Hardest station to depart from?

[Mojo]

tbh, not "hard" to depart from.

I remember when I was a baby going to Brighton on a 319 and the train got stuck going up the hill!

 

[Horizon22]

I've seen a train fail to leave London Victoria due to ice before and have to return.

 

[ComUtoR]

I've been close and that was also a 319. There are rules that are there to prevent it happening but its not unknown.

 

[43066]

tbh, not "hard" to depart from.

Bat and Ball towards Sevenoaks in a 319, in damp conditions, would take some beating.

 

[ComUtoR]

Bat and Ball towards Sevenoaks in a 319, in damp conditions, would take some beating.

319 in the wet, on a flat bit of track, with the wind behind it.... probably still need a push.

 

[Parallel]

Dingle Road used to cause a few problems with Pacers.

Departing Freshford northbound, you can feel a lot of wheelslip during autumn and especially if it’s damp.

 

[43066]

319 in the wet, on a flat bit of track, with the wind behind it.... probably still need a push.

Ironic how excellent the brakes were, for a unit that could never get going!

 

[CW2]

<SNIP>

Before anyone rubbishes the 73/9s, I’ve known the same happen to 37s in the same spot with poor railhead conditions (usually when the loco wasn’t in the best condition). I also remember a 67 (67009) slipping to a stand in lethal railhead conditions one autumn on the 1 in 70 leaving Blair Atholl with the Inverness sleeper.

67004 slipping to a stand north of Blair Atholl

 

[Halish Railway]

I remember Pacers really struggled to get to over 50 MPH up to Ardsley Tunnel upon leaving Leeds towards Wakefield Westgate due to the combination of steep gradients and the required rolling break test. It would only have been passing the White Rose shopping centre that they would change into second gear.

 

[fkofilee]

Portsmouth and Southsea High Level...

After that - Id Say as further up this thread - City Thameslink to Blackfriars on 3rd rail...

 

[Wyrleybart]

Although not hard to depart from my dad commented that the island platform on the Down at Basingstoke had a little camber on the track. Because of this the Bulleid pacifics tended to slip at a particular point. Since then I have noticed the odd diesel loco have a little flutter in that position whilst departing westwards towards Worting Jn.

 

[Trackman]

Not necessarily; Metrolink staff only allow a certain number of passengers onto the platforms at a time on a match day, the rest are held back in zig zag metal pens. When the (about to depart) tram is ready to go, the platform is effectively empty.

Years ago I was held in the 'pen' after a music festival at Old Trafford.
Does it still have turnstiles for ticket checks when it's busy like this?

 

[philthetube]

I have seen pacers struggling to leave Accrington, sharp curve, loads of flange squeal, probably causing resistance.

 

[Alex365Dash]

Portsmouth and Southsea High Level...

Seems quite easy to depart from, but arriving is a bit of a different matter...

 

[AMR]

IBM halt in Scotland went from 129.8 passengers a day (14/15) to 1.38 (18/19). Talk about a fall from grace. But this is the same for all Least Used stations really this is just the only one I have seen in person.

 

[Halish Railway]

I have seen pacers struggling to leave Accrington, sharp curve, loads of flange squeal, probably causing resistance.

They do cause resistance - I don’t know if this is an urban legend or not but there was once a Pacer got stuck on the curve from the Durham Coast line onto the High Level Bridge.

 

[hermit]

Bodmin Parkway towards Bodmin General.

 

[Scotrail84]

Inverkeithing, fully formed HSTs were not allowed to call there southbound if they were only running on 1 power car as they really struggled to get up the hill to North Queensferry.

Rosyth heading towards Dunfermline during leaf fall season used to be bad, had to set back there to try again at least once.

Inverness climbing up to culloden can be a toil with poor rail conditions.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Years ago I was held in the 'pen' after a music festival at Old Trafford.
Does it still have turnstiles for ticket checks when it's busy like this?

Not sure. Tend to use Trafford Bar tram stop instead on event days as it's not quite as busy!

 

[507 001]

Years ago I was held in the 'pen' after a music festival at Old Trafford.
Does it still have turnstiles for ticket checks when it's busy like this?

Yes it does, as does Wharfside and the Etihad Campus.

Back on topic, the climb from Oban to Connel Ferry is pretty impressive. If you’ve ever driven south out of Oban towards Lochgilphead, you’ll have seen the angle that the railway crosses the road at!

 

[jopsuk]

Glasgow Queen Street High Level.......1 in 42 straight up to Cowlairs.

this is a very good shout- used to be cable hauled, then operated with a banking locomotive. Arriving trains used to need an additional brake van attached at the top. Modern DMUs and especially now the EMUs make it seem easy in comparison

 

[Cricketer8for9]

Riddlesdown southbound in leaf fall certainly could be difficult. It’s a few hundred yards to the tunnel though an increasingly deep cutting and one late evening we struggled with much slipping and motor whine into the relief of the tunnel at no more than 5mph. It was on a 4-VEP, and, looking back at when I was commuting on that line, probably over 25 years ago.

 

[daodao]

Looking at this question from another angle, I would suggest:
From Killarney, travelling towards Tralee.
From Limerick Junction, travelling towards Waterford.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I think I read a few years ago that Exeter St Davids to Exeter Central trains must be signalled all the way into the platform, lest they have to stop at the signal halfway up.

Didn't a steam special have problem when coming from St. Davids to Central some years ago? I think Hastings to Ore is a bit of a climb too and indeed a steam special doing that route had a problem there too.

 

[Mat17]

Pacers used to sometimes struggle leaving Penistone during leaf season, especially if it was a wet day, the curved rail made for maximum pacer squeal.

 

[TheEdge]

Roughton Road up road could be a struggle, especially in leaf fall in pre-FLIRT days.

 

[Whisky Papa]

Marple heading towards New Mills Central could occasionally defeat Pacers in leaf fall. I've watched units on terminating trains take several minutes to even reach the crossover to head back to Manchester Piccadilly.

 

[chris_in_salop]

I remember when I was a baby going to Brighton on a 319 and the train got stuck going up the hill!

In years gone by, Cradley Heath towards Birmingham?

Imprinted on my memory from the late 80s are the ageing Class 116s struggling to get up Old Hill Bank with a full load of commuters.

 

[D6975]

Traveling from Barry Island to Cardiff, there's a station on a curve with a gradient. The old C3xx units used to struggle in damp conditions. Cogan I think?

 

[sk688]

IETs heading westbound out of Bath Spa are on a curve and the front carriage is sometimes off the platform, so could be an example there