Obviously it'd be totally unofficial but when I measured the distance using my phone's GPS I got pretty much exactly the same end to end distance (just a touch above 18 and a half miles) but my NCL - SEJ was the slightly longer segment than SEJ - ASL (distances roughly as you have them but the other way around)?
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Northumberland Line reopening: progress updates
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xotGD
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When the train reaches Ashington, the front of the train stops at the buffers. However, when it is a 4-car set the front of the train is 2 carriage lengths cl9ser to Ashington prior to departure from Newcastle, compared to a 2-car set.
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Yeah, okay. I can see the logic.
androdas
Member
Not a good start, the facebook keyboard warrior opponents of the line will be out in force!
(Screenshot from realtime trains showing the 1350 Newcastle to Ashington train delayed by 30 mins and cancelled front Seaton Delaval due to an obstruction)
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Quite a few delays stacking up, be interesting to see how Northern recover the service as margins are tight.
(Screenshot from realtime trains showing the 1350 Newcastle to Ashington train delayed by 30 mins and cancelled front Seaton Delaval due to an obstruction)
Realtime Trains | 2T35 1350 Newcastle to Ashington | 16/12/2024
Real-time train running information for 2T35 1350 departure from Newcastle to Ashington on 16/12/2024. From Realtime Trains, an independent source of train running info for Great Britain.
www.realtimetrains.co.uk
Quite a few delays stacking up, be interesting to see how Northern recover the service as margins are tight.
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androdas
Member
Hopefully it does as a bad experience this early can be hard to shake.
There's more fairly significantly late trains in front of the Lumo. Looks like everything's picking up 20-30 minutes delay, and the Lumo was already 7 down at Newcastle
androdas
Member
The 1/2 hour frequency should make things a bit better as no one should be stranded at any station for long even if nothing is running on time.
I think the (perceived) problem will be when trains are sat at Red House Farm / Benton waiting for late running trains clearing the single sections. From looking at the diagram on Signalmaps it looks like the only place anything could be turned is Bedlington? and obviously that cant happen as there are no platfroms yet.
I think the (perceived) problem will be when trains are sat at Red House Farm / Benton waiting for late running trains clearing the single sections. From looking at the diagram on Signalmaps it looks like the only place anything could be turned is Bedlington? and obviously that cant happen as there are no platfroms yet.
swt_passenger
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That ‘part cancelled’ seems to have been withdrawn? If you follow the link below to the service 2T35, it and the next down service 2T37, show as reaching Ashington late, but they did run.
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Looks like the next round trip- 2T41 and 2T42 has been cancelled to get everything back on track for the evening peak.
JourneyCheck says there was something that got caught on the OLE near Cramlington.
I get the impression the train crew didn't get the message to terminate short in time so proceeded to Ashington by mistake.
swt_passenger
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There’s a short passing loop (about 3/4 mile) just after the ECML single lead junction, then it’s single for about 2 miles, until about a mile after Northumberland Park. Then between Holywell Jn and Seghill Jn theres a reasonably long (1.5 mile) passing loop, then it‘s single again for just over 2 miles to Redhouse Farm Jn, which is about a mile south of Newsham. Then from there it’s double track to Ashington.
But summarising and rounding, for the branch off the ECML it is about 4 miles single and 10 miles double.
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Thanks.
Sorry if this has been asked and answered earlier but is there a reason the track between Seghill and Redhouse Farm hasn't been doubled?
edwin_m
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They will have worked out what needed doubling to deliver the timetable with what they considered to be enough flexibility to recover delays, considering also whether there are certain sections that would be more costly/difficult to double.
androdas
Member
The section between Benton East and Holywell Junctions shares the alignment but not tracks with the Metro so there is no room to double and between Seghill and Red House Farm Junctions there are a series of tight bends following old waggonways, a couple of AHB crossings and Seaton Delaval station which would have needed a second platform so it was probably as edwin_m has said above a case of cost outweighing benefit.
swt_passenger
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There were changes to the loop positions between the 2019 and 2020 consultations. The original 2019 proposal had a four phase approach to the track work, with the last phase being a passing loop at Seaton Delaval station, this would have been somewhat shorter, at only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) , and designed primarily for looping freights, the station would have remained a single platform on the up side. They noted then that if late running of the service required passenger trains to cross there, then the down train would have to skip the call.
So by the 2020 consultation, for some reason they didn’t explicitly mention, the phased approach was dropped, and the loop was resited south, ie to what we are now calling Seghill loop, and is now significantly longer, at 1.5 miles, and no longer a potential problem for station calls.
Noting the points made by @androdas about the series of tight bends, I noticed from a cab ride video taken a couple of months ago that just north of Seaton Delaval, at the first road bridge, the track seems to take the easiest curve through the opening, and there may not have been room there for two tracks without a much tighter curve, so maybe an additional bridge rebuild might have been needed there to get a decent line speed. I’m not sure if this video has been linked in this thread before. Time stamp is 10m 43s for the start of the Seaton Delaval to Redhouse Farm ‘curvy bit’…
So by the 2020 consultation, for some reason they didn’t explicitly mention, the phased approach was dropped, and the loop was resited south, ie to what we are now calling Seghill loop, and is now significantly longer, at 1.5 miles, and no longer a potential problem for station calls.
Noting the points made by @androdas about the series of tight bends, I noticed from a cab ride video taken a couple of months ago that just north of Seaton Delaval, at the first road bridge, the track seems to take the easiest curve through the opening, and there may not have been room there for two tracks without a much tighter curve, so maybe an additional bridge rebuild might have been needed there to get a decent line speed. I’m not sure if this video has been linked in this thread before. Time stamp is 10m 43s for the start of the Seaton Delaval to Redhouse Farm ‘curvy bit’…
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Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
The bit north of Seaton Delaval was always very twisty, keeping it single track will have helped with the curves. Will also have prevented them having to rebuild the AHBs at Seghill and New Hartley.
The pictures of New Hartley station on the Disused Railways website give you an idea as to how tight the curve was there.
The pictures of New Hartley station on the Disused Railways website give you an idea as to how tight the curve was there.
It's a heck of a curve! I'm not sure I can think of many almost exactly 90 degree curves and certainly not many at that tight of a curvature.
WesternLancer
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any chance of a link?
Bradford PA
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WesternLancer
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Thank you! I didn't expect to see the platforms on the curve. Remarkable.
swt_passenger
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It’s noticeable on the disused stations map of the local network that Hartley is drawn more like a ‘T junction’ than a curve…
It’s noticeable on the disused stations map of the local network that Hartley is drawn more like a ‘T junction’ than a curve…
Yes, imagine a Pacer taking it on!
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jammmmmsssssss
Member
The line towards Ipswich out of Cambridge has a really tight curve that's more than 90 degrees
duffield
Established Member
If it wasn't veering far off-topic, I'd mention the sharp, 110 degree curve at Firsby on the Skegness branch.
Instead, I'll mention that this has been discussed here before. I think there are some other similar threads.
Trivia: What are the sharpest curves on Network Rail routes?
I'm talking about sharp turns/corners. The sharpest curve I know of from my own journeys is just outside Battersea, where the Freight usually stands, has no 3rd rail. I'm guessing the sharpest curves are not 3rd rail. If this is right can someone tell me why this is?
www.railforums.co.uk
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edwin_m
Veteran Member
The loop track at Ely North has a curve of slightly more than 180 degrees. Is that enough to turn us round and head back on topic?If it wasn't veering far off-topic, I'd mention the sharp, 110 degree curve at Firsby on the Skegness branch.
Instead, I'll mention that this has been discussed here before. I think there are some other similar threads.
Trivia: What are the sharpest curves on Network Rail routes?
I'm talking about sharp turns/corners. The sharpest curve I know of from my own journeys is just outside Battersea, where the Freight usually stands, has no 3rd rail. I'm guessing the sharpest curves are not 3rd rail. If this is right can someone tell me why this is?
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