Frequently used loops situated between stations

[swt_passenger]

2N09, the up morning "Chathill Flyer", is booked to call in Wooden Gate loop, just south of Alnmouth from 0722 to 0735 Mon - Sat.

But as that’s a booked move, the OP had ruled them out.

 

[AMD]

How about the loop between Dalgety Bay and Inverkeithing? No idea whether it’s booked or how often it’s used but I was surprised to find myself on a train in it in the summer, given the fact that the only other one I can remember using in recent years is Chelford.

The evening Fife Circle loco hauled service used to stop in the loop by Dalmeny when returning to Edinburgh if I recall correctly. Think it was to let a fast Aberdeen service pass. I know the loco hauled service no longer runs but I'm not sure if any service is booked to stop there nowadays.

No passenger services are booked into the loops at Dalmeny.
2K64 12:17 from Leven is booked to use the loop ahead of Inverkeithing to allow 1B78 to pass.

 

[Bodiam]

I’ve recently wondered if the third track could be installed at Nunhead as a passing loop.

When I used to commute on that line I always wondered about what look like abortive widening works on the Chatham line on the down side of Peckham Rye. Never seen any explanation.

 

[Class15]

The loops between Camden Road East Junction and Westbourne Road Junction on the North London line are often used to re-sequence London Overground Mildmay line services particularly during disruption. It’s particularly common in the eastbound direction if (eg) a train starting at Richmond is behind a 2Lxx from Clapham it should be in front of.

 

[Sad Sprinter]

When I used to commute on that line I always wondered about what look like abortive widening works on the Chatham line on the down side of Peckham Rye. Never seen any explanation.

It was 3 tracks for quite a while. Not sure why, might of been something to do with the junction to Crystal Palace and the locomotive headshunts at Nunhead.

 

[Bodiam]

The turnback siding at Sidcup installed as part of the Dartford resignalling was originally an actual loop and when I was travelling from Sidcup to Greenhithe in 1973 I was once on a down train that was overtaken there.

 

[rower40]

A bit more info on the Down Hemsworth loop between Doncaster and Wakefield Westgate:

The hourly stopping train from Doncaster to Leeds is timed to follow the hourly CrossCountry train between South Kirkby Junction and Leeds. But the CrossCountry train has a lot of opportunity to clock up delay, and only strikes-in to the Ardesley workstation's ARS area when it passes Swinton. If the stopping train has reached South Elmsall before the XC train has passed Swinton, then ARS sets the route for the stopping train over South Kirkby junction first. (ARS cannot regulate for trains it cannot see.)

If the Ardsley workstation signaller sees this, then they sometimes set the onward route for the stopping train to go into Hemsworth loop, to let the XC overtake it there - depending on how late the XC train is.

 

[DarloRich]

Platform 5 at Milton Keynes

 

[edwin_m]

How about the loop between Dalgety Bay and Inverkeithing? No idea whether it’s booked or how often it’s used but I was surprised to find myself on a train in it in the summer, given the fact that the only other one I can remember using in recent years is Chelford.

No passenger services are booked into the loops at Dalmeny.
2K64 12:17 from Leven is booked to use the loop ahead of Inverkeithing to allow 1B78 to pass.

I think there's another one earlier in the day too. The Aberdeen Inter7City isn't on a regular clockface (and there is an LNER with a different stopping pattern instead in some hours) so it looks like this was the only way they could fit it in. I guess there's a risk of this happening unplanned in other hours too if something is running late, but I couldn't say if this actually happens or how often.

On a general note, I suggest it would have to be a fairly bad day to have four unplanned overtakes at the same loop, so doubt there will be many places that fully fit the OP's criterion of this happening on most or all days.

 

[BG2024]

There's a loop to the west of Earlestown that Liverpool-bound stoppers will use to let the fast TPE services through, but probably not "at least four times on most days". More common to hold them at the platform at Roby.

 

[Western Gaffer]

Would all of the many Loops on the Borders railway count ?

I've seen them referred to as loops but personally think it's stretching a point to describe the double track sections of the line as that, but in any case these wouldn't fit the defined criteria in that there's no overtaking going on, and the passes are all booked (albeit sometimes adjusted).

 

[Whisky Papa]

And in the up direction, if the Cleethorpes-Liverpool Transpennine is ~10 or so mins late, I've fairly often been on a Hope Valley stopper that's left Sheffield first and been overtaken in the loop

When I was working at Reddish North some 15 years ago, this was particularly prevalent on Saturdays, with the Northern stopper arriving anything between 15 and 25 minutes late with me - it happened almost every hour from mid-morning onwards, much to my customers' annoyance.

Later, when working at Todmorden and Hebden Bridge, I recall there was at least one occasion where a passenger train from Manchester Victoria was looped at Brewery Junction to allow another to pass - I was so surprised I rang Control to check, but can't recall the exact circumstances.

 

[GordonT]

Would all of the many Loops on the Borders railway count ?

Reasonably frequent, unscheduled and between stations use of loops would count (but see Post 41.)

 

[MarkyT]

The loops beyond Yatton station are used in times of service disruption to allow faster trains to overtake slower trains. But probably not 4+ times every day.

There was a programme some years ago to upgrade several loops on the Western Region to passenger standards and I think the Yatton ones are examples. They were previously categorised as goods only and in 1960s/70s signalling schemes usually didn't have compliant overlap locking arrangements for passenger trains entering, and many had point motors for their exit traps without facing point lock functionality. Practice on modern schemes is to signal goods lines to the same standards as passenger lines so diversions can more easily take place. In the old days when a goods loop was used for a passenger train, special arrangement had to be made, particularly for personel to clip and padlock any points that lacked a FPL.

 

[GordonT]

Reasonably frequent, unscheduled and between stations use of loops would count (but see Post 41.)

I have edited my OP to amend "at least four times on most days" to simply read "on most days". Thanks to everyone who has responded/will respond with all your interesting feedback.

 

[Class15]

Reasonably frequent, unscheduled and between stations use of loops would count (but see Post 41.)

And the loops on the Borders line are used for passing trains, not overtaking.

 

[_toommm_]

And in the up direction, if the Cleethorpes-Liverpool Transpennine is ~10 or so mins late, I've fairly often been on a Hope Valley stopper that's left Sheffield first and been overtaken in the loop

I remember reading either the timetable planning rules (TPR) or advice to signallers a while ago, to always let the Northern go on time and wait in either Heeley Loop or one of the signals just outside the station, rather than keep it in the station awaiting the (usually) late-running TPE.

 

[brad465]

There was a programme some years ago to upgrade several loops on the Western Region to passenger standards and I think the Yatton ones are examples. They were previously categorised as goods only and in 1960s/70s signalling schemes usually didn't have compliant overlap locking arrangements for passenger trains entering, and many had point motors for their exit traps without facing point lock functionality. Practice on modern schemes is to signal goods lines to the same standards as passenger lines so diversions can more easily take place. In the old days when a goods loop was used for a passenger train, special arrangement had to be made, particularly for personel to clip and padlock any points that lacked a FPL.

Presumably this also makes railtours, which are quite regularly put into passing loops in the middle of nowhere, much easier to path.

 

[Horizon22]

When I used to commute on that line I always wondered about what look like abortive widening works on the Chatham line on the down side of Peckham Rye. Never seen any explanation.

I think it might be something to do with the old alignment to Crystal Palace High Level, shown in the dotted line on the image taken from CartoMetro

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Be right in saying that the only loop between Manchester Oxford Road and Warrington Central is at Glazebrook? If so, does it get much use? Many the time the Northern stopper heading towards Warrington Central / Liverpool Lime Street is seemingly held at Manchester Oxford Road waiting for a late-running semi-fast EMR or TPE service to go out first.

 

[CW2]

I've been on a Northern stopper service to Crewe that's had to pull in there (Chelford loops, in the 'up' direction), in order to allow a late-running Avanti service from Manchester for London Euston to pass. Doesn't often need to happen, as far as I am aware, though.

This evening 2H43 1846 Crewe - Man Picc has used Chelford DPL for a late running TfW service to overtake. We were too far ahead of it to make using Sandbach a reasonable choice, but by Chelford it was right on our tail. A good piece of regulation, with minimal time loss.

 

[j37401]

Be right in saying that the only loop between Manchester Oxford Road and Warrington Central is at Glazebrook? If so, does it get much use? Many the time the Northern stopper heading towards Warrington Central / Liverpool Lime Street is seemingly held at Manchester Oxford Road waiting for a late-running semi-fast EMR or TPE service to go out first.

I think this loop only gets occasional use. Like you say, the stopper would usually just be put out behind the TPE or EMR at Oxford road. There must be a point where the signallers need to get the stopper out and then they want to get the express through at Glazebrook if it is running silly late. In fact i'm surprise the loop is still maintained having been originally for Freight use to Cadishead Tar. It doesn't help that the stopping train cannot quickly get out of the way at Warrington Central. It needs a bay platform ideally.

 

[Kite159]

When the West of England is running normally with an hourly service, if an Exeter bound train is running significantly late it can get dumped into the Chard Junction Loop to allow the London bound service to pass it there rather than in the double track section at Axminster. Although that won't be 4 times a day, unless the brown stuff has hit the spinning device.

 

[birchesgreen]

Like the loop before Dorridge (is porridge)? Been held there on a local train a few times to let an express pass.

 

[Kite159]

Like the loop before Dorridge (is porridge)? Been held there on a local train a few times to let an express pass.

I know in the past there has been a booked Chiltern service which goes into the loop heading towards Leamington Spa to allow a XC to pass it.

 

[Class15]

When the West of England is running normally with an hourly service, if an Exeter bound train is running significantly late it can get dumped into the Chard Junction Loop to allow the London bound service to pass it there rather than in the double track section at Axminster. Although that won't be 4 times a day, unless the brown stuff has hit the spinning device.

Aren’t we looking at ‘Overtaking’ rather than trains passing in opposite directions?

 

[30907]

I think it might be something to do with the old alignment to Crystal Palace High Level, shown in the dotted line on the image taken from CartoMetro

Looking at the oldest 25" maps on NLOS there seems to have been a plan (or at least land take) for a double track line parallel to the Crystal Palace route, following the later Greenwich Park branch to the east, but turning north where it crossed the LBSC before reaching Peckham Rye.
The space just west of Nunhead seems to have been used as a turnback facility for the middle platform there, prior to the 1920s rebuild. It doesn't look as though the rest of the land was ever used.

BTW Kent House loops are at a station.

 

[Western Sunset]

Wallers Ash loops (between Winch and B'stoke) are rated for passenger use, though how often they are used for non-freight traffic I'm not sure.

 

[Martin66]

2N09, the up morning "Chathill Flyer", is booked to call in Wooden Gate loop, just south of Alnmouth from 0722 to 0735 Mon - Sat.

To allow the 1E03 0630 Edinburgh to London Kings Cross to overtake at 0731

 

[SteveOfTheStow]

BTW Kent House loops are at a station.

How I misunderstood ‘between stations’ I don’t know!