A balloon loop, turning loop or reversing loop (North American) 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.
Balloon loops are common on tram or streetcar systems. Many streetcar and tram systems use single-ended vehicles that have doors on only one side and controls at only one end, or they haul trailers with no controls in the rear car and so must be turned at each end of the route.
History
Balloon loops were first introduced on tram and, later, metro lines. They did not commonly appear on freight railways until the 1960s, when the modernising British Rail system introduced merry-go-round (MGR) coal trains that operated from mines to power stations and back again without shunting.[citation needed]
Balloon loops enable higher line capacity (faster turnaround of a larger number of trams) and allow the use of single-ended trams which have several advantages, including lower cost and more seating when doors are on one side only. However, double-ended trams also benefit from the capacity advantage of balloon loops, for example on the former Sydney tram system where loops were used from 1881 until the second-generation system's closure in 1961. Initially the Sydney system was operated by single-ended steam trams and then, from the 1890s, by double-ended electric trams. Lines were looped in the Sydney CBD and the other busiest areas of operation, such as the eastern suburbs lines, as they provided greater turn-around capacity on this very busy system. The Sydney system was the first example of a tramway system using loops and has continued to build them up to 1997 (third-generation system).
Later in the 19th century, looped streetcar (tram) lines also began to appear on systems in the US and soon looped operation with single-ended streetcars became widely used on many North American streetcar systems. European systems were almost universally converted to looped operation in the early 20th century, and most also adopted single-ended trams. Loops were also used on some tramways in Asia, South America and New Zealand, as well as on some other Australian systems in addition to Sydney. Looped operation with single-ended trams is still the predominant method of tramway operation in the world, in spite of the recent construction of some new, typically smaller, stubbed systems with double-ended trams.
Examples
Passenger
South Ferry balloon loop
On a balloon loop, the station is on the balloon loop, and the platform may be either curved or straight.
The Eurotunnel Shuttle uses balloon loops: since the two tracks cross over at the French end, the whole line forms a figure of 8 loop. This evens the wear on the train wheels.
Peasholm on the North Bay Railway in Scarborough, North Yorkshire has a reverse balloon loop, with the "neck" of the balloon facing the buffer stop. The loop is used to allow the locomotive to run round the train and reverse at the same time.
The first Wembley Stadium station in London (opened 1923, closed 1968) was on a balloon loop, but the modern-day station of that name is not.
Barmouth Ferry station on the Fairbourne Railway until closure due to sand movements on the loop made the loop unprofitable however the track still exists.
Kennington station, also on the Northern line, has a balloon loop to the south of the station, which allows terminating southbound trains to turn around and reach the northbound platforms to form a return service.
Formerly, the St. Louis streetcar system had several loop stations, which have left their names in city landmarks. These include the Hampton, Catalan, Wellston,[3] and Delmar Loops. Although Delmar Boulevard now has a trolley route, it no longer features a balloon loop at either end.
Bowdoin Station on the MBTABlue Line in Boston has a wedge-shaped island platform inside a balloon loop. The boarding platform is long enough for only four cars, but all of the trains on the line are six cars so only the rear four can be boarded at Bowdoin.
The MBTA Green Line, in Boston and suburbs, has balloon loops at several major stations. The loop at its Lechmere station operated from 1922 until 2020, when it was closed as part of extending the line.
Mattapan Station on the MBTA Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line in Boston, has trolley cars unload passengers at the platform, then uses a balloon loop to return to the same platform to load inbound passengers.
South Ferry (see diagram) was a two-track subway loop station in New York City, with a sharply curved side platform for each track. Due to problems with train length and platform clearance, this station was replaced by a standard stub terminus with two tracks and an island platform (South Ferry), although the original trackage remains in use for turning trains. After the latter station was damaged in Hurricane Sandy, the former station was reopened temporarily to provide service to the ferry terminal until the repairs to the latter station were completed.[5]
Grand Central Terminal, New York City - stacked upper and lower level loops (lower loop has since been removed). The upper level loop track runs beyond track 38 (and a few others) to bring trains out on tracks 1, 2 (and others) on the East side Northbound.
Fern Rock is the northern terminus for the Broad Street Line in Philadelphia, and rapid transit trains use a double-track balloon loop for turning & staging.
The Charleroi Pre-metro system features two balloon loops, at Beaux-Arts and Waterloo stations. This map is not current. Since 2013 there is a new connection between Sud and Park.In the Charleroi Pre-metro, both the Beaux-Arts and Waterloo stations have balloon loops. At Beaux-arts, trains between Sud and Anderlues (line M1&M2, both directions) first run through the station on a platformless track, take the underground balloon loop then stop at the platform leading to their destination. Waterloo station service four lines (M1,2,3,4) going to three directions, on a single island platform. Trains from Gilly station either diverge to the right and end up at the station to continue to Parc station, or diverge to the left to end up on the other end of the island platform to go towards Beaux-Arts. At the station is also a bypass so trains can run from Gilly directly to Beaux-Arts, without halting at the platform. No scheduled trains thus fully run the loop (or the bypass).
The Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague tram systems have balloon loops at the end of nearly all lines. Amsterdam line 5 terminus at Amstelveen Binnenhof[6] and The Hague lines branded as Randstadrail do not have balloon loops. Across these cities there are several unused balloon loops that were in use until lines were extended or abolished. These loops however are still maintained for eventual purposes. The municipality of The Hague however plans on removing them and purchase new trams with a drivers cabin on both sides of the tram. (New trams have long since been installed and a number of turning loops have been removed)
The City Loop or Melbourne Underground Rail Loop, Melbourne, Australia, has five stations. There a four loops, one from the north east and three from the south west, on two levels. The loops are bi-directional. A connection enables one of the south east loops to be used as a circle line. There are no connections between the four loops.
In the city of Vantaa, Finland, in the Greater Helsinki area, the Kehärata or Ring Rail Line of Helsinki commuter rail built between an existing branch at Vantaankoski and the main line at Tikkurila opened on July 1, 2015. The line primarily serves the airport which was before only accessible by road, and new suburbs and working areas being built along the line. An existing stopping service to Vantaankoski station was replaced by a service which traverses the whole loop and returns to Helsinki, stopping twice on opposite sides of Pasila station. Five new stations were built, but the loop has a total of 22 stations, not counting Pasila or Helsinki. Roughly half of these stations are on the northbound and westbound mainlines, the loop line leaving them via diving junctions at Hiekkaharju and Huopalahti.
With balloon loop:
The balloon loop is past the station.
Brooklyn Bridge and City Hall stations in New York City.
Bad Herrenalb, Albtalbahn, Germany: the train passes the loop before arrival
Bowling Green on New York City's IRT Lexington Avenue subway line is the southern terminus for 5 service in the evenings & on weekends, with the South Ferry inner loop (see previous section) used to turn trains.
Brooklyn Bridge – City Hall, also on New York City's IRT Lexington Avenue Line, is the southern terminus for Lexington Avenue local service (the 6 and <6> trains), with the City Hall loop (see previous section) used to turn trains.
Howard Station on the CTA Red Line in Chicago uses a balloon loop to turn a northbound train back south. Because the other end of the line does not contain a loop, the wear on the wheels is evened out after two trips.
Gateway Center in Pittsburgh used to be the north/west end of the Pittsburgh Light Rail line. Westbound trains would discharge passengers at the inbound platform, then go around a loop to the outbound platform to pick up passengers. When the subway was extended in 2009–2012, the loop was removed; while the original outbound platform under Liberty Ave was left intact, the inbound platform was demolished and moved.
Kennington tube station, on the London Underground's Northern line: trains from the Charing Cross branch can terminate at Kennington and then run around a loop to return north. Trains from the Bank branch cannot use this loop.
Balloon loops are used extensively on tramway systems with single-ended trams. Usually located at termini, the loop may be a single one-way track round a block. Single-ended trams have a cab at only one end and doors on one side, making them cheaper and having more space for passengers. On tram systems with double-ended trams balloon loops are not required but may still be used as they can provide greater turn-around capacity than a stub terminus; the Birmingham Corporation Tramways terminus at Rednal had a balloon loop in addition to the conventional stub tracks, providing extra capacity to handle weekend and bank holiday crowds visiting the nearby Lickey Hills.
The Milan interurban tramway network, although using double-ended trams, had balloon loops at termini within the city limits so that they could be used as backup termini by the single directional trams used on urban service.
Another example is in Potsdam, Germany.
Also, the Fife Circle line between Edinburgh and the county of Fife acts like a giant balloon loop, branching off after Inverkeithing and connecting again at Kirkcaldy.
Also, two London Underground lines have balloon loops; the Northern Line has one at Kennington, where trains can terminate, drive around the reversing loop, and then start again whilst others can pass through; whereas the Piccadilly Line has one serving Terminal 4 of Heathrow Airport (half of all trains use this loop to return eastwards back into London, while trains terminating at Terminal 5 must halt and reverse).
United States
Louisa Generating Station: Coal unloader, south of Muscatine, Iowa
Donner Pass, California: there is balloon loop on either side of the pass. One is in Truckee and the other near Blue Canyon. They are primarily used to facilitate snow removal, allowing the plows and blowers to easily be returned over the pass.
Both the French and the British terminals of the Eurotunnel Shuttle service through the Channel Tunnel consist of balloon loops, in opposite directions to even out wear on the wheels.
Occasionally, balloon loops are used for reversing trains on lines with heavy grades and tight curves to equalise wear on both sides of locomotives and rollingstock. Such a balloon loop was constructed at Beech Forest on the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) Victorian Railways line from Colac to Crowes.
Advantages
Advantages of a balloon loop include:
Smooth operation
Trains can arrive in any free platform, while another train is leaving any platform.
Reversal of rolling stock helps even out wear and tear on the wheels.
Eliminates need for brake test if locomotives uncoupled to carry out run around move.
Compared to stations with stub platforms, balloon loops allow:
Fewer tracks and platforms are required
Arrivals into some platforms do not block departures from other platforms
Time is not lost while drivers change ends and reset the train for the other direction
If the driver changed ends and discovers a hidden fault, then delays to trains are less likely
Disadvantages
Disadvantages of a balloon loop include:
Very space consuming.
The sharp curves cause noise, as well as wear on wheels and rails.
If the platform is located on the curve, the gap between the platform and railcar door is a hazard.
On systems where, for reasons of economy, the couplings are made non-reversible (e.g. by fitting the air brake pipe along one side of the car only), the use of a balloon loop will cause a proportion of the rolling stock to face the "wrong" way and it may not be possible to assemble a complete train in a depot, even if sufficient cars are on hand. This was the case on the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway (now part of the Northern line of London Underground).
Solutions
On many systems with a balloon loop the couplings and brake hoses are made reversible.
At coal ports such as Kooragang in Newcastle, New South Wales the space inside the balloon loops is used for storing coal, so that it is not wasted.
At the Olympic Park station in Sydney, the loop is flattened where the platforms are located, so that the platform faces are straight.
After the opening of a loop at Charing Cross (Embankment) in 1914 (replaced in 1926 by the present Kennington loop) car ends were marked "A" or "B" (later, when axles were designated by letters, the "B" car ends became "D" to match the adjacent axle), and it was not permitted to couple cars together if the ends to be coupled bore the same letter. It was found necessary to provide a turntable at Golders Green depot (near the other end of the line), for use when there was an imbalance of car directions.[21]
The former South Ferry station on the New York City Subway solved the railcar door hazard by using gap fillers that extended out to the railcar door when the train triggered a switch on the tracks. The older station had been closed, but was reopened as a result of damage to the newer station caused by Hurricane Sandy.
References
^5 Southern & TfL (Map) (3rd ed.). Railway Track Diagrams. Cartography by John Yonge. Trackmaps. November 2008. p. 18 Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. E inset. ISBN978-0-9549866-4-3.
^5 Southern & TfL (Map) (3rd ed.). Railway Track Diagrams. Cartography by John Yonge. Trackmaps. November 2008. p. 43 Piccadilly line: South Harrow & Heathrow - Acton Town. D inset. ISBN978-0-9549866-4-3.
^4 Midlands & North West (Map) (2nd ed.). Railway Track Diagrams. Cartography by John Yonge. Trackmaps. March 2005. p. 40 Hunts Cross - Moorfields. ISBN0-9549866-0-1.
^Railway Digest. October 2014. p. 14. {{cite magazine}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
^Bruce, J. Graeme (1988). "7. The First of the Standard Tube Stock 1923/25". The London Underground Tube Stock. Shepperton: Ian Allan. pp. 56–57. ISBN0-7110-1707-7.
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