Farington Curve question

[Accura]

Hello all, just a quick couple of questions about something that has puzzled me for a while. The Farington curve which spurs off the WCML just south of Lostock Hall onto the East Lancs line, pictured below:

1. Is there any reason why it is electrified?

2. Is it regularly used?

Thanks

 

[Striker]

It's probably not electrified much beyond that curve. I would guess it's easier to add a small section of electrification beyond a junction than have to add it at a later date if they want to extend the electrification further.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

It isn't electrified much after the juntion.

It gets 2tph directionally - York-Blackpool North 158 and Colne-Blackpool South 142.

Not long after the junction, the Ormskirk line branches off - not strictly on the curve though.

I doubt either line will ever receive OHLE, not unless everything else in Lancs is done with it, or Skipton-Colne reopens.

 

[ainsworth74]

Further to striker's point it will also be electrified just in case an electric train is accidentally sent down there it hopefully will be able to stop before it runs out from under the wires so can simply reverse back onto the mainline without having to send for a diesel to drag it back (and then check that the panto is still okay). If you didn't have that extra bit of wiring then you could incur a pretty serious delay.

 

[boing_uk]

Thats the southern chord, which is electrified until it meets the main Caldervale line - well, as far as the two sidings, which are also electrified.

Here

The northern chord does not have any electrification at all, not even for overruns.

Here

 

[furryfeet]

Is there any reason why it is electrified?

From the layout, there must have been a "train of thought" (ho ho!) that led BR to think that there would be a changeover from electric to diesel there, for traffic routed via settle.

How often this occurred, I am not actually privy to !

Although there were some charter trains that swapped from diesel to steam in the early 1990's there, to avoid reversal at Preston.

 

[323235]

It gets 2tph directionally - York-Blackpool North 158 and Colne-Blackpool South 142.

Not the Curve the OP is referring to, those services use the other side

 

[driver9000]

The photograph is not Farington Curve. The photograph is of Farington Junction. It is electrified up to the old holding sidings next to Lostock Hall Junction. The line from Farington Curve Junction is the East Lancashire line not the Caldervale.

The line sees fairly regular use for freight and engineering trains heading to and from the East Lancs lines.

 

[AJP62]

When the WCML was electrified there was a lot less use of diesels under the wires and trains would swap between electric and diesel en route. I think that non fully fitted freights were blocked from Shap with electifiation as the trap points were removed. So a number of non fully fitted freights ran from the south to this curve with electric haulage then swapped to diesel for the run through Blackburn then up to Hellifield and over the S&C to Carlisle. Only the south curve needed to be electrified for this plus the sidings.

Used to see locos standing around this area between swaps - usually 81s - 85s and 25s/40s.

Can't imagine the wires are used much now!

 

[Accura]

Thanks for the responses!