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Longest stretch of uk level line


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8 hours ago, Wickham Green said:

.......... except where they need a lock or three : the Croydon Canal, for instance, was anything but level. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croydon_Canal

And where any of them have been affected by coal mine subsidence.  Many formerly level lines and canals in the coalfields now go up and down in switchback fashion.

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2 hours ago, eastglosmog said:

And where any of them have been affected by coal mine subsidence.  Many formerly level lines and canals in the coalfields now go up and down in switchback fashion.

There's a limit to how far a canal can subside before people start getting wet, but I agree it's been a big problem in the past with railways.  I do wonder if they anyone ever bothers to re-survey the gradient, unless it's part of a major junction or route re-alignment, and how many of the profiles are the same as the ones the Victorians submitted in their Parliamentary Bills.  A bit of a dip will roughtly cancel out in journey time or load terms, as the train runs faster down one side and slows down on the way back up, unless there's some reason it needs to stop in the bottom of the dip. 

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On 12/07/2019 at 12:28, Edwin_m said:

The gradient book shows Brean Road Platform as the nearest station (at the unknown date the charts were prepared). 

Ah! .. but Brean Road is not in Brean, like London Road, Brighton isn't in London. I have to admit Brean Road does get to Brean a lot quicker than Brighton's London Road gets to London. I can't help wondering how many London Roads there are - not stations, just roads. After High Street and Church Street, I would guess it must be one of the commonest road names. I expect that there is a website with such information.

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There's also a London Road station in Guildford, of course - closer to London but, even today, outside.

 

Always intrigues me that on-train announcements have adopted the 'London' prefix for terminal stations in - relatively - recent years as if anybody approaching Victoria thought they'd got to Manchester or anybody arriving at Charing Cross believed they were in Glasgow all of a sudden ...................... oddly you never hear "we are now arriving at London, London bridge" !

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25 minutes ago, Wickham Green said:

There's also a London Road station in Guildford, of course - closer to London but, even today, outside.

 

Always intrigues me that on-train announcements have adopted the 'London' prefix for terminal stations in - relatively - recent years as if anybody approaching Victoria thought they'd got to Manchester or anybody arriving at Charing Cross believed they were in Glasgow all of a sudden ...................... oddly you never hear "we are now arriving at London, London bridge" !

 

You're obviously not used to dealing with the great British travelling public:wacko:

Even with the London first, many people can't tell the difference between London Liverpool Street and Liverpool Lime Street, trains departing for both from adjacent platforms at Norwich.

They run 3 minutes apart, back in Central Trains days there was even an Anglia 170 on hire so it was possible to have two trains in the same livery for the two destinations.

Once I was even asked if the train was going to London Liverpool Lime Street:lol_mini::rtfm:

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Indeed, spatial awareness does seem lacking at times ....... a good few years ago i was boarding a bus outside Hayes station and I heard someone outside asking the way to Dagger Lane : unfortunately the doors closed and we were away - so I've no idea whether anyone could advise the poor unfortunate soul that they were in the wrong Hayes !

 

 

Just in case anyone thinks we're getting completely Off Topic, I can confirm that the track in the platforms at Hayes is 'Level' after climbing all the way from Elmers End and dipping slightly from the bridge over TIepigs Lane ....... definitely no contender for longest level tho'.

Edited by Wickham Green
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On 12/07/2019 at 11:55, TheQ said:

The track across Halvergate marshes from Acle to Great Yarmouth must be fairly flat....

it's over there... about 100 yards away..

Capture.JPG

 

Overall, yes, however off the top of my head there's a definite rise and drop for a bridge on the stretch between Acle and the junction to Halvergate, it's very obvious when on the A47 and the rail line follows a similar profile. Not sure if there's anymore on the stretch between the junction and Great Yarmouth.

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8 hours ago, Wickham Green said:

Indeed, spatial awareness does seem lacking at times ....... a good few years ago i was boarding a bus outside Hayes station and I heard someone outside asking the way to Dagger Lane : unfortunately the doors closed and we were away - so I've no idea whether anyone could advise the poor unfortunate soul that they were in the wrong Hayes !

 

 

 

Certainly not unknown for tourists to get off a train at Stratford (London) and ask for directions to Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

 

Likewise Abbey Road (DLR) has a poster advising passengers how to get to the Abbey Road of Beatles fame (they need to 'Get Back' on the train and make sure they have 'A Ticket To Ride'!)

 

I've also seen a sign at Alton (SWR/MHR) advising alighting passengers how to get to Alton Towers!

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I haven't read through every post in this topic, so apologies if I am saying something that has already been covered.

Level, to me, means staying the same height above sea level. Curvature of the Earth is irrelevant, because the sea is also curved on its surface (ignoring waves and taking sea level as being properly defined). On a long, flat straight section one would see a 'crest' as the line follows the curvature of the Earth, but this would still be 'level' The train would not be climbing or descending any gradient.

Going off-topic, but sort of related: I always think of the longest straight stretch in the U.K. as being from a bit past Ashford to just before Tonbridge. However, this may be straight but it is not level, so doesn't qualify here. It may be of interest though! :)

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9 hours ago, RJS1977 said:

 

Certainly not unknown for tourists to get off a train at Stratford (London) and ask for directions to Anne Hathaway's Cottage.

 

Likewise Abbey Road (DLR) has a poster advising passengers how to get to the Abbey Road of Beatles fame (they need to 'Get Back' on the train and make sure they have 'A Ticket To Ride'!)

 

I've also seen a sign at Alton (SWR/MHR) advising alighting passengers how to get to Alton Towers!

.......... and it works the other way too I understand 'someone' ( allegedly the archetypal American Tourist ) wished to travel to Northwood on the Metropolitan Line but requested a ticket at a BR - as it was then - ticket office and was issued a ticket to Northwood Halt on the Severn Valley !

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7 hours ago, SRman said:

Going off-topic, but sort of related: I always think of the longest straight stretch in the U.K. as being from a bit past Ashford to just before Tonbridge. 

This section of straight line is only about 14 miles in length, just a bit shorter than the 18 mile straight between Selby and Hull.

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20 hours ago, great central said:

 

You're obviously not used to dealing with the great British travelling public:wacko:

Even with the London first, many people can't tell the difference between London Liverpool Street and Liverpool Lime Street, trains departing for both from adjacent platforms at Norwich.

They run 3 minutes apart, back in Central Trains days there was even an Anglia 170 on hire so it was possible to have two trains in the same livery for the two destinations.

Once I was even asked if the train was going to London Liverpool Lime Street:lol_mini::rtfm:

 

Which explains the continuous multiple announcements on the Norwich - Liverpool (as in Lime Street) service I was on that this was not the London train which was on the adjacent platform. The service I was on was a 2 coach 158 (I think it may even still have been in SWT livery) while the London train was clearly a much more serious loco hauled exercise, but I don't suppose some elements of the traveling public would notice the difference.

 

Not sure what this has to do with level lines, but there we are

Edited by Derekl
correct typo
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1 hour ago, iands said:

This section of straight line is only about 14 miles in length, just a bit shorter than the 18 mile straight between Selby and Hull.


Actually my bad ... I should have said from Ashford through Tonbridge and on to Redhill, with the unfortunate deviation at Tonbridge to spoil it! If it wasn't for that deviation, it would have been around 28 miles, I think. But fair's fair, I did get it wrong there - I wasn't paying enough attention to the (in-)accuracy of my thoughts! :D

p.s. I deserved that for taking us off-topic in the first place. :D

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5 minutes ago, SRman said:


Actually my bad ... I should have said from Ashford through Tonbridge and on to Redhill, with the unfortunate deviation at Tonbridge to spoil it! If it wasn't for that deviation, it would have been around 28 miles, I think. But fair's fair, I did get it wrong there - I wasn't paying enough attention to the (in-)accuracy of my thoughts! :D

p.s. I deserved that for taking us off-topic in the first place. :D

No worries SRman, I wasn't criticising or anything like that, I just know this has cropped up on another thread and I did a bit of research. 

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On 11/07/2019 at 21:56, brack said:

There were several lines converted from canals. They ought to be somewhere near level.

The Cromford and High Peak is remembered for its inclines, but being originallly proposed as a canal there is a good level stretch from the top of Hopton Incline to just past Newhaven Crossing, about 6.5 miles. Over the next 5 miles to Hurdlow it climbs about 25 feet.

 

Continuing the water theme, there can't be many gradients between Exeter and Newton Abbot which as about 20 miles.

 

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On 23/07/2019 at 04:00, SRman said:

 On a long, flat straight section one would see a 'crest' as the line follows the curvature of the Earth, but this would still be 'level' 

 

Hang on! It would be level, it wouldn't be flat - it would be either a curve or a section of a sphere (approximately)

 

Richard

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1 hour ago, RLWP said:

Hang on! It would be level, it wouldn't be flat - it would be either a curve or a section of a sphere (approximately) 

 

Very much the definition of flat under a central force like gravity ;)

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2 hours ago, frobisher said:

 

Very much the definition of flat under a central force like gravity ;)

 

It is two different uses of the word 'flat'

 

A cube has six flat faces. Put one on the ground and only two are level*

 

Richard

 

*just in case, if you can balance it on one of the corners, you are too clever by half!

Edited by RLWP
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On ‎23‎/‎07‎/‎2019 at 04:00, SRman said:



Going off-topic, but sort of related: I always think of the longest straight stretch in the U.K. as being from a bit past Ashford to just before Tonbridge. However, this may be straight but it is not level, so doesn't qualify here. It may be of interest though! :)

It's not quite straight either, there is a slight curve between Tonbridge and Tudeley, from memory, imperceptible when on the train but there nevertheless.

 

EDIT to remove comment someone else has made

Edited by The Lurker
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6 hours ago, RLWP said:

 

Hang on! It would be level, it wouldn't be flat - it would be either a curve or a section of a sphere (approximately)

 

Richard

But at 14/18 miles or whatever, the ends would be rather a long way off ground level, if it was truly straight & level in all planes!

No, I can't be bothered to do the maths.

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2 hours ago, RLWP said:

 

It is two different uses of the word 'flat'

 

A cube has six flat faces. Put one on the ground and only two are level*

 

Richard

 

*just in case, if you can balance it on one of the corners, you are too clever by half!

 

However, any point on the surface of a sphere is flat ;)

 

 

 

 

 

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