4 ms·

I use the WCML a lot and it's pretty rickety. Parts of it are like a rollercoaster. I'm not sure you can go any faster on it and I guess it can't be straightene

I use the WCML a lot and it's pretty rickety. Parts of it are like a rollercoaster. I'm not sure you can go any faster on it and I guess it can't be straightened and levelled as (like most of the UK) the terrain is congested.

vinay427 4y ago
Out of curiosity, which parts are these? I’ve used it up to Preston several times and didn’t notice much out of the ordinary (compared to trains in Switzerland, for instance).
- chrisseaton 4y ago
  There's definitely twenty minutes south of Crewe where I have to put my laptop away or I'll feel sick, and can't have a full cup of tea on the table without a lid.
scrlk 4y ago
There were plans under British Rail [0] and Railtrack [1] to push running above 125 mph via realignments & resignalling. Virgin Trains proposed running at 135 mph via the Tilt Authorisation and Speed Supervision system [2]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterCity_250#Project_scope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterCity_250#Project_scope [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Modernistion_by_Network_Rail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Modernist... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Increased_line_speed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Increased...
- tialaramex 4y ago
  A major problem you run into is that you really want in-cab signalling at these speeds and you might well do speed signalling when you take a big upgrade like that. A lineside position lamp arrangement which indicates "Caution: The next signal is at: Caution: The next signal is at: Caution: The next signal is at: DANGER" blurring past at 140mph is too much for humans to reliably appreciate their import and react to it in an efficient fashion. Trains on HS1 have TVM or equivalent, in-cab signalling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_Voie-Machine#Cab_display https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_Voie-Machine#Cab_... - you can see at a glance that the computer says you're going 269kph, the limit here is still 270kph, but the signals indicate the limit ahead will be 220kph so you should be braking.

vinay427 4y ago

Out of curiosity, which parts are these? I’ve used it up to Preston several times and didn’t notice much out of the ordinary (compared to trains in Switzerland, for instance).

chrisseaton 4y ago
There's definitely twenty minutes south of Crewe where I have to put my laptop away or I'll feel sick, and can't have a full cup of tea on the table without a lid.

scrlk 4y ago

There were plans under British Rail [0] and Railtrack [1] to push running above 125 mph via realignments & resignalling. Virgin Trains proposed running at 135 mph via the Tilt Authorisation and Speed Supervision system [2]. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterCity_250#Project_scope https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterCity_250#Project_scope [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Modernistion_by_Network_Rail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Modernist... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Increased_line_speed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Coast_Main_Line#Increased...

tialaramex 4y ago
A major problem you run into is that you really want in-cab signalling at these speeds and you might well do speed signalling when you take a big upgrade like that. A lineside position lamp arrangement which indicates "Caution: The next signal is at: Caution: The next signal is at: Caution: The next signal is at: DANGER" blurring past at 140mph is too much for humans to reliably appreciate their import and react to it in an efficient fashion. Trains on HS1 have TVM or equivalent, in-cab signalling. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_Voie-Machine#Cab_display https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_Voie-Machine#Cab_... - you can see at a glance that the computer says you're going 269kph, the limit here is still 270kph, but the signals indicate the limit ahead will be 220kph so you should be braking.