Recent content by mr_jrt

I vaguely recall someone pointing out a long time ago that the whole section was never 4 tracks, only ever at most 3? Ah, here we go, my memory hasn't quite failed me yet: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/huntingdon-to-peterborough-2-3-or-4-tracks.61635/post-1013314

Would there be any major obstacles to lengthening the short platforms from 6 cars to 8 cars? That would seem like a good investment for the future, and could be cost offset for by getting advantageous terms on stock that would otherwise go to the scrapheap.

I've been reading a few of the threads on here about people running afoul of being able to buy a ticket bought on the train, and doing so after the train has departed their origin station, so when inspected the ticket is not valid. A (admittedly somewhat contrived, but there you go) thought has...

Was the fact Huntingdon used to be an old junction station for lines to Cambridge and Kettering possibly a factor as well? The lines may have been long gone, but the historic calling patterns may have persisted much longer?

My favourite example of this is the Wharncliffe (Hanwell) viaduct on the GWML. As-built: As widened:

I was reading something about the class 730s earlier, and it got me wondering if there was a list or map somewhere that showed which routes supported vehicles of various lengths, i.e. 20m, 24m, 26m. I'm aware of things like route availability, but it is my understanding that is more to do with...

Combining the East Grinstead services with the Eastbournes would enable you to combine their frequencies. Say 2tph to Eastbourne + 4tph to East Grinstead becomes 6tph to Eastbourne via East Grinstead. Eastbourne's frequencies go up, meaning the average journey time to London for someone arriving...

Years ago I had a peek at a load of old maps to ascertain just how much of the line was ever four tracked (or passively provided for it) at its maximum extent. From what I recall, I think it went, at best, some way short of the eastern portal of the South Harrow tunnel. My musing was along the...

The heritage railway isn't an obstacle in the same way a housing estate would be. I'd find it a very strange situation that the sort of railway fans that would operate a heritage railway, when push comes to shove, prefer to have a train set than a better national network. Uckfield to Lewes as...

Principle is that it's essentially unobstructed, makes better use of capacity through London as you are combining the paths north of Croydon, and provides a diversionary route when the line through Gatwick is closed. Essentially, Eastbourne is served by the East Grinstead paths.

My pet project would be to reopen East Grinstead to Hayward's Heath, but grade separate Copyhold Junction and run four tracks down to HH (kind of already there), quad track through to a grade-separated Keymer Junction (short tunnel and short viaduct being the only real obstacles), then combine...

Just borrow the money and build the MLX as planned instead of spaffing almost as much on vastly less beneficial alternatives. The cost sounds like a lot, but frankly it's one-off noise in the budgets of those involved, and had they done so, then the inflation of the last few years would have...

IMHO, you have to look at West Croydon as part of East Croydon, really. There is a four track and a 6 track railway going north from Windmill Bridge Junction, giving you 10 tracks. Two go south to West Croydon, and if the upgrade ever finally happens, 6-8 will go south to East Croydon (it's 5...

I say this every time it comes up, so apologies for those reading it again. Only option that makes logical sense to me is cutting the Met back to Watford and Uxbridge, and maybe Rickmansworth at an absolute push if you could justify rebuilding it and extending the four tracks from Watford...

Yes, in the north, R4 was considered too far from London so wouldn't be justified, and in the south, R3 was too slow to be built, leading to the alignment being lost under the post-war urban sprawl. The M25 thus gained a short section linking R3 & R4 between Sevenoaks and Swanley, with the...