In a recent engineering update, the Wensleydale railway refer to a plan to start ‘slewing track for the possible future installation of a passing loop’ at a particular point on the railway. Please can someone explain what this means?
The Wensleydale line was mostly double track. Like many other similar lines when singled under BR, the one remaining track was often relaid to make the best use of the outside of curves or to run through the centre of stations to improve clearance from platform edges. So to reinstate two lines of track where currently there is just one will require the existing track to be moved sideways to give room for the second line.
Thanks for the correction - I was in a hurry and didn't go and look things up as I would normally do! The Bedale and Leyburn railway was built first and connected to Northallerton in 1855. The final authorisation in 1870 for the stretch from Leyburn to Hawes allowed for all stations to be worked with two tracks and sidings, the rest of the line to be single. (The MR section was authorised in a separate act in 1866.) The line fully opened in 1878. It closed to passengers East of Hawes in 1954 and between Garsdale and Hawes in 1959.The Wensleydale line was actually single track throughout except for a short double track section between Leeming Bar and Bedale. Even as a freight line there were several passing loops until the line was designalled in 1982 with only Bedale box remaining as a gate box. I think the formation from Leeming Var to Ainderby is wide enough for double track and one of the early Wensleydale directors had the rather fanciful idea of laying double track and building a new Union Pacific Big Boy to haul trains.
My Concise Oxford Dictionary gives both together - says it is of "18th c. Nautical, of unknown origin."Slewing or Slueing?
Opinion is divided...
Slewing or Slueing?
Opinion is divided...
I was always taught the former but have one distant colleague who always uses slueing. I suspect he does this to irritate people and I strangely admire him for it!
If you hadn't put the two side by side, I wouldn't know what "slue" meant!I’m definitely a slue-er
NR seems to favour 'Slue', according to many signs around the network (e.g. "No Track Slue On This Bridge") I think it's the older of the two versions of the word. It reminds me of another example - 'shown' and 'shewn' - as in "tickets to be shewn", which still pops up rarely. However, another NR sign which I've seen a lot is; "High Visability Jackets Must Be Worn" - that is NOT a valid spelling!I’m definitely a slue-er
NR seems to favour 'Slue', according to many signs around the network (e.g. "No Track Slue On This Bridge") I think it's the older of the two versions of the word. It reminds me of another example - 'shown' and 'shewn' - as in "tickets to be shewn", which still pops up rarely.
Me too; wonder whether it's a regional thing.I've always used the "slew" spelling -- don't think I'd ever come across "slue" before this thread.
NR also spells Bletchley wrong on their signage on one of the bridges, so that is just a symptom of the modern day lack of proof reading, I suspect.
I.to make visible or manifest, to show, exhibit, Soph.:—Pass. to be or become manifest, id=Soph.