ashby de la zouch - anything use the line?

[M7R]

I have been trying to look on real train times etc to see if anything actually uses the line through ashby de la zouch but I am not sure if anything actually does? I might be searching for the wrong junction or crossing or signal etc? Any help or is it a rarely used freight diversion?

 

[Freightmaster]

I have been trying to look on real train times etc to see if anything actually uses the line through ashby de la zouch but I am not sure if anything actually does?

The only regular movement is an empty GBRf operated stone train from Tinsley to Bardon Hill
which runs two or three times a week, passing Ashby around 13.50.




MARK

 

[M7R]

Hi Mark thanks for that, I just found it too, oddly when searching for Swannington and some ither places the line passes through real train times doesn’t bring them up, but when I got to Moria that did pop up.

Seems a very quiet and under used line. I see there are calls every so often to re introduce running along there back to burton and Leicester but as yet nothing solid.

Not a good line for spotting on then.

I guessed it was used a little as I cross the line at Swannington some times on my way too and from work and the tack always looks shiny(ish)

 

[Spartacus]

The line sees a good amount of use between Knighton Jn and Coalville Mantle Lane sidings, but beyond that it's rare it seems more than one train a day.

Colas have had 56078 traverse the route a couple of times today though. GBRf's train should run tomorrow, 66750 if it runs the same as last week.

 

[Freightmaster]

Hi Mark thanks for that, I just found it too, oddly when searching for Swannington and some ither places the line passes through real train times doesn’t bring them up...

Lounge Junction is the closest TRUST timing point to Ashby.



MARK

 

[whhistle]

The S-Stock took this route when being delivered didnt it?

 

[DH1Commuter]

I believe this line came within a whisker of being re-opened for passenger use in the early 90s, as Ivanhoe Line pt 2. A great shame it never came to pass when re-openings were cheaper and faster, as it would be rather useful.

 

[DPWH]

I believe this line came within a whisker of being re-opened for passenger use in the early 90s, as Ivanhoe Line pt 2. A great shame it never came to pass when re-openings were cheaper and faster, as it would be rather useful.

Be rather useful for what? The whole line seems to be of little strategic importance.

The primarily important main lines in this country all radiate out of London. Let's call that "Nodule 1". The MML would be an example.

The secondarily important lines radiate out of either Manchester or Birmingham. The Leicester-Birmingham line would be an example.

The tertiarily important lines radiate out of other cities such as Bristol, Leicester, Norwich, etc.

The Leicester-Burton line is fourth category - as it doesn't link Leicester (where the junction is facing the wrong way), and Burton, Coalville, Ashby are hardly cities of any size.

It also suffers from mining subsidence, which means both speed restrictions and increased p-way costs, particularly if you wanted to upgrade it for passenger use.

Fix the junction at Leicester and it might be useful for commuting from Ashby, Coalville, into Leicester. But it's likely to generate congestion at Leicester London Road station. There may be a small market for peak trains from Coalville-London. And if you could maybe build a park and ride station off the M1 there, but that section of the M1 often resembles a car park in the morning anyway and there would be other challenges.

But otherwise, apart from the far eastern end between the MML and Bardon Hill which is used for freight, AFAICT it's pretty much useless.

 

[edwin_m]

But it's likely to generate congestion at Leicester London Road station.

The original plan was to link with Ivanhoe phase 1, the Leicester-Loughborough local service, so neither would have had to sit at Leicester during turnarounds.

It has some similarities with the Robin Hood line which also used existing freight lines to link former colliery towns to jobs in the city, and has proved to be pretty successful at least at the southern end. But Leicester is probably less of an employment centre than Nottingham and the station is less well located for jobs in the centre.

 

[Kettledrum]

Be rather useful for what? The whole line seems to be of little strategic importance.

The primarily important main lines in this country all radiate out of London. Let's call that "Nodule 1". The MML would be an example.

The secondarily important lines radiate out of either Manchester or Birmingham. The Leicester-Birmingham line would be an example......

.........But otherwise, apart from the far eastern end between the MML and Bardon Hill which is used for freight, AFAICT it's pretty much useless.

With a bit of vision, this could actually be a commuter line from the Leicestershire coal mining towns to Birmingham. The big downside is the train would have to reverse at Burton, and head through Tamworth to Birmingham. I am not sure if re-instating the former south facing bays at Burton would help with this.

If anyone is not sure whether there would be any demand, just look at how busy the M42 is through Leicestershire to Birmingham in the rush hour.

 

[HOOVER29]

Living in Ashby myself, at the moment only 6M83 from Tinsley to Bardon quarry passes. Type in Realtime trains Lounge jnc.
You get the odd test job once a month. As for the tube stock I’ve not seen it for a while down the line. There were plans to use the old Lounge open cast site as a kind of Daventry Railfreight terminal.
Last I heard Asda were interested in the site.

 

[HOOVER29]

With a bit of vision, this could actually be a commuter line from the Leicestershire coal mining towns to Birmingham. The big downside is the train would have to reverse at Burton, and head through Tamworth to Birmingham. I am not sure if re-instating the former south facing bays at Burton would help with this.

If anyone is not sure whether there would be any demand, just look at how busy the M42 is through Leicestershire to Birmingham in the rush hour.

We’ve been campaigning for it for years. Too expensive blah blah. Could be used as a light railway.
Something needs to be done.
30 mins to do 5 miles to Coalville, 1 hour to do 9 miles to Burton & the same to get to Leicester is a bit of a joke.

 

[james60059]

Funnily, it's the single track section between Knighton Jcn and Bardon Hill/Stud Farm that's the busiest section whilst the predominantly double track section sees next to nothing. I think it may have been busier when the opencast pits were still open as well as Drakelow Power Station. I'd actually be interested to see what that part of line was like East of Coalville when those places were open.
As previously mentioned, the S-Stock used it, and I believe was the only scheduled train to use the South facing curve at the Burton end (Birmingham Curve Junction - Branston Junction) when the S-stock was being delivered to London Underground

 

[Silverdale]

Knighton - Burton used to be part of 'my patch' when I was a tech doing track renewals. Mining was still active at that time (1982-4) and remediation for subsidence was done on the basis of where it was necessary to keep the line passable at 20mph during the workings. The subsidence was substantial. Somewhere (Desford?? I forget) the track 'lifting' necessary was in terms of metres and even that was limited as to go further in restoring the vertical profile would have involved land take.

I recall doing some surveying on a straight section and a coal train was approaching me, but at 20mph it was going to take a while so I carried on working. When I looked up to check where the train was, it had disappeared into one of the 'slumps' and later emerged, as if from the bowels of the earth. I mention this only to convey an impression of how much subsidence has taken place and give an idea of the remedial work required to create a route with a sensible speed profile for running a commuter passenger service.