most boring line

[Ivo]

Oh, I thought that was quite picturesque and rural ! Mind you, I've only been on it once so I can imagine it would be quite an uninspiring commute

40 speed limit + nothing special en route + Bicester + 165/166 = very boring...

 

[yorksrob]

40 speed limit + nothing special en route + Bicester + 165/166 = very boring...

Indeed. It could do with a marshalling yard somewhere along the way to brighten things up, preferably with lots of withdrawn stock. Not sure planning would be to keen though

 

[150222]

Burnley Manchester Rd-Hebden Bridge.

That stretch runs behind my house & I agree with you there. Especially near Hall Royd junction in Todmorden.

 

[12CSVT]

High Speed 1 (between St Pancras and Dagenham)

 

[SS4]

Stourbridge Jcn to Stourbridge Town

 

[Philip]

Manchester to Preston isn't that bad! If anything I'd say the Manchester to Bolton stretch is the most interesting part. Once you're out of the inner suburbs of Salford/Bolton you have quite a view over the Irwell Valley on one side and on the other side the steep side of the valley, so the railway is perched on a ledge for some of the way. Not what you'd call 'beautiful scenery' but interesting nonetheless. There's also the short tunnel at Farnworth, the old viaduct and canal at Clifton with its Country Park and the Forest Bank Prison just for good measure.

Stockport to Crewe is pretty tedious really, barring the Wilmslow and Holmes Chapel viaducts. Crewe to Stafford and Rugeley to Rugby are fairly uninspiring as well (though the canal joining the railway around Nuneaton provides some interest).

 

[RPM]

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

Aylesbury to Amersham is pleasant enough but it gets dull after that. Just houses and trees and more houses...

 

[yorksrob]

Aylesbury to Amersham is pleasant enough but it gets dull after that. Just houses and trees and more houses...

Definately worth checking out Sir John Betjeman's Metroland to dig a bit deeper into that territory.

Sadly he never got round to Normanton to Leeds

 

[Kneedown]

Sleaford to Peterboro via Spalding. Flat as a pancake and nothing but fields. It gets better at dawn and dusk though when the Barn Owls come out to hunt. There was also a Short Eared Owl at Littleworth a few years back to break the monotony. Shame he didnt stay.

 

[12CSVT]

Sleaford to Peterboro via Spalding. Flat as a pancake and nothing but fields. It gets better at dawn and dusk though when the Barn Owls come out to hunt. There was also a Short Eared Owl at Littleworth a few years back to break the monotony. Shame he didnt stay.

Didn't seem boring in October when 67+91s and HSTs were diverted that way

 

[Eagle]

Coventry to Leicester is dull, minus the first mile when you're on a viaduct curving round Coventry city centre with fairly nice views. Once you're at the Ricoh you might as well fall asleep (or not, as the train will terminate in about 13 minutes anyway).

 

[bAzTNM]

Queen Street to Springburn for me. Just high walls.

 

[Cletus]

Going through Stratford International station itself. You come out of the tunnels either way into a concrete coffin.

 

[Requeststop]

Even as a patriotic Cornishman, I'd nominate Par - Newquay. If anyone can tell me on one pleasant vista on the route then I'd be pleased to judge again. Have to say though I'm biased as Newquay is one town I'd obliterate from the map.

 

[HSTEd]

Even as a patriotic Cornishman, I'd nominate Par - Newquay. If anyone can tell me on one pleasant vista on the route then I'd be pleased to judge again. Have to say though I'm biased as Newquay is one town I'd obliterate from the map.

Don't you get a nice view coming over that viaduct near the Zoo?

It's been a while since I've done that journey during daylight however.

 

[Beveridges]

Ffestioniog railway
Very, very slow (like 10mph), stops every few minutes, long station dwell times, and you cant even see much scenery as loads of trees right next to the line blocked all the scenery when I was there. Also not a fan of steam and ancient carriages.
I had to get off half way and head back as it was getting so boring.

I even found the ECML Doncaster-Peterborough less boring as at least it was at 125mph and had some freight yards to look at either end of the journey, and was in a comfortable carriage, even though there was no decent scenery.

 

[2Dogbox]

Sleaford to Peterboro via Spalding. Flat as a pancake and nothing but fields. It gets better at dawn and dusk though when the Barn Owls come out to hunt. There was also a Short Eared Owl at Littleworth a few years back to break the monotony. Shame he didnt stay.

Agree on this one Sleaford to Peterborough joint line is rather dull. It goes something like this . . .Turnip field, cabbage field, field with bungalow in, level crossing, turnip field, cabbage field (repeat for duration of journey) :roll:

 

[ert47]

Agree on this one Sleaford to Peterborough joint line is rather dull. It goes something like this . . .Turnip field, cabbage field, field with bungalow in, level crossing, turnip field, cabbage field (repeat for duration of journey) :roll:

Put on the plus side, you also get interesting smells drifting into the carriage every time you pass a cabbage field... :roll:

 

[WestCountry]

Lowestoft to Ipswich. Nothing really to see at all, except the last bit past the yard at Ipswich.

 

[dave_wm]

Ffestioniog railway
Very, very slow (like 10mph), stops every few minutes, long station dwell times, and you cant even see much scenery as loads of trees right next to the line blocked all the scenery when I was there. Also not a fan of steam and ancient carriages.
I had to get off half way and head back as it was getting so boring.

Then you missed the best bit (assuming you only went Porthmadog - Tan-y-Bwlch)! After Tan-y-Bwlch the trees clear and you get more into the mountains - then there's the interest of the spiral at Dduallt and the reservoir at Tanygrisau, as well as the slag heaps at Blaenau (which admittedly is a dull place...)

 

[Schnellzug]

Ffestioniog railway
Very, very slow (like 10mph), stops every few minutes, long station dwell times, and you cant even see much scenery as loads of trees right next to the line blocked all the scenery when I was there. Also not a fan of steam and ancient carriages.
I had to get off half way and head back as it was getting so boring.

um... if you didn't like steam, ancient carriages, or trees, um... why choose it at all? It seems a bit like going to Ibiza and going "ooh, it was awful, it was too hot and there was nothing but beaches".

 

[trentside]

Agree on this one Sleaford to Peterborough joint line is rather dull. It goes something like this . . .Turnip field, cabbage field, field with bungalow in, level crossing, turnip field, cabbage field (repeat for duration of journey) :roll:

The wonderful fenland. It really is dull, not helped by the speed restrictions over the various level crossings. The Skegness line is also quite dull east of Sleaford, for similar reasons.

 

[bicbasher]

Agree on this one Sleaford to Peterborough joint line is rather dull. It goes something like this . . .Turnip field, cabbage field, field with bungalow in, level crossing, turnip field, cabbage field (repeat for duration of journey) :roll:

Another vote for Sleaford to Peterborough. Add rain to the mix and it's even more boring than usual. It only gets slightly more interesting past Sleaford to Lincoln Central when the service turns into a local commuter route.

Next time I travel to Lincoln, it'll be via Newark North Gate instead!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Manchester Victoria to Littleborough is a journey not worthy to feature in any travelogue.

 

[150222]

Manchester Victoria to Littleborough is a journey not worthy to feature in any travelogue.

I'd certainly agree with that. In a similar vain Bradford Interchange to Leeds is also extremely dull.

 

[harz99]

Agree on this one Sleaford to Peterborough joint line is rather dull. It goes something like this . . .Turnip field, cabbage field, field with bungalow in, level crossing, turnip field, cabbage field (repeat for duration of journey) :roll:

Not to mention the yellow (Oil Seed Rape) and blue (Linseed) summer fields....

 

[trentside]

Not to mention the yellow (Oil Seed Rape) and blue (Linseed) summer fields....

Which is why I don't travel on the Joint line often during the summer. With my hayfever, I sneeze far too much and it just turns a not very interesting line into a miserable experience.

 

[SprinterMan]

Whats with all the hate for lines in the fens & boards

I love Ely-Peterborough, Peterborough-Sleaford, Peterborough-Huntingdon and the Wherry Lines; I think the flat emptiness of the landscape creates a very nice eerie ambience. My mother thinks the wherry lines are boring though. I completely agree that the East Suffolk line is dreadful though. It is ok until about Melton then it gets monotonus. I really find it unpleasent, although I loathe 170s as well so that doesn't help.

I was disapointed by Chester-Shrewsbury via Wrexham tbh. The viaducts at Chirk & Ruabon are very nice and the MDF factory at chirk is fascinating but Gobown-Shrewsbury is sooooo boring and seems to take forever.

 

[trentside]

Whats with all the hate for lines in the fens & boards

For me, I just don't find it nice to look at. It's too flat and bleak for me, in a lot of places.

I was probably a little unfair on the Skegness line. There's a section where you can see the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds rising up from the flatness of the fens in the distance. That's quite impressive - a complete change in the landscape.

 

[43021HST]

um... if you didn't like steam, ancient carriages, or trees, um... why choose it at all? It seems a bit like going to Ibiza and going "ooh, it was awful, it was too hot and there was nothing but beaches".

I think must of gone there expecting it all to be narrow gauge voyagers and pendos.