Trivia. Freight Avoiding Lines UK.

[Cheshire Scot]

There used to be a Troon avoider but I'm not sure if it was freight only or not.

Predominantly freight but at least one passenger train per day used it in the 70's, the main daytime Stranraer boat train from Glasgow.

 

[CBlue]

The curve at Ely counts, presumably. I think one early morning passenger service uses it but it mainly exists to avoid reversals at the station across what used to be a very congested level crossing.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

The curve at Ely counts, presumably. I think one early morning passenger service uses it but it mainly exists to avoid reversals at the station across what used to be a very congested level crossing.

In the past it was used more regularly by passenger trains on the Birmingham - Norwich axis.

 

[Peter0124]

Larkfield Jn - Terminus Jn - Shields Jn
South of Glasgow Central to get from the WCML to the Ayrshire Coast

 

[ABB125]

Worcester Shrub Hill has some "back roads" to the north of the station that are sometimes used by freight trains. Perhaps this counts?

 

[randyrippley]

Having spent some of lockdown looking at cab ride videos from Germany, and following them on a map, there see to be plenty of cities there with freight avoiding lines.

How many of those date from WWII?

 

[Western Sunset]

The Chesterfield - Rotherham (via Barrow Hill) line was the original route of the North Midland Railway between Derby and Leeds, so not really built as an "avoider".

Whilst still in that neck of the woods, there were a pair of goods lines around the north side of Sheffield Victoria, though not sure if this fulfils the OPs criteria.

 

[xotGD]

Northallerton.

 

[TheSel]

The Chesterfield - Rotherham (via Barrow Hill) line was the original route of the North Midland Railway between Derby and Leeds, so not really built as an "avoider".

See - even in those days, Sheffield was considered well worth avoiding!

 

[billio]

Patricroft to Clifton Junction. I am not sure what was avoided, possibly Manchester by using the avoiding loop at Bury (now Metrolink).

 

[61058]

Lincoln avoiding line (Known as the 'The High Line' locally) closed 1983.

 

[flixtonman]

Northenden Junction to Hazel Grove High Level Junction, avoiding Manchester and Stockport, using initially what I think was a short stretch of a former Cheshire Lines Committee route before joining a former Midland Railway route.
As far as I am aware it has been used exclusively for freight services for many years (quite possibly since the late 1960s), although there was an enthusiasts' excursion train in (I think) 2019.
It fits the OP's criteria of a line now used primarily for freight services, but was constructed by the Midland Railway as the last few miles of its London to Manchester Central passenger route.

 

[route101]

I can't pretend to understand where the missing freight trains might go, but there always seemed to me to be an implausible lack of freight at Edinburgh Waverley?

Used to see a Class 60 freight in the evening quite often.

 

[Western Sunset]

There's also the still extant High-Level Goods Line at Toton, avoiding the original Long Eaton station.

 

[221129]

but is now freight only (except in emergency)

The south sub has booked passenger trains daily.

 

[6862]

For a station like York, why are the avoiding lines not used by all freight passing through? Yesterday, I saw a Class 60 hauling coal (?) through York mid morning. Now I suppose it could just be that there was a free path through the station at that time, but the freight avoiding lines are much straighter than those going through the station and presumably allow higher speeds?

 

[221129]

For a station like York, why are the avoiding lines not used by all freight passing through? Yesterday, I saw a Class 60 hauling coal (?) through York mid morning. Now I suppose it could just be that there was a free path through the station at that time, but the freight avoiding lines are much straighter than those going through the station and presumably allow higher speeds?

Because heading south you need to cross over all the lines twice. Much easier and quicker to run through the station.

 

[6862]

Because heading south you need to cross over all the lines twice. Much easier and quicker to run through the station.

Thanks! It was heading south, that would make sense. And probably also explains why I haven't ever seen freight heading north through York (as far as I can remember), only south.

 

[ABB125]

Would the bridge over the ECML at Shaftholme junction built a few years ago for coal trains from Immingham to Dead/Cottam etc count? Although it doesn't bypass any stations directly, it was built for freight.

 

[WideRanger]

Other Midland stations with goods lines were/are Leicester (on the east side) and Nottingham (on the south). Then there is Bristol, with the loop south of Temple Meads through St Philips Marsh.

The line at the South end of Nottingham Station always had a platform. Previously it was mostly used for Football trains. But now it is fully in use. Interestingly, Wikipedia suggests that there is space for another line to the south of that to make it an island platform. If true, could come in useful.

Nottingham used to had two through freight lines in the middle of the station. I always remember them getting pretty good use with coal and oil trains. Now, there is just one freight line in the middle, the other having been made into a passenger line.

 

[LowLevel]

The line at the South end of Nottingham Station always had a platform. Previously it was mostly used for Football trains. But now it is fully in use. Interestingly, Wikipedia suggests that there is space for another line to the south of that to make it an island platform. If true, could come in useful.

Nottingham used to had two through freight lines in the middle of the station. I always remember them getting pretty good use with coal and oil trains. Now, there is just one freight line in the middle, the other having been made into a passenger line.

This aerial photo from 1917 shows the station avoiding lines at Nottingham Midland - they're now the service road into the staff/BTP car park and the loading bay for deliveries and rubbish removal, there is an extra span to the bridge with the road in it.

Sleaford is another famous one, the station being on a fairly hefty deviation from the avoiding line.

 

[railjock]

Ah yes, forgot Edinburgh. There’s a south side line, which once did have passengers but is now freight only (except in emergency). Suspect it was built for passengers though.

It was primarily built for freight but passenger use increased as Edinburgh spread out.

 

[DelW]

Swansea District Line? I know it has a few passenger services, but I've always assumed they were mainly for route knowledge retention.

If the single avoiding line at Landore is considered as a Swansea bypass line, the District Line is a bypass of a bypass

 

[InOban]

The south sub has booked passenger trains daily.

What uses it nowadays? In the past some 185 or Voyager services would use it, but obviously no 185s now and I didn't think avanti still sent voyagers to Edinburgh.
The chord linking the Sub to the Westbound lines from haymarket would only be used by freight except when Waverley has been closed

 

[MadMac]

There used to be a Troon avoider but I'm not sure if it was freight only or not.

I've been on a passenger train over it (Stranraer boat train).

What uses it nowadays? In the past some 185 or Voyager services would use it, but obviously no 185s now and I didn't think avanti still sent voyagers to Edinburgh.
The chord linking the Sub to the Westbound lines from haymarket would only be used by freight except when Waverley has been closed

I think it's used for route knowledge retention.

 

[LowLevel]

What uses it nowadays? In the past some 185 or Voyager services would use it, but obviously no 185s now and I didn't think avanti still sent voyagers to Edinburgh.
The chord linking the Sub to the Westbound lines from haymarket would only be used by freight except when Waverley has been closed

XC 2105 Glasgow C to Edinburgh is I think the only passenger train

 

[paul1609]

Headcorn Kent Up Freight Loop opened 1994.

 

[norbitonflyer]

Lincoln avoiding line (Known as the 'The High Line' locally) closed 1983.

And still sorely missed. Built as part of the GN/GE "Joint" line, from Greetwell Junction to Pyewipe Junction and bridging Canwick Road, the High Street, and Beever Street thereby avoiding the problems caused by the three City Centre level crossings on the original GN route (Durham Ox, High Street, Brayford). In particular it allowed freight trains to run on the route whose length exceeded the distance between the two crossings (as it was not permitted to have both crossings closed to road traffic at once, because of the risk of a stalled train cutting the city in two.

There was a triangular junction at the west (Boultham) end of the avoiding line to allow trains from the east access to the large freight yard there. This survives, as it was re-used for the spur connecting the Newark route to Central station, opened in 1985, but that actually increased passenger rail traffic across the High Street (as the Newark trains used to terminate at St Marks, west of the High Street), as well as requiring all freight traffic to do so.

Following the construction of four bridges east and west of the city centre, (the first in 1958 and the most recent just ten days ago), the High Street is now closed to road traffic at the level crossing - severing a highway that dates from Roman times.

I did once travel on the avoiding line, in about 1970, on a special charter to Liverpool Street, for my school in Lincoln and one from Market Rasen, which, to avoid reversal in Lincoln, used the avoiding line to access the "Joint" line to March.

Sunday ECML diversions over the Joint line tended to run through Central station even if they were not booked to call, as the line was "switched out" on Sundays. However, it was a common sight at Lincoln City home games to see trains rumbling past.

With the increase in rail freight traffic over the Joint Line re-opening it would be a good move, but sadly a short-sighted city council has allowed most of the embankments to be removed and houses built on the land.

 

[D365]

Peterborough station has freight lines to the west of P7.

 

[Oxfordblues]

Skew Bridge to Preston Fylde Junction. The Goods Lines avoided Preston Station passing to the west (between Christian Road Goods and Platform One). They were used by passenger trains on summer Saturdays but I know of no scheduled passenger workings otherwise. Still in use between Skew Bridge and NU Yard (site of) by freights to/from Preston Docks.