Most Unusual Diversion

[D854_Tiger]

Booked or otherwise, the most unusual diversion you have experienced or heard of.

 

I once caught a Sunday Birmingham - Southampton XC service that was routed via Kidderminster, Worcester Shrub Hill, the Cotswold Line (where it doubled up as a Cotswold stopping service to Oxford), Oxford, Reading (reverse), Basingstoke, Salisbury (Laverstock curve), Eastliegh then Southampton.

 

I've read of plenty more stranger than that before all those Beeching closures such as restaurant expresses diverted via the Banbury - Cheltenham route including the Kingham Flyover.

 

Then stories of war-time trains diverted over previously closed down railways.

[The Stationmaster]

Bristol/Swansea to Paddington via Didcot, Oxford, reverse at Banbury, and thence via High Wycombe is a fairly recent one for planned diversions.

 

Banbury - Cheltenham was a booked route for certain through trains and not a diversionary route.

[Rugd1022]

When the WCML was being wired north of Rugby some Euston - N.West / Scotland services were diverted via Leamington Spa Avenue - Coventry  - Nuneaton TV - Whitacre - B'ham New St - Soho - Perry Barr - Darlaston - Portobello - Stafford, talk about going round the houses. Some also went via the Sutton Park line.

[Zomboid]

It's not that strange given that ECS go that way all the time, and at least one passenger train a day is booked as well, but one day when there was some disruption at Earlsfield I was on a train that was diverted via the district line from Wimbledon to Putney during the morning peak.

[nick_bastable]

Victoria Hastings on a snowy night  via Brighton  

 

Nick

[D854_Tiger]

In the days of Peak haulage on XC, a non-enthusiast student friend, returning to Sheffield from Birmingham, insisted the Sunday diversionary route taken had been via Doncaster.

 

I found that somewhat baffling and thought he had to be mistaken so, when it happened again two weeks later, he noted some of the signal box and junction names for me.

 

Trent (fair enough), Shirebrook, Firbeck Junction and Decoy Junction (he was most instant about that, finding it somewhat ironic) were amongst the names he couldn't have conjured up.

 

I don't know how else he could have picked up on those names but a route I still find very hard to believe.

[The Johnster]

I was once booked to accompany a loco crew 'on the cushions' from Cardiff-Didcot to relieve and work home a Sunday morning Felixtowe-Cardiff Pengam Freightliner.  Due to a combination of P.W. occupations and a derailed wagon at Badminton, we went the pretty way; Cardiff-Gloucester-Westerleigh-Stoke Gifford (on the down)-Dr Day's-Bristol East Depot-Bathampton-Hawkridge Jc-East Loop Jc-Heywood Road Jc-Reading via West of England main line.  Announcing our arrival to Control at Reading at about 05.00, about 3 hours after we should have been at Didcot and where there was no chance of a passenger service to Didcot that early on a Sunday morning, I was asked if I signed Reading (I did, to my driver's slight surprise) and we relieved the Felixtowe there, which confused the bejaysus out of the London crew who had to ride with us to Didcot for their back working.

 

An interesting railtour with a Western and mk1s, or it would have been in daylight; I was asleep for most of it!

 

By the time the Felixtowe turned up at Reading, all the occupations and derailments had been cleared away and we came home via the Badminton cut-off and Severn Tunnel, a shame to take the money at Sunday overtime rates.  We took it just the same, though...

Edited June 2, 2017 by The Johnster

[D854_Tiger]

When the WCML was being wired north of Rugby some Euston - N.West / Scotland services were diverted via Leamington Spa Avenue - Coventry  - Nuneaton TV - Whitacre - B'ham New St - Soho - Perry Barr - Darlaston - Portobello - Stafford, talk about going round the houses. Some also went via the Sutton Park line.

 

There are plenty of possible diversion combinations around Birmingham, many of which are driver retained by EC and late night booked workings.

 

Twice a day a Voyager negotiates the Lifford Curve, though heaven knows why, as it's been many years since that diversion has been used and it needs engineering work to be taking place in a very precise, once every ten year, position for it to make much sense.

 

Whitacre Junction - Kingsbury Junction is another.

 

Sutton Park line diversions are virtually unknown nowadays and certainly nothing is booked that way for that eventuality.

 

It's just one of those routes, like the Leicester - Burton line, that offers little or no diversion potential, why or when would you ever want to go that way.

 

Snow Hill and Moor St, despite them being full blown main line stations nowadays they never see any diversions from other routes, such as say XC starting or terminating there.

[Swindon 123]

Margam to Llanwern and reverse, via the Central Wales line would be one of the more unusual ones I've worked. Caused by engineering work in Bridgend platforms blocking the direct route. Hereford to Dee Marsh via Crewe, Chester and  reverse at Wrexham where quite common diversions but i believe at least once one went via Warrington and another via Northwich. Once did  Hereford to Warrington via Chester, which although a straightforward route, was very rarely done. 87 into the back of a Pacer  at Hartford was the cause of that diversion. Blockages at Abbotswood Junction have caused a few Round Oak to Llanwern trains to be diverted from Worcester via Malvern and Ledbury to get to Hereford and then Llanwern. One of the few occasions freight has worked over that route.

 

Paul J.

[big jim]

What about project rio, when the wcml was closed south of crewe for refurb/upgrade in the mid 2000s there was a service from Manchester to london via the hope valley, Erewash and MML to st Pancras

[Siberian Snooper]

I was on a Manchester to Euston train one Sunday afternoon that left Wolverhampton High Level and the next place I recognised was Coventry, I have no idea where we went. This would be in the mid '80s. I was surrounded by 3 middle-aged women and the subject of their discussion was very enlightening, it involved a French student, a chance liason, his girlfriend and some small crustaceans and how the hostess went about resolving the situation.

[great central]

What about project rio, when the wcml was closed south of crewe for refurb/upgrade in the mid 2000s there was a service from Manchester to london via the hope valley, Erewash and MML to st Pancras

Not a diversion as such, service provided by MML as part of their franchise. HSTs were recently off lease Virgin XC sets.

Limited stop service Manchester Stockport Leicester London if I recall correctly. There's still a fare in the system for that routing, open return is over £100 cheaper than direct. Do see a few advance tickets routed that way as well

[Gwiwer]

A few contenders

 

B'ham New St - Bescot - Adderley Park - Coventry - Nuneaton - Leicester due to engineering work on the direct route and a signal failure preventing exit at the south end of New Street as booked direct to Coventry.

 

Kings Cross - Hertford North - Peterborough - Spalding - Doncaster - York - Durham - Leamside - Gateshead - Kin Edward Bridge - Newcastle. Talk about round the houses but all booked due to electrification works.

 

Worthing - Brighton - Littlehampton (through but not stopping at Worthing!) - Crawley - Quarry Line - Victoria. Because the Balcombr derailment prevented the train I connected onto at Brighton taking the main line.

 

Waterloo - Ashford - Reading - Swindon - Melksham - Frome Avoiding Line - Yeovil Pen Mill & Junction - Exeter - Penzance. Waterloo was the booked Night Riviera London terminal for a short time but why did we not go via Salusbury?

[D854_Tiger]

I was on a Manchester to Euston train one Sunday afternoon that left Wolverhampton High Level and the next place I recognised was Coventry, I have no idea where we went. This would be in the mid '80s. I was surrounded by 3 middle-aged women and the subject of their discussion was very enlightening, it involved a French student, a chance liason, his girlfriend and some small crustaceans and how the hostess went about resolving the situation.

 

The original Grand Junction Route via Bescot followed by the Aston - Stechford freight line, passing en-route the cathedral to football that is the Aston Villa ground.

 

I was diverted that way, round the houses, from New St once, with a train load of Birmingham City fans heading for London.

 

As we passed the Villa ground one of them said, "Don't look" and they all turned their backs, went quiet and duly ignored the situation.

 

It's possible to leave, or arrive at, New St, in either direction, from every main line that approaches there.

 

The only route that demands one approach (the Eastern one) is the Lichfield line, from all the other routes it's possible to choose your end, although with a typical twenty to thirty minute penalty if the diversion is chosen.

 

It's also possible to avoid New St completely as nearly all freight (and your diverted service) does so.

[Zomboid]

It's also possible to avoid New St completely

And that is definitely the best strategy for life in general.

[melmerby]

When the WCML was being wired north of Rugby some Euston - N.West / Scotland services were diverted via Leamington Spa Avenue - Coventry  - Nuneaton TV - Whitacre - B'ham New St - Soho - Perry Barr - Darlaston - Portobello - Stafford, talk about going round the houses. Some also went via the Sutton Park line.

Why didn't they go straight from Cov  towards Brum?

 

Another regular diversion during the wiring of the WCML and popular with spotters was Rugby - Coventry - Stechford (where all trains were brought to a crawl before the bobby pulled off the signal) - Aston - Bescot - Bushbury- Stafford. Missing out both Brum & Wolves

There were always loads of spotters at Stechford due to the trains slowing right down.

 

Keith

[AberdeenBill]

I sadly didn't see or ride behind it, but on occasions when the ECML was closed between Newcastle and Edinburgh, Deltic-hauled expresses were diverted via Carstairs, Beattock, Carlisle and Hexham.  

 

Bill

[roythebus]

Working an up Windsor-Waterloo service one afternoon with a 508 (early 1980's), arrived at Richmond only to be told we would be there quite a while due to some sort of incident, I've forgotten what. I had on board 2 of the lat turn train crew supervisors who lived at Ashford going to start work at Waterloo, several drivers and guards, and a few other odd railway bods.

 

I suggested to the box we could reverse and go via the Kingston loop. So we did, non-stop Richmond-Clapham Junction (main line side) and Waterloo Windsor side! Those booking on were only about 20 minutes late for work.

[Phil Bullock]

. Blockages at Abbotswood Junction have caused a few Round Oak to Llanwern trains to be diverted from Worcester via Malvern and Ledbury to get to Hereford and then Llanwern. One of the few occasions freight has worked over that route.

 

Paul J.

 

Nooo - not another tractor?

 

Phil

 

 

[GordonC]

I've heard of a class 85 hauled sleeper being diverted down the Rat Hole line out of Euston. that must be pretty rare

[caradoc]

Not far in terms of mileage, but definitely unusual; One summer evening in the early 1980s I was on a Reading-Oxford DMU which ran through Hinksey Yard, presumably due to an issue affecting the Down main.

[TheSignalEngineer]

I liked the old booked diversion from Preston to Crewe via Bolton, Manchester Victoria, Ashton Moss, Denton and Heaton Morris. A Class 40 roaring up out of Victoria with 16 on a southbound sleeper was a magnificent experience, especially as we and the loco shouldn't have been on that train. We missed the last daytime train from Edinburgh as our Deltic trip down the ECML arrived late. Following a Bat out of Hell trip behind an 81 making up a 20 minute delay from Carstairs the booked 47 didn't show up at Preston and the only available thing to take us forward was the 40.

Edited June 2, 2017 by TheSignalEngineer

[pH]

I liked the old booked diversion from Preston to Crewe via Bolton, Manchester Victoria, Ashton Moss, Denton and Heaton Morris. A Class 40 roaring up out of Victoria with 16 on a southbound sleeper was a magnificent experience, especially as we and the loco shouldn't have been on that train. We missed the last daytime train from Edinburgh as our Deltic trip down the ECML arrived late. Following a Bat out of Hell trip behind an 81 making up a 20 minute delay from Carstairs the booked 47 didn't show up at Preston and the only available thing to take us forward was the 40.

I did the bottom end of that on a Glasgow-Euston one Sunday in 1972. Up until then, we had gone Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Carlisle, Appleby, Hellifield, Blackburn and Bolton. Between Eglinton Street and Crewe, we were only on the regular route from Gretna Junction to Carlisle Citadel.

[TheSignalEngineer]

Not far in terms of mileage, but definitely unusual; One summer evening in the early 1980s I was on a Reading-Oxford DMU which ran through Hinksey Yard, presumably due to an issue affecting the Down main.

I was involved in a few interesting ones in the Willesden area around 1990 including putting passenger trains through every non-passenger running line between Harlesden and Wembley Central.

[Andy W]

I've heard of a class 85 hauled sleeper being diverted down the Rat Hole line out of Euston. that must be pretty rare

I've been on a 8-car class 310 working that was diverted through the Rat Hole tunnel in the up direction towards Euston. In 12 years of commuting into Euston that was the only time I ever used the Rat Hole. Taken at a very slow speed, you could see the London Underground-style segmented tunnel linings clearly.