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[email protected] · June 29th 12, 10:28 PM posted to uk.transport.london

In article , (Mark
Brader) wrote:

Adam Kerman:
Aren't timetable directions in London to city and from city?

...I'm asking about timetable designations
on non-transit railroads, as he told us that directionals aren't used.
What would a freight timetable use, given that the train isn't destined
for the city?

The usual British style is "up" and "down" in railway internal usage
(and therefore also among railfans). Public timetables normally just
refer to city names.

When a new railway would open, they would typically designate "up"
as the direction toward the largest or most important city on their
main line. Then the orientation would be transferred to other branches
so as to maintain consistency, and typically retained indefinitely
if the line changed hands. I believe "up" is also always in the
direction of increasing milepost numbers.

Consequently all the main lines into London have "up" as the direction
toward London. There was one exception and I think it still applies:
in the 19th century the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
built an extension to London and changed its name to the Great Central.
The "up" direction on its existing system was established as northbound
to Sheffield, so the new extension main line to London also had "up"
as northbound. During some 20th-century cutbacks most of this line
was closed down, but the London end remains as a suburban route (from
Marylebone station), and I think "up" is still northbound on this.

Up is in the direction of /decreasing/ mileage as shown on mileposts,
usually from London.

The mileages on the Met are now LUL kilometrages from Ongar. I don't know
about the Marylebone end and North of Amersham, though.

The Midland Railway was generally up to Derby.

--
Colin Rosenstiel