Longest Diversion

[Whistler40145]

What has been the longest planned or emergency diversion on the British Rail network?


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[flymo]

Newcastle - Edinburgh via Carlisle and Perth - Inverness via Aberdeen spring to mind. I'm sure there are others.

 

[Whistler40145]

Yeah, both are rather long.

How about Crewe to Carlisle via Manchester, Bolton, Blackburn & Clitheroe?

Or Peterborough to Doncaster via Spalding, Sleaford & Lincoln?


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[Aictos]

How about the Cally Sleeper working Euston to Inverness via Edinburgh and Aberdeen - some mileage?

 

[Lrd]

How about the Cally Sleeper working Euston to Inverness via Edinburgh and Aberdeen - some mileage?

As well as via the ECML?

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Manchester-Bolton-Wigan non-stop-Preston is my longest. Via Blackburn would be faster and the line's clear at night, barring two Blackpool trains around midnight.

 

[Aictos]

As well as via the ECML?

Not that time, it was as booked between Euston and Edinburgh then diverted via Aberdeen to Inverness.

I think it was expected to arrive into Inverness at about 9am.

 

[crosscity]

Birmingham New St-Bristol Parkway via Soho, Aston, Stechford, Coventry, Oxford, Didcot curve, Swindon: because of a freight train derailment at Cheltenham Spa.

 

[12CSVT]

I seem to remember reading about a HST in passenger service travelling from Carlisle to Glasgow (or vice versa) a few years ago via Mauchline Jct, Newton-on-Ayr and Paisley

 

[ValleyLines142]

Not an absolute WHOPPER of a diversion, but I've been on a train from Bridgend to Cardiff, which normally takes about twenty minutes, via the Vale of Glamorgan Line, making a call at Llantwit Major, Rhoose and Barry, taking nearly an hour!!

 

[Oracle]

Train for Havant on the Portsmouth Direct that normally went via Cobham to Guildford diverted to run via Woking stopping at Eastleigh but not at Fareham and Cosham. Trains were burning their motors out near Haslemere.

 

[Michael.Y]

Not an absolute WHOPPER of a diversion, but I've been on a train from Bridgend to Cardiff, which normally takes about twenty minutes, via the Vale of Glamorgan Line, making a call at Llantwit Major, Rhoose and Barry, taking nearly an hour!!

That happened a few weeks before Christmas when we had a double lightning strike on BGD signals. All incoming trains from England barring HSTs were turned around at NWP, and we all crawled through VOG. My service (originally straight through CDF-BGD) actually replaced a VOG train so we ended up stopping and picking up at Barry, Rhoose etc.

 

[Whistler40145]

I am not sure what the mileage is, but I can remember during an engineering blockade between Rugby & Birmingham New Street, all trains were diverted to reverse at Stafford as the Nuneaton to Birmingham New Street line was also blocked.

Also, Preston to Glasgow via Lancaster, Carnforth, Clapham & Hellifield (Reverse) and S&C must be quite lengthy in distance & time.


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[Eagle]

I'm sure there have been FGW HSTs diverted the entire length of the WoEL into Waterloo, which must be some 160 miles off-route.

 

[LE Greys]

The Caley Sleeper double diversion. Engineering works on the WCML mean going via the ECML, signal failure then sends it via Lincoln.

 

[TomJ93]

One ive done: hopped on a voyager to Aberdeen at Temple Meads- blockage at Cheltenham we went via Swindon.

 

[ValleyLines142]

That happened a few weeks before Christmas when we had a double lightning strike on BGD signals. All incoming trains from England barring HSTs were turned around at NWP, and we all crawled through VOG. My service (originally straight through CDF-BGD) actually replaced a VOG train so we ended up stopping and picking up at Barry, Rhoose etc.

Yes, my friend had a lovely surprise when a 175 turned up! I was happy too (obviously not because there was delays) but the fact that a wonderful Coradia unit turned up!

 

[Whistler40145]

What about the time when the Caley Sleepers got dragged from York to Leeds.


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[MidnightFlyer]

Also, Preston to Glasgow via Lancaster, Carnforth, Clapham & Hellifield (Reverse) and S&C must be quite lengthy in distance & time.


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About 41 miles longer than via Shap, however I am not sure why this diversion would be used, if it ever has. Via Blackburn and the S&C is way quicker and shorter.

 

[Welshman]

A few years back I did Preston-Glasgow via Blackburn and the S & C to Carlisle, and then via the G & S W through Dumfries to Glasgow!

The TM apologised for extra time taken for the lengthy diversions, and seemed quite amused when I told her they were the only reasons I was making the journey!

 

[fairysdad]

Nowhere near the longest by any means, but I have been on several trains from Devon to London that have, instead of coming off at Cogload Jcn onto the Berks & Hants line gone up to Bristol and across.

 

[Eagle]

Nowhere near the longest by any means, but I have been on several trains from Devon to London that have, instead of coming off at Cogload Jcn onto the Berks & Hants line gone up to Bristol and across.

There are quite a few trains a day that go this route, so it's not really a diversion as such...

 

[Liam]

The thing about the Caley sleepers going via the ECML is actually shorter fpr the Highland sleepers and the Edinburgh portion of the Lowland. From what I can gather Waverley-Euston via the WCML is approx 400 miles, via the ECML its about 395. Ok so you are probably about 80 miles off route for most of the way, but the ECML is the shortest route, although not the quickest, due to the reverse at Wembley.

 

[Eagle]

The thing about the Caley sleepers going via the ECML is actually shorter fpr the Highland sleepers and the Edinburgh portion of the Lowland. From what I can gather Waverley-Euston via the WCML is approx 400 miles, via the ECML its about 395. Ok so you are probably about 80 miles off route for most of the way, but the ECML is the shortest route, although not the quickest, due to the reverse at Wembley.

Similarly Exeter to Waterloo is shorter than Exeter to Paddington by any route, so when FGW uses that route (usually due to a blockade at Reading)...

 

[Tomonthetrain]

66.28 miles on one 390

Rugby - Rugby North Junction - Rugby Trent Valley Junction - Brinklow - Attleborough Shilton - Attleborough Junction - Nuneaton South Junction - Nuneaton - Atherstone - Polesworth - Tamworth (Low Level) - Lichfield Trent Valley (Low Level) - Armitage Junction - Rugeley Trent Valley - Colwich - Whitehouse Junction - Stafford Trent Valley Junction - Stafford - Stafford Trent Valley Junction - Rickerscote - Penkridge - Littleton Rowntree Mackintosh - Four Ashes Loop - Bushbury Junction - Wolverhampton North Junction - Wolverhampton

 

[flymo]

Not really one diversion, more a series of shorter ones, but during the 80's when the ECML was being electrified I used go into Newcastle Central to see what the diversions were for that weekend, the more and longer the better. There was a map near the entrance which had the weekend diversions on and it was compulsive viewing.

The best day ever I ever had on the diversions was one Sunday via the Leamside to Tursdale Jn, stayed on the slows to Ferryhill South to take the line via Stockton and Eagescliffe to Northallerton. Down the ECML as far as Doncaster before heading through Gainsborough, Lincoln, Sleaford and Spalding to Peterborough. The Hertford loop was also included just for fun...

I think it left Newcastle just before 8am and got to the Cross a little after 1pm, all in all a fab day which was not expensive and all HST too.....

 

[fairysdad]

There are quite a few trains a day that go this route, so it's not really a diversion as such...

Yes, I realise there are scheduled trains that do this, but I'd also imagine that any scheduled via Bristol trains would stop at Temple Meads rather than go straight through non-stop Taunton to Reading?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

You don't expect to see sleepers in Great Malvern, but there was a short spell in the 80s when the Plymouth-Scotland sleeper was diverted between Bristol and Birmingham via the Severn Tunnel, Hereford, Worcester and Kidderminster - 125 miles or so off route.

 

[43106]

The longest I've been on was 3 diversions on the same trip! Supposedly a Bristol - Edinburgh train on a Sunday in the late 1970's, I joined it at Stafford - an 86 I think. We got to Crewe, where we paused. Then we went up the line through Wilmslow and stoipped at Stockport for about 25 minutes where they stuck a 47 on the front. Then we went on a trip of the East Manchester freight lines (Stockport - Reddish South, then the Guide Bridge avoider, then joined the line from Leeds just west of Ashton-u-Lyne) to Manchester Victoria. We waited at Victoria for about 45 minutes, then off through Bolton to Preston.
After another 40 minute wait, we went BACKWARDS, though Lostock Hall and Blackburn. Then we turned off the Burnley line and I was lost. We pulled into Hellifield, then continued up the S&C to Carlisle. "Oh good - normality!" OH no it wasn't - we went up via Dumfries and Kilmarnock to Glasgow! The Edinburgh passengers had to transfer to a 3-car DMU and we went via Carstairs (without stopping there) to Edinburgh. Dunno the distance, but I was 5 hours late getting home!

 

[142094]

There was a working last year that was Leeds to Doncaster, change ends and up to Carlisle and onwards to Edinburgh