Trivia: Electrified lines with no electric services

[xotGD]

There must be a few platforms at Leeds that never see a 91 or an emu. The east facing bays and P16/17. (Actually, are these all wired?)

 

[Scotrail84]

Is it just them services or are the 380s being used throughout the day ?

AFAIK its 380s that are doing these services, they are due to start proper on the E + G this month I think.

 

[londonmidland]

How often does Bescot TMD see electric locos, if any?

 

[robbeech]

Doesn't 1E01 use the York avoiding lines sometimes? It's not normally booked for this in fairness.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

There must be a few platforms at Leeds that never see a 91 or an emu. The east facing bays and P16/17. (Actually, are these all wired?)

All platforms at Leeds are wired (prior to the rebuild, 12 (now 15) wasn't, and I recall an incident where a MkIV set was routed in there with predictable results!) and although I've never seen anything electric in 17, I have seen a Doncaster service use 16 after coming off the depot. Never seen 7 used by an electric but 14 used to regularly have a 321 stabled OOS in.

EDIT: For those unfamiliar with Leeds station, platforms 7 and 14 are something of an oddity, being bays facing York which see a few services per day (7) or are used very rarely for passenger services (14). Though both are wired, there are no possible destinations for electric services in that direction for the next few years at least.

There used to be a short length of catenary in Healey Mills yard- presumably for either gauging, testing or training purposes. Not sure if it was ever energised (probably not), but I'm pretty sure no loco or EMU will have used it!

 

[delt1c]

Overground do use it as an emergency turnback siding during disruption.

Changed since my commuting days on WA when the Graham road curve was almost mothballed

 

[route101]

AFAIK its 380s that are doing these services, they are due to start proper on the E + G this month I think.

If so they are operating tonight?
I want to try 380 on E + G but not at that time

 

[route101]

What about Holytown ?
Also that bit of electrfied line heading on the tyne valley line just south of Carlisle station , has anything used that?

 

[DanNCL]

Do they test the wires to check they are working ?

I don't know if they do test the wires in any of Newcastle's bay platforms or not (I've never seen anything other than DMUs and 67s in the bays); though I'd be surprised if the wires for platforms 5 and 6 weren't tested, seeing that there is always the possibility of them being used for electric freight trains (on the rare occasions when electric locos are actually used on freight through Newcastle)

 

[scrapy]

I don't know if they do test the wires in any of Newcastle's bay platforms or not (I've never seen anything other than DMUs and 67s in the bays); though I'd be surprised if the wires for platforms 5 and 6 weren't tested, seeing that there is always the possibility of them being used for electric freight trains (on the rare occasions when electric locos are actually used on freight through Newcastle)

No regular electrics through Earlestown platforms 4 and 5.

 

[Class 170101]

Does anything use the electrified Stamford down line, north of Peterborough?

In years gone by, occasional East Coast services calling at Peterborough were booked via the Down Slow/Stamford to be overtaken. Don't think it has anything booked at the moment.

17:49 Kings Cross to Leeds

You can tell this train uses it by the addition of Helpston Jn which the other trains don't have using the fast lines.

 

[Scotrail84]

If so they are operating tonight?
I want to try 380 on E + G but not at that time

I asked tonight and its turbos tonight, it could be the 380s start from the timetable change this month.

 

[Martin66]

Although not lines as such; platform 1 and platforms 5 to 12 at Newcastle are electrified, but never used by electric trains

I don't know if they do test the wires in any of Newcastle's bay platforms or not (I've never seen anything other than DMUs and 67s in the bays); though I'd be surprised if the wires for platforms 5 and 6 weren't tested, seeing that there is always the possibility of them being used for electric freight trains (on the rare occasions when electric locos are actually used on freight through Newcastle)

Many years ago on returning late at night on a 225 from London we arrived on platform 5/6 due to engineering work. We had to exit via the buffet door.

 

[thenorthern]

The Chathill services are electrified throughout for the part where passenger trains run but I think there is a siding which the trains use to turn round which isn't electrified.

There is a link from Hamsted to the Smethwick area through Winson Green which is used by some Rugeley trains which are at the moment diesel but not sure about anything else.

 

[swt_passenger]

The Chathill services are electrified throughout for the part where passenger trains run but I think there is a siding which the trains use to turn round which isn't electrified..

RTT reckons the shunt from Chathill uses Craghill Loop, (near Belford) that looks like it has four track gantries (but perhaps they're not wired?), but the services interwork with Metrocentre and Hexham in the current timetable. That'll be the main reason DMUs must be used in the present timetable.

 

[bonzawe]

Doesn't 1E01 use the York avoiding lines sometimes? It's not normally booked for this in fairness.

Would VTEC crew sign the avoiding lines at York?

 

[driver_m]

When was the last time Allerton - Garston saw any train? Never mind an electric.....

 

[xotGD]

A few more:

Wired siding just north of Northallerton station.
Sidings north of Wakefield Westgate
Line from Low Fell Yard towards Norwood Junction (used in the past for electric locos to run round sets of parcels / mail vans)
Leeds avoiding curve.

Are the south-facing bays at Doncaster wired?

 

[robbeech]

Would VTEC crew sign the avoiding lines at York?

I've only been over them once in the down direction with a few other forum members on a railtour. It was a vtec driver, though i'm not sure what the rules are and how they differ with railtours.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

A few more:

Wired siding just north of Northallerton station.
Sidings north of Wakefield Westgate
Line from Low Fell Yard towards Norwood Junction (used in the past for electric locos to run round sets of parcels / mail vans)
Leeds avoiding curve.

Are the south-facing bays at Doncaster wired?

The sidings North of Westgate (Wrenthorpe loop) were used to store brand new 333s en route to Neville Hill, though whether they ran under their own power is another matter. Crippled IC225 sets have been put in there in the past, too. The wires are energised though, which unfortunately led to a local youth being killed when climbing on hoppers which were parked there a few years ago.

 

[Failed Unit]

Doesn't 1E01 use the York avoiding lines sometimes? It's not normally booked for this in fairness.

Never experienced it myself. Understand the speed restriction is harsh and operationally more difficult because of pathing conflict. The sleepers have always gone through the station as well.

Seen 86s and 90s use it but not recently. Not sure if and electric frieght goes that far north anymore on ECML.

 

[gg1]

I doubt the 2 electrified stabling sidings next to New Street powerbox have seen an electric loco since the 90s. It's rare to see anything in them at all these days, I've seen the occasional track machine but haven't seen a thunderbird loco there for years.

 

[Clansman]

The wires serving Haymarket Platform 0 haven't been used in a long time, and I imagine those above 1 and 2 don't see regular usage either.

 

[InOban]

Not at the moment. A proportion of trains from the Linlithgow direction use the crossovers West of Haymarket to come in by the Fife lines, because of congestion on the others, but I don't think that Bathgate trains ever come in that way, although they could.

 

[RichmondCommu]

There is a stretch of electrified track at the RTC in Derby which I wouldn't have thought has seen any use since the day's of the old BR testing section.

 

[NotATrainspott]

The wires serving Haymarket Platform 0 haven't been used in a long time, and I imagine those above 1 and 2 don't see regular usage either.

Not at the moment. A proportion of trains from the Linlithgow direction use the crossovers West of Haymarket to come in by the Fife lines, because of congestion on the others, but I don't think that Bathgate trains ever come in that way, although they could.

2H04 from Helensburgh uses Platform 1 at Haymarket and then 16 at Edinburgh. Only one minute earlier a Shotts line train comes in and it can't use the Fife lines. This is just one example and I'm quite sure there are plenty of other times the wires are used.

 

[Lrd]

The WCML between Euston and Milton Keynes hasn't seen many trains let alone electric ones this morning

 

[najaB]

This is just one example and I'm quite sure there are plenty of other times the wires are used.

There are, indeed. Looking at a weekday timetable it looks like at least two dozen services that operate to/from electrified destinations which call at Platforms 1 or 2.

 

[InOban]

I appreciate your research.

 

[NotATrainspott]

I appreciate your research.

I remember being on Helensburgh trains and being very surprised to go through Platforms 1 and 2 at Haymarket. When your mental model is that Platforms 1 and 2 are for Forth Bridge trains while 3 and 4 are for everywhere else, it is a bit jarring to see an exception. Presumably it doesn't confuse non-enthusiasts so much as they're somewhat less likely to read any significance into the normal platform allocations.