Rare line coverage

[Requeststop]

I have an all line UK Rail Rover ticket for 3 weeks in late January/Early February. It's to clear up a lot of lines I've never covered and to finish off Wales and Scotland.

What I would like is some advice about covering some of the rare lines like Brigg, Stockport-Stalybridge, Leeds-Goole, Halton Curve and so on. The "Parliamentary" Services.

I missed out on the Inverness by-pass this summer on the Kyle-Elgin service as the train had no lighting and so we went directly into the station and transferred across the platforms to another train - spits on ground. Will it be possible to cover the by-pass during the winter time?

Are there some Parliamentary lines which may be closing in the near future which it may be advisable to cover whist there is the chance?

Thanks in advance for any sage advice.

 

[bb21]

Yes, the Inverness Rose Street curve is booked all year round.

The PSUL website is the usual source for most people, and if you are into tracking specific crossovers, you may or may not be aware of this website.

Is there any that you would like to focus on. What have you already done and which ones are you most interested in?

Not quite a PSUL move, but Watford Met may be closed in a few years. Depending on how often you go to London, you may want to cover that.

IME Leigham Junction to Tulse Hill Junction can be tricky sometimes and being in London, I don't trust it to be around forever due to the value of paths out of main stations and the relative ease of closure procedures. It is currently served on weekdays by the 1001 from London Bridge.

It is also worth checking weekends for engineering works which may enable trains to run Waterloo East - Cannon Street using the third side of the triangle, or Primrose Hill on LOROL (mostly described as North London Line services running to Willesden Junction Low Level).

If you are into overnight diversions, Thameslink services are booked over several unusual curves but are heavily subject to changes so check the schedules closely.

Edinburgh Suburban is worth doing if you are over in Scotland, on the 2105 XC from Glasgow Central normally. Shame your Rover only covers February. If you could postpone it till the end of March, the Queen Street tunnel works will see trains running Coatbridge Junction - Langloan Junction which sees no booked services normally.

Nothing facing imminent closure that I can think of, but others may know.

 

[Kite159]

Halton curve is sadly summer saturdays only. The PSUL site is very useful but be warned that sometimes trains will take the regular route (XC reading to new street).

 

[Requeststop]

Yes, the Inverness Rose Street curve is booked all year round.

The PSUL website is the usual source for most people, and if you are into tracking specific crossovers, you may or may not be aware of this website.

Is there any that you would like to focus on. What have you already done and which ones are you most interested in?

Not quite a PSUL move, but Watford Met may be closed in a few years. Depending on how often you go to London, you may want to cover that.

IME Leigham Junction to Tulse Hill Junction can be tricky sometimes and being in London, I don't trust it to be around forever due to the value of paths out of main stations and the relative ease of closure procedures. It is currently served on weekdays by the 1001 from London Bridge.

It is also worth checking weekends for engineering works which may enable trains to run Waterloo East - Cannon Street using the third side of the triangle, or Primrose Hill on LOROL (mostly described as North London Line services running to Willesden Junction Low Level).

If you are into overnight diversions, Thameslink services are booked over several unusual curves but are heavily subject to changes so check the schedules closely.

Edinburgh Suburban is worth doing if you are over in Scotland, on the 2105 XC from Glasgow Central normally. Shame your Rover only covers February. If you could postpone it till the end of March, the Queen Street tunnel works will see trains running Coatbridge Junction - Langloan Junction which sees no booked services normally.

Nothing facing imminent closure that I can think of, but others may know.

Hi there and thanks you for an excellent reply. Good news about Inverness Rose Street. I'll take the sleeper again to Inverness, or travel up from Glasgow/Edinburgh. The new Borders Railway is on my to do list, so after that I'll re-cover the Kyle Branch in the wintertime. Snowy mountains is something I don't get to see here in SE Asia. Your suggestion of the Edinburgh Suburban is pure genius. I'd never have known about that and it is a certainty that I'll cover that line. A huge thanks for that.

I didn't know about the unusual track site. I've had a quick look and it seems useful, though I'm going to have to spend a bit of time looking at how to use it. Again my thanks.

I take it that when you say Watford Met you mean the Metropolitan line (LU). I have covered that line but many years ago so maybe a re-visit is in order. I've made a note of the 10:01 London Bridge service. There are a few lines South and East of London I've never done so this is one I'll certainly cover. I have found a Glasgow-Markinch service which will enable me to cover Winchburg Jcn - Dalmeny Jcn, so I am pleased about that. I've got a lot of the Glasgow suburban lines to cover, north and south of the river, Alloa, and Carlisle - Kilmarnock - Ayr - Glasgow.

I've a lot of North Wales to do with a few rides I've never done - but I can use the timetables for that.

Heysham? does that have a winter service? and is it possible to go from Middlesborough to Hartlepool? Is the Todmorden curve open? Is there any service from Hellifield to Clitheroe? I covered the line before as an unintended diversion years ago.

Again thanks for your excellent reply. It really is appreciated.

It's a shame that I cannot stay over into March, but it's $1000 for my 21 day ticket not including sleepers, hotels, and my flights to and from Bangkok.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Halton curve is sadly summer saturdays only. The PSUL site is very useful but be warned that sometimes trains will take the regular route (XC reading to new street).

Curses! Well that'll be in a couple of years I guess. Thanks for the heads up and the advise on the PSUL site.

 

[greatkingrat]

Heysham Port is served all year round Mon-Sat - it is only the Sunday service that is summer only.

There are hourly trains between Middlesbrough and Hartlepool, usually starting from Nunthorpe.

Hellifield - Clitheroe is Sundays only.

 

[Crossover]

Yes the Todmorden Curve is open and sees an hourly service each direction

 

[crehld]

Hellifield - Clitheroe is Sundays only.

Indeed, but worth pointing out has a better service during the winter (2 trains each way in winter vs 1 train each way in summer).

 

[30907]

IME Leigham Junction to Tulse Hill Junction can be tricky sometimes and being in London, I don't trust it to be around forever due to the value of paths out of main stations and the relative ease of closure procedures. It is currently served on weekdays by the 1001 from London Bridge.

It is also worth checking weekends for engineering works which may enable trains to run Waterloo East - Cannon Street using the third side of the triangle

Leigham Jn should be safe as long as stock needs to go to and from Streatham Hill - though that's of course no guarantee against cancellation.

Cannon St to Met Jn won't be possible from January anyway.

 

[bb21]

Cannon St to Met Jn won't be possible from January anyway.

How come?

 

[30907]

See this month's MR. Affects the late night services that were diverted that way.

To do with the London Bridge job, when the CX lines move south.

Despite the article, I suspect CS - Met Jn - Bfriars Jn will still be usable, but I don't ever recall an engineering diversion that way.

 

[steamybrian]

See this month's MR. Affects the late night services that were diverted that way.

To do with the London Bridge job, when the CX lines move south.

Despite the article, I suspect CS - Met Jn - Bfriars Jn will still be usable, but I don't ever recall an engineering diversion that way.

Cannon Street- Met Jn has in the past been used many times for passenger services during weekend engineering works in the area. (Done it myself several times.!) . Usual arrangement has been to divert all passenger trains to Cannon Street and run a frequent shuttle service between Cannon Street-Waterloo East- Charing Cross.
I agree with the track layout alterations being carried out in the London Bridge area it may not be used for passenger service. Still used for ECS workings between Cannon Street and Blackfriars.

 

[30907]

Cannon Street- Met Jn has in the past been used many times for passenger services during weekend engineering works in the area. (Done it myself several times.!) . Usual arrangement has been to divert all passenger trains to Cannon Street and run a frequent shuttle service between Cannon Street-Waterloo East- Charing Cross.

Quite so. Done it myself in the 70's.

But not to/from Blackfriars. Though I suppose in those pre Thameslink days there might have been the odd diversion of the 01xx Blackfriars-Bromley N-Orpington (which I did once use, but only from London Bridge!). Or if you go back far enough the Holborn to Ramsgate papers....

 

[Bookd]

If you want a rare working in London, and don't mind getting up in the middle of the night, the 05.49 from Wimbledon to Waterloo (2L10) is routed over the usually Underground route to East Putney,joining the Windsor lines at Point Pleasant junction. There used to be a couple of late night workings in the opposite direction but these seem to have disappeared according to TrainsIM.

 

[bb21]

The evening ones have not disappeared. The 2312 Basingstoke train still goes that way.

 

[Requeststop]

If you want a rare working in London, and don't mind getting up in the middle of the night, the 05.49 from Wimbledon to Waterloo (2L10) is routed over the usually Underground route to East Putney,joining the Windsor lines at Point Pleasant junction. There used to be a couple of late night workings in the opposite direction but these seem to have disappeared according to TrainsIM.

Well I am used to Night shifts but for line coverage seems to be a little over the top, I'll certainly consider it though thanks.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The evening ones have not disappeared. The 2312 Basingstoke train still goes that way.

Just wondering what I'd do between the 2312 arrival and the 0549 departure. Think I could get in a Liverpool Street - Barking run, but when I lived in Southend in the late 70's I did that route many times. Thanks to all for advice, and using my thread for your discussions (arguments ). By the way, I'll do a weekend up in Manchester to get in Stockport - Stalybridge and Clitheroe - Hellifield, and to cover a run to Heysham Harbour, and Windermere, as well as my missing lines south and East of Manchester.

 

[bb21]

You don't have to overnight in Basingstoke, you can overnight in London. There are plenty of trains to get you back to central London from Surbiton.

 

[Requeststop]

You don't have to overnight in Basingstoke, you can overnight in London. There are plenty of trains to get you back to central London from Surbiton.

You are a very nice chap (chapess?), and thanks for your concern. I'll be looking out for services at the site mentioned earlier in the thread. I'm rather inclined to try to cover as many of my missing lines as possible during my visit to the motherland. At 62 years of age, I'll be looking at 8-10 hours of travel each day, I suppose, and using my UK Rail Pass and booking sleepers for as many journeys as necessary and hotels for those days I'll not be able to use the sleepers.

By the way, does anyone know a decent mid-price hotel near to the stations at Doncaster and Shrewsbury? The are lines in Lincolnshire I really need to cover and looking at my map of lines not covered, Doncaster seems to be a good base to work from, and there are lines in North and Mid Wales and Shrewsbury again, seems to be a good base. Thanks again for help and advice.

 

[HMS Ark Royal]

You could try and cover the London Underground service between Wandsworth Road and Battersea Park - one service in each direction per day

 

[Requeststop]

Hope all of you don't mind my resurrecting this thread. I'm still planning my trip and need advice of crossing the Isle of White from Yarmouth to either Ryde or Shanklin. This will be late January. Are there any direct bus services or would it be better to taxi it?

By the way this is my last posting from Malaysia. My job here has come to an end after 2 wonderful years. A bit unfortunate that my posting was nowhere near any rail lines. I'll be based solely at my home in Bangkok for the time being.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Hope all of you don't mind my resurrecting this thread. I'm still planning my trip and need advice of crossing the Isle of White from Yarmouth to either Ryde or Shanklin. This will be late January. Are there any direct bus services or would it be better to taxi it?

You can travel from Yarmouth to Newport on Southern Vectis Service 7 and then on to Shanklin on Southern Vectis Services 2 (the most direct) or 3 (via Ventnor). Here's a link to their timetables:

http://www.islandbuses.info/timetables/

Best of luck!

 

[Requeststop]

Thanks EbbwJunction. Your help and advice was invaluable. I've been further planning my journeys for Jan/Feb and have included Brockenhurst - Lymington - Yarmouth - Shanklin - Ryde etc.

In all, for my missing and rare lines visit, I've made plans for 127 journeys so far over my 22 days rail pass, some short, some long and some to be made of a wing and a prayer (don't know what the rail equivalent is). I've planned to wipe out the remains of Scotland over four days; (Apologies if I offended Blindtraveller with that remark) and what is left of Wales over a two and a half days. I'm not anti-Celtic, I am a proud Cornishman in fact. But the best laid plans of mice etc.

That covers 13 weekdays of my visit, nothing planned as yet for the weekends. An intravenous drip of G and NMT I think to aid recovery. If I need any help I'll be shouting. NMT is Not Much Tonic. You wave the tonic can or bottle over the glass full of Gin to introduce it to the Gin, but never add any. And as I am a "Friend of Laphroaig", a wee dram or five of the wonderful stuff when in Scotland. Compliments of the Season to you all and thanks for your help advice and your always interesting trip reports.

 

[168lover]

don't forget the one return weekday chiltern trip to paddington and back. Only passenger service to use NNML

 

[Requeststop]

don't forget the one return weekday chiltern trip to paddington and back. Only passenger service to use NNML

Hi there. Thanks for the reminder but it is a line I covered 3 years back, I'm glad to say. It was a decent ride too, and on time. Two other passengers and a couple of train/railway crew on board as well.

 

[Techniquest]

Compliments of the season to you too!

I'd imagine not going to Malaysia now must feel quite strange, good luck in the employment search!