Most Unusual Rail Diversion

[Rugd1022]

I've worked freights through New St. dozens and dozens of times, it's more common than most people think. With a heavy load it can be a real pain in the Aris' if you don't get a clear run. Some years ago now a colleague of mine was working an engineering train from Washwood Heath to Wolverhampton in daylight hours and got stopped at Proof House Jcn, he had something like 1,500 tons on with a pair of very tired 37s, when he got the road he got as far as the south end of the platforms and came to a grinding halt through lack of adhesion. Unable ot move forward and after much faffing about on the phone he was given permission to set back down into the dip to try again, which he managed eventually, apparently the din was awesome! The problem with going through New St, especially south to north, is the gradient through the south tunnel is deceptively steep and the maximum speed through all of the platforms is only 10mph, so you have to judge it very cautiously indeed through all that nasty pointwork if you want to stay on the road, once you're through the station you then have the very steep climb through the (extremely damp) Stour tunnel for which you need full power, and you can't apply that until the rear wagon is off the 10mph bit. 

 

A couple of years ago I was on a freight from Crewe to Bletchley which was booked past Brum via Bushbury, Bescot, Aston and Stetchford, unfortunately there was a problem on the Aston to Stetchford chord and I was routed round in a large circle through New St, then veered right at Soho to Perry Barr thence south again back to Aston, just to get my train out of the way. By the time I'd reached Aston again the problem had been cleared so off I went to Bletchley.

 

We often have to conduct railgrinders and other yellow plant through New St, horrible jobs all of them except for the occasion I was booked to conduct a Serco man from New St. to Didcot and back on 31 285 and the DBSO set. We sat in platform 7 for nearly forty five minutes waiting for the road and set the smoke alarms off three times, we weren't popular that night and the Bobbie wanted shot of us asap. With all the racket going on I had to go up onto the concourse to use my mobile to talk to the Bobbie as he couldn't hear me on the SPT. I did enjoy thraping the 31 down through the tunnels that night!

 

[31A]

Don't the King's Cross- Edinburgh services which only stop at Newcastle use the Slow LInes at York?

 

To the best of my knowledge there's only one passenger train not booked to call at York, 0540 Edinburgh-King's Cross, and this runs through the station platforms (I used to see it quite regularly when I commuted from York to Leeds).  It always gave the impression of being an 'out of pattern' train with potential to cause disruption regardless which platform the box routed it through!  Use of the Slow Lines (=avoiding lines) by passenger trains is extremely rare; I don't believe the passenger train operators' crews have route knowledge over them.  The only time I can remember this happening was about 12 years ago when strong winds damaged part of the station roof and I think then a few passenger trains did go that way.  Perhaps they had freight train crews as route conductors.

[melmerby]

Local goods trains through New Street in the steam age (pre-rebuilding) were definitely not unusual.

 

One day I even saw a GWR 2-6-2T (51XX IIRC) on a short goods going through eastwards.

This was the only time I ever saw a GWR loco in New Street.

 

Keith

[Peter Kazmierczak]

On a Merrymaker in January 1973 from Derby to Plymouth (via Leicester), on the return the line was closed between Trent and Derby. So took the freight line at Sheet Stores and then turned right at Chellaston Junction to run via Sinfin to reach the mainline again at Melbourne Junction.

 

Was pitch black by the time this line was traversed, but I clearly remember the train going along very slowly past the International Combustion works (where Claytons and the Cuban Class 47s had been earlier assembled).

 

This was the one and only time I travelled over that line as it was closed at the end of the year.

[RJS1977]

I once got diverted through Hullavington down Goods Loop on an HST bound for Swansea owing to points failure.

 

During the month or so that I was doing a weekly commute from Reading to the Met Office in Exeter, my Thursday afternoon return train never seemed to come back the same way twice!

[cold-ash]

Over the course of the work at Reading, a fair few BHL stoppers would start at the higher numbered platforms, reverse at Tilehurst and head back towards Reading West via the old curve behind the depot. Not a problem now the fly over and associated avoiding lines are done.

 

On the subject of New St freight, when I was there in November last year there was a platform line blocked and occupied by a number of OBA (or similar) wagons with materials/waste for the work that was going on.

[wombatofludham]

I've seen the odd freight pass through New Street in daytime but a very rare event.

 

I was once on a Walsall EMU which thanks to a point failure at Bescot yard was routed behind the platform to run through to Walsall, much to the consternation of those wanting to get off at the station.  I was also once on a Manchester to Cardiff Class 155 unit which, thanks to a severe blizzard blocking all lines south to London and having all through platforms at Crewe blocked by long distance trains being held pending clearance, ran through on the centre roads before backing back into the Shrewsbury bays, an unusual manoeuvre.

[brian daniels]

I once had the rare honour of routing the Burngullow to Irvine "Silver Bullets" via the Didcot west curve, possibly the only time this train ever encroached upon tracks controlled by Reading PSB.

 

Here's a down clay train diverted round Foxhall with tanks and clay hoppers.

[40044]

And on a tangent, but on the theme of freight avoiding lines, has anyone travelled on a passenger train along the ones at Crewe?

Yes, in February 1988, from memory. A TPO coach had become derailed and was virtually on its side on the main lines alongside Crewe CS. WCML trains were either running via Stoke or via the independent lines.

[Les Bird]

One of my more interesting journeys some years ago was from Northampton to London on one of the 86-hauled commuter trains. There was a major problem further south and when my train made its scheduled stop at Bletchley, the 86 came off and two Class 25's were attached to the rear. We then set off along the line to Bedford, predictably following the branch DMU which meant we kept stopping. At this time, Bedford St. Johns was still open and the only way from the branch onto the Midland main line was via a very sharp curve through the yard. The two Sulzers resorted to sanding in order to get the twelve coach train round the curve. We then ran through Bedford Midland some considerable distance north to allow the two diesels to run round the train. Arrival in St. Pancras was quite late!. Regrettably, by the evening peak, the obstruction had been removed and the journey home was by the normal route, the coaches having been transferred back to Euston.,.

[Trog]

I was once on an EMU at Bletchley that was routed via the Goods Line Junction and Up Arrival, re-joining the Up Slow at the south end of the station after having run through the Cambridge platforms.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Apologies OT

 

I don't understand the comments about freight and New St. Not somewhere I frequented, but I had time to kill changing trains going back to York one morning and this came through http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/paulbartlettsrailwaywagonphotographs/e2db273f0http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/brelectric/e5b71f6d4 I assumed regular as clockwork. Was I incorrect?

 

Paul

In the mid-1960s the only freights were the Templecombe - Derby perishables, Sheffield - Birmingham fish, 99 trip which I think was engineers and 49 trip which was the vans from Cadburys to Water Orton. After electrification freights were supposedly banned except for the Cadbury vans and booked diversions but occasional ones did slip through.

[surfsup]

I once had a trip on SWT's Magical Mystery Tour - The 01:05 From Waterloo, which ended up via the Windsor Lines out of Waterloo, up and onto the NR/District Line from Putney to Wimbledon, onto the mainline for a short distance before coming off again at Raynes Park and down to Guildford via Epsom, reversed at Guildford for the short run back up to Woking to change ends again and down the slow lines via the Winchfield Crossover to terminate at Basingstoke at nearly 4 in the morning in an almost perfect sunrise! Rather unexpected though as I'd been to a gig that evening and was absolutely knackered when I crawled through the door!

[Gwiwer]

Crewe Independant Lines?  Yes on a railtour but not on a timetabled service.

 

Edinburgh Suburban?  Yes on numerous scheduled services mostly during electrification diversions but one or two services have often been scheduled this way for route knowledge.

 

ECML electrification was also good for many unusual routings via Leamside or sections of the GN/GE Joint as work progressed.

 

Rose Street curve Inverness was always a good one.  Nothing appeared timetabled to avoid the station but several workings arrived from the north, ran via Rose Street and reversed into the south side and at least one arrival from Aberdeen did the opposite on the occasion I was aboard.

 

Among my "star" diversions are the 08.00 SuO St. Pancras - Manchester Piccadilly which seldom managed the entire length of the Midland main line.  On one occasion I used it via Corby, Leicester (reverse), Barrow Hill, Nunnery Junction, Sheffield Midland (reverse and propel), Nunnery Junction (reverse), Penistone and Woodhead.  The overnight Paddington - Penzance is often something of a mystery and I have had it run via Swindon, Westbury, Yeovil and Exeter (reverse) on several occasions and via Newbury, Westbury and Bristol on others but always via Temple Meads, never the scenic routes!  

 

Likewise the Euston - Fort William train ((which has had its scheduled route change often anyway) has carried me over some unexpected routes including via Cumbernauld, Stirling (reverse), Queen Street and out, via Gartcosh, Springburn (facing north and reverse on the line toward Maryhill), back down loco trailing to Queen Street then out and even inbound from the West Highland via Queen Street Low Level, Springburn and Queen Street High Level.  It has also run via Queen Street Low Level to Central High Leel (reverse) thence Motherwell and once via Wishaw for good measure.

 

Mention of a surprise trip via Avonmouth brings to mind that Saturday's Pathfinder jaunt from Crewe to Meldon Quarry was apparently routed thus outbound to the delighted surprise of most on board.

[Tim H]

How many pieces of track have you traversed in opposite directions in different diversions from the same route? 

 

I can think of two - the line through Trowbridge for diverted West of England trains; north running via Melksham and Swindon, and south running via Bristol then regaining the Berks & Hants.

 

The other is the section between Aston and Soho north of Birmingham, either for diversions via Bescot, or leaving New Street at the wrong end but regaining the Stour Valley. Or even trains from the south leaving the main line at Stetchford to enter New Street from the north

[big jim]

the most annoying 'diversion' for me at the moment is when i do a bicester to hinksey train, as there are a few miles of track missing from the direct route to oxford i have to go bicester (low level) - claydon jn (change ends) - aylesbury - princes risborough (change ends) -bicester (high level) - banbury (change ends) - oxford - hinksey

 

what should be a 7 mile direct journey is turned into an 87 mile trip!

[Siberian Snooper]

Mention of Westbury reminds me of the time I got the third side of the triangle there when a stone train had derailed somewhere East of Newbury  and we stopped at Bedwyn on a Pz to Pad HST, we then reversed back towards Westbury and thence on towards London via Chippenham , Swindon ETC. once on the mainline I think the driver had us up to the 125 mark until the stop at Reading.

[eastwestdivide]

Going back to the Laverstock Curve in the OP, it was in use last weekend for XC services and Southampton containers. We were travelling from Christchurch northwards, and we'd somehow been booked on a non-existent 1030 to connect into XC at Basingstoke. The staff told us to go to Eastleigh/bus/Basingstoke, but walking over the bridge, an XC shot through, so I asked again, and we ended up taking SWT Christchurch-Brockenhurst, changing into the XC there and going via Southampton (reverse), and Laverstock Curve. Passed a fair few container trains en route.

Nobody on XC asked for our reservations on the Advance tickets, even though we were on a train an hour behind our booking.

SWT were running Poole-Eastleigh shuttles, and one per hour through to Waterloo via Fareham.

[Joseph_Pestell]

I haven't been to New Street for many years, but all I know is that during the period 1973-1993 every time I went there I never saw any freight trains except for that one time in the photo.

 

I don't know how rare they actually were. Maybe someone more local could let us know?

 

And on a tangent, but on the theme of freight avoiding lines, has anyone travelled on a passenger train along the ones at Crewe?

 

Been there and done that. A lot of trains did during rebuilding at Crewe.

[The Stationmaster]

When Crewe was shut for remodelling in 1985, pretty certain that all passenger trains were diverted via the freight lines.

 

Cheers,

Mick

They were - that's how some of us managed to 'do' some of the freight avoiding lines  (and I wasn't even a track basher , honest)

[The Stationmaster]

Over the course of the work at Reading, a fair few BHL stoppers would start at the higher numbered platforms, reverse at Tilehurst and head back towards Reading West via the old curve behind the depot. Not a problem now the fly over and associated avoiding lines are done.

 

On the subject of New St freight, when I was there in November last year there was a platform line blocked and occupied by a number of OBA (or similar) wagons with materials/waste for the work that was going on.

That was also a booked route for a number of West of England bound HSTs, which then called at Reading West (!) - much better to do it that way than on a dmu as there was droplight available for photography.  I think that was the first time I'd been round Oxford Road Curve on a diesel powered train, the previous time - many years earlier of course - was behind a Bulleid pacific enroute from York to Reading (no, the Bulleid didn't work it all the way).

How many pieces of track have you traversed in opposite directions in different diversions from the same route? 

 

I can think of two - the line through Trowbridge for diverted West of England trains; north running via Melksham and Swindon, and south running via Bristol then regaining the Berks & Hants.

 

The other is the section between Aston and Soho north of Birmingham, either for diversions via Bescot, or leaving New Street at the wrong end but regaining the Stour Valley. Or even trains from the south leaving the main line at Stetchford to enter New Street from the north

 

I've done Thingley Jcn - Melksham - Trowbridge - Westbury on an emergency diversion,  long before it reopened to passenger trains although I also did it in the opposite direction only a few weeks ago on a booked West of England Up train (with a Driver who clearly was 'feeling his way' from Trowbridge to Bradford Jcn).

 

One of my most entertaining - but not unusual -  diversions was on the Up Inverness sleeper very many years ago where we turned left at Carlisle then over the S&C thence turning right at the south end of Hellifield, all due to a derailment somewhere around Tebay.  Very fast running south of Crewe behind an electric but still well over an hour late into Euston.cnr 

[Poor Old Bruce]

On a few Sundays in 1963, the morning trains to Crewe (yes there used to Derby-Crewe trains on Sunday mornings in those days) were diverted to start from Friargate station, joining the North Stafford at Egginton Junction. After Etruria the train then went via the Potteries loop Line to just north of Kidsgrove, set back to Kidsgrove, then continued to Crewe.

 

On another Sunday, the Derby-Birmingham trains were routed from Stenson North Stafford Junction via Egginton Junction and Marston Junction into Burton.

 

On a Merrymaker in January 1973 from Derby to Plymouth (via Leicester), on the return the line was closed between Trent and Derby. So took the freight line at Sheet Stores and then turned right at Chellaston Junction to run via Sinfin to reach the mainline again at Melbourne Junction.

Was pitch black by the time this line was traversed, but I clearly remember the train going along very slowly past the International Combustion works (where Claytons and the Cuban Class 47s had been earlier assembled).

This was the one and only time I travelled over that line as it was closed at the end of the year.

 

I travelled that line a few times with test trains from Derby Research. At that time loaded 100T GLW tanks were not allowed on the main line through Spondon due to weight restrictions.

[Rivercider]

My wife has a better claim to to travelling over rare track than I have.

 

About 10 years ago returning south from a visit to relatives, her train travelled from Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads via Avonmouth, presumably by the freight only line through Filton.

 

I was most jealous, as I was working away from home at the time and had missed the opportunity of this rare diversion.

I was going to mention that route.

It was in 2003, the remodelling at Filton was in connection with adding an additional track for the new Filton Abbey Wood station and lasted two weeks.

I had been relocated by EWS and had spent just under two years commuting to Newport before my job was relocated back to Barton Hill

so for the first week of the blockade I 'enjoyed' the diversionary route via Avonmouth and Henbury.

There was a completely revised timetable which on the first monday was quite chaotic and my train was heavily delayed going over to South Wales,

It was an interesting diversion but after a week I was glad I did not have to do it any more!

 

cheers

[Lady_Ava_Hay]

I don't think my diversion is unusual but the circumstances behind it are. I travelled to Epsom from Bournemouth on a Friday afternoon a couple of weeks ago and had to change at Clapham Junction.

 

On Saturday my ticket took me via Guildford which was quite a bit quicker or would have been had the service to Bournemouth been able to get along a bit faster. Obviously the service had left the usual main line at Woking and rejoined it at St Denys. It had stopped at Havant and Fareham so the intermediate stops below Woking were adequately covered. I do know that the rails between Havant and St Denys are serviced by Southern and I was on a SWT service.

 

All this was caused by an engineering possession at Eastleigh or in that area.

 

The unusual bit was that I bought the tickets through Trainline about six weeks before I actually travelled so they must have known about the diversion then and had puzzled out a route for me around that closure.

 

BTW all thanks to the guard who joined the service at Guildford with me who allowed me to travel on an earlier service even though my ticket was specific as to time. That saved me an hour.

 

Thanks are also due to a supervisor on the covered bridge at Guildford who advised me of the correct platform and knew about the diversion.

[Rugd1022]

How many pieces of track have you traversed in opposite directions in different diversions from the same route? 

 

I can think of two - the line through Trowbridge for diverted West of England trains; north running via Melksham and Swindon, and south running via Bristol then regaining the Berks & Hants.

 

The other is the section between Aston and Soho north of Birmingham, either for diversions via Bescot, or leaving New Street at the wrong end but regaining the Stour Valley. Or even trains from the south leaving the main line at Stetchford to enter New Street from the north

 

You can actually go round in circles all day from New St. - Aston - Perry Barr - Soho or vice virsa!

 

I remember back in the '70s there seemed to be a lot of diverted cross country trains passing through New St. in different directions but ending up at the same destinations, the Bradford - Paigntons, Plymouth - Manchesters, Plymouth - Edinburghs and the like, which in those days were often heavily loaded. The Bradford Barton 'Diesels in the West Mids & Central Wales' album has some shots of these around Pleck, Perry Barr and Portobello. When these diversions occured in the days of regular 47 and Peak haulage the drivers would often find themselves on full power one minute then on the brakes the next, as the distances between the various junctions, sharp curves and permanent speed restrictions are quite short, but they still had to try and make up time where possible. The gradient between Soho and Perry Barr is very steep too which adds to the fun and games. I sign all the routes in the area and sometimes it feels as if you're going nowhere fast