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Canonbury Curve
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Dreadnought
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Do charters count?
Pathfinders Buffer Puffer 9 traversed the curve from Finsbury Park to Canonbury the other weekend.
Pathfinders Buffer Puffer 9 traversed the curve from Finsbury Park to Canonbury the other weekend.
No that does'nt count,did you go on it?
How many freight trains does the tunnel see?
LNW-GW Joint
Veteran Member
I read somewhere that in the dying days of Broad Street station there were peak services via the Canonbury Curve to GN line destinations, possibly those that once ran to Moorgate via the Hotel Curve at Kings Cross.
Yes, but they stopped quite a bit earlier than the (terminally) dying days of Broad Street.
I'm too young to remember, but I think the Broad St - GN services via Canonbury curve stopped in 1975, when BR took over the Northern City Line (thence then went to Moorgate instead). I presume that marks the point that Broad Street became a strictly North London Line-only affair (ncluding the limited peak-hr service via Primrose Hill to Watford Jctn)
I'm too young to remember, but I think the Broad St - GN services via Canonbury curve stopped in 1975, when BR took over the Northern City Line (thence then went to Moorgate instead). I presume that marks the point that Broad Street became a strictly North London Line-only affair (ncluding the limited peak-hr service via Primrose Hill to Watford Jctn)
Was it always single track and electrified?
swt_passenger
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A connection from the ELL to the NLL to the Canonbury curve would be possible, but hasn't been provided because they want to keep the NLL and ELL completely separate operationally.
Passenger and freight paths on the NLL are supposedly full, so adding what would effectively be a flat crossing ELL <> Canonbury Curve would not be pathable - another problem is that the tunnel allegedly isn't big enough for an electrified double track, so up and down services couldn't be pathed for the crossing move together. (That last bit may no longer be true, because various rigid conductor bar systems have been introduced since that route was singled.)
A few people have suggested that the solution would be a flyover, but a glance at an aerial view suggests there are just too many road overbridges, and a diveunder is completely out of the question for a fairly obvious reason, which I'll leave as a 'quiz question'...
Passenger and freight paths on the NLL are supposedly full, so adding what would effectively be a flat crossing ELL <> Canonbury Curve would not be pathable - another problem is that the tunnel allegedly isn't big enough for an electrified double track, so up and down services couldn't be pathed for the crossing move together. (That last bit may no longer be true, because various rigid conductor bar systems have been introduced since that route was singled.)
A few people have suggested that the solution would be a flyover, but a glance at an aerial view suggests there are just too many road overbridges, and a diveunder is completely out of the question for a fairly obvious reason, which I'll leave as a 'quiz question'...
Trog
Established Member
Is there a rather large sewer down there?
You could call it a sewer
Trog
Established Member
I am sure there is one somewhere under the NLL.
There are or at least were, a lot of huge timbers running across under the track near I think Highbury & Islington that were alledged to be holding the retaining walls apart.
Ok its not a sewer,though often frogs have been seen in it
STEVIEBOY1
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I went on that curve a few months ago on a HDL Charter to Norfolk.
Talking about curves and Broad Street in remarks above, I think there was a curve built from the Liverpool Street Lines on to the North London Line to carry passengers to/from Watford at peak hours when Broad Street Closed. Is that link still there, I don't think it was used very much.
Talking about curves and Broad Street in remarks above, I think there was a curve built from the Liverpool Street Lines on to the North London Line to carry passengers to/from Watford at peak hours when Broad Street Closed. Is that link still there, I don't think it was used very much.
That would be Dalton West Junction i think,it was recently opened as part of the NLL upgrade.There was a Dalton East Junction,and talks have taken place to reopen that.
Please correct me if im wrong
313103
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Yes that curve is still there although it is hardly used now, especially since NEG took over Great Eastern services and First Group toook over West Anglia services. It is called Graham Road curve and is nearer to Hackney Central then DalstonKingsland stations.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Just done it.
Thank you,I worked there as well
swt_passenger
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There is no longer an actual track connection at the site of Dalston West Jn, although the ELL does become parallel to the NLL at that point. Dalston West Jn was more recently just where the NLL used to reduce from four tracks to two.
I think Stevieboy1 is referring to the Graham Rd curve, further along the North London line, which dates from the closure of Broad St in 1986. It allowed trains off the NLL to run into Liverpool St via London Fields and Bethnal Green. The junctions are Navarino Rd at the NLL end, and Reading Lane Jn at the other...
You can get from the ELL to the NLL just after Highbury and Islington station i think,the crossover have been left in for OTP access,havent seen a train use the crossover yet though.
Going back to Canonbury Curve,keep guessing why you can't have a dive under
Going back to Canonbury Curve,keep guessing why you can't have a dive under
Trog
Established Member
London Underground have already got one there and the loading gauge is a bit tight for W9+W10?
BlythPower
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Buttsy
Established Member
The 1975-1976 GBTT shows peak hour services from Hertford loop and ECML local stations to Broad Street. As a previous post states, this carried on until the Northern City line link to ECML was opened for services to the city at Moorgate (1977?).
yes that is correct,it's off Corsica Street
martinsh
Established Member
last train from Broad Street to Finsbury Park was on a Saturday lunchtime in November 1976 - I should know, I was on it !
Closed to allow for electrification work on the Moorgate line.
About 15 years ago (poss. more) I was commuting to work (Cl.317) from Welwyn Garden City and we were diverted from Kings Cross to Liverpool St. From Finsbury Pk we headed through the tunnel and then up the Graham Road Curve (I think ??) before heading to Liverpool St.
In all the years I've travelled up and down that line that is the only time I've been that way.
In all the years I've travelled up and down that line that is the only time I've been that way.
causton
Established Member
Wow - that must have been some experience! Nowadays FCC would just terminate at Finsbury Park :P
The Canonbury Curve was opened by the GNR 14.12.1874 and first saw passenger trains 18.01.1875. The last timetabled passenger service was 08.11.1976, after when these trains were effectively diverted down the GNCR at Finsbury Park.
The curve remained double until 1988 when it had to be singled to allow OHLE to be installed (to electrify and retain double track, the track level would have needed to be lowered, or the tunnel bore expanded... expensive either way for a short goods curve).
I don't have the exact date in 1988 for this, if anyone does know, I'd be very grateful!
Joe Brown (London Railway Atlas)
The curve remained double until 1988 when it had to be singled to allow OHLE to be installed (to electrify and retain double track, the track level would have needed to be lowered, or the tunnel bore expanded... expensive either way for a short goods curve).
I don't have the exact date in 1988 for this, if anyone does know, I'd be very grateful!
Joe Brown (London Railway Atlas)
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