Non-motoring > Trains on the right	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Runfer D'Hills	Replies: 46

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:07   Trains on the right - Runfer D'Hills

Why do British trains run on the right? Can't remember if "continental" ones do too. Been on one to London today and it has only just occured to me. Something to do with cheese or the Euro? Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:14   Trains on the right - Meldrew

I use the trains a lot and I don't quite follow by what you mean by "Run in the right" On the 2 track lines I see/use they work like a road, running on the left. What am I missing? Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:16   Trains on the right - Dutchie

The dutch trains or trams run on the right as far I can remember.I don't know about cheese, Gouda or Edam is tasty. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:17   Trains on the right - MD

And where is Cheddar when you want him? Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:20   Trains on the right - Dutchie

Cheddar very tasty also.;) Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 09:42   Trains on the right - Hard Cheese

>> Cheddar very tasty also.;) >> You're not so bad yourself luv ... Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:21   Trains on the right - Runfer D'Hills

The one I went to London on today was on the right. Virgin apparently. Leans into the bends like a motorbike. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:20   Trains on the right - Old Navy

Our local trains run on the left, or they do at a nearby level crossing. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:26   Trains on the right - Dave_

I've seen some 4-track sections where the tracks are laid out like lanes on a dual carriageway: Slow up, Fast up, Fast down, Slow down from left to right. But I've also seen 4-track sections where they are laid out like two single carriageways side-by-side: Slow up, Slow down, Fast up, Fast down. You're pretty high off the ground in a train carriage Humph, could it be that there was another set of rails to your right but much lower down than you were looking? (Caution: Poster has not been on a train in 20 years so may be talking rubbish) Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Wed 29 Jun 11 at 19:26 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:31   Trains on the right - Runfer D'Hills

Well it's only the second time in decades I've been on one. Made me stand as far as Milton Keynes too which didn't seem very good value at £169 return cattle class. I'm blooming sure it was on the right. Maybe I need a fag...hallucinations now. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:43   Trains on the right - Zero

Should be on the left to london, and on the left away from london. The way you are facing of course. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:43   Trains on the right - spamcan61

The norm in the UK (and France amongst others) has always been to run on the left on dual track lines. However, in the last few years more and more lines are signalled for bi-directional running, so it is not so unusual now to see trains running on the right, to improve line occupancy / operational flexibility or whatever. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:46   Trains on the right - Runfer D'Hills

At those speeds they don't want get it wrong do they? Mine was definitely on the right though. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:47   Trains on the right - Old Navy

Bi-directional running, I knew there was a reason I didn't use trains. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 19:55   Trains on the right - spamcan61

Sounds like a tenuous excuse to link to a late fifties colour clip of railways in France, showing left hand running in places;- www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie3kg989bFk Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 21:01   Trains on the right - Ted

On the left please, this is Great Britain ! There could have been an emergency engineers possession on one track. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2Lg9Hq_OxU Enjoyed the French Vid, Spammy. Have you any on Don Bilston's railway songs ? He was a driver on the LMS and BR at Birmingham. Wrote and performed all his own songs. That's not him in my clip. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 21:05   Trains on the right - Robin O'Reliant

You sure you weren't sitting with your back to the engine? A week without a cigarette can play funny tricks on the mind. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Wed 29 Jun 11 21:39   Trains on the right - spamcan61

>> >> >> Enjoyed the French Vid, Spammy. Have you any on Don Bilston's railway songs ? >> He was a driver on the LMS and BR at Birmingham. Wrote and performed all >> his own songs. >> That's not him in my clip. >> Nah, I'll go a Googlin' in a mo. though. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 23:28   Trains on the right - Ted

Not a very well known folk singer, Spam. His songs are very evocotive of the pre-war steam era. I have an LP, issued about 1969. I've transferred it to CD. If you fancy it I'll rip and burn a copy for you. Only a true rail fan might appreciate it , though. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 11:49   Trains on the right - spamcan61

>> >> I have an LP, issued about 1969. I've transferred it to CD. If you fancy >> it I'll rip and burn a copy for you. >> >> Only a true rail fan might appreciate it , though. >> >> Ted >> Thanks for the kind offer Ted, if you ping me an email to spamcan63@gamil.com I'll send you my snail mail address. :-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 15:41   Trains on the right - Ted

I'll copy it over the weekend and do another for self as spare. Will be in touch when it's done and working ! The LP sleeve has Bilston sat on the front of a Spamcan at Dai Woodhams yard. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 16:33   Trains on the right - spamcan61

Cheers Ted, off down the local station in a little while to 'cop' the ex LMS 8F that's hauling a special back from Swanage this afternoon. Must wipe down the anorak first. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 21:35   Trains on the right - PeterS

>> However, in the last few years more and more >> lines are signalled for bi-directional running, That brings back memories of the Hornby Zero 1 set-up my brothers and I got for Christmas one year. It let you run trains in opposite directions on the same track (a novelty at the time, some 30 years or so ago). Of course, you can imagine the uses it was put to...carnage all round :-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 21:38   Trains on the right - spamcan61

>> >> That brings back memories of the Hornby Zero 1 set-up my brothers and I got >> for Christmas one year. It let you run trains in opposite directions on the same >> track (a novelty at the time, some 30 years or so ago). Of course, you >> can imagine the uses it was put to...carnage all round :-) >> Me and Spamcan Junior achieve the same effect using clockwork and electric on the same track. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 21:52   Trains on the right - Runfer D'Hills

It was on the right...mumbles into mug of tea.... Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 22:03   Trains on the right - Dave_

It's OK Humph, we believe you :) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic#Trains EDIT: Bromptonaut knows far more than I. Last edited by: Dave_TDCi on Wed 29 Jun 11 at 22:04 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 22:00   Trains on the right - Bromptonaut

UK trains run on the left. Between Euston & Rugby the lines are paired by speed rather than as for example Kings X by direction. Going north left to right the formation is northbound fast, southbound fast, northbound slow southbound slow. At Roade the slow lines diverge to Northampton. On re-joining the main line at Hilmorton junction theycross over & take the usual protocol of 4 lines being paired by direction but there is a three line section up the Trent Valley. At Milton Keynes the layout was updated in 2008/9 so that from Denbigh to a point north of the station there are five lines. The fast line is still left/west meaning that most trains arrive in platform 6 with pax boarding on the right side of the train. The former n/b fast platform 5 is used by trains that are being held to be passed or Northampton line services that, for whatever reason, could not do the usual cross to the slow line at Ledburn (s of Leighton Buzzard). Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 29 Jun 11 at 22:05 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 22:10   Trains on the right - Zero

Into waterloo its paired (left to right) slow, fast - UP - fast, slow - Down. IE two fastest line sin the middle, slow platforms on the outside. At Wimbledon the slow up loops over fast up to give fast on the outside to slow on the inside. This gives some semblance of order at Waterloo with slow local stopping lines on the lower number pltaforms, with faster expresses on the higher numbers except for those heading towards the richmond/reading lines on the highest numbers as they need to break right at clapham junction. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 22:29   Trains on the right - Robin O'Reliant

Gosh, I think I'll invest in anoraks this year, share prices must be rocketing. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 22:38   Trains on the right - Bromptonaut

>> Gosh, I think I'll invest in anoraks this year, share prices must be rocketing. I'd not have survived 25 years commuting to Euston without a feel for the railway but my anorak was covered in aviation badges and was outgrown by 1980. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 29 Jun 11 23:00   Trains on the right - Bigtee

Into waterloo its paired (left to right) slow, fast - UP - fast, slow - Down. IE two fastest line sin the middle, slow platforms on the outside. At Wimbledon the slow up loops over fast up to give fast on the outside to slow on the inside. This gives some semblance of order at Waterloo with slow local stopping lines on the lower number pltaforms, with faster expresses on the higher numbers except for those heading towards the richmond/reading lines on the highest numbers as they need to break right at clapham junction Will need a sectional appendix to work that out.! Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 00:13   Trains on the right - RattleandSmoke

Trains do run on the left, but they can be exceptions, like at major junctions and stations. And yep the people on here make me seem like a cool dude :p. I had no interest at all in railways until I had to make a daily journey to Stoke on Trent every day for a month. I soon learnt my classes then! Although I can recognise trains like I can planes and cars, I have little knowledge about the tracks and signalling systems. I know about line of sight, and ATS etc but not the ins and outs. Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Thu 30 Jun 11 at 00:15 Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 09:41   Trains on the right - Hard Cheese

British trains run in the left as do French ones due to the system being laid out by a British engineer - the exception being Alcace which was part of Germany when the rail system was laid out. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 09:58   Trains on the right - R.P.

Germans were very canny railway engineers......their entire Great war plan was based efficiency of the railways - all men and material transported west for subduing the French and then once that was done a simple switch of directions to travel East to take on the Russians. However they didn't factor in a "Contemptible Little Army" fighting the war-machine to a halt preventing them capturing the channel ports that were essential in the Schlieffen plan's timetable...arguably the last time that Britain was actually great at anything. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 10:06   Trains on the right - Zero

>> Germans were very canny railway engineers......their entire Great war plan was based efficiency of the >> railways - all men and material transported west for subduing the French and then once >> that was done a simple switch of directions to travel East to take on the >> Russians. Slight flaw in plans like that. You cant move railways around, they are easy to find, easy to disrupt, hard to rebuild, and not at all flexible. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 10:16   Trains on the right - R.P.

They suited the times perfectly - we had no bomber aircraft at all - so they were well safe. Reminds me of a book for the great book thread - another bit of forgotten history. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 10:18   Trains on the right - Zero

>> They suited the times perfectly - we had no bomber aircraft at all - so >> they were well safe. I was thinking more of a flank attack on the supply line. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 10:21   Trains on the right - movilogo

>> UK trains run on the left. +1 UK trains run on left in general. There are few exceptions. In some RHS traffic countries trains do run on the left (and vice versa). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-_and_left-hand_traffic#Trains Last edited by: movilogo on Thu 30 Jun 11 at 10:22 Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 10:52   Trains on the right - Bromptonaut

>> I was thinking more of a flank attack on the supply line. >> That would be the only certain way. In WW2, even with bombers, railways were a difficult target. It took 617 squadron and tallboys to take out the Bielfeld viaduct. Much loss of life early on in the war trying to bomb canals as well. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 11:10   Trains on the right - R.P.

....and the heroes that sacrificed their lives in a strategically misguided attempt to bomb the Meuse bridges in tragically vulnerable and useless aircraft...if there ever was a more vivid example of the pity of war... Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 11:46   Trains on the right - spamcan61

>> >> Germans were very canny railway engineers......their entire Great war plan was based efficiency of >> the >> >> railways - all men and material transported west for subduing the French and then >> once >> >> that was done a simple switch of directions to travel East to take on >> the >> >> Russians. >> >> Slight flaw in plans like that. You cant move railways around, they are easy to >> find, easy to disrupt, hard to rebuild, and not at all flexible. >> True, but armies did realise the strategic importance of railways, and dedicated significant resources to providing military capability to run railways and fix them quickly. Here's an example, the giant train set the Royal Engineers built in Hampshire:- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longmoor_Military_Railway During the Great War in particular there was a pretty big network on narrow gauge lines which were used to feed supplies to the front, these were continually moved as the position of the front changed - OK these are not the strategic lines PU was talking about. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 11:50   Trains on the right - R.P.

The British built thousands of miles of light railways - one example of which has been restored on the Somme...I'll try dig out a link.. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 11:51   Trains on the right - R.P.

www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?t=&m=154451&v=e Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 12:21   Trains on the right - helicopter

I have no idea why trains run to left or right but wasn't the coming of the railways indirectly responsible for the huge increase in loss in life during WW1 ? They made it so much easier to transport the soldiers and munitions which had previously been transported on foot or by horse to the front line. Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 30 Jun 11 13:11   Trains on the right - R.P.

There were some hideous mass transport accidents in both conflicts. Some were covered up.... Not least.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lancastria Hidden from the public with a D notice and Churchill "forgot" to lift it, until he was bubbled by a Newspaper....(sounds familiar a sort of 1940s Superinjunction) Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 3 Jul 11 15:01   Trains on the right - Ted

Message for Spammy...I've done the CD and it's ok. Can you send your details...my profile email address seems to be accessible to me now. Ted Reply to this message | Report message

New Sun 3 Jul 11 18:00   Trains on the right - spamcan61

Thanks again for that Ted, hopefully you've got an email from me. Come to think of it I ought to put a proper email address in my profile. Reply to this message | Report message