Top Times: UK light rail

[tangy]

I am looking to expand my Explorer Ticket top times league tables to include other light rail system challenges from around the UK.

I know there are attempts/records made for Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield Supertram and Tyne & Wear Metro but is there any attempts for Nottingham Tram? Has anyone attempted one of these or know of anyone that has? The DLR and Croydon Tramlink are already featured on the site.

Any info appreciated.

[tractakid]

I am unaware of any T&W metro times faster than the one I posted to this forum several years ago.

[DavidC]

It may be worth clarifying your definition of "light rail" - for example, the RH&DR was created under a pair of LROs in the 1920s under the 1896 Act et al, and the K&ESR and EKLR are both examples of "Colonel Stephens" railways created under the 1896 Act et al.

David

[RJSRdg]

Indeed, the majority of heritage railways were reopened under Light Railway Orders...

[michael_churchill]

It may be worth clarifying your definition of "light rail" - for example, the RH&DR was created under a pair of LROs in the 1920s under the 1896 Act et al, and the K&ESR and EKLR are both examples of "Colonel Stephens" railways created under the 1896 Act et al.

David

Aaaargh! Acronym overload! We're not all nerds who know what these mean.
Similarly, people who refer to stations by their three letter codes - stop it.
OK, off my hobby horse now. I feel better having vented.

[xcooler123]

It may be worth clarifying your definition of "light rail" - for example, the RH&DR was created under a pair of LROs in the 1920s under the 1896 Act et al, and the K&ESR and EKLR are both examples of "Colonel Stephens" railways created under the 1896 Act et al.

David

Aaaargh! Acronym overload! We're not all nerds who know what these mean.
Similarly, people who refer to stations by their three letter codes - stop it.
OK, off my hobby horse now. I feel better having vented.

It's a frequent issue with those (like me who work in the industry and enthusiasts) who use acronyms because that's what we are conditioned to so I have quite a bit of sympathy for the above issue. I would recommend to anyone using railway phrases which are frequently shortened down to an acronym (no matter how trivial it may seem) to use either rules that academics use when writing a paper -

• Creating a list of acronyms at the start/end and what they stand for (doable but not necessarily convenient)

• Stating in full the term when you first use it followed by its acronym version in brackets. Then you can proceed to use the acronym version throughout the rest of the message.

From the example above, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RH&DR), Light Railway Order (LRO), Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) and East Kent Light Railway (EKLR). For further reference, the 1896 Act refers to Light Railways Act 1896.

Following the above rules means that everyone can understand the message and not just those in the know! It is one of the big stumbling blocks to those who enter the rail industry for the first time or are not outright enthusiasts so I hope this helps.

[DavidC]

That was an impressive yet unexpected reaction - just think what I could have achieved if I had tried to do it deliberately! Thank you to xcooler123 for explaining, RJSRdg for amplifying, and apologies to michael_churchill and anyone else who was infuriated by my scurrilous implication that those who inhabit this place might perchance be railway nerds - perish the thought!

Thank goodness I didn't use even more jargon such as TfL, DLR, OSI, LPTB, UERL, C&SLR, H&C, W&C or even (LOL!) LUL...

DavidC (an IT geek in financial services, which probably explains my cavalier use of TLAs and, er, FLAs)

[RJSRdg]

Acronyms should be abolished ASAP

[RJSRdg]

I have to say I'm guilty of overusing acronyms in my own notes when route planning, which has led to confusion between Westbourne Park and Wembley Park, between Walthamstow Central and White City, and even between Leytonstone High Road and Heathrow Airport!

[xcooler123]

As stated above, I am more than guilty of using acronyms almost flippantly in conversation forgetting that people may not understand what I'm on about. The worst is when the same acronym can mean different things - for example CFD in my job could mean:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics

• Customer Facing Defect

• Cumulative Frequency Density

Not at all confusing in the slightest!

[A2]

• Stating in full the term when you first use it followed by its acronym version in brackets. Then you can proceed to use the acronym version throughout the rest of the message.

From the example above, Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway (RH&DR), Light Railway Order (LRO), Kent & East Sussex Railway (K&ESR) and East Kent Light Railway (EKLR). For further reference, the 1896 Act refers to Light Railways Act 1896.

Following the above rules means that everyone can understand the message and not just those in the know! It is one of the big stumbling blocks to those who enter the rail industry for the first time or are not outright enthusiasts so I hope this helps.

I fully agree with this. I frequently find myself accidentally using International Air Transport Association (IATA) codes in conversation and messages and know that this can be confusing, especially when talking about rail. For example I am more likely to use "LGW" to refer to Gatwick Airport whereas "GTW" is the rail station code. However I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with a UK station on a UK forum being referred to by its National Rail (NR) code. Therefore I wouldn't consider just referring to Stevenage as "SVG" to be a problem. Equally as this is primarily a forum relating to London I don't think that it would be expected to expand anything that should be obvious in that context like:

• TFL - Transport for London

• LU - London Underground

• LO - London Overground

• NR - National Rail

• DLR - Docklands Light Railway

However an abbreviation made up by the person posting such as "WRS" when referring to Warren Street (or similar) probably shouldn't be expected.

(bit rambling and probably contradicts itself, never mind)

[Going Underground]

Therefore I wouldn't consider just referring to Stevenage as "SVG" to be a problem

I agree, it's Stavanger

[DavidC]

Scalable Vector Graphics. And TfL rather than TFL

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Anyway, apologies to tangy for distracting from the question that started this thread. Only tracktakid responded before I caused havoc.

DavidC

[tangy]

As stated above, I am more than guilty of using acronyms almost flippantly in conversation forgetting that people may not understand what I'm on about. The worst is when the same acronym can mean different things - for example CFD in my job could mean:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics

• Customer Facing Defect

• Cumulative Frequency Density

Not at all confusing in the slightest!

or in National Rail terms- Chesterfield!

[tangy]

For the details of this discussion, by "Light Rail Challenges" I will include systems such as Manchester Metrolink, Sheffield Supertram, Tyne & Wear Metro and Nottingham Tram (as well as the established Croydon Tramlink and Docklands Light Railway).

These are Light Rail systems that have various branches thus worthy of a challenge- rather than just a single line running from end to end or in one loop in the case of the Glasgow Subway (which would be a bit boring challenge wise)!