Out Of Use Sidings / Loops

[matchmaker]

Cadder Yard on the Glasgow - Edinburgh line is a mere shadow of what it was like in the 1960's.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

There are a couple of sidings that don't get used very often at Shepperton Station, I think they used to store rush hour trains when not in use, but this stopped owing to yobbos damaging the trains some time ago.

One of the platforms too at Sheerness on Sea does not seem to get much use, although when HDL ran a special a few months ago we went in on that platform while the service train to Sittingbourne went in & out of the other platform which is used most of the time. Talking of the Sheerness branch. There are sidings/track going towards Ridham Dock that look very unused and also sidings either end of Queenbourough station and near Sheerness, all going to wards various docks and jetties, not sure how many of these are used now.

 

[route:oxford]

When does a siding become a branch?

The ones I can think of that are disused are:-

Akeman Street
Menstrie

& The stub at Dunblane

 

[Tomnick]

The Sectional Appendix gives the definitive answer!

 

[Pixa]

There used to be a train shed at West Worthing. The shed was removed a few years ago, but the rails still remain, albeit, unpowered, I believe, with some stop plates on the rails just after the points that enter that section.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I'd be interested to know what the status of the Courtaulds sidings at Spondon is. They don't appear to have been used in at least 10 years and yet last time I looked they were still connected to the mainline. I think I read that the plant is due to close in the next few months.

 

[Tomnick]

They're shown in the Sectional Appendix (indeed, there's a lengthy set of local instructions), with no reference to them being OOU.

 

[The Planner]

The Sectional Appendix gives the definitive answer!

It doesn't as there are lots of sidings missing out of it.

 

[6Gman]

I am told that the Hethersett Oil Terminal sidings are still there and available for use if needed, there may some foliage and a locked gate in the way, but it still remains signal-able as far as I am aware! Despite this, I don't think a train has been down there for a good few years, last I know of was an on track machine in the early 90's!

TP

My father was sent many years ago to retrieve a train of oil tanks from the strategic reserve sidings at Goostrey. Backed his 47 onto the tanks, coupled up, power on ... and nothing happened! Tried again ... engine straining, no movement.

Turned out the pipework had warped so much in the time the tanks had been standing there that the wagons were blocked in!

Back LD, book off!

 

[O L Leigh]

the loops nearest to platform 6 at Derby station.

Been in there myself, so can vouch for their use.

O L Leigh

 

[Tomnick]

It doesn't as there are lots of sidings missing out of it.

I know, but it will show it if it's a running line!

 

[Proud Salopian]

You will find NR don't own the carriage sidings at AF. As daft as it sounds it is true. Otherwise they would have to be inspected and maintained by NR staff to which they are not.

Eh? So who does then? Surely not BRB?

The sidings closest to the main tracks are used, as is the siding at the far end (for the DMU washing thingy)... I'm talking about the 3 or 4 in between them... so explain to me who owns what...

I would imagine they're not inspected or maintained because they are 'severed' from the network at the points and so do not need to be.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Why would NR want to pay to re-instate sidings that no TOC wants to use?

Once they are brought back into use (which costs money) they have to be maintained (which costs money), and with nobody paying to use them it would be money wasted.

I'm pretty sure re-instated sidings at AF would be used (for DMU storage), at least far more often than the sidings NR maintain at Coton Hill which only ever occasionally used...

(Quite often the available sidings at AF are full and the odd DMU finds itself being stabled at Shrewsbury station.)

Frankly it's this sort of minimalist attitude to infrastructure why we face so many problems. What really would be the cost to re-instate and maintain a few short sidings adjacent to existing sidings? Seriously?!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

My father was sent many years ago to retrieve a train of oil tanks from the strategic reserve sidings at Goostrey. Backed his 47 onto the tanks, coupled up, power on ... and nothing happened! Tried again ... engine straining, no movement. Turned out the pipework had warped so much in the time the tanks had been standing there that the wagons were blocked in! Back LD, book off!

This surprises me, as it seems that no-one had ever made an evaluation of the stock to be moved for some considerable period of time.

 

[The Planner]

Eh? So who does then? Surely not BRB?

The sidings closest to the main tracks are used, as is the siding at the far end (for the DMU washing thingy)... I'm talking about the 3 or 4 in between them... so explain to me who owns what...

I would imagine they're not inspected or maintained because they are 'severed' from the network at the points and so do not need to be.

Probably LM, therefore they lease them from NR or even own them and therefore are in charge of their maintenance. As with most things, if they don't use them and it costs to maintain them, they will let them rust!.

 

[The Informer]

They are maintained by a company called " Trackwork " . The first set of points into the yard has a big white plate on them saying " end of NR maintenance boundary " or something similar. They may well be leased from NR to LM but we have nothing to do with them as regards to maintenance and inspection regimes.

 

[swcovas]

In South Wales......sidings at Briton Ferry, Llandeilo Junction near Llanelli, also some disused sidings at Carmarthen Junction I think.

 

[dysonsphere]

The Sectional Appendix is very good thx for the tip. It appears the downloadable ones are a bit dated as the Stoke to Caldron Low is now privatly run (city and moorlands) and Leek Brook junchion to Caldron Low is back in use and Leek Brook to Stoke is being worked on. Wish them luck in that one, part of the line under the A50 in Stoke is a nice green pond.

 

[Mugby]

They are maintained by a company called " Trackwork " . The first set of points into the yard has a big white plate on them saying " end of NR maintenance boundary " or something similar. They may well be leased from NR to LM but we have nothing to do with them as regards to maintenance and inspection regimes.

Trackwork are from Doncaster. Their depot is near Kirk Sandal station.

They dismantle and remove redundant track in sidings, under contract to NR and then re-sell servicable components to anyone who needs private sidings maintaining.

 

[lewisf]

There's a siding at Hove that appears to be used as a trap point as the points are set to it when the signal is red. It also appears to be electrified too but the rails are very rusty and I've never seen anything in it.

 

[jamieintercity]

camperdown jnuction in dundee is still connected and has a signal on the mainline going into the yard but no trains since the 1980s.

also arbroath has a yard with loads of sidings but has not been used for a long time (even has a crane in the yard)

 

[matchmaker]

When does a siding become a branch?

The ones I can think of that are disused are:-

Akeman Street
Menstrie

& The stub at Dunblane

Menstrie is no more. It was not connected when the Alloa line reopened. the stub at Dunblane can only be used by Engineering vehicles.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

My father was sent many years ago to retrieve a train of oil tanks from the strategic reserve sidings at Goostrey. Backed his 47 onto the tanks, coupled up, power on ... and nothing happened! Tried again ... engine straining, no movement.

Turned out the pipework had warped so much in the time the tanks had been standing there that the wagons were blocked in!

Back LD, book off!

Thought the strategic reserve was off the Box Tunnel somewhere?

 

[james60059]

2 that spring to mind:

On the Clarebeston Road - Fishguard Harbour line, there's a loop complete with siding to Trecwn which looks like it hasn't been used in a fair number of years.

Just past Stafford going towards Penkridge/Wolverhampton there's a loop which I believe served a dairy.

 

[455driver]

The Sectional Appendix gives the definitive answer!

Really!

SWT dont even use it anymore because it is so inaccurate, they have their own route maps drawn up by a very knowledgeable person, they are used by other (freight) companies as well.

 

[Tomnick]

Hmm, doesn't sound like the best idea to me - plenty of potential for conflicting information if traincrew are using their company's own uncontrolled documents whilst Network Rail folk are using the Sectional Appendix. I've seen plenty of route maps produced by TOCs, for route learning and as a quick reference, but all carry a clear message that they don't replace the proper reading of the Sectional Appendix!

 

[The Planner]

Plenty of people inside NR (including me!) use TOC drawn maps as they provide a lot more detail.

 

[Tomnick]

Indeed, they're a lot better for some things. It's quite worrying that at least one TOC has, seemingly, dispensed with the Sectional Appendix (for operational use) altogether though!

 

[455driver]

It's quite worrying that at least one TOC has, seemingly, dispensed with the Sectional Appendix (for operational use) altogether though!

Why?

The maps only show the information that actually exists not like the SA which still shows cross overs and sidings which were removed years ago (over a decade in one example I know), the person who did the maps was so fed up with sending corrections in (which were ignored) he decided to do his own accurate ones, hence the route maps and they are 10 times better than the SA.

 

[Tomnick]

The main problem, I'd imagine, would be the regular amendments to the SA (through WONs and PONs). I'll happily agree that it's not the best document in the world to work with, but it's diffcult to make sure we're all singing off the same hymn sheet if half of us are working from something else!