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Local Lockdown Walks - with a railway connection, however tenuous


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Couldn't find anything about Local Lockdown Walks, so thought I'd start a thread. Basically, anything you've seen on your local lockdown walk that has some form of a railway connection.

 

So, first up, from our afternoon walk today in our local area. A boring hedge perhaps, but actually it follows the line of the Dorset Central Railway between Corfe Mullen Jn and  Wimborne Jn - we are looking towards the latter. Opened on 1st Nov 1860, it later became part of the well-loved Somerset & Dorset. However, this section closed to passengers from 12th July 1920 and goods from 17th June 1933.

 

P1090674 (2).JPG

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Then there's the section (occasional dog walk for me, and the pups) from Louse Lane, Spetisbury to Ward's Drove, Blandford St.Mary, the sight of the original, and first station in Blandford, the first terminus of the Dorset Central. Then the 'Trailway' from Blandford to Stur. Newton:sungum:  

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Last weekend I walked over to Orgreave, where there's graffiti referring back to ancient history (also posted elsewhere on here):

993934607_Orgreave1.jpg.3a6bf32b5bbf4be5de888d9c5f1266a5.jpg

 

A memorial to the miners:

1671074027_Orgreave3.jpg.383662322d1b39f3b68b9c789a0501d1.jpg1429552210_Orgreave4.jpg.dae673a87deb6970c8827e46362a57f5.jpg

 

And a panorama of the site. Housing (known as Waverley) now built on the Sheffield end of the site, and a lake with footpaths on the eastern end (click to enlarge):

621322313_Orgreave2pano.jpg.bad9630887d1c04c50f5434fd72de457.jpg

 

Bing OS map pin of where I'm standing to take this photo here

 

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I live 100m from the Bath to Wootton Bassett line and about 300m from the box tunnel, and 500m from Thingley Jinction. I tend to do more cycling though and I went on quite a long ride today that took me over the Badminton line as well. Family walks often take us over/under parts of the Thingley Junction to Trowbridge line as well.

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Today our little walk takes us along the old carriage drive to Canford Manor (now Canford School). At the end we find this rather elaborate railway underbridge. The occupants of the Manor didn't want any old bridge over their drive, so when the Southampton to Dorchester line opened on 1st June 1847,  they built this. 

 

Once the main route between London and Weymouth, as Bournemouth grew, the line through Ringwood and Wimborne declined. On summer Saturdays, through  expresses between Weymouth/Swanage to Waterloo continued along this line into the early 1960s; even the "Bournemouth Belle"  has  passed over here when the direct route was closed due to engineering work.
Closed to passengers from 4th May 1964, the tracks clung on with occasional freight traffic until  May 1977.

P1090907.JPG

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No photo but took a walk that part included the cycle path beside the Avon Valley Railway. We live about 5 mins walk from Oldland station, so joined the path there, and avoiding the bicycles, headed north before a loop around the houses back to home.

 

Jo

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Yesterday I walked along part of the Pilgrim's Way overlooking the Eurotunnel Terminal, plenty of trucks loading or waiting to load onto a shuttle heading on the way to France otherwise completely deserted.

 

Dropping away from the Pilgrim's Way I passed through Peene with remnants of the Elham Valley line from Folkestone to Canterbury clearly visible around what is now the Elham Valley Line Trust Railway Museum which also has one of the cars from the Leas Lift at Folkestone clearly visible from the road.

 

Will take my camera when I next wander over that way.

 

Keith

 

 

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The ex Standish colliery railway system for me, still exists mostly as footpaths, quite rural nowadays. Some exposed rail still exists at a road crossing near the old Gidlow pits. The green lines to the left of Elms colliery.

 

sd5505.png?height=500&width=500

 

In it's heyday - the system closed in 1964

 

image.png.17bda2e4587a5b6d5da77578c1f9f9f8.png

 

Ex Wigan Coal & Iron locos made locally worked until the end.

 

Brit15

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Walking the old Merchants Railway yesterday discovered the brambles had been cut back around one of the mile marker stones. Lots of old railway available to walk locally.

 

B4C71C36-3A31-4479-A263-9A45D0ED7787_1_105_c.jpeg.fa3ab43e07b0202c283486697d1672f5.jpeg

Edited by john new
Photo(s) found and/or replaced post crash.
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22 hours ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Today our little walk takes us along the old carriage drive to Canford Manor (now Canford School). At the end we find this rather elaborate railway underbridge. The occupants of the Manor didn't want any old bridge over their drive, so when the Southampton to Dorchester line opened on 1st June 1847,  they built this. 

 

Once the main route between London and Weymouth, as Bournemouth grew, the line through Ringwood and Wimborne declined. On summer Saturdays, through  expresses between Weymouth/Swanage to Waterloo continued along this line into the early 1960s; even the "Bournemouth Belle"  has  passed over here when the direct route was closed due to engineering work.
Closed to passengers from 4th May 1964, the tracks clung on with occasional freight traffic until  May 1977.

P1090907.JPG

 

Nice pic Peter, 'Lady Wimborne Bridge' with an interesting but somewhat long back story. Involving the Guest family, Dowlais Ironworks, the original backing of both Somerset, and Dorset Central Railways, the Mayor Of Poole, and GKN.:sungum:

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A local walk I do several times a year is from Yatton along the Strawberry Line to Sandford and Banwell, or sometimes as far as Cheddar. As Yatton is 9 miles from home it is not local enough, (I have not even been to my local station 10 minutes walk away since August).

However three minutes from our flat gets us onto Weston sea front where the remains of the Weston-super-Mare miniature railway can still be seen, it closed around  2013.

 

First a view of how it used to be, the station and first return loop were situated in the putting green area.

IMG_5765.JPG.9f6f61e837165fd655e70bbaa072e322.JPG

Looking south in the station area 14/8/2012

IMG_8775.JPG.1a0785201910cbffcf232a2307289584.JPG

The station area 17/1/2021 even the putting green has been disused for a couple of years.

 

After an anti-clockwise loop around the putting green the line ran out onto the beach lawns

IMG_8773.JPG.6fcce436365ac165697aea72269f9213.JPG

The rails are still embedded in the footpath. 17/1/2021

 

The line then headed curved around towards the sea to complete the south end return loop, before heading north along the beach lawns with another anti-clockwise return loop.

IMG_5775.JPG.6167364278b490b4dc51efdf2641672b.JPG

 The back of Mrs Rivercider's head, we are approaching the south end junction, a spring point, 14/8/2012

IMG_8774.JPG.faee6badc3ea4e46760fef4661cec2ec.JPG

The remains of the track bed is now returning to grass, this is the south end return loop looking north. 17/1/2021

IMG_5764.JPG.576b582d9e995c465af79c28b34030f2.JPG

The return working, the spring point is set straight ahead for the train to return to the station, 14/8/2012

IMG_8777.JPG.fadb3e126823a08604e2a050a687d701.JPG

Looking north along the beach lawns 17/1/2021

IMG_8780.JPG.d2647b7dc656df473f328bf72e6fd1cd.JPG

There was a spring point at each return loop, this is the view from the north end showing the return loop, the putting green area is between the trees and the Royal Sands apartments. 17/1/2021.

 

You can tell I need to get out a bit more - and see a real railway for a change!

 

cheers

 

 

 

Edited by Rivercider
clarification
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Took a walk along the Bridgewater Canal again today between Worsley Delph and Astley Mine - there are lots of points in this section where the rails used to come down to the waterside for loading boats, but sadly there is nothing to show of any of it, in most cases the gentrification of the canal and establishment of leisure cruising has removed all trace of the railways - I did manage a short bit of ex railway track for a about 100m at Astley when I walked on a path that used to be a mineral line from Ellenbrook & Astley to the Chat Moss route.  Only found out it was railway route when I got home and took a look at an old map - didn't realise the Astley mine was also a 20c mine not something older.

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1 hour ago, Rivercider said:

A local walk I do several times a year is from Yatton along the Strawberry Line to Sandford and Banwell, or sometimes as far as Cheddar. As Yatton is 9 miles from home it is not local enough, (I have not even been to my local station 10 minutes walk away since August).

However three minutes from our flat gets us onto Weston sea front where the remains of the Weston-super-Mare miniature railway can still be seen, it closed around  2013.

 

First a view of how it used to be, the station and first return loop were situated in the putting green area.

IMG_5765.JPG.9f6f61e837165fd655e70bbaa072e322.JPG

Looking south in the station area 14/8/2012

IMG_8775.JPG.1a0785201910cbffcf232a2307289584.JPG

The station area 17/1/2021 even the putting green has been disused for a couple of years.

 

After an anti-clockwise loop around the putting green the line ran out onto the beach lawns

IMG_8773.JPG.6fcce436365ac165697aea72269f9213.JPG

The rails are still embedded in the footpath. 17/1/2021

 

The line then headed curved around towards the sea to complete the south end return loop, before heading north along the beach lawns with another anti-clockwise return loop.

IMG_5775.JPG.6167364278b490b4dc51efdf2641672b.JPG

 The back of Mrs Rivercider's head, we are approaching the south end junction, a spring point, 14/8/2012

IMG_8774.JPG.faee6badc3ea4e46760fef4661cec2ec.JPG

The remains of the track bed is now returning to grass, this is the south end return loop looking north. 17/1/2021

IMG_5764.JPG.576b582d9e995c465af79c28b34030f2.JPG

The return working, the spring point is set straight ahead for the train to return to the station, 14/8/2012

IMG_8777.JPG.fadb3e126823a08604e2a050a687d701.JPG

Looking north along the beach lawns 17/1/2021

IMG_8780.JPG.d2647b7dc656df473f328bf72e6fd1cd.JPG

There was a spring point at each return loop, this is the view from the north end showing the return loop, the putting green area is between the trees and the Royal Sands apartments. 17/1/2021.

 

You can tell I need to get out a bit more - and see a real railway for a change!

 

cheers

 

 

 

I didn't realise it had gone Kevin.  I remember going on it with my Mum when I was about 8 or 9, it was a freezing cold day and really windy and we basically got sand-blasted by sand of the beach.

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On 23/01/2021 at 15:38, Poor Old Bruce said:

If l could work out how to copy the pics off my phone, l would post some views of the old Great Northern trackbed from Mickleover to Egginton Junction. I'll take a proper camera down there some time soon.

 

Can you log into the forum on your phone?

I simply post straight from my phone nowadays, either using the home WiFi or 4G network.

Somewhere I have a few pictures of Etwall box taken long after it closed.

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On 23/01/2021 at 13:20, Mick Bonwick said:

Tenuous it is, then.

 

Daily walk to railway room at the bottom of the garden.

 

P1000396.JPG.9ca59112de0fb02aceeeb50064da1dcb.JPG

 

:P

 

 

 


Hey, that’s better than the muddy trail trail I remember from my last visit :imsohappy:

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14 hours ago, great central said:

 

Can you log into the forum on your phone?

I simply post straight from my phone nowadays, either using the home WiFi or 4G network.

Somewhere I have a few pictures of Etwall box taken long after it closed.

 

Don't know, I'll need to have a play.

 

I too have a pic of Etwall Box somewhere, way after closure. Living in Mickleover, one walk I used to enjoy was walking into the village, catch a bus out to Etwall (but not as far as the old station) and walk home along the GNR. It usually took me about two hours for the trip but, as it involves public transport, I haven't done it for a while.

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I've been to Tescos in Station Approach a few times.  Is that tenuous enough?  It's almost 5 minutes walk - is that local enough?

I haven't been to the station since lockdown though. 

 

I can hear trains on the ECML without leaving the house - not heard any A4 whistles from steam specials since Covid though.

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This little lighthouse is on its own track, about 3 or 4 metres long. The former Newhaven West Quay branch, which used to run out onto the big breakwater, followed the route of the road in the background. This was a bus-assisted walk. I got the bus to Newhaven Town and walked down the West Quay and back.

I did do a longer walk to take photos of the new aggregates depot on the East Quay, but I have already uploaded those to the Freight in Sussex thread. 

 

The lighthouse on rails Newhaven 2 11 2020.jpg

Edited by phil_sutters
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