Trivia: single lines with multiple operators?

[Mcr Warrior]

Also in East Anglia is the stretch of line around Downham Market used by Thameslink and Great Eastern.

Great Eastern? They still operating? See also post #13.

 

[Mag_seven]

If diversions are allowed then the G&SW single line sections in the Annan and Lugton areas will see both Scotrail and diverted Avanti services.

 

[PHILIPE]

Mickle Trafford to Mouldsworth Jn used by NT and TFW

 

[paul1609]

Does the single line Royal Albert Bridge on the Devon/ Cornwall border in the South West count? GWR and some Cross Country trains use that. Just short of half a mile of single track.

I'd say it's over a mile of single track from just past the ends of the platform at St Budeaux Ferry Rd to Saltash platform ends.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I'd say it's over a mile of single track from just past the ends of the platform at St Budeaux Ferry Rd to Saltash platform ends.

I'd say you're almost certainly spot on there, as there's an extra half mile of single track beyond the Eastern (St. Budeaux) side of the Royal Albert Bridge, towards the appropriately named 'Single Line Junction'.

 

[NSE]

Also, doesn’t it drop to single as the mainline passes (is it Little Rock?) the TMD at Penzance. That’s XC and GWR if so.

 

[paul1609]

I'd say you're almost certainly spot on there, as there's an extra half mile of single track beyond the Eastern (St. Budeaux) side of the Royal Albert Bridge, towards the appropriately named 'Single Line Junction'.

East of St Budeaux the up lines reversible for a short distance because the Gunnislake line is a single lead junction (it was a WW2 Emergency connection to allow ammunition trains from the Oakhampton line to access the dockyard branch). When I was based at HMS Drake it was very common to see the Gunnislake train waiting on Weston Mill Viaduct for a train from Cornwall to clear the single line. This would be a serious capacity constraint to any reopening of the route via Oakhampton, the original LSWR route through the Plymouth has been seriously built over and 2 major viaducts demolished.

 

[Falcon1200]

If diversions are allowed then the G&SW single line sections in the Annan and Lugton areas will see both Scotrail and diverted Avanti services.

Yes for via Lugton (the single line sections are Kilmarnock/Lochridge Jc and Lugton/Barrhead) but Gretna/Annan is now double track, albeit with a single lead junction at Gretna.

Allowing short connecting sections would include Carstairs Station/East Junctions, used by Caledonian Sleepers, Cross Country, LNER and Scotrail. And possibly Avanti and TPE for ECS (although in the past wrongly-turned Virgin WC passengers services have been reversed using the triangle at Carstairs).

 

[DeeGee]

Single line between Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes, services operated by TransPennine and East Midlands Railway (and Northern (hopefully!) on Saturdays).

And dare we one day wish for LNER or some open access operator as well? That'll become a busy old piece of singletrack if so.

 

[matchmaker]

LNER on Inverness to Perth as well. That's a line of very significant length, mostly single track, with multiple TOCs serving the stations on it.

Single line between Usan and Montrose used by LNER, Caledonian Sleeper, Scotrail and Cross Country, but that's veering towards the "odd little connections" end of the scale rather than being hugely long.

Inverness to Perth also has freight.

 

[Watershed]

And dare we one day wish for LNER or some open access operator as well? That'll become a busy old piece of singletrack if so.

Indeed, that's the main reason why LNER won't be coming to Cleethorpes anytime soon.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I think Chester to Wrexham would have been a candidate until recently as well?

It still is, the single track was halved from 10 miles to 5. TfW and Avanti.
Also over the Britannia (Menai) Bridge single track.
The S&C Ribblehead Viaduct is also single and gets charter TOCs as well as Northern.
Worcester-Hereford gets WMT and GWR services on the single track sections through Worcester, Malvern Wells-Ledbury and Ledbury-Shelwick Jn (Hereford).
Leamington-Coventry carries both XC and WMT.
Hatton-Stratford gets (I think) WMT, Chiltern and maybe GWR?

Mickle Trafford to Mouldsworth Jn used by NT and TFW

Isn't that only on diversion?
If that counts, so does Navigation Road-Skelton Jn and the route from Northenden to Stockport through Cheadle.

 

[PHILIPE]

It still is, the single track was halved from 10 miles to 5. TfW and Avanti.
Also over the Britannia (Menai) Bridge single track.
The S&C Ribblehead Viaduct is also single and gets charter TOCs as well as Northern.
Worcester-Hereford gets WMT and GWR services on the single track sections through Worcester, Malvern Wells-Ledbury and Ledbury-Shelwick Jn (Hereford).
Leamington-Coventry carries both XC and WMT.
Hatton-Stratford gets (I think) WMT, Chiltern and maybe GWR?


Isn't that only on diversion?
If that counts, so does Navigation Road-Skelton Jn and the route from Northenden to Stockport through Cheadle.

TFW have a daily booked working from Chester to Manchester Picc this route and also 2 others also prior to COVID restrictions, one of which returns in December subject to caveats. They run non-stop and are used for maintenance of route knowledge. Northenden Jn to Stockport would apply also

 

[CJSwan]

West Highland has both ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper between Craigendoran and Fort William

 

[paul1609]

West Highland has both ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper between Craigendoran and Fort William

and West Coast trains between Fort William and Fort William Junction for 6 months of the year.

 

[thenorthern]

Until 2004 the Matlock Branch had Central Trains and Midland Mainline.

Dore and Totley station is served by East Midlands Railway, Transpennine Express and Northern. All of which call/pass through the station at least hourly in each direction.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Dore and Totley station is served by East Midlands Railway, Transpennine Express and Northern. All of which call/pass through the station at least hourly in each direction.

Yep. See post #2.

 

[30907]

East of St Budeaux the up lines reversible for a short distance because the Gunnislake line is a single lead junction (it was a WW2 Emergency connection to allow ammunition trains from the Oakhampton line to access the dockyard branch). When I was based at HMS Drake it was very common to see the Gunnislake train waiting on Weston Mill Viaduct for a train from Cornwall to clear the single line. This would be a serious capacity constraint to any reopening of the route via Oakhampton, the original LSWR route through the Plymouth has been seriously built over and 2 major viaducts demolished.

It appears to be about 100m between the junction and the crossover.
OT, but if there were a huge increase in frequency on the ex LSW route, the junction could be rebuilt for higher speeds. And/or the GW could be redoubled to Albert Bridge Junction (would need a new bridge over the LSW) to increase flexibility.

 

[D6975]

Also, doesn’t it drop to single as the mainline passes (is it Little Rock?) the TMD at Penzance. That’s XC and GWR if so.

It sure does, although it's not obvious to the casual observer as the Long Rock depot access track is alongside the single track mainline.

 

[A Challenge]

Holmes Chord, Rotherham - the 0646 Rotherham Central to Manchester Piccadilly is operated by TransPennine Express

The rest of the services run via Tinsley down the freight line as well, which also gives CrossCountry (22:26 from Sheffield) and TransPennine as both operating over the single line Tinsley East Junction to Woodburn Junction (together with Supertram between Tinsley East Junction and Tinsley North Junction)

 

[61653 HTAFC]

Bradley curve (from Bradley Junction near Deighton to Bradley Wood Junction on the line to Brighouse) has an hourly Northern service, and is also used by TPE during diversions via the Calder Valley. Presumably there's a service that uses it in the wee small hours every week, for route knowledge reasons.
Though less than a mile long, it feels like a remote rural branch line for the whole length outwith the junctions.

 

[sw1ller]

Do northern still have the Ellesmere Port to Liverpool service? If so then frodsham jn to Halton jn with TfW too.

 

[D6130]

Do northern still have the Ellesmere Port to Liverpool service? If so then frodsham jn to Halton jn with TfW too.

As far as I am aware, the Northern service from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool now runs via Warrington Bank Quay and Earlestown. Do any other companies' services also use the single track Earlestown West curve?

 

[Peter0124]

Newton South Connecting Line is used by both a daily Scotrail empty and 1 train a week Avanti West Coast

 

[Nova1]

Hatton-Stratford gets (I think) WMT, Chiltern and maybe GWR?

Just Chiltern and WMT
Random trivia for this one: at the Hatton junction, no WMR trains go South, and no Chiltern trains go North.

 

[sw1ller]

As far as I am aware, the Northern service from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool now runs via Warrington Bank Quay and Earlestown. Do any other companies' services also use the single track Earlestown West curve?

Ah ok. No I don’t think any other companies use it. The odd charter does go over it but it’s just TfW I suppose then. Didn’t realise that Northern service went via earlstown now.

 

[Watershed]

As far as I am aware, the Northern service from Ellesmere Port to Liverpool now runs via Warrington Bank Quay and Earlestown. Do any other companies' services also use the single track Earlestown West curve?

Yes, that's correct. The only Northern service through Runcorn is now the daily Edge Hill-Crewe (and v.v.) ECS.

 

[A Challenge]

Thought of some more - Northern and TransPennine both run via Kilnhurst not Swinton for some services, so assuming the line from Aldwarke Junction to Thryburgh Junction is actually single I'll go for that as well (think the Mexborough end is just a single lead junction but not sure about the other end).