[David Splett]

"Tom Anderson" wrote in message
.li...
I'm lamentably badly-informed of the history of the "railway alignments"
which were recycled by the "DLR", so i have to confess that it was a
purely speculative remark.

The DLR is a bit of a mix of lines, and doesn't really use any great length
of any route. Sections are as follows:-

- Tower Gateway (near Christian Street Junction) to Limehouse, which uses
two tracks of the former four-track LTS alignment at this point.

- Limehouse to Westferry - uses part of the former route from Limehouse to
Blackwall.

All of the DLR in the Poplar area is on new alignment, partly using old
goods yards. IIRC Aspen Way occupied part of the Blackwall route at this
point.

- Poplar to Bow Church uses the southern end of the North London Line's
Victoria Park to Poplar route.

- Bow Church to Stratford uses a former track used by trains travelling
from Bow Junction via Bow Road to Limehouse.

- Prince Regent to Cyprus and the immediate approach to Beckton uses parts
of the branches to Gallions and Beckton respectively.

- Crossharbour to Mudchute uses part of the route of the Millwall Extension
Railway, which ran from the Poplar area (Millwall Junction station) to North
Greenwich (actually Island Gardens).

So really the amount of old railway used by the DLR is quite small, and in
any event it tends to use off bits of line rather than any great length -
leading to sharp curves and steep gradients.


A quick look at CULG suggests that a Stratford
- Bow - Isle of Dogs route could be liberated for heavy rail.

The curves in the Poplar and South Quay areas would be a problem. The
original route ran "straight ahead" north of Crossharbour. I suspect forging
a railway through that area would be quite difficult due to subsequent
building on the alignment.


Convert rather than close. In places, the spacing is too close for heavy
rail, i admit, and there, stations would have to close, unless there was
room for DLR and heavy rail to run side by side or interwork. That would
be a tough decision.

I would like to see one of Heron Quays or West India Quay closed, plus
perhaps one or two stations on the Beckton line. The DLR has to be the
slowest rail service I've ever been on.