Flattest private UK section

[Celestial_Mech]

Hi there
I'm trying to find the longest, flattest section of UK track in private hands to carry out a (nondestructive!) physics experiment. Can anyone recommend locations that might be suitable?
There can be a trade-off between absolute level and usable length, but can't set parameters, it would depend on each case.
Thanks
Robin

 

[ironstone11]

Hi there
I'm trying to find the longest, flattest section of UK track in private hands to carry out a (nondestructive!) physics experiment. Can anyone recommend locations that might be suitable? Robin

I don't know for certain, but suspect that the Great Central based in Loughborough might we worth a look. http://www.gcrailway.co.uk

 

[Celestial_Mech]

Thanks for the suggestion, I shall certainly look them up.
Anyone else know of a good section?

 

[snowball]

No detailed knowledge but it's a plausible guess that the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch might be quite flat. Do you need a full-size railway though?

 

[gordonthemoron]

Nene Valley Railway looked pretty flat in the Queen Breakthru video

 

[Celestial_Mech]

Excellent, more ideas! Good point Snowball, no narrow gauge is fine, I do need it as straight as possible though to.

 

[bangor-toad]

Hi.
I guess it's some kind of optical inteferometry experiment? Does your username give any clues?

A significant bit of private flat and straight track may be tricky to find.. But have you looked at the 5km radio telescope at Cambridge? That is 5km of flat & straight track with only the minor inconvinience of a few radio telescopes to move.

If you're applying for a grant for the experiment you may be able to access this facility.
Cheers
Jason

 

[snowball]

Excellent, more ideas! Good point Snowball, no narrow gauge is fine, I do need it as straight as possible though to.

Porthmadog Cob on the Ffestiniog is straight and flat for about 1.25 km.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

If Network Rail would play ball, there is the Tonbridge - Ashford section isn't there?

Or have you already asked them and been quoted far too high a cost?

 

[Gathursty]

Does it have to be a railway?

My thought is that obviously it would be more difficult to ask for a road to be closed with your criteria as I can only think of the A15 north of Lincoln...

But I can think of another place, if OP just requires a straight, flat, lengthy route, which is on the isle of Islay, the A846 between Bowmore and Port Ellen.

 

[bishdunster]

W.S.R. Dunster- Minehead

 

[Shimbleshanks]

What about a lightly-used section of the national rail network when there are no trains operating? eg Boston-Skegness on a Sunday morning? (Provided there is no engineering work going on of course...) Or the Peterborough-Lincoln-Doncaster route?

 

[WSW]

W.S.R. Dunster- Minehead

Might just be spot on! Over one mile of level track, absolutely straight.

See WSR Gradient Profiles

Steve
www.wsr.org.uk

 

[DXMachina]

Plenty runways might suffice too. I'm thinking Lincolnshire ....

 

[Welly]

Does it have to be a railway?

My thought is that obviously it would be more difficult to ask for a road to be closed with your criteria as I can only think of the A15 north of Lincoln...

I know that road well and it's not flat! It undulates. Also it is a very busy single carriageway road that carries lots of lorries from Immingham to the Midlands.

 

[fowler9]

Plenty runways might suffice too. I'm thinking Lincolnshire ....

Don't most runways have a hump or slope in one direction designed in to them even in flat parts of a country? Sorry mate, I'm not saying this as a fact of course, more as a query.

 

[edwin_m]

Some of the heritage railways make a bit of money on the side from testing and also from filming, including the Great Central and the Nene Valley. Be aware that this will cost money though, probably more than you think. There should be contacts on all the websites who can supply necessary information including gradient profiles - if they don't seem to know what they are talking about then that railway probably isn't geared up for that sort of work and probably best to try somewhere else.

Compared with any part of Network Rail there a heritage railway is likely to have far less bureaucracy involved, and most heritage railways also have non-service days reasonably often, at least in the winter. There are also dedicated test tracks at Old Dalby and the new Network Rail one at High Marnham.

Never tried it but I would think a road would be out of the question even if the intended experiment is technically possible on one. Because people will be using them 24/7 they are only closed for good reasons and even if the controlling authority permitted it there would need to be diversions set up.

 

[fowler9]

No.

Some of the heritage railways make a bit of money on the side from testing and also from filming, including the Great Central and the Nene Valley. Be aware that this will cost money though, probably more than you think. There should be contacts on all the websites who can supply necessary information including gradient profiles - if they don't seem to know what they are talking about then that railway probably isn't geared up for that sort of work and probably best to try somewhere else.

Compared with any part of Network Rail there a heritage railway is likely to have far less bureaucracy involved, and most heritage railways also have non-service days reasonably often, at least in the winter. There are also dedicated test tracks at Old Dalby and the new Network Rail one at High Marnham.


Never tried it but I would think a road would be out of the question even if the intended experiment is technically possible on one. Because people will be using them 24/7 they are only closed for good reasons and even if the controlling authority permitted it there would need to be diversions set up.

Sorry mate, do you mean that airport runways don't normally have a slope or hump designed in to them? It is slightly off subject but was a query after what someone else had said.

 

[starrymarkb]

Don't most runways have a hump or slope in one direction designed in to them even in flat parts of a country? Sorry mate, I'm not saying this as a fact of course, more as a query.

Most runways do follow the land to some extent, Bristol is a good example (is practically a ski jump)

 

[fowler9]

Most runways do follow the land to some extent, Bristol is a good example (is practically a ski jump)

Liverpool has a massive hump in the middle. If you stand at one end on Dungeon Lane you almost can't see the plane when it leaves the ground taking off away from you.

 

[Eeveevolve]

Most runways do follow the land to some extent, Bristol is a good example (is practically a ski jump)

And if they were completley flat, water would sit on the runway.
You dont want your plane to aquaplane.

 

[edwin_m]

Sorry mate, do you mean that airport runways don't normally have a slope or hump designed in to them? It is slightly off subject but was a query after what someone else had said.

Sorry, read that as railways not runways. Please ignore this comment which I will edit out.

 

[tsr]

The Tonbridge-Ashford line has been mentioned; this line continues as the Redhill-Tonbridge line, which is pretty straight. Avoiding Bletchingley Tunnel and a few other features shouldn't be too hard, and finding the correct gradient should perhaps be possible.

This line is liable to closure during some engineering works in the Redhill area - usually on Sundays - because it uses junctions South of Redhill for all starting/terminating trains (the crossover at Edenbridge is used relatively rarely). If you can negotiate a price and arrange line blocks & a traction current isolation, perhaps this could be a contender (although, naturally, that is not exactly what you might want to be spending time doing!).

And yes, of course I know that this is Network Rail infrastructure - but, as I say, it has its quieter times!

 

[fowler9]

Sorry, read that as railways not runways. Please ignore this comment which I will edit out.

No worries mate, it was me being a bit off subject.