Type Heavy rail Operator(s) Abellio Greater Anglia Electrification 25 kV AC OHLE Locale Essex | Opened 15 August 1854 Line length 11.3 mi (18.2 km) Owner Network Rail Stations 6 | |
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Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) standard gauge Rolling stocks British Rail Class 321, British Rail Class 360 | ||
Train simulator 2016 manningtree local stopper mayflower line class 317
The Mayflower line is a railway branch line in the east of England that links Manningtree, on the Great Eastern Main Line, to Harwich Town. During peak times, many services connect to or from the main line and its London terminus at Liverpool Street. The Mayflower line has six stations, including the termini, and is situated within the county of Essex.
Contents
- Train simulator 2016 manningtree local stopper mayflower line class 317
- Let s play train simulator 2016 episode 8 geml mayflower line class 60
- History
- Description
- Battery trains
- References
The route is 11 miles 15 chains (18.0 km) in length from where it branches off the main line west of the town of Manningtree to its eastern terminus in Harwich. It is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 7, SRS 07.07 and is classified as a London and South East commuter line.
As of December 2016 passenger services on the Mayflower line are operated by Greater Anglia, which also manages all of the stations. The typical service frequency is one train per hour in each direction. The timetabled journey time between Manningtree and Harwich Town is 22 minutes.
Let s play train simulator 2016 episode 8 geml mayflower line class 60
History
The Eastern Counties Railway (ECR) had originally proposed plans to extend what is now the Great Eastern Main Line from Colchester to Harwich, although this was a cause for concern to the town of Ipswich, which was a rival port.
In 1846 a railway line from Manningtree to Harwich proposed by the Eastern Union Railway (EUR) was approved by the Railway Commissioners. In 1853 an agreement was reached between the companies, with the ECR taking over the working of the EUR from 1 January 1854. The single-line branch opened on 15 August 1854.
In 1862 the ECR and the EUR merged to form the Great Eastern Railway (GER).
The line was doubled in 1882 by the GER, and the Manningtree North Curve which allows direct running between Ipswich and Harwich was also added at that time.
In addition to the closed station at Bradfield, there was a halt stop called Priory Halt between Wrabness and Bradfield which serviced the adjacent War Department facility; the halt closed in 1965. There was a relatively extensive system of sidings fed from a spur on the "down" (Harwich-bound) side which was controlled by a signal box which was in use from 1918 until 1966. Use of the halt was confined to Admiralty employees only during various periods.
The War Department also had a munitions dump in Copperas Woods between Wrabness and Parkeston served by a spur which was situated on the north (river) side of the line just west of the point where the original alignment of the track to Dovercourt and Harwich Town had been changed when Parkeston was built. This spur was controlled by a signal box, appropriately named Primrose Box, reflecting the profusion of primroses which grew lineside in the area.
Passenger services are currently operated by Abellio Greater Anglia, which replaced the previous operator, National Express East Anglia, in 2012.
Description
The line diverges from the Great Eastern Main Line at Manningtree and is double-track for passenger services as far as Harwich International where connecting ferry services are available to Hoek van Holland and Esbjerg. Beyond Harwich International, the original second track remains in place as a through-siding, but only the "up" (Manningtree-bound) line was electrified and that section to Harwich Town is bi-directional.
East of Manningtree there is a triangular junction that enables trains operating to the port to reach the branch from both the north and south. The line is electrified at 25 kV AC using overhead wires and has a loading gauge of W10 (excluding W9); the maximum line speed is 60 mph.
The shortest platform is the "down" (Harwich-bound) platform at Wrabness, which is 90 yards (82 m) in length, meaning most services are formed of four carriages.
Battery trains
From January to February 2015 a trial of an electric overhead wire/battery train was undertaken on the line. A single Class 379 Electrostar after installation of electric lithium batteries were installed, began a passenger service. The train could travel up to 60 miles on energy stored in the batteries also recharging the batteries via the overhead-wires when on electrified sections of the line, at stations and via brake regeneration. Network Rail refer to this prototype model and its possible future descendants as Independently Powered Electric Multiple Units (IPEMU).