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Trivia : What is the longest diversion you had to take due to a line closure.

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AMR

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Trivia : What is the longest diversion you had to take due to a line closure. This can be longest in time or distance.

Mine is last year, we travelled to a relatives to get a cheaper ticket to London, they live near Rugeley. But there were trees on the line due to hurricanes so all WCML trains were grounded at Euston. So West Midland told us to board the stopper going to Rugeley TV conveniently enough. stopping at 95% of stations between LDN and Birmingham and the Rugeley TV Line. This turned our 1h 45 min trip into 4 h 30 mins. But was the only train out of LDN Euston.
 
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steamybrian

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Engineering works between Preston and Carlisle so my train from London reversed at Preston then via Blackburn, Clitheroe, Hellifield, Settle to Carlisle. I cannot remember the exact delay time but well over 2 hours maybe 3 hours.
 

Mcr Warrior

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Engineering works between Preston and Carlisle so my train from London reversed at Preston then via Blackburn, Clitheroe, Hellifield, Settle to Carlisle. I cannot remember the exact delay time but well over 2 hours maybe 3 hours.
That's happened a few times to me on Anglo Scottish journeys in the past, albeit always when travelling in the opposite direction.

Usually this was after the WCML had been closed at around midday North of Lancaster to allow engineering work to take place for the remainder of the weekend.

Would have been quite a scenic journey returning South via Appleby except it was early evening and a fair few hours after sunset so you couldn't see much out of the train window!

Extended journey times of course but IMHO still far preferable to being stuck on a Rail Replacement Bus trundling down the M6. ;)
 

Ianno87

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Bolton-Carlisle via Darwen, Blackburn, and the S&C

Newark to Doncaster via the 'Short Joint' (Boultham Junction, Gainsborough Trent Jn etc.)

West Midlands diversions (Bescot Yard) instead of WCML Trent Valley

Euston-Coventry via the Chiltern Route

Birmingham-Stafford via reversal at Nuneaton.
 

Bletchleyite

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When I was in my late teens I took advantage of a strike to travel Aughton Park to Preston (on that fare, which was at the time well under three quid return) via Liverpool and Manchester. Unfortunately Preston-Ormskirk services were put back on later in the day when enough staff showed up (as this allowed a service to Liverpool to be put back with one unit/crew) so I didn't get to go the long way back.
 

PHILIPE

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The Caledonian Sleepers when they are diverted via the ECML all the way from London to Scotland
 

dgl

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Longest would be going from Gillingham (Dorset) to Waterloo, engineering work past Salisbury meant all trains to Waterloo were going via the Wessex main line and the South West Main Line/BML, an interesting route to take. Don't know what the difference in mileage was but it was not a huge amount longer.
 

xotGD

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Diversions:

Edinburgh to Newcastle via Carlisle
Birmingham to Crewe via Shrewsbury
Carlisle to Preston via S&C
Preston to Crewe via Manchester Victoria
Derby to Birmingham via Leicester
Sheffield to Chesterfield via the 'Old Road'
Dunston to Newcastle via Tyne Yard (reverse)
Birmingham International to London, into Paddington instead of Euston
Leeds to York via Castleford
Knottingley to Castleford via the Wakefield Kirkgate avoiding curve (hope that makes sense)
Carlisle to Edinburgh via Glasgow Central (reverse) and Shotts
Leeds to Doncaster via 'as if you were going to Hull then turn right onto the ECML'
Birmingham to Nuneaton via Five Ways and Camp Hill

Not really a diversion:

Sheffield to Manchester via Leeds (service was terminated at Sheffield, had to improvise)
Birmingham to Coventry via Nuneaton (change at Nuneaton)
 

Gloster

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Around 1979 I did Salisbury-Guildford via Eastleigh, Havant and Woking due to problems at Basingstoke. I had to travel back from Woking to Guildford as the only off-route stop was a crew change at, I think, Fareham.

I have also done Salisbury-Exeter Central via Bristol Temple Meads around the same era, although this was a normal working. The route via Bristol was valid because there were so few trains between Salisbury and Exeter on a Sunday and, if I remember correctly, many of the Portsmouth-Bristols didn’t stop at Westbury. The last bit up the bank to Central might have been swinging it a bit, though.
 

Kite159

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Salisbury to Honiton via Castle Cary
Salisbury to London via Southampton
Doncaster to St Pancras (via Leicester) on Hull Trains last October
St Pancras - Stevenage via Kentish Town (the Hull Trains diverts from a few years ago)

Birmingham - Derby via Five Ways/Camp Hill, plus several other XC engineering works diverts (Cheltenham - Bath via Swindon, Bristol - Taunton via Westbury, Basingstoke - Southampton via Laverstock, Southampton - Reading via Guildford, Birmingham - Stoke via Nuneaton)

Sleeper diverts via ECML plus into Queen Street High Level & Central - Edinburgh via Queens Park & Shotts)
Sleeper to Inverness diverted via Aberdeen with an hour break at Huntly for pathing
Edinburgh - London Kings Cross via Tyne Valley Line

Watford Blockade Busters (voyagers from Euston to Birmingham International via the Chiltern route)

The usual GWR HST diverts from when Reading was being rebuilt/GWML closed [Waterloo - Westbury via Salisbury, Waterloo - Reading via Basingstoke, Paddington - Bristol via Banbury & Greenford, Marylebone - Oxford via Bicester Village.

GC I've done Sunderland towards York via Durham
 
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JRT

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Leeds – Bradford Interchange non-stop via Woodlesford, Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield and Halifax.
There was a rail replacement bus in operation for Leeds – Bradford Interchange, but this was the only way to get a unit over to Bradford Interchange for a Blackpool North service, as the route via Dewsbury was also closed.
 

DorkingMain

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I was once working a train from Hampton Court to Wimbledon Park when the line at New Malden was closed due to an incident. We had to go Hampton Court - Surbiton - Effingham Junction - Raynes Park via Epsom - Wimbledon Park.

I've also had to go from Reading to Waterloo via Ascot, Aldershot, Guildford and then up via Cobham on a weekend where engineering works were taking place and there was a points failure at Wokingham.
 

TXMISTA

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Not a huge diversion per se but quite unique. Staines - Waterloo via Kingston. It was a Reading 458 and reversed at Twickenham. The only stop between Twickenham and Clapham Junction was Kingston which was quite interesting.

Longest diversion was probably Paddington - Bristol via the Reading-Taunton and Wessex Mainline a couple of weeks ago. Called at Reading and Bath Spa only.
 

Ostrich

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Back in the early 1970's, a late night Bristol to Birmingham diversion via the Severn Tunnel and (IIRC) Hereford rather than Lydney so no reversal .... traction was a Peak.
 

GW43125

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Did Liverpool to Coventry via Manchester when an incident shut Crewe down, we were due to leave Liverpool on the 5:47, get to Coventry about half past 8. After sitting on a non-moving 390 for nigh-on two hours, we gave up, went to the pub, got the 68 across to Manchester, got home about half 12 in the end. My friend bound for Guildford didn't make it home...

Oh, and for good measure we got diverted via Bescot due to a fatality.
 
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infobleep

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I've done Guildford to Waterloo via Feltham. Not sure if that is perticularly much longer but it's the only one I can think of.

I was once divertes via a frightine through Birmingham but I can't remember which exactly and I doubt the difference was great.

I travelled from Wimbledon to Clapham Junction via Putney. Whilst not long, the percentage difference between the two routes might be higher.
 

GW43125

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Bournemouth - Waterloo via Havant & Guildford. Quite a common 1990s diversion but not sure it happens much anymore.
Still happens when the line via Winchester is blocked for whatever reason.
More commonly done for engineering, in which case the service is thinned to hourly, but I have seen it done for ad-hoc diverts (subject to crew route knowledge)
 

nlogax

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Mostly Glasgow-ish. Mostly.
Still happens when the line via Winchester is blocked for whatever reason.
More commonly done for engineering, in which case the service is thinned to hourly, but I have seen it done for ad-hoc diverts (subject to crew route knowledge)
Good to know, thank you. It is a route I'd quite like to take again one of these days.
 

Whistler40145

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I've had several diversions on one train

London Euston to Blackpool North via Northampton, Rugby, Coventry, Bescot, Stafford, Crewe, Wilmslow, Styal, Manchester Piccadilly and Bolton

Flooding closed the Trent Valley and vandals brought down the OHLE at Bamfurlong
 

chorleyjeff

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Trivia : What is the longest diversion you had to take due to a line closure. This can be longest in time or distance.

Mine is last year, we travelled to a relatives to get a cheaper ticket to London, they live near Rugeley. But there were trees on the line due to hurricanes so all WCML trains were grounded at Euston. So West Midland told us to board the stopper going to Rugeley TV conveniently enough. stopping at 95% of stations between LDN and Birmingham and the Rugeley TV Line. This turned our 1h 45 min trip into 4 h 30 mins. But was the only train out of LDN Euston.
Liverpool to Preston.
2-6-4 tank Liverpool to Wigan via St Helens.
BR 2-6-0 class 4 Wigan to Chorley
DMU Chorley to Preston.
Not a great mileage but unusual.
Regular journey because such a long gap between direct trains, and I had just missed one, that I was directed to Lime Street. Clued up station staff must have had a good knowledge of NW routes and timings.
 

43096

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Longest was Edinburgh to Euston on the sleeper that went East Coast.

Other notables:
WSMR Marylebone to Wrexham via West Coast, Bescot, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe. Return was via Shrewsbury (reverse), Crewe (reverse), and as outward. Virtually none of the normal route!
Grand Central Northallerton to Sunderland via Durham rather than via Hartlepool.
 

221129

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My favourite was taking an XC voyager from Birmingham to the West Country and got diverted not once but twice due to separate incidents. Brum to Cheltenham was as normal but then via Kemble to Swindon and onwards to Bristol Parkway due to a signal fault. On arrival to Temple Meads we then left the way we came in to go via Bath and Westbury due to a fatality.
 

vlad

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Diversions include:
Stoke to Birmingham via Nuneaton
Huddersfield to York via Wakefield and Castleford
Leeds to Manchester via Todmorden
Bristol Parkway to Cheltenham via the Severn Tunnel
Crewe to Chester via Middlewich (this has to be the one with the largest percentage increase in time)
Does going through Westbury rather than bypassing it count?

I've also done the following sleeper diversions if they're allowed:
Night Riviera via Castle Cary and Yeovil
Highlander via Hamstead Heath on its way to the ECML
Highlander via WCML, Cumbernauld and Falkirk to Edinburgh
 

peterblue

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I've seen a few WCML services from Preston southbound to Euston via Manchester. That's about a 1h+ diversion.
 

CW2

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Back in the 70s and 80s the ECML Saturday night overnights were regularly diverted, on a seasonal basis, via several diversionary routes. Sometimes you would end up doing more of the diversions than you would of the ECML. A couple of examples:
26/09/81 55016 on the 2230 Kings Cross - Edinburgh, which was routed:
Kings Cross - Hitchin - Cambridge - Peterborough - ECML to Doncaster, then via Askern to York, ECML to Ferryhill then via Leamside to Newcastle, and finally via Scotswood to Carlisle and via Beattock to Edinburgh.
14/11/81 40025 2100 Kings Cross - Edinburgh, which was routed:
Kings Cross - Peterborough - Sleaford via Joint Lines to Doncaster, via Hare Park and Normanton to York, ECML to Ferryhill then via Leamside and High Level Bridge to Newcastle, then via the Blyth & Tyne line to Morpeth avoider, and ECML to Edinburgh.

Timekeeping was somewhat of an issue, with arrival times in Edinburgh being several hours later than the normal advertised time.

Sometimes the Penzance - Paddington sleeper would take some interesting routes too. The stop at Bristol was originally an open stop, so if there was engineering work blocking Taunton - Bristol it was reasonably common to go Taunton - Westbury - Bath - Bristol, and reverse / re-engine there on to Paddington.
 
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