Researching Concrete / Wooden Sleepers on ECML & WHRL; Kings Cross to Mallaig via Edinburgh

[RBTKraisee]

I'm looking to model parts of the East Coast Main Line, connecting to sections of the West Highland Railway Line up to Mallaig, aiming to replicate things around 1990-2000 era, and wondered where I should start researching which sections had been switched to concrete sleepers and which remained on wooden?

 

Can anyone recommend some good places where I should start my investigations?

 

Ross.

[Trog]

Cab video footage, may be some on u tube.

[RBTKraisee]

Hadn't thought of that.   Thanks!

 

Ross.

[RBTKraisee]

Okay, after watching quite a few vids, it looks like by the year 2000 the whole ECML was probably already concrete sleepers installed all the way from Kings Cross up through Edinburgh - at least on the main lines.   I'd guess this was done to support the HST traffic a couple of decades earlier.

 

Likely there are lots of wooden sleepers on some of the branch lines and yards along the way, but haven't yet found much footage for any of those - will do more research on that.   Concrete also seems to be predominant across to Glasgow and up to Craigendoran Junction, where the West Highland Railway Line actually begins.   That's where the concrete seems to give way to wooden sleepers.

 

So that's my current working plan then.   Unless anyone knows different, of course?

 

Ross.

[Trog]

I have never had anything to do with the ECML, but my WCML experience would suggest the following....

By year 2000 main running lines and major branches will be almost entirely concrete sleepers with only a very few sections of hardwood sleepered track left. However there will be some short sections of hardwood sleepered track over bridges where the ballast depth is very shallow, and perhaps in slow speed areas around major stations, most S&C will be on hardwood timbers. Minor, branch lines and loops will still be mainly on softwood sleepers, with some stretches of older concrete sleepered BH track, and newer concrete flat bottom CWR track. Sidings will be almost entirely on softwood sleepers, except if newly laid, in which case serviceable concretes may have been used.

[Pete the Elaner]

43 minutes ago, Trog said:

I have never had anything to do with the ECML, but my WCML experience would suggest the following....

By year 2000 main running lines and major branches will be almost entirely concrete sleepers with only a very few sections of hardwood sleepered track left.

 

I agree, but there may be a few exceptions.

In January this year, I was at Crewe & noticed that the fast lines through there are on wooden sleepers & the platform lines were on concrete sleepers. I was surprised this was not the other way around.

[Bomag]

2 hours ago, Trog said:

I have never had anything to do with the ECML, but my WCML experience would suggest the following....

By year 2000 main running lines and major branches will be almost entirely concrete sleepers with only a very few sections of hardwood sleepered track left. However there will be some short sections of hardwood sleepered track over bridges where the ballast depth is very shallow, and perhaps in slow speed areas around major stations, most S&C will be on hardwood timbers. Minor, branch lines and loops will still be mainly on softwood sleepers, with some stretches of older concrete sleepered BH track, and newer concrete flat bottom CWR track. Sidings will be almost entirely on softwood sleepers, except if newly laid, in which case serviceable concretes may have been used.

 

Quite a lot of the ECML (at least the south end) was concrete by the 1960's. When I was in the PW design team in 89/90 most of the fast lines on ECML and GEML were CWR FB on concrete with the usual exceptions listed above.  The slow lines were a mixture of wood / concrete FB jointed and CWR - they may have been BH but I never saw any. Banchlines and siding could still be bullhead - the run round loop at Cromer still had a good smattering of GER and M&GNR chairs when I did a survey in 90 and there were reputedly some Eastern Counties chairs in Norwich yard. I would expect the same for other sections of the ECML. For the WHL in the 90's there would be mixture of everything, including some reused NBR track from opening. I did read that they were looking to completely relay the fast section along Loch Eil in the 90's due to the impact of thrashing 37/4 down it at 80 mph for five years.   

[scottishlocos]

Sorry

 

Spanner in the works time steel sleepers have been used in Scotland i spent a whole watching them lay these in Fife in the late 90s early 2000s some of the E & G might have them 

[MikeTrice]

Google Earth has the ability to go back over historic images though most likely limited in scope. Certainly Kings Cross goes back to 1999.

[RBTKraisee]

This is awesome info guys!

 

Hadn't come across steel sleepers before, so that's another topic I'll need to keep my eyes peeled for.

 

The accuracy of my plans just keeps on improving, thanks to all the insights and experiences of all the folk on here.

 

I can't say a big enough thank you to everyone so far.

 

Ross.

[Trog]

The large scale use of steel sleepers is more a 2000's thing, use before that was not all that common. There are also a few older bullhead steel sleepers dating back to before the war in odd corners of some sidings and yards.