Britannia Points Halt railway station
Encyclopedia
Britannia Points Halt railway station was a conditional stop on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
in Kent
, England
.
Although it was originally considered necessary to allow a conditional stop at this location, working experience showed that very little use was made of the facility. The conditional stop was withdrawn from the railway's timetables about 1930.
Britannia Points are the points controlling the balloon loop
at Dungeness
. From 1928 until the end of World War II
they marked the point of divergence of the two running lines. From 1946 to the present day they have taken the form of spring-loaded points allowing the single track to return onto itself through the loop.
The name "Britannia" was derived from a nearby public house. Although the original pub has been demolished, a replacement (bearing the same name) was constructed near to Dungeness station, and is still trading.
Britannia Points now form a token section on Intensive Service Days, which enables three trains to be in the New Romney to Dungeness Section at any one time.
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge light railway in Kent, England. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Overview
As a 'conditional stop' it has historically been referred to as a 'station' merely for convenience, as conditional stops are not really stations at all in any formal sense, but are simply trackside locations where trains will stop in response to a hand signal given to the driver.Although it was originally considered necessary to allow a conditional stop at this location, working experience showed that very little use was made of the facility. The conditional stop was withdrawn from the railway's timetables about 1930.
Britannia Points are the points controlling the balloon loop
Balloon loop
A balloon loop or turning loop allows a rail vehicle or train to reverse direction without having to shunt or even stop. Balloon loops can be useful for passenger trains and unit freight trains, such as coal trains....
at Dungeness
Dungeness railway station
Dungeness railway station is a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway on Romney Marsh in Kent.-History:The line to Dungeness was opened on 24 May 1928, a year after the line reached New Romney...
. From 1928 until the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
they marked the point of divergence of the two running lines. From 1946 to the present day they have taken the form of spring-loaded points allowing the single track to return onto itself through the loop.
The name "Britannia" was derived from a nearby public house. Although the original pub has been demolished, a replacement (bearing the same name) was constructed near to Dungeness station, and is still trading.
Britannia Points now form a token section on Intensive Service Days, which enables three trains to be in the New Romney to Dungeness Section at any one time.