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Four Parallel Lines - Express And Stopping - Which Is Which?


Herbie

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If you have four parallel lines (A-D) are there set rules on what each line is, or does it just vary on location? Say I had two express and two stopping/freight trains would it matter which line had which train. For example:

A&B are fast up and down, C&D could be stopping up and down lines.

A&D could be stopping lines, with B&C fast lines up and down.

And if it makes a difference I am planning early 1980s layout, era 7/8 crossover.

Thanks for reading, any help appreciated as getting back into this after twenty years and planning a new TT120 layout.

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I think that depends on Region/Location

The GWR mainline out of Paddington towards Swindon has:

A - Express Down

B - Express Up

C - Stopping/Relief Down

D - Stopping/Relief Up

However the SR/South West Mainline out of Waterloo to Basingstoke has

A - Stopping/Relief Down

B - Express Down

C - Express Up

D - Stopping/Relief Up

I have no idea what the East East Coast Mainline (LNER) or any sections of the Midland Region may do

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East Coast Main Line between Northallerton and York has the slow lines either side of the fast lines. It changes a few miles north of York at Skelton Bridge, where the up slow (towards London) crosses over to join the down slow. This then allows the fast lines into the station and the slow lines to take the avoiding lines around the west. This arrangement continues for a bit further south to Colton junction where the fast lines diverge to Doncaster on what was the Selby diversion built in the 80s as the UK's first high speed line (built as 125mph).

I think further south on the ECML, the fast lines are in the centre again.

West Coast Main Line also has both arrangements I think.

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I think you will find that it can vary even on the same line. For example, as 5Dublo2 says, the main line out of Paddington has the fast lines on one side and the relief on the other. However, further along the line towards Bristol the relief lines were placed either side of the fast ones between Didcot and Swindon. Admittedly I'm talking about the 1950's and 60's before the relief lines in this area were taken out of use. I admit I do not know what the situation there is now, although I believe there are four running lines again, whether they are laid as at Paddington or as they were in the 1950's I have no idea. Thinking about it, this post probably isn't a lot of help to you, sorry, but it does illustrate what has happened historically, (I hope!).

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I am the same as M.Matthews, being in Hampshire and served by London Waterloo. The four lines from Waterloo actually split at the bottom of my road at Worting Junction, where two lines go off to Southampton and Bournemouth and the other two go to Salisbury and Exeter. On leaving Waterloo the slow lines are both on the left hand side (as you leave the station), but at Wimbledon one slow line, via an overpass, moves to the far side, giving a Slow, Fast,Fast, Slow configuration.

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It’s like most things railway, it depends and can vary!

As Moccasin explained on ECML between Northallerton and York has B&C as Up and Down Fast respectively Slow Up and Down as A&D (looking south) The Thirsk section was my regular watching haunt in late 70’s early 80’s. I am sure the station at Thirsk had ‘stopping expresses’ 125 services on the platforms next to B&C, but by mid 80’s that was finished and stopping trains only accessed A&D. I think the platform edges may have been removed, certainly fencing went up and possibly the fast lines re-aligned. Probably all as more pushes were made to speed up journey times and allow full speed running through Thirsk.

Point is, that there is so much scope for creating it your way as long as it makes sense to you 😁

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If you want to check out track layouts, this website shows current track layouts (diagrammatically) and also signalling. In some locations I doubt track layout has changed much from era 7/8, but even if it has the principles haven’t changed.

The link below shows York but the site has track diagrams for the whole network.

https://www.opentraintimes.com/maps/signalling/yrk


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