Which routes in the UK are considered Trunk Routes.

[andyman7]

6 hours ago, melmerby said:

Why not Newcastle - Edinburgh?

Unbelievably, until the mid 80s the line north of Newcastle was on the potential hit list if the network were to be reduced to only one Anglo-Scottish route. The Serpell report core network proposal (the most extreme of the options) showed it missing. 

[Mol_PMB]

There will be a few ‘freight’ paths for engineers and test trains, also at this time of year the RHTT diagram. 

[melmerby]

9 minutes ago, Mol_PMB said:

There will be a few ‘freight’ paths for engineers and test trains, also at this time of year the RHTT diagram. 

There was supposed 'freight' reporting code (obfuscated!) 391H that was wandering around Mid & North Wales today and should have reached Holyhead at 1126 and departed again at 1216 but was terminated at Rhyl due to problems with traction equipment.

 

NR rail inspection train?

[Mol_PMB]

Possibly, more likely the RHTT. 

[Aire Head]

5 hours ago, Kris said:

The tan lines show routes that were proposed for closure. Some happened (SR route via Okehampton and the SDJR) some did not. 

 

Not necessarily as the Aire Valley Line is shown in tan however this was projected to become a Freight only route rather than a full closure.

[phil-b259]

On 19/11/2021 at 17:52, Phatbob said:

My suggestion would be that the lines on an old BR Inter-City map would those that are "Trunk Routes"?  I'm not aware of any definitive map of rail trunk routes, unlike roads, where any road atlas will reveal the status of the road from the colour coding.

 

 

Just to point out that the colour of a road on a map is no indication of its 'trunk' status

 

While  'trunk' road can also be motorway or a primary 'A' class road (the ones with green signs), it is also true that not ALL motorways and not ALL primary 'A' roads are Trunk roads.

 

At one time 'A' class roads which were trunk used to have the 'T' letter added as a suffix on some ordnance survey maps but that practice has now ceased.

Edited November 21, 2021 by phil-b259

[sulzer27jd]

It's notable that the routes to Aberdeen are not electrified. You know, the "oil capitol of Europe" or in other words the place that pays for everything else.

[melmerby]

4 hours ago, sulzer27jd said:

It's notable that the routes to Aberdeen are not electrified. You know, the "oil capitol of Europe" or in other words the place that pays for everything else.

Not any more, oil output is way down, to about 30% of it's peak and only about 2/3rds of consumption.

It's contribution to the economy doesn't even get close to what the UK earns most money from.

[Nearholmer]

Looking at exports, oil is still a pretty large earner, although I do acknowledge that the U.K. earns a lots from non-physical exports, mostly financial services I think.

 

 

[melmerby]

15 hours ago, Mol_PMB said:

Possibly, more likely the RHTT. 

Definitely

Severazl videos of recent trips for this working

e.g.

 

[melmerby]

4 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Looking at exports, oil is still a pretty large earner, although I do acknowledge that the U.K. earns a lots from non-physical exports, mostly financial services I think.

 

 

 

Combined crude & refined petroleum still less than cars, even cars are less than they used to be

Financial Services & Tourism top the list, oil production only pays a fraction of of the UK's bills so the statement "the place that pays for everything else" is factually incorrect

[Nearholmer]

1 minute ago, melmerby said:

is factually incorrect

It is. Very much so.

 

I assumed that Sulzer27 was using hyperbole to make a point.

 

 

Edited November 21, 2021 by Nearholmer

[sulzer27jd]

25 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

It is. Very much so.

 

I assumed that Sulzer27 was using hyperbole to make a point.

 

 

 I really should know by now on this forum!!

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, sulzer27jd said:

 I really should know by now on this forum!!

I get told to put Emoji's when being tongue in cheek!

However when I do someone will pull me up saying "I don't do emojis", You can't win.

 

At one time oil was a (the?) major contributor to the UK's finances, however the currently identified reserves are only 5 years worth of our consumption (less imports) and it is only one of many industries that currently contribute to the UK GDP

Maybe it's actually a good time to be gradually getting out of the oil industry?

 

 

[Andy Kirkham]

On 20/11/2021 at 19:25, H2O said:

From the map it is interesting that the old Midland route north out of Bristol (at approx 1 o'clock angle on the map) was regarded as 'trunk' but closed c1970.

By 1970 the Midland route out of Bristol had no stations on it, so diverting services via Filton would not have not meant any great difference to the service offered.

[Tom Burnham]

Arguably the Felixstowe to Nuneaton route ought to be regarded as a trunk route nowadays. It's had considerable investment in recent years mainly due to freight traffic. Similarly Birmingham to Southampton via Oxford, Reading and Basingstoke is busy and was proposed for 25 kV electrification as the "Electric Spine", though that idea seems to have gone out of favour.

[Nearholmer]

Yes, the effective map has changed with deep-sea container traffic and “inland port” distribution hubs. It’s surprising how different the logistics of trade are from the way they were 50+ years ago.

[Kris]

Just to update this thread, today I got a response from my local MP, who's a cabinet minister (or at least his office). They don't know the answer to my question. They have suggested that I ask the Department for Transport, so I have. I wonder what response I'll get now?

[Kris]

Just to update this thread, today I got a response from my local MP, who's a cabinet minister (or at least his office). They don't know the answer to my question. They have suggested that I ask the Department for Transport, so I have. I wonder what response I'll get now?