Trivia : UK counties with no 100mph+ line speeds

[GrimsbyPacer]

The City of London is a "ceremonial county" (whatever that means) and I'm fairly sure would have no 100mph+ sections. Crossrail is 60mph, Thameslink core is 30mph.

A ceremonial county is a term invented by Wikipedia that later entered into widespread use due to Wikipedia being the first source online when people are (not surprisingly) confused about counties. The official term was "Lieutenancy Areas", which are not counties.
Bristol is also one of these areas.

 

[SteveyBee131]

North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire (which once upon a time were South Humberside) is 60mph max. East Yorkshire (once upon a time North Humberside) I believe is 90mph max.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire (which once upon a time were South Humberside) is 60mph max. East Yorkshire (once upon a time North Humberside) I believe is 90mph max.

Another type of county... Those are postal counties, they still appear on my Grimsby post with "South Humberside" despite being long since abolished.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Devon maybe unless it's 100 past Tiverton and briefly between Exeter and Dawlish.

 

[Howardh]

A ceremonial county is a term invented by Wikipedia that later entered into widespread use due to Wikipedia being the first source online when people are (not surprisingly) confused about counties. The official term was "Lieutenancy Areas", which are not counties.
Bristol is also one of these areas.

Lancashire is a "county Palatine" and even though I've looked it up I'm none the wiser! The traditional Lancashire (and still is in my opinion) was in two parts, the main part containing the West Coast main line, and a smaller separate area, basically Furness and the South Lakes stretching almost to Ambleside.

So I doubt whether in our "exclave" lines could reach 100mph even is some other parts of the line may do?

Those lines would be from Grange-over-Sands to Barrow via Ulverston, then up to Foxfield

 

[WizCastro197]

Surrey only just edges out as there seems to be a short section near West Byfleet.

 

[GrimsbyPacer]

Currently Lancashire is;
1, a county including all from the Mersey to Furness.
2, a non-metropolitan county area covering Preston, Lancaster, and Colne, plus parts of Yorkshire.
3, a lieutenancy area covering the county council area, with Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen,
4, a postal county that didn't include Liverpool, but included Manchester.

So many definitions, but the first one is simplest to work with, just check the Wikishire website for borders. All such counties with lower than 100mph speed limits have been done, but in the other definitions we have some pesky little council areas like Torbay, the act establishing the area uses the term county despite it being a unitary authority.

 

[Deepgreen]

Powys, Gwynedd and Ceredigion certainly don't have any 100mpg routes.

Indeed - fuel consumption is far more than that!

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Surrey only just edges out as there seems to be a short section near West Byfleet.

Yes, from west of Woking station. The sign is just below the rear of the 444 here:

 

[InOban]

You appear to have East and West swapped in your Lothians.

And I don't think any part of the ECML passes through Midlothian, East Lothian joins on to Edinburgh.
The old Argyll County didn't include Helensburgh or any part of the North Clyde electrics.

 

[craigybagel]

Shropshire & Herefordshire?

Both 90mph max.

 

[Gaelan]

And I don't think any part of the ECML passes through Midlothian, East Lothian joins on to Edinburgh.

My best understanding of the "historical counties" - although I'll readily admit I have a sub-wikipedia understanding here - is that Edinburgh was part of Midlothian.

 

[hexagon789]

My best understanding of the "historical counties" - although I'll readily admit I have a sub-wikipedia understanding here - is that Edinburgh was part of Midlothian.

It used to be called Edinburghshire

 

[The exile]

It used to be called Edinburghshire

And had the county council headquarters (although that doesn’t prove anything- Surrey’s have been in a different county for years)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 4 Jul 2023 ==

Lancashire is a "county Palatine" and even though I've looked it up I'm none the wiser! The traditional Lancashire (and still is in my opinion) was in two parts, the main part containing the West Coast main line, and a smaller separate area, basically Furness and the South Lakes stretching almost to Ambleside.

So I doubt whether in our "exclave" lines could reach 100mph even is some other parts of the line may do?

Those lines would be from Grange-over-Sands to Barrow via Ulverston, then up to Foxfield

A palatinate us basically an early example of outsourcing. Usually (always?) the deal from the monarch to the local bigwig was “you organise the defence of the border (or whatever) in return for a generous financial arrangement (freedom from taxes/ tax raising powers etc). The other big UK example was the Bishop of Durham - whose sinecures remained long after the need for expensive defence had ceased- making the See of Durham a much sought after (even in preference to York or Canterbury)

 

[brad465]

Devon maybe unless it's 100 past Tiverton and briefly between Exeter and Dawlish.

Yes Taunton-Exeter is 100mph (the Devon border is between Taunton and Tiverton), and Exeter St Thomas-Starcross is the only 100mph stretch beyond Exeter towards Plymouth and beyond.

 

[Sean Emmett]

A ceremonial county is a term invented by Wikipedia that later entered into widespread use due to Wikipedia being the first source online when people are (not surprisingly) confused about counties. The official term was "Lieutenancy Areas", which are not counties.
Bristol is also one of these areas.

Bristol has been a City and County since 1373. Well, except for 1974 - 1996, when it was part of Avon.

I believe the 100 mph PSRs on the lines towards Bath and Taunton start outside the city limits, but will check.

FIlton bank is 75mph max and I don"t think I need to bother about the Severn Beach line.

Edit. Well I'm surprised! The main line from Paddington via Bath enters Bristol at 115m 42c and the 100mph HST PSR extends to 115m 55c, just East of St Annes Park no. 3 tunnel.

So yes 13 chains of 100 mph railway! Fat chance of anything actually doing 100mph there though. Westbound IET trains will be slowing for the 90 PSR in the tunnel, and Eastbound trains will be well past Keynsham before getting anywhere near 100mph.

The Taunton line leaves Bristol at 121m 27c, and doesn't become 100 mph until MP 122.

 

[Peter0124]

Is there any 100mph in the Glasgow City council area?

 

[Kingston Dan]

It used to be called Edinburghshire

My best understanding of the "historical counties" - although I'll readily admit I have a sub-wikipedia understanding here - is that Edinburgh was part of Midlothian.

These both are true - except Musselburgh used to be part of Midlothian and was moved to East Lothian in the the 1970s - the ECML is 125/110 between Drem and Wallyford I think. The old Midlothian also went much further west than the current one as well - possibly far as Mid Calder/Kirknewton on the WCML and Ratho on the E-G.

 

[John Griffiths]

Tyne & Wear? The ECML doesn't feel particularly fast between Chester-le-Street and Newcastle, and north of Newcastle it's not far until the boundary with Northumberland (and speed restrictions for the Morpeth curve).

 

[hexagon789]

Tyne & Wear? The ECML doesn't feel particularly fast between Chester-le-Street and Newcastle, and north of Newcastle it's not far until the boundary with Northumberland (and speed restrictions for the Morpeth curve).

Up to 115mph, Newcastle to Chester-le-Street.

 

[kwrail]

English Counties Explained

Does this help?