Train GraphicClick on the map to explore geographics
 
I need help
FAQ
Emergency
About .
No recent travel & transport from BBC stories as at 15:15 26 Apr 2024
Read about the forum [here].
Register [here] - it's free.
What do I gain from registering? [here]
 02/06/24 - Summer Timetable starts
17/08/24 - Bus to Imber
27/09/25 - 200 years of passenger trains

On this day
26th Apr (2016)
DOO strikes start on Southern (link)

Train RunningCancelled
22:03 London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads
Short Run
16:00 Oxford to London Paddington
PollsThere are no open or recent polls
Abbreviation pageAcronymns and abbreviations
Stn ComparatorStation Comparator
Rail newsNews Now - live rail news feed
Site Style 1 2 3 4
Next departures • Bristol Temple MeadsBath SpaChippenhamSwindonDidcot ParkwayReadingLondon PaddingtonMelksham
Exeter St DavidsTauntonWestburyTrowbridgeBristol ParkwayCardiff CentralOxfordCheltenham SpaBirmingham New Street
April 26, 2024, 15:18:45 *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Forgotten your username or password? - get a reminder
Most recently liked subjects
[116] Labour to nationalise railways within five years of coming to ...
[106] access for all at Devon stations report
[45] Bonaparte's at Bristol Temple Meads
[28] Who we are - the people behind firstgreatwestern.info
[8] Lack of rolling stock due to attacks on shipping in the Red Se...
[5] Cornish delays
 
News: A forum for passengers ... with input from rail professionals welcomed too
 
   Home   Help Search Calendar Login Register  
Poll
Question: What do you think the line pairs should be called?  (Voting closed: January 17, 2017, 21:46:50)
Main and Relief - 29 (50.9%)
Fast and Slow - 17 (29.8%)
North and South - 0 (0%)
Isambard and Elizabeth - 1 (1.8%)
Intercity and Suburban - 2 (3.5%)
Bimode and Electric - 0 (0%)
Don't care (as long as they work) - 8 (14%)
something else (please post below) - 0 (0%)
Total Voters: 57

Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
Author Topic: Names of the lines  (Read 9135 times)
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40832



View Profile WWW Email
« on: January 10, 2017, 16:31:21 »

From another thread ...

slow lines at Acton Main Line, Network Rail engineers have had to close the Reading-bound slow line to effect a repair.
They should know better  Grin Grin
W.E

As far as the passenger is concerned, what is the right name?  Should we still be using "main" and "relief" - they're hardly relief lines any more to me, as that term indicates they're the lines that will be used for the same trains as are running on the other ("main") lines but when those main lines don't have the capacity / availability.

So - what do you think should the lines be called?  Historic, or reflecting current or future use?
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
bobm
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 9842



View Profile
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2017, 17:56:05 »

I'm surprised in these days of political correctness Fast and Slow lines are still allowed.  Grin
Logged
patch38
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 653


View Profile
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2017, 18:01:13 »

I have voted for my favourite... However, as far as the man on the Clapham omnibus is concerned - or perhaps the Reading train - it strikes me that Intercity and Suburban may be most logical.
Logged
Richard Fairhurst
Global Moderator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 1209


View Profile Email
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2017, 19:00:22 »

Fast and Slow seems a bit ambitious. Slow and Slower?
Logged
stuving
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7170


View Profile
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2017, 19:30:44 »

From Paddington, one pair is obviously the Crossrail lines. Elizabeth Line lines sounds too silly, so I suspect Crossrail may well be used. There may be some who will say TfL» (Transport for London - about) lines, but not many. As for the other pair, probably main lines.
Logged
Trowres
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 756


View Profile
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2017, 19:31:46 »

With a slight accent, I would go for geographical names such as Acton up and Slough down

 Grin
Logged
JayMac
Data Manager
Hero Member
******
Posts: 18923



View Profile
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2017, 22:17:40 »

Main and relief.

Purely for tradition. Acknowledging that GWR (Great Western Railway) (the proper one, not the young pretender) did things differently.
Logged

"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

- Sir Terry Pratchett.
eightf48544
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 4574


View Profile Email
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2017, 11:20:24 »

I have been told that the reason they are called Main and Relief by the original GWR (Great Western Railway) was that the line speeds on the Reliefs were higher than other companies Slow line speeds. 

It's now 90 most of the way from Padd to Didcot on the Reliefs.

It would be wrong to call the Relief lines Crossrail or Lizze lines as it might give TFL (Transport for London) ideas above their station and think they've got exclusive use of them at expense of GWR and Rail friieght operators. To my mind giving exclusive use of 2 lines to one operator is very bad practice,

Besides which Crossrail are geared up to use the Main lines eg platform extension on the Main lines at West Drayton and Hayes.
 
Plus when necessary even being able, with he recent realignment and changes to signalling, terminate and turnround a train on the Up Main (Platform 2) at  Maidenhead. Similarly  GWR and Railfreight will need to use the Relief lines on occasions.

So will go with Bignosemac and vote Main and Relief.
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40832



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #8 on: January 11, 2017, 11:57:42 »

It strikes me that "main" is good and logical, but "relief" is a mis-description.   And that all the alternative offered for the second pair of lines are also misdescriptions, with "relief" garnering wide support because of its historic nature, and because no better alternative has been offered - in other words, "relief" offers the least bad option rather than because it's a good description.

Options on the vote are limited (I could have put up a huge number of possibilities ... others could include
* Swindon and Oxford (based on where they go after the split at Didcot)
* Primary and Secondary (but again there's a subservient word)
* Main and Suburban
* Express and Thames
* These and Those
* Nonstop and Intermediate
and perhaps combinations?
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
lordgoata
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 415



View Profile
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2017, 12:45:17 »

Main line and Local line ? As in local stopping services. Relief never meant anything to me anyway!
Logged
TaplowGreen
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 7799



View Profile
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2017, 12:47:31 »

How about Faith & Hope? (.......not sure about Charity)
Logged
grahame
Administrator
Hero Member
*****
Posts: 40832



View Profile WWW Email
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2017, 13:44:54 »

How about Faith & Hope? (.......not sure about Charity)

The Charity lines are the extra lines out to Old Oak Common ... hosting the charity case of one train per weekday up to Gerards Displeased or wherever it terminates this year.
Logged

Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
ChrisB
Transport Scholar
Hero Member
******
Posts: 12365


View Profile Email
« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2017, 14:03:22 »

Only the Ruislips these days
Logged
Western Enterprise
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 134


View Profile Email
« Reply #13 on: January 11, 2017, 16:18:17 »

I have been told that the reason they are called Main and Relief by the original GWR (Great Western Railway) was that the line speeds on the Reliefs were higher than other companies Slow line speeds. 

It's now 90 most of the way from Padd to Didcot on the Reliefs.

It would be wrong to call the Relief lines Crossrail or Lizze lines as it might give TFL (Transport for London) ideas above their station and think they've got exclusive use of them at expense of GWR and Rail friieght operators. To my mind giving exclusive use of 2 lines to one operator is very bad practice,

Besides which Crossrail are geared up to use the Main lines eg platform extension on the Main lines at West Drayton and Hayes.
 
Plus when necessary even being able, with he recent realignment and changes to signalling, terminate and turnround a train on the Up Main (Platform 2) at  Maidenhead. Similarly  GWR and Railfreight will need to use the Relief lines on occasions.

So will go with Bignosemac and vote Main and Relief.


Or could it be when originally built, it was a two line railway, hence 'Main', and when doubled up (in the 1890' ish , about broad gauge abolition time ??) the doubled lines were the 'Relief'.
If you stand under the sounding arch at Maidenhead, the original bridge is seen which is much wider than the doubling extension part.
W.E
Logged
Western Enterprise
Sr. Member
****
Posts: 134


View Profile Email
« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2017, 16:19:53 »

From another thread ...

slow lines at Acton Main Line, Network Rail engineers have had to close the Reading-bound slow line to effect a repair.
They should know better  Grin Grin
W.E

As far as the passenger is concerned, what is the right name?  Should we still be using "main" and "relief" - they're hardly relief lines any more to me, as that term indicates they're the lines that will be used for the same trains as are running on the other ("main") lines but when those main lines don't have the capacity / availability.

So - what do you think should the lines be called?  Historic, or reflecting current or future use?

The O.P was very firmly tongue in cheek..... Grin
Logged
Do you have something you would like to add to this thread, or would you like to raise a new question at the Coffee Shop? Please [register] (it is free) if you have not done so before, or login (at the top of this page) if you already have an account - we would love to read what you have to say!

You can find out more about how this forum works [here] - that will link you to a copy of the forum agreement that you can read before you join, and tell you very much more about how we operate. We are an independent forum, provided and run by customers of Great Western Railway, for customers of Great Western Railway and we welcome railway professionals as members too, in either a personal or official capacity. Views expressed in posts are not necessarily the views of the operators of the forum.

As well as posting messages onto existing threads, and starting new subjects, members can communicate with each other through personal messages if they wish. And once members have made a certain number of posts, they will automatically be admitted to the "frequent posters club", where subjects not-for-public-domain are discussed; anything from the occasional rant to meetups we may be having ...

 
Pages: [1] 2
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Powered by SMF 1.1.2 | SMF © 2006-2007, Simple Machines LLC Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!
This forum is provided by customers of Great Western Railway (formerly First Great Western), and the views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that the content provided by one of our posters contravenes our posting rules (email link to report). Forum hosted by Well House Consultants

Jump to top of pageJump to Forum Home Page