Platform faces - widest

[Lee_Again]

What's the widest gap between two platform faces?

I'll start with Farnborough Main. Four tracks and a huge gap between the centre tracks.

Anybody know of wider.

 

[tsr]

I think Tyndrum is cheating...

 

[90019]

The platforms at Larbert are pretty far apart.

 

[jopsuk]

for a two track station, Larbert must be close to being a winner.

What about Raynes Park? Four tracks between the platforms, but the platforms don't face each other due to the offset.

 

[Michael.Y]

Does Holyhead count?

 

[yorksrob]

I think that the gap between the Windsor and main line platforms at Clapham Jnc must be quite wide including the carriage shed roads etc.

 

[table38]

What if it was a single island platform - would you measure it round the "long" way as the circumference of the earth (24901.55 miles) ?

(Oh no, the pedantry has started - Ed )

 

[Ploughman]

Does that take into account the width of the platform to reduce the distance by about 7 metres?

 

[table38]

Yes, so really the answer to the question is to find the station with the narrowest single island platform.

I'd nominate one of the Glasgow Underground stations, although as they are below ground level, the circumference of the earth will be slightly less...

 

[Ivo]

Yes, so really the answer to the question is to find the station with the narrowest single island platform.

I'd nominate one of the Glasgow Underground stations, although as they are below ground level, the circumference of the earth will be slightly less...

"Slightly" is right

Could the Northern Line Clapham stations beat them?

 

[table38]

Really you want something high up - do any of the stations on the Snowdon Mountain Railway with a passing loop have an island platform?

 

[giblets]

Cheam has a bit of a gap, a few rails got ripped out years ago

 

[12CSVT]

Cardonald, and the two Hillington stations are probable contendors

 

[stephen_78]

Abergele & Pensarn station on the North Wales coast is pretty wide between platforms..

 

[Lampshade]

Bath Spa is quite wide.

 

[150222]

Platform 3+5 at York?

 

[table38]

Abergele & Pensarn station on the North Wales coast is pretty wide between platforms..

Good call, that (was) four tracks and a signalbox wide, and seems to get wider towards the road bridge. Google Earth says its about 23.5 metres.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

A few places on the Chiltern mainline. Leamington Spa, but that has two through roads between the platform loops. Ditto Princes Risborough (albeit with only one through road) and West Ruislip. There were huge gaps between platforms at Bicester North until Evergreen 3 and Denham until a new island platform was built (and there is still room for a through road even with the island platform in place). The staggered platforms at High Wycombe mean there is a large gap between the two platform faces, and Beaconsfield must have fifty feet between the two platforms.

 

[150222]

Bramley?

 

[Mojo]

Good call, that (was) four tracks and a signalbox wide, and seems to get wider towards the road bridge. Google Earth says its about 23.5 metres.

http://www.table38.steamrailways.com/images/a&p.jpg

This appears to be wider than Farnborough Main which Google measures in at 23.2 mtrs.

 

[Cherry_Picker]

I would say Google Earth is not the most accurate tool in the world, I certainly wouldnt trust it to tolerances of 30cm (12 inches in old money)

 

[table38]

As long as it is consistently inaccurate, it'll do as a comparison tool

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Beaconsfield must have fifty feet between the two platforms.

Hasn't Beaconsfield been ruined, err rebuilt, with a platform extension onto the trackbed, making it impossible to re-instate an up passing loop there now?

 

[giblets]

Is there a standard gap required?
Abergele, Farnborough, Cheam; all 23-24m?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

As long as it is consistently inaccurate, it'll do as a comparison tool

But it is not consistently inaccurate. It is relying on people to click accurately on either edge of a low resolution photo which was taken from a plane. Dont get me wrong, it is a brilliant brilliant tool and it is great at giving rough estimates at distances but it far too imprecise to say whether one 25 metre gap is slightly larger than another 25 metre gap. The tolerances are just too big for that.

Hasn't Beaconsfield been ruined, err rebuilt, with a platform extension onto the trackbed, making it impossible to re-instate an up passing loop there now?

No, you are probably thinking of Denham, which had a new island platform placed in the middle two or three years ago. There is still room for an up through line which would make the current up line into a platform loop. Dont think it is likely to happen any time soon. There is something going on at Beaconsfield though, the P Way are setting something up. It looks like they might be moving the overbridge to a different part of the platform. I have to confess I havent been paying much attention though so I might be horribly wrong.

 

[table38]

But it is not consistently inaccurate. It is relying on people to click accurately on either edge of a low resolution photo which was taken from a plane. Dont get me wrong, it is a brilliant brilliant tool and it is great at giving rough estimates at distances but it far too imprecise to say whether one 25 metre gap is slightly larger than another 25 metre gap. The tolerances are just too big for that.

I think you missed the smiley! What would you suggest we use instead - a tape measure?

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Nope, just accept that the question is unanswerable!

 

[Ploughman]

I think you missed the smiley! What would you suggest we use instead - a tape measure?

You could use a laser Disto metre.

 

[swt_passenger]

Is there a standard gap required?
Abergele, Farnborough, Cheam; all 23-24m?

As far as the LSWR mainline goes, Farnborough Main is slightly wider than most of the original island platform stations. Hook and Winchfield have had their islands removed and the remaining gap is about 21.5m, likewise Walton on Thames and Esher have islands remaining but out of use, the overall gap between the outer platform edges is again about 21.5 m. (Google Earth accuracy!)

Is it possible Farnborough is slightly wider than the norm for the line because it has a more significant curve?

 

[transportphoto]

Bury St Edmunds must be a contender

TP