D A Stocks wrote:
wrote in message
...
On Wed, 29 Jun 2016 13:42:32 +0100, "D A Stocks"
wrote:

"Recliner" wrote in message
news I took a ride on the Greenford-Paddington shuttle yesterday, in the
light of its imminent truncation to West Ealing, and noticed some
newish four-rail track between Drayton Green and West Ealing
junctions. All four rails were firmly clipped to the concrete
sleepers. I've not noticed it before -- does anyone know why it's
used?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/reclin...7667614586524/

More pictures in
https://www.flickr.com/photos/reclin...57667614586524


You tend to see track like that on high viaducts, or anywhere else that a
derailed train would have an uncomfortable landing if it left the railway
altogether.

e.g. around 29:06 on this video dating from 2005

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl9wBpvu86U

You can see the same location, side by side in 1953 and 1983 at around
2:42
he
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6Ll96VNuSc

I've seen that before but does it really work? Has there ever been a
derailment on such stretch of track?


Here is a case where a freight train pretty much demolished the viaduct it
was travelling on. No guard rails - there are many miles of track on similar
viaducts in urban areas:
http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/doc...Bexley1997.pdf

But this section of track in West Ealing is on the flat. No viaducts, no
cuttings, no masonry bridges, nothing valuable close to the tracks (just
open car parking). It's a low speed track (~25mph), on a gentle curve. I
don't think it gets much freight traffic, and the passenger service trains
are just two-car DMUs (the occasional HST may use it on diversion or for
turning).