most boring line

[ess]

sat on the wcml just now in the rain there's lots of countryside but it's all kind of uninspiring. what's the most dull stretch of line you know?

 

[BestWestern]

The West Coastway, Portsmouth - Brighton. Stops everywhere, takes forever....yawn!

 

[trentside]

sat on the wcml just now in the rain there's lots of countryside but it's all kind of uninspiring. what's the most dull stretch of line you know?

At least you can see the scenery... think of all those people who spend their WCML journeys staring at the wall of a Pendolino

I'm not a big fan of the Marston Vale line, just found it a really dull line to travel over.

The ECML south of Peterborough isn't great either - I think thats got a lot to do with the amount of times I've travelled over it.

 

[junglejames]

The Settle Carlisle!!

 

[CosherB]

Any underground section of LUL.

 

[Johnny Lewis]

In contrast with most of the lines in northern Scotland, I always find the Inverness - Aberdeen line quite dull. Or perhaps it is just having to sit on a class 158 for 2&1/2 hours...

 

[ess]

i thought settle carlisle is supposed to be a wonderful tourist attraction? is it boring?

 

[Sapphire Blue]

i thought settle carlisle is supposed to be a wonderful tourist attraction? is it boring?

It's far better to see from off the train than from on.
(See also Dawlish Sea wall)

 

[Oswyntail]

....
The ECML south of Peterborough isn't great either - I think thats got a lot to do with the amount of times I've travelled over it.

I'd second that - and add in the ECML north of Peterborough too, except the short bit between Morpeth and Berwick. A journey from London to Edinburgh is mind-numbingly tedious

 

[transmanche]

I'd second that - and add in the ECML north of Peterborough too, except the short bit between Morpeth and Berwick. A journey from London to Edinburgh is mind-numbingly tedious

The approaches to both Durham and Newcastle are pretty impressive... if you're on the right side of the train!

 

[Mojo]

The line from Aylesbury to Marylebone is a bit of a snore.

 

[AlterEgo]

Liverpool to Chester on Merseyrail is pretty dull.

Oh and the London to Norwich line - there isn't much scenery to speak of there either.

 

[Polarbear]

Chester to Liverpool isn't much fun either. Most of it runs in either cutting or tunnel with few redeeming features.

Admittidly the section between Bache & Mollington isn't too bad, but that's about it.:roll:

 

[fgwrich]

I would say for me - it's got to be a combination of The Wherry Lines - Mostly rather uninspiring flat marshland, with some of the worst track ive so far come across left in the country!

(Others will come later when i can think more clearly instead of the coursework!)

 

[barrykas]

How about Stourbridge Jn - Stourbridge Town? The most interesting part of which is probably the use of a PPM instead of a 15x.

Cheers,

Barry

 

[WestCoast]

The Settle Carlisle!!

That's not boring! Well, if you're not into Dales scenery then I suppose it is.

Around my way, I find the Manchester to Preston line really quite dull. The highlights are the Reebok Stadium at Horwich and a few old mills!

I suppose lines you travel on often become duller.

 

[sprinterguy]

I'd second that - and add in the ECML north of Peterborough too, except the short bit between Morpeth and Berwick. A journey from London to Edinburgh is mind-numbingly tedious

That seems grossly unfair to me; I find most of the ECML between Doncaster and Edinburgh fascinating, and I travel the Newcastle to Donny stretch quite a lot: There's the plethora of power stations between Doncaster and York, the beauty of York itself and the tantalising opportunity to stop off for a pint or three mid-journey, being able to look across to the North Yorkshire Moors to the east and the Yorkshire Dales to the west along the racing stretch between York and Northallerton, the sinuous reverse curves between Darlington and Durham, the approach to Durham over the viaduct and the approach to Newcastle with the view of all the bridges. And north of Newcastle, most of the Northumberland coast is gorgeous: The sight of Alnmouth by the sea, running along the cliff tops around Berwick, and it all continues into Scotland too up around Grantshouse.

And from a railway enthusiasts perspective, there's also the freight yards at Doncaster Carr and Tyne Yard, the depots at Heaton and Craigentinny (And, to a lesser extent, York if 185s are you're thing), Doncaster works, and the tantalising prospect of glimpsing something special out of the National Collection sat out the back of the NRM or being shunted around the yards.

The stretch of line that I find most boring must be Sheffield to Doncaster or Wakefield. It always seems so grey and dismal, and progress seems uniformly slow. Completely uninspiring and tedious. It might also be something to with the journeys that I am usually undertaking: Typically Birmingham to Newcastle or vice versa, where I've been travelling for a long time, am getting a bit fed up with being sat on a Voyager, but am still a long way from my destination. And as I say, because of the need to fit the XC services amongst the slow local Northern services and freight traffic, the train never seems to be getting anywhere fast after the comparative romps along the MML and ECML on either side, and there's scenes of industrial desolation all around. I'm sure it'll feel even worse next month when I'll be doing Birmingham to Edinburgh that way, all on a Voyager.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

The Settle Carlisle!!

What?! That's crazy talk! I did the full length of the line for the first time early last year, with a coating of snow covering the beautiful Pennine scenery and a class 37 and 20 combo for haulage. Absolutely wonderful. The five or so bottles of ale I'd consumed by that point probably helped as well.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

How about Stourbridge Jn - Stourbridge Town? The most interesting part of which is probably the use of a PPM instead of a 15x.

Nah, the journey's over before you even get a chance of considering being bored! Having a virtually unobstructed 360 degree view front, back and sides by virtue of Parry People Movers being employed on the branch is probably a welcome bonus though that helps relieve any sense of tedium.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Walsall-Rugeley TV or Burnley Manchester Rd-Hebden Bridge.

 

[John S2]

Burnley Manchester Rd-Hebden Bridge.

Most of this stretch is slow, but can hardly be classified as boring. Facing forwards when travelling westbound the view of Pendle Hill is quite special.

 

[dvboy]

Birmingham-Wolverhampton

abandonned factories, empty canals, the M5 going overhead.

 

[bnm]

West of England Main Line Salisbury - Basingstoke, then South Western Main Line Basingstoke - Waterloo. Yawn.

Only saving grace is the relative comfort of the SWT 159s.

 

[Schnellzug]

Cardiff-Newport. Although paradoxically, that's quite scenic on the M4, as it goes round the bottoms of the Valleys.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Around my way, I find the Manchester to Preston line really quite dull.

:roll: Agree with that, in particular the section between Salford Crescent and Bolton, particularly at night, when all you can seem to see is the back of warehouse units and scrapyards.

Ashburys to Guide Bridge (East Manchester) is not so fun, either !

 

[Oswyntail]

That seems grossly unfair to me; I find most of the ECML between Doncaster and Edinburgh fascinating, and I travel the Newcastle to Donny stretch quite a lot: There's the plethora of power stations between Doncaster and York, the beauty of York itself

How much of the beauty of York can you see from the train? The southern and northern approaches a just dull suburbia!

being able to look across to the North Yorkshire Moors to the east and the Yorkshire Dales to the west along the racing stretch between York and Northallerton

Yes, they are there, but you could hardly be said to be close enough to get anything of the true beauty of either area. You are in the vale of York, as flat and dull for miles in every direction as any of East Anglia

the sinuous reverse curves between Darlington and Durham, the approach to Durham over the viaduct and the approach to Newcastle with the view of all the bridges.

Two spectacular and brief moments, I grant you, but still very brief, and little to grab the attention between them

And north of Newcastle, most of the Northumberland coast is gorgeous: The sight of Alnmouth by the sea, running along the cliff tops around Berwick, and it all continues into Scotland too up around Grantshouse.

And that stretch I exempted from my initial criticism

And from a railway enthusiasts perspective, there's also the freight yards at Doncaster Carr and Tyne Yard

Which these days contain little but rusting, disused wagons and overgrown undergrowth,

the depots at Heaton and Craigentinny (And, to a lesser extent, York if 185s are you're thing), Doncaster works, and the tantalising prospect of glimpsing something special out of the National Collection sat out the back of the NRM or being shunted around the yards.
....

Even those are pale shadows of what they were even ten years ago. I suppose, in terms of bustle, the same is true of most of the network. But I still maintain that the physical geography of the ECML is more homogeneous throughout than any other main line

 

[Lampshade]

Walsall-Rugeley TV or Burnley Manchester Rd-Hebden Bridge.

It's not that bad, I saw a sheep last time hock:

 

[eastwestdivide]

Like a lot of things, apparently boring stretches of line can be livened up by a bit of background research beforehand, plus a good map (1:50,000 or better) for when you're there.
My candidate: Strood to Higham. Or Dore to Grindleford.

 

[Lrd]

Winchester to Basingstoke, seems to take forever at times.

 

[Bungle73]

Like a lot of things, apparently boring stretches of line can be livened up by a bit of background research beforehand, plus a good map (1:50,000 or better) for when you're there.
My candidate: Strood to Higham.

But that's all in a tunnel... :?

 

[Ivo]

Of all the ones I've done I would have to suggest Shenfield to Liverpool Street. Even by London commuter standards it's dull. At least the c2c route has some contrast to it (helped by the District of course ).

 

[eastwestdivide]

But that's all in a tunnel... :?

Yes, but it's an interesting tunnel, as is Totley Tunnel.