Longest Service Not To Use Electrified Lines?

[tbtc]

Simple question: Which is the longest currently timetabled service not to run under any electrified wires/ on any third rail track?

I think the answer has to be ATW's Cardiff - Holyhead service (though these will run under the wires if/when Crewe - Chester gets electrified).

The Far North and Kyle lines are also long distance with no electrification, as is Glasgow - Aberdeen/ Inverness (though not Edinburgh - Aberdeen/ Inverness).

A lot of the other routes I've thought of have short electrified sections (e.g. London - Penzance runs under the wires for a short distance from Paddington to the Heathrow junction, the West Highland line is under wires through Dumbarton...)

What do you reckon?

 

[Failed Unit]

Simple question: Which is the longest currently timetabled service not to run under any electrified wires/ on any third rail track?

I think the answer has to be ATW's Cardiff - Holyhead service (though these will run under the wires if/when Crewe - Chester gets electrified).

The Far North and Kyle lines are also long distance with no electrification, as is Glasgow - Aberdeen/ Inverness (though not Edinburgh - Aberdeen/ Inverness).

A lot of the other routes I've thought of have short electrified sections (e.g. London - Penzance runs under the wires for a short distance from Paddington to the Heathrow junction, the West Highland line is under wires through Dumbarton...)

What do you reckon?

I will need to drag out my old timetable but does Aberdeen - Kyle still run? I can't see it still in the timetable. Glasgow - Inverness is 180 miles not sure about Cardiff - Holyhead.

Not sure if you can still have Edinburgh - Aberdeen - Inverness on a technicality. Are the wires live yet on the all lines out of Edinburgh and through platforms 1+2 at Haymarket.

 

[Bittern]

Glasgow - Inverness is 180 miles

Nowhere near! It's only 112 miles.

 

[rail-britain]

Not sure if you can still have Edinburgh - Aberdeen - Inverness on a technicality. Are the wires live yet on the all lines out of Edinburgh and through platforms 1+2 at Haymarket.

No matter what platform the service leaves from at Edinburgh, it will pass under wires between there and Haymarket

 

[Failed Unit]

Nowhere near! It's only 112 miles.

According to table 229 it is 118 to Perth alone from Inverness

 

[OxtedL]

Nowhere near! It's only 112 miles.

Pah! You made me look it up...

Distance: 180mi 56ch - show the route on a map
Route: Glasgow Queen Street, Cowlairs South Junction, Cowlairs West Junction, Cowlairs East Junction, Bishopbriggs, Cadder Loops, Lenzie, Gartshore, Croy, Greenhill Upper Junction, Greenhill Lower Junction, Carmuirs West Junction, Larbert Junction, Larbert, Stirling, Bridge Of Allan, Dunblane, Greenloaning, Gleneagles, Auchterarder, Hilton Junction, Perth, Stanley, Dunkeld & Birnam, Pitlochry, Blair Atholl, Dalnacardoch, Dalwhinnie, Newtonmore, Kingussie, Kincraig, Aviemore, Carrbridge, Slochd, Tomatin, Moy, Culloden, Welsh's Bridge Jn (Inverness), Inverness

Script executed in 0.1600 seconds.

As the crow flies it is 112, though.

 

[Failed Unit]

No matter what platform the service leaves from at Edinburgh, it will pass under wires between there and Haymarket

True, electric trains have passed from platform 19 (Waverley) to platform 1 (Haymarket) since 1991!


BTW - Holyhead - Cardiff is 232 miles

Other blasts from the past which I can't find if they still run are Penzance - Cardiff

 

[Bittern]

Pah! You made me look it up...



As the crow flies it is 112, though.

In that case we're both right. As the crow flies, 112, but following the line you steal the victory of 180. I checked in Google Maps distance calculator.

 

[OxtedL]

112 is an utterly useless figure in the context of this thread, however!

===================

The answer has to be in Scotland or Wales, presumably, as everywhere else has that little sprinkling of electrification in the way...

 

[Statto]

I'd have thought Penzance-Paddington would be a contender as well as the Far North lines

 

[rail-britain]

does Aberdeen - Kyle still run?

Sadly not, dumped in favour of a simpler Inverness - Aberdeen - Edinburgh service

Kyle of Lochalsh - Inverness - Elgin : 119 miles
Glasgow - Fort William : 122 miles
Glasgow - Aberdeen : 154 miles
Glasgow - Aberdeen - Dyce : 160 miles
* Glasgow - Fort William - Mallaig : 164 miles
Inverness - Thurso - Wick : 175 miles
Glasgow - Inverness : 180 miles
Glasgow - Aberdeen - Inverness : 262 miles

A small number of AXC and FGW services do not run under the wires
06:34 Bristol - Plymouth : 128 miles
06:26 Bristol - Penzance : 208 miles

 

[Bittern]

My answer isn't wrong, it just doesn't quite fit in this thread.

 

[EltonRoad]

I will need to drag out my old timetable but does Aberdeen - Kyle still run?

1715 from Kyle still runs through to Elgin. What's the distance Inverness to Elgin? Kyle to Inv is 82 I think.

 

[ainsworth74]

I'd have thought Penzance-Paddington would be a contender as well as the Far North lines

You've got wires at Paddington on that one though. I'm thinking Glasgow - Inverness might well be a good shout actually.

 

[rail-britain]

I'd have thought Penzance-Paddington would be a contender as well as the Far North lines

Do HSTs not run under wires out of Paddington?

 

[Statto]

You've got wires at Paddington on that one though. I'm thinking Glasgow - Inverness might well be a good shout actually.

Ahh forgot about that, think the Far North Inverness-Thurso/Wick may be a contender.

 

[rail-britain]

1715 from Kyle still runs through to Elgin. What's the distance Inverness to Elgin? Kyle to Inv is 82 I think.

It is no longer showing as a through service on Table 239 but does show on Table 240
Kyle - Inverness is indeed 82 miles
Inverness - Elgin is 37 miles
Gives you 119 miles, amended my list above

 

[ainsworth74]

It's not far off actually 174 miles to Wick from Inverness (including the run between Georgemas Junction and Thurso that service trains actually make on their way to Wick).

 

[Failed Unit]

1715 from Kyle still runs through to Elgin. What's the distance Inverness to Elgin? Kyle to Inv is 82 I think.

Only 37 miles Inverness - Elgin,

Looks like in normal operation Cardiff - Holyhead is the longest,

Although Engineering work may help some others such as Penzance - Reading or Cheltenham or Milford Haven - Shrewsbury

 

[rail-britain]

There is one Sunday service, 15:27 Inverness - Aberdeen - Glasgow at 262 miles

 

[tbtc]

In that case we're both right. As the crow flies, 112, but following the line you steal the victory of 180. I checked in Google Maps distance calculator.

The idiot who started this thread should really have stipulated whether he was talking "track miles" or "as the crow flies"

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

My answer isn't wrong, it just doesn't quite fit in this thread.

This sounds just like the famous words spoken by Eric Morecambe to Andre Previn, when sat at the piano, during that TV sketch

Statto uses it for his signature.

 

[MCR247]

The idiot who started this thread should really have stipulated whether he was talking "track miles" or "as the crow flies"

Well on a rail forum on a topic about trains why would you be on about as the crow flies?

 

[YorkshireBear]

I thought cardiff penzance service still ran? or is that being made up in my head?

 

[flymo]

I thought cardiff penzance service still ran? or is that being made up in my head?

There is a Cardiff - Plymouth services in the current timetable, 0900 off Cardiff into Plymouth at 1242. That's about 166 miles give or take a chain or three.

(Cardiff - Penzance would have been a little over 245 miles if it was still running)

 

[Class172]

Could you get away with London Marylebone - Kidderminster (I'm being cheeky as tbtc never said no 4th rail (LU line))

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I think the answer has to be ATW's Cardiff - Holyhead service (though these will run under the wires if/when Crewe - Chester gets electrified).

Cardiff-Wrexham-Holyhead is 232 miles.
Potential to add another 120 miles on to West Wales in an enterprising diagram!

You would need to ensure it didn't use P7 at Chester (Merseyrail's 3rd rail platform).

 

[Welshman]

Simple question: Which is the longest currently timetabled service not to run under any electrified wires/ on any third rail track?

I think the answer has to be ATW's Cardiff - Holyhead service (though these will run under the wires if/when Crewe - Chester gets electrified).

I think you're probably right, especially as the 1239 off Holyhead goes through to Maesteg, which adds another 28.5 miles to the journey. And I doubt it uses platform 7 at Chester, as it is scheduled to arrive at 1415, just as a Merseyrail train is departing.

 

[Failed Unit]

I guess it will be all change when London - Cardiff gets wired, I suspect in 10 years time when the question is asked it will be the far north line.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Could you get away with London Marylebone - Kidderminster (I'm being cheeky as tbtc never said no 4th rail (LU line))

It wouldn't touch the fourth rail area. The fourth rail joins at Harrow-on-the-Hill and ends just beyond Amersham, both of which are fully on the Aylesbury branch. The West Mids-Marylebone stuff runs via Denham

Kidderminester-Marylebone is 131mi 72ch.