Your Favourite and Least Favourite Mainline

[J-2739]

What's your favourite and least favourite UK mainline?

Favourites: WCML for its diversity
SWML for its intensive use

Least Favourite: MML for being rather dull and short (apart from its stock). Maybe ECML for the same reasons also.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Least Favourite: MML for being rather dull and short (apart from its stock). Maybe ECML for the same reasons also.

Are you suggesting that the ECML is short? At over 400 miles in length??

 

[J-2739]

Are you suggesting that the ECML is short? At over 400 miles in length??

Ok, mistake!

Though still for the dull part. Either you're crossing the flat landscape of the east or searing through the post-industrial shantytowns of West Yorkshire.

 

[Ianno87]

Ok, mistake!

Though still for the dull part. Either you're crossing the flat landscape of the east or searing through the post-industrial shantytowns of West Yorkshire.

Northumberland coastal section is rather beautiful.

 

[6Gman]

Ok, mistake!

Though still for the dull part. Either you're crossing the flat landscape of the east or searing through the post-industrial shantytowns of West Yorkshire.

Do you sleep through York, Durham, the crossing of the Tyne, Berwick and the coastal scenery beyond?

 

[J-2739]

Northumberland coastal section is rather beautiful.

I don't really do coastal scenery, but I get what you mean.

My preference is for intense urban/suburban areas, but not claustrophobic darkness such as the viaduct through West Yorkshire

Do you sleep through York, Durham, the crossing of the Tyne, Berwick and the coastal scenery beyond?

I'm off by Donny (Doncaster)!

 

[RichmondCommu]

Ok, mistake!

Though still for the dull part. Either you're crossing the flat landscape of the east or searing through the post-industrial shantytowns of West Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire on the ECML? I've never really considered Leeds to be on the ECML. In my eye's the ECML in Yorkshire is Doncaster - York - Darlington.

 

[yorksrob]

What's your favourite and least favourite UK mainline?

Favourites: WCML for its diversity
SWML for its intensive use

Least Favourite: MML for being rather dull and short (apart from its stock). Maybe ECML for the same reasons also.

The MML is one of my favourites. Lot's of interesting scenery including crooked spires, cooling towers, railway depots and disused stations. Even better scenery if you include the S&C.

My absolute favourite - difficult to choose. Probably the SW mainline from Waterloo to Exeter, continuing to Penzance via the GW mainline. Wonderful scenery throughout, thoughts of holiday. There's also a wonderful beauty in names such as Crewkerne, Yeovil Junction and Whimple.

Least favourite - probably HS1. Travelling from my home town to London used to be an event in my youth when it took over an hour. Just doesn't seem like you've gone anywhere hopping back and forth in half an hour. Also having the M20 and HS1 so close together seems to have ruined that bit of Kent. I far prefer the character (and additional space on the trains) of the classic lines in Kent.

 

[6Gman]

I found HS1 rather dull. Tunnels - grim commercial/industrial - tunnels - too much screening and bunding. Medway Viaduct was good though.

Used to find Rugby to M Keynes a bit dull, but it's so fast these days it hardly matters.

 

[J-2739]

West Yorkshire on the ECML? I've never really considered Leeds to be on the ECML. In my eye's the ECML in Yorkshire is Doncaster - York - Darlington.

I find the branch off to Leeds a major part of the artery of the ECML (much like the Liverpool branch of the WCML part of it). Basically where Virgin Trains East Coast operates.

 

[RichmondCommu]

The MML is one of my favourites. Lot's of interesting scenery including crooked spires, cooling towers, railway depots and disused stations. Even better scenery if you include the S&C. There's also a wonderful beauty in names such as Crewkerne, Yeovil Junction and Whimple.

I honestly had no idea that Yeovil Junction was on the MML. I really must pay more attention next time I travel up to Derby!

 

[yorksrob]

I honestly had no idea that Yeovil Junction was on the MML. I really must pay more attention next time I travel up to Derby!

Oops, wrong bit. Been staring at the screen too long.

I clearly need a drink.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I find the branch off to Leeds a major part of the artery of the ECML (much like the Liverpool branch of the WCML part of it). Basically where Virgin Trains East Coast operates.

Well Virgin EC operate to Lincoln but I wouldn't class that as being part of the ECML.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Oops, wrong bit. Been staring at the screen too long.

Either that or someone is celebrating the end of the working week with a beer

Happy New Year Rob

 

[yorksrob]

Either that or someone is celebrating the end of the working week with a beer

Happy New Year Rob

Alas, not quite yet !

Happy new year Richmond Commu

 

[J-2739]

Well Virgin EC operate to Lincoln but I wouldn't class that as being part of the ECML.

Is it really that frequent though? 1tpd??

If you read the Wiki article on the ECML (I know, not very reliable!), it seems to include Leeds in the list of cities it serves. Generally, I think that a line is a very part of a mainline if it gets frequent services from the original terminus, via the main operator of that line (for example GWR for GWML).

 

[RichmondCommu]

Is it really that frequent though? 1tpd??

If you read the Wiki article on the ECML (I know, not very reliable!), it seems to include Leeds in the list of cities it serves. Generally, I think that a line is a very part of a mainline if it gets frequent services from the original terminus, via the main operator of that line (for example GWR for GWML).

However on that basis would you suggest that Oxford is on the GWML?

 

[J-2739]

However on that basis would you suggest that Oxford is on the GWML?

I did say generally.

 

[RichmondCommu]

I did say generally.

So what's the difference between Leeds and Oxford?

 

[47271]

Highland Main Line

 

[fowler9]

WCML. I am biased though. It seems to me the most varied due to the nature of the different countryside and big cities it passes through.

The ECML for most of its length I find quite flat and boring. Nicer trains though. I would include Leeds as part of the ECML as I would Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham as part of the WCML. If you ignore these cities then both main lines just pass through a lot of much smaller secondary cities (Albeit very beautiful cities). The other main lines are amazing in their own way but for me don't quite hold their own against the WCML apart from maybe almost the journey from Paddington to Penzance.

 

[J-2739]

So what's the difference between Leeds and Oxford?

Well, Leeds is rather massive compared to Oxford, for a start...

It seems like most people would include Leeds with the ECML more than Oxford with the GWML though...

 

[adrock1976]

What's your favourite and least favourite UK mainline?

Favourites: WCML for its diversity
SWML for its intensive use

Least Favourite: MML for being rather dull and short (apart from its stock). Maybe ECML for the same reasons also.

Bearing in mind that the Midland runs as far north as Carlisle via Leicester, Sheffield, Wakefield Kirkgate, Leeds, Skipton, and Appleby, I would not really class that as a short mainline.

One of my favourites is the joint Great Western Railway/Great Central Railway Alternative Route via High Wycombe, as after emerging from the tunnels in North London, you pass through Middlesex and into open countryside.

In fact, as the Stourbridge Railway was my local line when I used to reside in the West Midlands, this line became part of the Great Western Railway, therefore as I've travelled along all of the main lines from London Paddington, I would go for all of them.

This includes the first mainline London - Bristol TM, Carmarthen/Milford Haven/Pembroke, Penzance, Banbury via Reading, and the route that ran to Birkenhead via Birmingham Snow Hill, Shrewsbury, Wrexham, and Chester. I have also covered the Midland Metro trams in 1999/2000 which uses most of the original GWR formation between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.

Not so much my least favourite, but a slight cooling off is the Caledonian Railway and Lancaster & Carlisle Railway heading to and from Glasgow. This can be attributed to that I only require 5 Class 390s now and once I have cleared the class, I may consider an attempt at my 5 remaining TP Class 350s.

 

[IKB]

Gods Wonderful Railway from London to Penzance.

Equal first would be the West Highland Line to Fort William.

 

[RichmondCommu]

It seems like most people would include Leeds with the ECML more than Oxford with the GWML though...

However surely your criteria applies to both cities?

Leeds is clearly bigger than Oxford but they're equally important in the grand scheme of things.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Gods Wonderful Railway from London to Penzance.

The route between Dawlish and Teignmouth is fantastic!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

West Highland Line to Fort William.

Oh yes - and WCML north of Preston especially the Lune Gorge

 

[47271]

Equal first would be the West Highland Line to Fort William.

A great scenic route, but I'm not sure that it's ever been considered to be a main line?

 

[IKB]

A great scenic route, but I'm not sure that it's ever been considered to be a main line?

Semantics

 

[cactustwirly]

Favourites; South Wales Mainline (especially between Cardiff and Swansea), Berks & Hants line and the MML.

Least Favourite: ECML - flat and boring, Cornish Mainline - way too slow

 

[Cowley]

I love all of the main lines out of London (and the other big cities in this country) that I've been on as they're so different to where I live. I love the scale and busyness of them and even the urban decay I suppose.
The WCML is very interesting, some of the ECML too, although not all of it. I rate all of the mainlines around Exeter for obvious reasons, I find the bit from Bristol to Cheltenham slightly boring but there's still things to look at...

I think probably that because going on any rail journey these days is a bit of a treat for me, that I enjoy going anywhere in this country. All the old main lines are a fascinating mix of the old and the new and with imagination I find I can picture how it was fifty or a hundred years ago.
I love reading but I can look out of a train window for hours and hours without getting bored.

 

[sk688]

Favourites : Chiltern Main Line, thanks to Chiltern Railways
WCML because it's incredibly fast
, SWML because it is well run by SWT
, GWML because it is purely run by HST ( High speed services), excluding the 180s, most of which are broken down anyway
Least favourite : Brighton Main Line, purely due to the awful service currently

I have also noticed that the Chiltern Line and the WCML ( excluding Watford DC) have far fewer suburban stations in London than other mainlines e.g TL on the MML, Southern and SWT metro etc.

Is there a reason for this