better) survivors now seem to have had an excessively long life. Now...the 1938 stock on the Isle of Wight...!

 

[Julia]

There is still a surfaced footpath that crosses the ECML at St Neots (at the end of Marston Road, here: https://www.google.com/maps/@52.220...4!1s9fjeT8zGGWSPKCRjtS0d1Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) - amazed it hasn't been abolished, but perhaps it survives simply because it's open fields on the other side and no-one who's aware of it has any reason to try walking across. That will no doubt change as the land is up for housing development soon.

 

[swt_passenger]

RTT showed the working a couple of weeks back (and actually showed it as having been activated). Nothing more was seen of it that day, though.

It’s odd. I suspect it possibly gets auto activated according to existing rules.

 

[_toommm_]

There are many old stations long abandoned on the network, some retaining station buildings for other purposes, some with remains of platforms. Much track has been lifted. In some places the station is no longer recognisable, in others it's hard to tell from a train that it's now closed.

Masborough in Rotherham was a large station with several platforms. The curiosity here is that a long disused platform on the west side still retains track which has clearly not been used for many years, possibly decades. You can tell it's been some time because trees are growing through between the sleepers. However live signals continue to display red aspects for that rusted route, themselves all but hidden amongst the summer greenery.

I trust someone knows not to send a train that way when it looks like a handy diversionary route.

That piece of rusted track is still on the track diagrams but it has a permanent 'SHUT' in that signal birth, as seen below:

 

[Deepgreen]

Stations which have active post boxes on the platforms (i.e. paid side) - Pangbourne up, for example. I don't know of others off-hand. Post collectors are in theory in need of tickets/permits to travel - perhaps those on the relevant rounds do have them?

 

[Strat-tastic]

This thread should be renamed QI

 

[A Challenge]

Stations which have active post boxes on the platforms (i.e. paid side) - Pangbourne up, for example. I don't know of others off-hand. Post collectors are in theory in need of tickets/permits to travel - perhaps those on the relevant rounds do have them?

If it isn't a Compulsory Ticket Area this wouldn't be needed surely?

 

[Deepgreen]

If it isn't a Compulsory Ticket Area this wouldn't be needed surely?

Maybe - I did say "in theory" as I wondered about that. It's a survivor that I was lucky enough to be present to witness:

 

[Killingworth]

That piece of rusted track is still on the track diagrams but it has a permanent 'SHUT' in that signal birth, as seen below:

View attachment 57624

Maybe they could turn the lights out after all these years? It looks strange seeing the two or three red lights shining from amongst the leaves in summer.The trees are getting quite substantial now and any train that was allowed to go that way could suffer damage unless a chain saw went before it. I'm surprised the track hasn't been lifted, but perhaps there are some vague plans for reusing it.

 

[route:oxford]

Are there any stations where road vehicles still drive onto the platforms? Euston maybe?

Perth? - https://goo.gl/maps/YFJMer37kc62
Wemyss Bay?
Inverness? - https://goo.gl/maps/6kjAV99wbtA2
Kyle of Lochalsh?

 

[Highlandspring]

The signals in question will be lamp proved which would require changes to the interlocking to remove. It’s far easier and cheaper just to leave them be.

 

[_toommm_]

Maybe they could turn the lights out after all these years? It looks strange seeing the two or three red lights shining from amongst the leaves in summer.The trees are getting quite substantial now and any train that was allowed to go that way could suffer damage unless a chain saw went before it. I'm surprised the track hasn't been lifted, but perhaps there are some vague plans for reusing it.

It's been cleared recently IIRC, at least some of it. It would be a good place to allow tripling for either freight or slow services to move out of the way of fast XC services, as opposed to waiting til it gets to Moorthorpe Goods Loop

 

[vlad]

There are a few stations that aren't accessible by road. Corrour has already been mentioned but there are others, for example Middlewood.

Then there's Smallbrook Junction, which is only accessible by rail.

 

[_toommm_]

Strines strikes me as a weird station, in that it's not on a mainline so doesnt have to have the stopping services compete with expresses as such, but only gets a roughly 2 hourly service compared to the hourly service of every other station on the line.

Why not make it a request, or even just spare 1 or 2 minutes for it to decelerate stop and accelerate?

 

[bigfoote]

One from Friday for me, London Victoria, platform 19 and the soothing clacking of the NSE clock. Tucked away from all the fancy monitors and screens. Picture is not mine (taken from NSERS.org)

 

[Killingworth]

It's been cleared recently IIRC, at least some of it. It would be a good place to allow tripling for either freight or slow services to move out of the way of fast XC services, as opposed to waiting til it gets to Moorthorpe Goods Loop

Sounds a good plan. Far too many potential capacity improvement options have been isolated and/or removed during the days when railways were thought to be in terminal decline. That policy may still be active in some places.

 

[TurbostarFan]

Stations which have active post boxes on the platforms (i.e. paid side) - Pangbourne up, for example. I don't know of others off-hand. Post collectors are in theory in need of tickets/permits to travel - perhaps those on the relevant rounds do have them?

Wouldn't a platform ticket do? I'd imagine that they must have some sort of long-term version of one.

 

[yorkie]

If it isn't a Compulsory Ticket Area this wouldn't be needed surely?

There are loads of locations which are not designated CTAs (as per Penalty Fare legislation) yet staff won't allow people to enter the platform without showing a ticket or other authority to enter the 'paid' area.

 

[Killingworth]

Strines strikes me as a weird station, in that it's not on a mainline so doesnt have to have the stopping services compete with expresses as such, but only gets a roughly 2 hourly service compared to the hourly service of every other station on the line.

Why not make it a request, or even just spare 1 or 2 minutes for it to decelerate stop and accelerate?

Ah yes, Strines, A fascinating little station, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Strines is a straggling ribbon development half a mile away down hill along the B6101 between New Mills and Marple. Keep walking down the hill a little further from the station for pleasant easy walks along the Peak Forest Canal. Head up the track on the Mid-shires Way to the Fox Inn - a pub where 2 of us walked in one day and the landlady immediately started a 60s CD playing - and as quickly turned it off when we'd paid the bill to leave! We were the only guests and wondered if she had other CDs available if we'd been younger. Worth a visit for the food and drink.

Only 24,000 passengers a year.

 

[noddingdonkey]

Wouldn't a platform ticket do? I'd imagine that they must have some sort of long-term version of one.

I'm sure there will be a standing instruction to the gateline staff to allow access on production of the postbox key or similar? There must be some arrangement for deliveries to retail units on the platforms.