Trivia: Branch Lines with a reversal

[copernicium112]

I was wondering how many of these exist, as it seems quite common with with Branch lines in the UK.

Some examples:
Esk Valley Line - Reversal at Battersby
Tamar Valley Line - Reversal at Bere Alston
Looe Valley Line - Reversal at Coombe Junction
Bittern Line - Reversal at Cromer
Marlow Branch - Reversal at Bourne End

 

[furnessvale]

A trivia add on. Were any built that way or are they all the result of line truncations?

 

[bramling]

A trivia add on. Were any built that way or are they all the result of line truncations?

They’re all the result of historical changes in the railway map in the given area - normally a line closing.

The one that comes closest to being an exception is Looe - simply because the arrangement there dates back rather further than the others.

 

[Iskra]

Heysham Harbour branch

 

[Iskra]

Far North Line

 

[Shimbleshanks]

The Far North Line at Thurso - arguably a branch line.

A long-closed branch that had a reversal built-in from the start was the Bishop's Castle line. It was planned as a route from Craven Arms to Montgomery with a short branch from Lydham Heath to Bishop's Castle itself. However, while the route from Craven Arms via Lydham Heath to Bishop's Castle was constructed, the rest of the 'main line' on from Lydham Heath to Montgomery wasn't, leaving it with a permanent reversal en route. I would guess that it is a similar story of unfulfilled plans whenever this sort of situation occurs.

 

[MarkyT]

Glossop and Hadfield

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Here are a couple more:
The Sheringham branch (reversal at Cromer).

Clacton/Walton - reversal en route at Colchester Town.



Does the Sheffield-Penistone line still involve a reversal (not in a station)?

 

[Cowley]

On preserved lines you could have the BWR reversal at Bodmin General and also the GCR(N) reversal to Ruddington.

 

[yorksrob]

Does the Sheffield-Penistone line still involve a reversal (not in a station)?

No, not since it was re-routed via Barnsley.

 

[Roast Veg]

East Coastway between Brighton and Hastings reverses at Eastbourne, which is a branch line compared to the BML and SEML.

 

[Clansman]

West Highland Line at Fort William.

 

[yorksrob]

East Coastway between Brighton and Hastings reverses at Eastbourne, which is a branch line compared to the BML and SEML.

Ooh, difficult one. 12 carriage mainline train with a buffet arrives into Eastbourne. 4 carriage portion reverses out. Is it the main or the branch line !

I can see the logical conundrum, but personally wouldn't consider it a secondary route, as the unelectrified routes via Barcombe or Hailsham were the secondary routes in the area.

 

[kieron]

Far North Line

Is this an answer to furnessvale's question? The line never went further than Fort William in that direction (if a little further than the current station), and the extension to Banavie was being built when the Fort William station opened. I don't know how much through traffic there was in the early years, but whatever there was would have had to reverse from the start.

 

[gingerheid]

The Far North Line is the Inverness - Thurso / Wick line. Fort William is on the West Highland Line.

 

[High Dyke]

A trivia add on. Were any built that way or are they all the result of line truncations?

Cromer was built as a terminus, whilst many of the others are/were on a through route.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_stations_in_Cromer#Cromer_High_railway_station

The station opened as Cromer Beach on 16 June 1887 and was renamed Cromer on 20 October 1969, following the closure of Cromer High station in 1954.

 

[30907]

Cromer was built as a terminus, whilst many of the others are/were on a through route.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_stations_in_Cromer#Cromer_High_railway_station

But it wasnt a terminus for GER traffic, and London-Sheringham would have gone via the west side of the triangle at (?) Roughton Rd Jn.

Ooh, difficult one. 12 carriage mainline train with a buffet arrives into Eastbourne. 4 carriage portion reverses out. Is it the main or the branch line !

I can see the logical conundrum, but personally wouldn't consider it a secondary route, as the unelectrified routes via Barcombe or Hailsham were the secondary routes in the area.

But the main line (to Hastings) pre electrificstion was the top of the Polegate triangle - it only closed in the early 60s and was electrified.
(Barcombe was on the Bluebell not the Cuckoo BTW)

 

[yorksrob]

But the main line (to Hastings) pre electrificstion was the top of the Polegate triangle - it only closed in the early 60s and was electrified.
(Barcombe was on the Bluebell not the Cuckoo BTW)

Mmm I'd dispute that. The top of the Polegate triangle had been sidelined in the 19th Century, and even though it was electrified, this was more for operational convenience.

Where did I say that Barcombe was on the Cuckoo line ?

 

[causton]

No, not since it was re-routed via Barnsley.

Where did it reverse before? Looking at a map I can't see any obvious route where it could go apart from via Barnsley.

 

[NorthernSpirit]

Skegness? Thinking of the section of line between Firstby Junction and Skeggy itself - I'm sure it was realigned then the Lincolnshire Coast Line was ripped up as Firstby Junction would have been the reversal point.

 

[yorksrob]

Where did it reverse before? Looking at a map I can't see any obvious route where it could go apart from via Barnsley.

It used take the direct route south through Sheffield Victoria, then reverse into Midland. Not an obvious route, just a result of trying to consolidate competing railway networks.

 

[cactustwirly]

Skegness? Thinking of the section of line between Firstby Junction and Skeggy itself - I'm sure it was realigned then the Lincolnshire Coast Line was ripped up as Firstby Junction would have been the reversal point.

I assume you mean Grantham?

 

[thenorthern]

Eccles Branch on the Metrolink outside of peak hours reverses at MediaCityUK.

At a push the Styal loop line as most trains reverse at Manchester Airport.

 

[Andyjs247]

Heart of Wales trains between Shrewsbury and Swansea reverse at Llanelli. Though you could argue the HoWL is a through route and not a branch and that Llanelli is not actually on the branch.

The Henley branch was regularly operated with a reversal at Twyford for trains that ran through to Reading.

 

[Wirewiper]

Reading - Gatwick Airport trains reverse at Redhill.

Ascot - Guildford trains reverse at Aldershot.

I may be wrong, but I think there was a curve to the south of Firsby Junction which enabled trains to Skegness to avoid the need to reverse there, and this was retained when Boston-Skegness was reprieved (it had been earmarked for closure in 1970 along with most of the other lines in East Lincolnshire).

 

[MarkyT]

Think we're stretching the definition of 'branch lines' where the only purpose of the simple junction at a small station is to reverse en route to the terminus.

Going with the flow though, main line reversals take place at Gloucester, Derby and Sheffield off the top of my head and there are undoubtedly others. Near me local services between Paignton and Exmouth reverse at Exeter St Davids.

 

[Crossover]

Think we're stretching the definition of 'branch lines' where the only purpose of the simple junction at a small station is to reverse en route to the terminus.

Going with the flow though, main line reversals take place at Gloucester, Derby and Sheffield off the top of my head and there are undoubtedly others. Near me local services between Paignton and Exmouth reverse at Exeter St Davids.

If adding mainline reversals, Castleford would be one such

 

[Tomnick]

Skegness? Thinking of the section of line between Firstby Junction and Skeggy itself - I'm sure it was realigned then the Lincolnshire Coast Line was ripped up as Firstby Junction would have been the reversal point.

Not realigned - the South Curve, which is all that’s left of the layout now, was there from pretty early days to cater for the heavy flows of holiday traffic to/from Skeg from the south so that they didn’t have to reverse in Firsby station.

 

[gazthomas]

Chester for Wrexham and the Marches from/to the North Wales coast

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Maidenhead to High Wycombe and onwards to Princes Risborough, Aylesbury and Oxford was the main line of the Wycombe Railway, a Great Western satellite built in the 1840s. The Marlow branch built in the 1870s left the main line at Bourne End and entered the station facing Wycombe. Much later in 1970, the Bourne End to Wycombe line was closed. The Wycombe facing platform at Bourne End was and is on the short side because of the need of the Marlow Branch to curve away to follow the river.

Electrification has been ruled out because of a lack of 2 car or 3 car units. Some complicated pointwork has been proposed to enable both platforms at Bourne End to be used from the Marlow direction, enabling a half hourly service without passengers having to swop trains at Bourne End. Old 1950s pictures of Bourne End station show such pointwork in place.