They were referring to the Northampton loop
Shhh, else someone will organise a railtour.
via Clitheroe, usually reversing at Preston
Thank you both for confirming
It does, the reason I highlighted that route would be if, depending on the mainline closure, serving Lancaster was deemed necessary.
Presumably the lengthy signal headways on the S&C don't help with diversion journey times, nor the max 60mph speed limit.
Can't remember whether Lancaster was served just by bus along the A6/M6 and/or Preston -> Barrow-in-Furness rail services. Probably depended on where along the WCML the weekend engineering work was taking place. Often the route was kept open until midday on Saturday before closing for the remainder of the weekend.
If memory serves, typical journey times between Carlisle and Preston (via the Settle and Carlisle) were at least always twice that of the more usual WCML route via Penrith.
Yep. On a wet and windy Saturday evening, would much prefer to stay on a diverted Anglo Scottish train despite the extended journey time, rather than change onto a bus, mid journey, provided that the arrival time (at Preston) wasn't then too late for onward connections.
Reversing at Hellifield is not permitted by passenger trains, you'd need staff on the ground to clip up the points.
If the journey time is significantly longer, then the train can't make its next working and you need either more units or less schedules. Voyagers aren't just lying around, and neither are drivers, while less schedules is just as disruptive to passengers, if not more so.
The track layout and signalling at Hellifield does not allow passenger-carrying trains to/from the North to reverse there. You would have to run past the junction to a point beyond the South end crossover on either the Skipton or Blackburn line, change ends and then come back through the road with the facing points clipped and padlocked and a handsignaller in attendence. It would be quicker to reverse at Settle Junction, although you would still need a handsignaller for the crossover points if coming from the Carlisle direction. Mark 3 stock is permitted through the sharply-curved Furness line platforms at Carnforth - as those of us who were on the "Cumbrian Whistler" railtour on 28th August can testify. Not sure about the curve to/from the former Carnforth East Junction....although it's very sharp, there are no physical obstacles in the way.
When the Brighton Line is closed south of Three Bridges, Brighton services are diverted via Horsham, Littlehampton and then all stations to Brighton. They also offer a non stop bus from Three Bridges to Brighton as well as an all stations bus. I'd say that more than half the Brighton Passengers get off to get the bus which saves around 30 mins.
Loads of intermediate block stuff put in when there were many coal trains. all those coal train paths are there for the taking. Blackburn - clitheroe may be more of an issue.
Sorry, but I can't see how improving Copy Pit would help diversionary capability for Anglo-Scottish trains, for unless you reversed at Blackburn[and then over the S&C], you would end up at Preston.
Simply to run faster trains between York and Preston, but the reality is that even that would probably still be slower than using the M6.
They can, I've been on a southbound sleeper that ran main line to Carnforth then a pair of 20s took us via Bentham and Clitheroe to Preston.
There used to be one on Sunday mornings in the early 80s from Glasgow Central that clearly went via the S&C, including an advertised call at Blackburn. This was in the days of the old manual departure board at Central. I don’t recall if it went via Kilmarnock as well.
Since the 2018 resignalling of the Calder Valley Line East of Hebden Bridge, substantial stretches between there and Bradford Interchange now permit 75-80 mph for multiple unit trains. Not sure how that would help with Anglo-Scottish diversions though!
Yes I have done that move. Can share dates and locos if anyone is really interested. Passengers were not happy but the bashers loved it.
They reveresed at Preston and took the Blackburn line
No.
It was. Likewise Oxenholme and Penrith. There were buses that called at the intermediate stations while others went non-stop to Carlisle.
