Britain's Ghost Trains

[Jcarlton]

The trains that run when they are not needed. Britain's ghost trains:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18644343

[Densha]

Interesting watch. I didn't know about this at all.

Good to see there's still semaphores being used there.

[bronzeonion]

They are ridiculous! I sometimes use one of the Ghost trains, very empty!

[westfalen]

There was an article on these in one of the British railfan magazines a while back. The original charter authorising the construction of lines often stipulated that unless a minimum service (once a week or so) ran over the line the railway company lost its rights to the right of way, so to this day a train might run every second Tuesday in months that have a 'Y' in them or what ever the original charter required. In some cases the railway company might want to keep rights to the line in case it is required in the future or is valuable as a diversionary route. I would imagine a lot of the ghost trains don't cost much to run as they would be operated by trains and crews that would be normally sitting idle between other runs, hence the odd times of day some of them run.

[westfalen]

Interesting watch. I didn't know about this at all.

Good to see there's still semaphores being used there.

When I was in the UK in 2010 I was surpised at the number of semaphores still in use, but from what I read in magazines that sadly is to change in the coming years.

[Ochanomizu]

Very interesting topic.  Why is it called "Parliamentary"?  I thought it was a political term.

 

Another interesting point:  The volume scale on the left can be set to 11.  That is very funny.

 

I enjoy this video very much.  Thank you.

[Minelayer]

Someone actually checked his ticket...

[westfalen]

Very interesting topic.  Why is it called "Parliamentary"?  I thought it was a political term.

 

Another interesting point:  The volume scale on the left can be set to 11.  That is very funny.

 

I enjoy this video very much.  Thank you.

The reason they are called "Parliamentries" is that they were a requirement of the act of parliament authorising construction of the line.

[Claude_Dreyfus]

The reason they are called "Parliamentries" is that they were a requirement of the act of parliament authorising construction of the line.

Almost, but not quite. Yes, railways required an act of Parliament to be constructed, but 'Parly's' normally refer to services either forced by legislation...the 1841 Railway Act forced all companies to run at least ine train including third-class accomodation for example, or services a vompany is obliged to operate. In this context it is the requirement of a company to provide a minimum service on a route...usually one that would remain open some non-stop or freight trains. The withdrawal of which would take a lot of hassle and possibly parliamentary approval.

 

BR had a long and inglorious history of closure by stealth...making a service so useless that nobody used it and then claiming nobody used the service so it had to close. The Settle - Carlisle being the example where they were very much found out and had their knuckles rapped hard. Their notorious 'sulky service' was put on when the tried to close the Lewes - East Grinstead route in the 1950s. A branch line made famous a couple of years later when it became the Bluebell Railway.

Edited February 15, 2013 by Claude_Dreyfus

[brill27mcb]

In the U.S. a periodic train operated just to keep a line legally open is generally known as a "franchise run." Many trolley lines had to resort to this practice when their ridership diminished.

 

Rich K.

[Ochanomizu]

Thank you for this information.

 

I am now watching British rail documentaries with enthusiasm.