Indeed the speeds are completely comparable with the Plymouth to Newton Abbot route. 55mph, 50mph, 40mph (for the Tavy viaduct) , 55mph, 40mph (for Bere Ferrers station) , 55mph, then 20mph into the platform at Bere Alston. So not really much slower than the main route.
Isn't it mostly built on in the towns and villages north of Yelverton?
You're probably right but it doesn't really change the fact that any future Tavistock traffic is going to use a slow speed connection that dives off to the right to drop down to the level of the ex Southern line before passing back under the GWR line the other side of St Bureaux Stns. Any traffic on that line has to cross the main GWR on the level before running the 3 miles in to Plymouth in an area where capacity is at a premium because of the single line crawl over the Royal Albert Bridge. The single line has been extended since 1964 because of the landslip and traffic levels have increased.
I personally don't see the junction being a particular sticking point - given the proportion of trains terminating at Plymouth from the east and the bridge single line constraining capacity there should be enough room.
That's needed at Bere Alston just for Tavistock, so re-opening throughout would "just" require a couple more loops - expensive, but less so than the junction at B.A.
But the current speed limits are imposed low speed limits to save on maintenance because the lines are lightly used. They are not maximum possible speeds .40mph was never the speed limit in steam days. It was at least 60mph if not higher in places. If a through route and additional traffic then speed limit would be higher and journey time shorter.
"in steam days". It will still have a capital cost to get it back up to whatever level it requires to be. So it still needs something doing on the existing network as well as the missing link.
I don't deny that. I was just pointing out that present day speeds can be increased despite curvature and timings would therefore be reduced obviously.
One thing to note is that for anything other than a class 150 or 153, the entire line from St Budeaux to Bere Alston has a maximum speed limit of 30mph. So if you want to run through services, you have to (a) use knackeredy old trains that are unsuitable for long journeys and will need to be replaced in the near future, (2) run very slowly on that section of the line, or (iii) do some serious work to improve the linespeed for other trains.
I am sure higher speeds would have been possible on some sections, but the 1960 Sectional Appendix shows a limit of 40mph throughout between Bridestowe and Ford.
Or (iv) assess the route for 165/158 - it's unlikely that either has been specifically ruled out for MU speeds.
You need to get the section down to 10 minutes to reliably do 2tph on the single line. That is a big old line speed increase over 18 miles, 110mph.
But you could manage 3 per 2hr with a 15min journey time, as at present.
Its not 15 minutes? its 25 minutes from Crediton to Okehampton.
Yes the 40mph limit was imposed in the 1920s to reduce maintenance costs as the focus moved to the North Devon line where the SR could compete effectively with the GWR. Prior to this higher speeds were possible - perhaps not the happiest of precedents but here are the timings for the ill-fated boat train involved in the 1906 Salisbury accident from Devonport to Exeter. It was not a special schedule over this part, but the normal express timings for the line. 'T9' No. 288 in charge (which worked as far as Templecombe).
Most lines where anything post-150 can run at higher speeds are denoted as SP covering anything in the Sprinter, Networker or Turbostar families.
The issue is that getting the line back to the higher speeds means they have to meet modern criteria. Marshlinks speed limit was 85 in steam days but was reduced to 60 mph max with long stretches at 40 when rationalised. We now have 100 mph DMUs but it took something like 40 years to persuade Network Rail and it's predecessors to remove one 25mph "temporary" restriction. This is on a through line that carries many times the passengers of the likes of the Okehamton reopenings.
Crossed wires here - I was referring to Bere Alston-St Budeaux, and assumed you were.
If building to modern standards I’d look at the impact of HS2 on a relatively flat landscape, and apply all their slope and embankment gradients and trackside drainage standards, you’d probably need a few hundred yards working space either side of the track, and a tunnel under every spoilt view…
East West Rail will give you a far better idea of what a modern normal-speed railway needs.If building to modern standards I’d look at the impact of HS2 on a relatively flat landscape, and apply all their slope and embankment gradients and trackside drainage standards, you’d probably need a few hundred yards working space either side of the track, and a tunnel under every spoilt view…
