Trivia: Closed passenger lines that have now been reopened and electrified

[frankmoh]

The line through Micham Junction opened as a horse powered freight tramway (Surrey Iron Railway), was closed and converted to steam powered conventional rail by LBSC, was electrified with third rail by the Southern, then closed again to be reopened with OLE as part of Tramlink. Does this count or does it stretch the OP too far?

The Woodside and South Croydon railway mentioned previously was closed in 1917, reopened and electrified in 1935, closed in 1983, had some of the equipment used on a short spur to South Croydon, then partially reopened in 2000 with 750V OLE!

Was 750V DC on Tramlink chosen so they could reuse some equipment from the existing lines? (all previously 750V DC third rail)

 

[Merle Haggard]

A very short section of the Morecambe branch is another slightly more tenuous example. The approaches to the current Morecambe station from the point where the Heysham and Lancaster routes join was part of the Midland Railway Lancaster Green Ayre to Morecambe electrficiation scheme. The rest of the route was closed in the 60s but that small section remains as part of the current unelectrified route.

And the same must apply at Lancaster (Castle) because from what I remember the electrics ran from the current Platform 5 (although possibly the disused platform on the Up side of P5) and crossed the layout at the North end of the station. I only went to Lancaster (C) once when the L-M-H was operational and it was a long ago so I might be quite wrong.
Oddly, that could mean that a short section of track there was electrified (last at 1500V DC) de-wired and much later electrified at 25Kv AC.

 

[D6130]

And the same must apply at Lancaster (Castle) because from what I remember the electrics ran from the current Platform 5 (although possibly the disused platform on the Up side of P5) and crossed the layout at the North end of the station. I only went to Lancaster (C) once when the L-M-H was operational and it was a long ago so I might be quite wrong.
Oddly, that could mean that a short section of track there was electrified (last at 1500V DC) de-wired and much later electrified at 25Kv AC.

They did run from platforms 5 & 6....but didn't have to cross the layout at the North end of the station. The single line to Green Ayre - where the electric units reversed - veered sharply off to the East at the North end of the station and didn't conflict with the main lines.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Oddly, that could mean that a short section of track there was electrified (last at 1500V DC) de-wired and much later electrified at 25Kv AC.

1.5kV DC? Surely you mean 6.6kV AC?

 

[Springs Branch]

Not sure how short a line counts for this thread, but a couple in the Newton-le-Willows area (which form part of longer routes) are:-

• Parkside Junction to Lowton Junction was last used for regular scheduled passenger trains when the Manchester Exchange/Glasgow sleepers finished around 1969.
  The Parkside East chord stayed open for goods, parcels, light engines etc. until TransPennine Express started their Manchester Airport - Glasgow/Edinburgh passenger services around 2007. These were DMU-operated at first (185s), until the eastern half of the Chat Moss line was electrified at the end of 2013 and TPE Class 350 EMUs took over the Glasgow/Edinburgh route during 2014.
  The TPE services have gone over to the Bolton route, but Northern still operates Class 331 EMUs this way several times during peak hours (Wigan NW to Manchester Vic)
  
  
• Earlestown South Junction to Earlestown West Junction (via Platform 3) used to have regular passenger trains until the St.Helens Shaw St - St.Helens Jn - Warrington B.Q. railmotor ended in 1964 as a result of Beeching.
  
  There was then a hiatus with no booked passenger trains until an hourly Lime Street - Warrington BQ. DMU was introduced by Merseytravel sometime in the 2000s. This became one of the 'Northern Electric' Class 319s after electrification of the Earlestown West curve in 2015, but I think gave up the ghost during COVID circa 2020. As I understand it there's only a 1 per day (if it runs) Ellesmere Port to Lime St DMU over the west curve these days. Was this one of the shortest-lived "reopened" electric services?

Another "could have been" example to the OP is the Hunt's Cross to Gateacre line.

When the residual Gateacre branch closed in the late1970s, I think the medium-term aspiration was to re-open it as an extension of the electrified Liverpool Central - Garston line. (some ambitious plans back in the day had Gateacre as an interim terminus on a fully re-opened Liverpool outer circle rail route). As things worked out. of course, the third rail only got as far as Hunts Cross, and Gateacre was a dead duck by that time.

 

[Merle Haggard]

They did run from platforms 5 & 6....but didn't have to cross the layout at the North end of the station. The single line to Green Ayre - where the electric units reversed - veered sharply off to the East at the North end of the station and didn't conflict with the main lines.

Sorry, you're correct. Hazy memory - I just remember a departing train turning sharply after if left the station.

1.5kV DC? Surely you mean 6.6kV AC?

Sorry again. I mistakenly thought that when the LNWR London 'D.C.' stock arrived the line was converted to D.C., but you're right - the change was to frequency (of the current).

 

[GraphitProjekt]

Sorry again. I mistakenly thought that when the LNWR London 'D.C.' stock arrived the line was converted to D.C., but you're right - the change was to frequency (of the current).

furthermore, the LNWR would have been 630V fourth rail units. They point of using those trains was to test converting a mains frequency AC supply to DC onboard the train which was the emerging technology of the time (and so they needed a train with DC motors). While the Lancaster trials proved onboard rectification technology, the other BR test sites of the Styal Line and Colchester-Clacton route were more to do with testing new OLE designs and also immunisation methods (ways to mitigate the effect of 25kV against signalling and telecoms equipment).

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The Woodside and South Croydon railway mentioned previously was closed in 1917, reopened and electrified in 1935, closed in 1983, had some of the equipment used on a short spur to South Croydon, then partially reopened in 2000 with 750V OLE!

Was 750V DC on Tramlink chosen so they could reuse some equipment from the existing lines? (all previously 750V DC third rail)

I'm not aware of any equipment being re-used. 750V DC is pretty much the default standard for tramways, and will have been chosen for that reason.

 

[nw1]

Paisley Canal line. Reopened as diesel, electrified later.

Must be one of the shortest closures on record, discounting temporary closures for works (Tyne and Wear Metro, etc). Still open in 1982, closed briefly, back by 1990.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 1 Apr 2026 ==

Thingley Junction to Bradford South Junction via Melksham.

Is that electrified? Not saying it isn't, but would be interesting to know.

 

[zwk500]

Is that electrified? Not saying it isn't, but would be interesting to know.

No, and has not ever been (to the best of my Knowledge), nor was it planned to be in the last electrification project in that neck of the woods.

Electrification on the GWML ends east of Chippenham station. AIUI The official reason given then was that the project was told to bring work to a stop as quickly as possible and Chippenham station footbridge didn't have the clearance at the time.

There are some masts that were installed around Thingley Junction before the work was canned but the wires never got that far.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Has anyone mentioned Stratford to Tottenham Hale? Np passenger service from 1985 to 2005 - at some point during that period the line was electrified. Lea bridge station reopened in 2016

 

[D6130]

Is that electrified? Not saying it isn't, but would be interesting to know

No it isn't. As stated up thread, I originally misread the thread title. Apologies!

 

[GraphitProjekt]

I'm not aware of any equipment being re-used. 750V DC is pretty much the default standard for tramways, and will have been chosen for that reason.

none of the equipment for 3rd rail would be useful for an OLE system anyway. You might be able to re-use circuit breakers maybe but why would you want some crusty 1940s breaker in use. Potentially it's more possible to reuse any HV AC cabling and such, but that's highly nonstandard for a tramway so they didn't.

 

[Steve Harris]

Has anyone mentioned Stratford to Tottenham Hale? Np passenger service from 1985 to 2005 - at some point during that period the line was electrified. Lea bridge station reopened in 2016

Yes. See post #7.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

none of the equipment for 3rd rail would be useful for an OLE system anyway. You might be able to re-use circuit breakers maybe but why would you want some crusty 1940s breaker in use. Potentially it's more possible to reuse any HV AC cabling and such, but that's highly nonstandard for a tramway so they didn't.

I was pretty sure that would be the case, but didn't want to categorically state that nothing was re-used without knowing if that was in fact the case.
There are examples of equipment from an earlier wiring being re-used (e.g. the former Woodhead DC masts on the Hadfield line, or the masts to Altrincham being retained for Metrolink), but I'm not aware of anything other than that. In the case of the question asked about the Croydon trams, choosing anything other than 750V DC would have been non-standard for a tramway, it's just coincidental that the heavy rail that preceded it happened to use the same voltage and current.

 

[GraphitProjekt]

With regards to power supply there are some key differences with 3rd rail vs tram ole. Trams can connect easily with the local 11kV grid. Connecting like a small industrial customer. But the heavy rail systems require more power and security of supply and so south of London the system runs it's own distribution network at 33kv drawing from 132kV sources

 

[nw1]

No it isn't. As stated up thread, I originally misread the thread title. Apologies!

Thanks, no worries!

 

[Man of Kent]

That's not correct. From 1979 Lea Bridge was served by a Stratford-Tottenham Hale shuttle, and it closed in 1985.

Thanks - poor assumption on my part, and failure to check other sources.

 

[MadMac]

Notwithstanding the electrification aspect, was this ever formally “closed to passengers”?

I am advised that Kilmarnock-Barassie was indeed “closed to passengers“ in 1969 and reopened for passenger service (Euston-Stranraer sleeper) in 1975 when the curve at Hawkhill Junction was closed.

 

[Steve Harris]

I am advised that Kilmarnock-Barassie was indeed “closed to passengers“ in 1969 and reopened for passenger service (Euston-Stranraer sleeper) in 1975 when the curve at Hawkhill Junction was closed.

But has it been electrified?? (as per thread title).

 

[d9009alycidon]

But has it been electrified?? (as per thread title).

No

 

[Steve Harris]

No

Thanx for the clarification.

I didn't think it was, but wasn't sure.

So another post to ignore because its OT, lol

 

[MadMac]

No

Indeed. Merely posted for “closure”.