The story of a thriving local railway and how it got more trains running

[whole diary]

[Rhydgaled]

"Penryn Station is unusual", yes, but the idea of a passing loop with one long platform is NOT "unique for the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)"; Dovey Junction has one too. Dovey Junction doesn't have a footbridge either, the only passenger access on and off the platform is by train or across a barrow crossing. The layout of Dovey Junction is something like this:

Pwllheli/Porthmadog/Barmouth <--------_______________
                                                                                      \_______________________________ ---------->  Machynlleth/Shrewsbury
                                                                    ||||PLATFORM||||PLATFORM||||                  /
Aberystwyth       <------------------------------____________________________________/
                                                                                           \_________________/

Sorry, I don't seem to be very good at drawing with keyboard characters, but hopefully you get the idea.

Another possible solution for the TransWilts can be found further east on the Cambrian line, at Welshpool. There is a 'dynamic loop' there, basically a very long passing loop. The idea is that trains don't have to wait for each other in order to pass. As it happens Welshpool station is on the double track section but the same principle could potentially be applied with a station on the single track and a long passing loop which allows trains to pass each other without either having to stop and wait for the other.

Once a line has a mixed usage with commuter, high speed and freight, then the ability to increase throughput at regular intervals is very limited.

Sounds like the south Wales main line between Cardiff and Bridgend / Port Talbot. Only double track, so the freight and Maesteg stoppers have to share tracks with fast services and no loops at the stations either so the stopping passenger trains cannot be overtaken.

[grahame]

"Penryn Station is unusual", yes, but the idea of a passing loop with one long platform is NOT "unique for the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)"; Dovey Junction has one too. Dovey Junction doesn't have a footbridge either, the only passenger access on and off the platform is by train or across a barrow crossing.

We could play semantics ... "Penryn Station is unusual (indeed unique for the UK?) in that it has one long platform rather than two opposite each other" and I could say that Dovey junction has two platforms on opposite sides of an island, with one extended ... but (to be honest) I had overlooked Dovey Junction as I used to use it quite a bit "once upon a time, a very long time ago" which is before the extension was put in.

Seems Dovey Junction was done in 2008, Penryn in 2009 - so surely they were in planning in parallel, knowing how excruciatingly slow it is to get this sort of thing done.

Sorry, I don't seem to be very good at drawing with keyboard characters, but hopefully you get the idea.

It makes the point excellently!

Another possible solution for the TransWilts can be found further east on the Cambrian line, at Welshpool. There is a 'dynamic loop' there, basically a very long passing loop. ...

Indeed - there are a whole lot of options ... the background for this thread was the Penryn story and to learn from how it's been implemented rather than to turn it into another TransWilts thread 

[Bmblbzzz]

I think this kind of single platform with passing loop design is common in New Zealand. Not sure, but someone on here will know for sure!

[martyjon]

I think this kind of single platform with passing loop design is common in New Zealand. Not sure, but someone on here will know for sure!

Having travelled extensively in New Zealand by rail I cannot recall any station of this design.

I do recall one station in Auckland where the train "backed into" the platform but this has been eliminated in recent years with the modernisation and electrification of the Auckland suburban network.

Anyway, New Zealands railways have many track level platforms onto which passengers alight down four or five steps. If I can find it I will scan and post a photo of a remote station, Pukerangi, which has a passing loop and a single white painted wooden building but no discernable platform to speak of.

[Bmblbzzz]

I think this kind of single platform with passing loop design is common in New Zealand. Not sure, but someone on here will know for sure!

Having travelled extensively in New Zealand by rail I cannot recall any station of this design.

I do recall one station in Auckland where the train "backed into" the platform but this has been eliminated in recent years with the modernisation and electrification of the Auckland suburban network.

Anyway, New Zealands railways have many track level platforms onto which passengers alight down four or five steps. If I can find it I will scan and post a photo of a remote station, Pukerangi, which has a passing loop and a single white painted wooden building but no discernable platform to speak of.

Okay!
(On the general topic of platform designs, some stations in Poland have platforms each side of several single tracks, each track having two platforms and each platform serving two tracks, so you have "platform-track-platform-track-platform" (etc) rather than "platform-track-track-platform". In the pre-WWI Russian division, I think. It allows passengers to get in and out either side of the train but I don't think it has any other advantages, except perhaps in the oldfashioned days of manual goods loading.)

[grahame]

On the general topic of platform designs, some stations in Poland have platforms each side of several single tracks, each track having two platforms and each platform serving two tracks, so you have "platform-track-platform-track-platform" (etc) rather than "platform-track-track-platform". In the pre-WWI Russian division, I think. It allows passengers to get in and out either side of the train but I don't think it has any other advantages, except perhaps in the oldfashioned days of manual goods loading.

I've seen that at airports and other high density short runs - also lifts - where people get out one side while the next lot get on at the other.  Also Munich Hauptbahnhof underground / suburban (February picture) and adjacent stations.  Would probably be useful at St Ives too.



Still have a double-sider at Yeovil Pen Mill, and had them in my youth at Sevenoaks.

[didcotdean]

I've seen that at airports and other high density short runs - also lifts - where people get out one side while the next lot get on at the other.  Also Munich Hauptbahnhof underground / suburban (February picture) and adjacent stations.  Would probably be useful at St Ives too.

Sometimes called the 'Spanish Solution' or 'Barcelona Solution' where it was widespread on the metro stations, although there are examples built way before that including King William Street in 1895.

[paul7575]

Stratford westbound Central line opens both sides, also Barking eastbound District Line.   On and off flows both ways.  On the other hand Tower Gateway DLR^▸ (Docklands Light Railway) opens both sides, with theoretically off and on separate sides - according to the signage.

AIUI^▸ (as I understand it) at most locations where modern 'heavy rail' EMU^▸ (Electric Multiple Unit)/DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) services call, only one side will ever be opened as that is the only means of normal operation for the vast majority of door control systems.

Places such as Greenford, Ascot, Guildford and the pre-modernisation Reading had two sided through platform trackss, or bays, but only one side was opened on power door stock.

Paul

[ChrisB]

Sevenoaks Graham? Which two platforms were they?

[grahame]

Sevenoaks Graham? Which two platforms were they?

In those days they were known as 1 and 2 (where the suburban service from Charing Cross reversed) and 5 and 6 (where the suburban service from Holborn Viaduct reversed).  8 or 10 car on peak services from 1/2 - 2 x 4 EPB + 1 x 2 EPB, and 8 cars from platforms 5/6  2 x 4 EPB.   As the peak time approached, 4 car trains arrived from London, went out to the sidings to attach more carriages ready for their peak cycles.  And after the peak, they carried on our to drop off the extra 4 or 6 before the y continued into the daytime or evening.

[ChrisB]

There are two island platforms there, so ehere were 5 & 6?

[grahame]

There are two island platforms there, so ehere were 5 & 6?

There were 4 tracks. The westmost and eastmost tracks, which now only have faces to the island, also had faces on the outside.  So platforms 1&2 on the first track, 3 on the second track, 4 on the third track, and 5&6 on the fourth track.

[grahame]

Sevenoaks Railway Station

The train about to depart (for London) is Diesel Multiple Unit 1011. These units were built at BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)). Eastleigh Works specifically for the London to Hastings line and were narrower than normal - two seats on either side of a central corridor rather than a two/three split.

Copyright Andy Parrett and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence.
from http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4344808

[ChrisB]

Thanks, before my commuting days started in the late 70s.....never knew.

[Bmblbzzz]

I seem to have led to the comprehensive derailment of this thread. That wasn't my intention!