Longest rail freewheel in UK

[PaulLothian]

Was travelling south from Inverness to Edinburgh yesterday evening, and we coasted from Drumochter Summit to our stop at Blair Atholl. Wasn't able to see mileposts clearly in the gloom, but believe this must be about 20 miles. Have so far failed to find any online measuring tools which cover summits if there is no other infrastructure there.

Can anyone advise what precise distance this is, and is there any example of a longer freewheel in the UK?

 

[rail-britain]

Was travelling south from Inverness to Edinburgh yesterday evening, and we coasted from Drumochter Summit to our stop at Blair Atholl

Very unlikely as a slow is normally required for Aviemore and some power would be required afterwards to return back to line speed
What type of train was this?

 

[flymo]

There is a level crossing at Dalnaspidal, close to Drumochter (according to Google Earth the crossing is almost exactly 2 miles south of Drumochter), which is 15 miles and around 51 chains north of Blair Atholl so that would make if around 17.6 miles or around 17 miles 51 chains from Drumochter summit to Blair Atholl. Difficult to be precise of course, no doubt there will be more precise info out there.

 

[junglejames]

Very unlikely as a slow is normally required for Aviemore and some power would be required afterwards to return back to line speed
What type of train was this?

Why would Aviemore come into it? Are you thinking of Slochd Summit?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

When I travelled regularly between Manchester Central and St Pancras in the 60s (running non-stop to Derby or Leicester) the class 45 would shut off at Peak Forest summit and not open up again until we reached the main line at Ambergate. That's 26 miles downhill. Not going to happen again!

 

[PaulLothian]

It was a Class 170, which seemed to accerate freely with gravity. Have had the same experience previously but on a pitch-black night which made it difficult to be sure just where the driver throttled back.

Although this was from Drumochter rather than Slochd, earlier in the trip we had coasted from Slochd to Carrbridge, or would have done if not pulled up for signals outside that station.

 

[rail-britain]

Why would Aviemore come into it? Are you thinking of Slochd Summit?

Yes, doh

Drumochter to Blair Atholl is fairly downhill, so reasonable, but from memory it is not as steep as Slochd to Aviemore
Had that with a Class 47 which shut the power off on getting over Slochd, and that was it, the next time was on approaching Aviemore

 

[scotsman]

I can confirm that it does seem to be able to maintain line speed, even breaking at points on the way down well before Blair Atholl, without any power after clearing the summit

 

[Darandio]

Could be the absolute cure for global warming, build all railway lines downhill.

 

[Oswyntail]

Could be the absolute cure for global warming, build all railway lines downhill.

That's all very well North to South, but the other way?

 

[junglejames]

Keeping partly to subject, I was once told by a driver that you could come through Didcot at about 50mph on a 47, shut off power, and youd make it to Reading. Something youd apparently struggle to do on a Voyager.
Still, no good if you want to stick to schedule!

 

[Bald Rick]

In the good old pre-pendolino days on the WCML, there were a couple of examples of up trains losing power at Tring and making Euston easily.

 

[route:oxford]

Keeping partly to subject, I was once told by a driver that you could come through Didcot at about 50mph on a 47, shut off power, and youd make it to Reading. Something youd apparently struggle to do on a Voyager.
Still, no good if you want to stick to schedule!

True.

The Voyagers usually take the Didcot avoider.

 

[Bomber]

That's all very well North to South, but the other way?

But the north south line is, according to the railways, the 'UP' line.:roll:

 

[TDK]

I don't know how many miles it is but you can easily coast from before Seer Green and Jordans to Northolt Junction and near enough maintain line speed.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

But the north south line is, according to the railways, the 'UP' line.:roll:

:roll::roll::roll:Not nescessarily, any line towards London is normally the UP line so from South of London all the lines into London are UP lines.

:roll::roll::roll:

 

[tirphil]

From Blea Moor tunnel to Hellifield the distance is approx 19 miles 40ch. Freewheel was easily achieved and to schedule too with a loaded coal set, but not when the TSR was on at Settle box as it took the wind out of your sails so to speak climbing the slight gradient towards Long Preston.