Double track lines singled after Beeching?

[31A]

York-Knaresborough, during the early 1970s.  Would have closed altogether I believe (not sure whether at Beeching's behest or not) but was retained as a consequence of the Eastern & North Eastern Region merger into a single HQ in York, to give relocated staff the opportunity to travel to work by train from that direction.  Consequently (despite the long passing loop between Hammerton and Cattal) it is not really possible to run the regular interval half hourly service which is now aspired to, and there has been talk of reinstating some of the double line.

[great central]

How about the woodhead east of the pennines? Single line worked as a long siding from woodbourn junction to stocksbridge for the steelworks, and single line from barnsley to hudderfield with passing loops.

 

(and I know this was due to the changing distribution of coal for power generation).

That was singled around 1984, we were doing site visits to Deepcar, on the first one the signal box was still open and run as double track including an 08 outstationed there. Somewhere I have a photo of the signal guarding a single panel of track on the approach from Penistone.

Then there's the other side of the Pennines between Dinting and Royston Vasey (Hadfield)

[Rugd1022]

There's also Bicester-Bletchley, singled sometime mid-1980's. I know it wasn't "as a result of Beeching", but it hasn't been mentioned so far, and, with a bit of Rule 1 applied, would allow for a fair variety of workings. At one point during the WCML electrification there was a sleeper booked Marylebone-BY!

 

And from Bletchley going east to Bedford a short section at each end was singled, although I'm not sure when this happened. I worked over it this morning with 4H10 Bletchley - Tunstead stone empties, it still feels like a 'Cinderella' railway.

Edited July 4, 2018 by Rugd1022

[Mark Saunders]

And from Bletchley going east to Bedford a short section at each end was singled, although I'm not sure when this happened. I worked over it this morning with 4H10 Bletchley - Tunstead stone empties, it still feels like a 'Cinderella' railway.

 

The other bit of the Land that Time Forgot is York to Knaresborough that has not really changed since it was singled umpteen years ago!

 

I am sure that it only survived for the benefit of the Headquarters staff.

 

Mark Saunders

[mikejames]

hi 

I'm sure its well known to most people but not to me!

what is the

PwayOwens site 

referred to in post no 2

 

thanks in advance for info

 

regards

mike j

Edited July 4, 2018 by mikejames

[LNERGE]

In post 2 there are a number of specific links to PwayOwens Flickr site. Here is a link to the front page sort of thing...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/

[russ p]

In post 2 there are a number of specific links to PwayOwens Flickr site. Here is a link to the front page sort of thing...https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/

That's spooky we we talking at work today about the East Suffolk been referred to as the Yarmouth lines in the past.

Diagram is odd with two sets of lines been referred to as mains

[mikejames]

In post 2 there are a number of specific links to PwayOwens Flickr site. Here is a link to the front page sort of thing...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/

 

thank you

sorry to be thick

mike james

[Vanders]

The Midland Bristol - Bath line. It basically became a (very) long siding all the way from the junction at Bristol Temple Meads to Bath Gas Works

[rodent279]

And from Bletchley going east to Bedford a short section at each end was singled, although I'm not sure when this happened. I worked over it this morning with 4H10 Bletchley - Tunstead stone empties, it still feels like a 'Cinderella' railway.

Early 1970's I think, in the case of BY-Fenny Stratford. It was certainly single before 1978/9.

Edited July 5, 2018 by rodent279

[ForestPines]

The conclusion that seems to be clear from this thread is that singling to save costs was more of a 1980s tactic than a 1960s one - does this reflect developments in signalling?

 

Another 1980s example is the Grimsby-Cleethorpes line, singled from Pasture St to Cleethorpes in '85 and in the other direction from Pasture St to Grimsby Town in um '93 I think - in both cases it was done as part of a resignalling scheme.

[Mark Saunders]

The conclusion that seems to be clear from this thread is that singling to save costs was more of a 1980s tactic than a 1960s one - does this reflect developments in signalling?

 

Another 1980s example is the Grimsby-Cleethorpes line, singled from Pasture St to Cleethorpes in '85 and in the other direction from Pasture St to Grimsby Town in um '93 I think - in both cases it was done as part of a resignalling scheme.

 

The 1980's were a time of Austerity for the railways with a Conservative Government that was very dogmatic with its approach to Nationalised Industries. 

 

The electrification of the East Coast and the associated resignalling of York to the Scottish Border was a prime example of cost reduction. Any points that could be removed were removed as each one had a cost associated with them!

 

Hence why at Thirsk there is now no Up Main to Up Slow connection north of the station the move has to be done at Longlands now. Scarborough corner at York has a single lead junction just outside of the station so that only one train can either leave towards or from Scarborough at the same time. Any train that comes from the south to go on the Slow or any of the yards must swap on to the Leeds lines at Colton!

 

Access to Holgate yard from York Station was only restored about 5 years ago!

 

edit for missing T

Edited July 5, 2018 by Mark Saunders

['CHARD]

 any of the yards must swap on to the Leeds lines at Colon!

 

 

 

surely you mean 'at Colon:'

[ejstubbs]

The other bit of the Land that Time Forgot is York to Knaresborough that has not really changed since it was singled umpteen years ago!

 

I am sure that it only survived for the benefit of the Headquarters staff.

 

Also mentioned by Steve Pearce in post #51.

 

You clearly say AFTER beeching not as ordered by him!

 

Tim may have said it clearly, but IMO it was far from clear what that meant - hence the ensuing confusion.  It depends what you mean by "Beeching", really - I reckon it could be interpreted in at least three ways:

1. After the first Beeching report was published - so basically anything from 1963 onwards (possibly excluding stuff that had been in plan prior to the report's publication);
2. As a result of the recommendations made in the Beeching report - bearing in mind (a) that not everything recommended in the report was carried out, or carried out to the extent recommended eg some lines recommended for closure were singled instead, or otherwise 'rationalised' without being closed, and (b) some other changes might have been carried out at the same time that were not recommended in the report (I don't know any examples of this but I can believe it happened - over 400 stations were already being considered for closure at the time the report was written);
3. After all the recommendations in the Beeching report had been acted upon, whether or not they were carried out fully or even at all.  Even that criterion could be difficult to pin down clearly: the S&C was recommended to be made freight only in the report, but Government consent for that was only finally refused in 1989!

His subsequent clarification does suggest that interpretation 2 is what he was after.

[The Stationmaster]

surely you mean 'at Colon:'

 

Or even Colton?

[The Stationmaster]

Also mentioned by Steve Pearce in post #51.

 

 

Tim may have said it clearly, but IMO it was far from clear what that meant - hence the ensuing confusion.  It depends what you mean by "Beeching", really - I reckon it could be interpreted in at least three ways:

1. After the first Beeching report was published - so basically anything from 1963 onwards (possibly excluding stuff that had been in plan prior to the report's publication);
2. As a result of the recommendations made in the Beeching report - bearing in mind (a) that not everything recommended in the report was carried out, or carried out to the extent recommended eg some lines recommended for closure were singled instead, or otherwise 'rationalised' without being closed, and (b) some other changes might have been carried out at the same time that were not recommended in the report (I don't know any examples of this but I can believe it happened - over 400 stations were already being considered for closure at the time the report was written);
3. After all the recommendations in the Beeching report had been acted upon, whether or not they were carried out fully or even at all.  Even that criterion could be difficult to pin down clearly: the S&C was recommended to be made freight only in the report, but Government consent for that was only finally refused in 1989!

His subsequent clarification does suggest that interpretation 2 is what he was after.

Was any line singling or major rationalisation actually mentioned in Beeching 1?  I think the answer is a resounding 'no'.  Looking at various parts of the Report there is no mention at all of potential for savings through any sort of infrastructure rationalisation in the section of the Report covering 'Operating and Administrative Economies' or in the'Summary of The Report' which immediately follows and nor is it mentioned in any of the individual case studies of certain passenger routes where singling would have been a practical economy.

 

From what I saw at the time (from outside the fence initially but later inside it) most infrastructure rationalisation was entirely a consequence of more radical thinking from railway operators and engineers plus - a very significant factor which continued for years (e.g York mentioned above) where layout renewal and resignalling could only be made an economic proposition by rationalisation.  Many, if not all of the singling schemes on the WR were very largely based on avoided relaying costs and as such the numbers made sense even allowing for the signalling costs.

[jamesg]

The Coventry to Leamington line between Kenilworth and Leamington was double track, singled in 1972.  There remains a passing loop at Kenilworth but this is not in the new station.  As far as I can tell, the stretch from Kenilworth to Gibbet Hill on the outskirts of Coventry has always been single track.

 

Milverton station (Leamington) was closed in 1965 as part of the Beeching Axe, with the stretch between Leamington and Kenilworth being singled in 1972.

 

Part of the line was redoubled in 2007 and there's talk of electrifying the route, though who knows whether that will happen.  More about the line in this Wikipedia article.

[melmerby]

The Coventry to Leamington line between Kenilworth and Leamington was double track, singled in 1972.  There remains a passing loop at Kenilworth but this is not in the new station.  As far as I can tell, the stretch from Kenilworth to Gibbet Hill on the outskirts of Coventry has always been single track.

 

There are plans for a second platform at Kenilworth  if the passenger numbers are satisfactory, which will no doubt mean more doubling.

 

Keith

 

EDIT the line was double from Berkswell to Leamington (and on to Rugby) via Kenilworth but single from Kenilworth Junction north to Coventry.

Of course the Berkswell line was completely closed in 1969 leaving only the Coventry link

Edited July 5, 2018 by melmerby

[Compound2632]

Aberdeen to Inverurie is now being re-doubled. 

 

Bill

 

Wouldn't that be quadrupled? Or have I been playing too much bridge?

[brianusa]

Also mentioned by Steve Pearce in post #51.

 

 

Tim may have said it clearly, but IMO it was far from clear what that meant - hence the ensuing confusion.  It depends what you mean by "Beeching", really - I reckon it could be interpreted in at least three ways:

1. After the first Beeching report was published - so basically anything from 1963 onwards (possibly excluding stuff that had been in plan prior to the report's publication);
2. As a result of the recommendations made in the Beeching report - bearing in mind (a) that not everything recommended in the report was carried out, or carried out to the extent recommended eg some lines recommended for closure were singled instead, or otherwise 'rationalised' without being closed, and (b) some other changes might have been carried out at the same time that were not recommended in the report (I don't know any examples of this but I can believe it happened - over 400 stations were already being considered for closure at the time the report was written);
3. After all the recommendations in the Beeching report had been acted upon, whether or not they were carried out fully or even at all.  Even that criterion could be difficult to pin down clearly: the S&C was recommended to be made freight only in the report, but Government consent for that was only finally refused in 1989!

His subsequent clarification does suggest that interpretation 2 is what he was after.

For whatever the topic meant, the ensuing discussions have been most interesting.

 

Brian.

[Calimero]

Princes Risboro - Aynho Jnc. Of course doubled again recently, well I say recently but actually looking at nigh on 20 years!

[Calimero]

Southminster branch.

[melmerby]

Princes Risboro - Aynho Jnc. Of course doubled again recently, well I say recently but actually looking at nigh on 20 years!

As mentioned in post #3

 

Keith

[russ p]

Southminster branch.

I believe that was always single

[Rugd1022]

There are plans for a second platform at Kenilworth  if the passenger numbers are satisfactory, which will no doubt mean more doubling.

 

Keith

 

EDIT the line was double from Berkswell to Leamington (and on to Rugby) via Kenilworth but single from Kenilworth Junction north to Coventry.

Of course the Berkswell line was completely closed in 1969 leaving only the Coventry link

 

The north end of the passing loop at Kenilworth starts at the bridge where Gibbett Hill junction used to be, I've spent many an hour sat in it wishing the whole route was double track!

 

The Rugby to Leamington line was reduced from double to single track and truncated at Marton Junction, where the single line from Long Itchington Cement Works trailed in.