Abandoned rails in the road.....(or elsewhere...)

[melmerby]

If anybody wants to see more abandoned high line see here:

https://www.thehighline.org/photos/historical/

[melmerby]

Just a comment:

Why are so many Google maps links not in short form?

 

e.g. Skeffington Road posted above

https://goo.gl/maps/phzNt8JCLm5hpnRUA

Edited April 7, 2021 by melmerby

[Ramblin Rich]

20 hours ago, Ben B said:

I've been having a look through my folders for some more suitable pics;  a trip back in time to Christmas 2005, and the line from Oswestry to Blodwell Quarry at Llynclys.

 

 

 

This is one of two crossings on the fledgling Cambrian Railways preserved set-up; my understanding is the line have been told they have to replace this one with a bridge (somehow), effectively killing off the prospective running of heritage services.

 

 

Its been a while since I've been this way, but I travelled it regularly from about 2005-2015, and these rails seemed to get periodically buried in tarmac during re-surfacing work, then exposed again by the weight of traffic passing by.  

Related to the Cambrian Railways scheme and the problems with reactivating crossings - here's the crossing on the A5 Oswestry bypass (although for some reason google calls it the A483 for a short stretch).

https://goo.gl/maps/jgF3ozmKNhhKVxG68

I believe the rail traffic from Blodwell / Llanddu stopped in 1989, but really can't imagine it being bought back into use with the amount of traffic along the road.

Edited April 7, 2021 by Ramblin Rich
corrected link

[Ramblin Rich]

There's also a couple of places on the old Burry Port & Gwydraeth line to Cwmmawr

Pontyates

https://goo.gl/maps/byF8t2c55rKizUhf8

Pontyberem

https://goo.gl/maps/QqWffkde3u95FXor7

I remember looking for this kind of thing on an old thread about level crossings - good fun!

[Ramblin Rich]

Instow, on the Barnstaple to Torrington route. The signal box & level crossing are looked after by a heritage society but there are no tracks beyond the area.

https://goo.gl/maps/orsCQaGf3XQa2xVR6

When James May did his 'longest model railway' programme, they ran the 00 tracks in the slot of the tracks to avoid road road traffic!

[Bucoops]

2 hours ago, melmerby said:

Hard to believe that station was in use until 2006 as part of the North London Line, complete with electric trains.

 

Hard to believe it was a lovely little museum not that long ago too

[33C]

7 hours ago, Grovenor said:

Here's a nice crossover.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5023338,0.0591529,35m/data=!3m1!1e3

and still some track alongside the platforms here

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4993294,0.0625024,70m/data=!3m1!1e3

Quality! I believe a GER Y9 was plinthed in the turntable pit at one time.

[Ben B]

3 hours ago, Bucoops said:

 

Hard to believe it was a lovely little museum not that long ago too

 

It was also used to represent an Indian railway station in an episode of "Goodness Gracious Me", in a spoof of "Brief Encounter", they talked about it on the behind the scenes documentary that was on the beeb last year

[Invicta]

Another abandoned level crossing- Belvoir Road Coalville, on the NCB branch to Snibston Colliery which hasn't seen a train in about 35 years. The line to the left was used as part of the Snibston Discovery museum until that closed about 5 years ago (the rails terminated at a platform built a short distance beyond the crossing) and has recently been lifted to convert that stretch into a footpath. The little lean-to building on the end of the shops on the left was the crossing-keeper's hut. The line to the right has been used as a footpath for years, but has recently been upgraded, with the crossing gates now fixed in an open position.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.7242949,-1.3743912,3a,75y,9.21h,67.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWZ3GMWXGrAtR-YXy8GKuBQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

Both level crossings on the branch survive- this is the other one, on the service roads of the public car park- the line to the right (between the hedges) leads to the first crossing.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.7234217,-1.3712533,3a,75y,242.48h,74.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1ss1S1-EUh5kW9yXJdmlvVTw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Edited April 7, 2021 by Invicta
changed link

[SR71]

About 15 years ago I had to go to Basildon Sewage Treatment Works and was surprised to find the remains of the internal railway still in situ. I wasn't allowed to take pictures during the visit but you can still see them on google maps;

 

https://goo.gl/maps/qXkixQPJnM3ynD2h9

 

Edit: shows up much clearer in globe view

Edited April 7, 2021 by SR71
Link didn't work.

[DLT]

Earlier someone mentioned the Ilfracombe line; here is one of the crossings in Braunton:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.1068523,-4.1634035,3a,75y,318.22h,71.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_HrhMANJEC1D-JmBtruYaw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Nethercott Road north of Braunton.  And Buckland Hill crossing

[melmerby]

22 minutes ago, DLT said:

Earlier someone mentioned the Ilfracombe line; here is one of the crossings in Braunton:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.1068523,-4.1634035,3a,75y,318.22h,71.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_HrhMANJEC1D-JmBtruYaw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

Close by is this:

https://goo.gl/maps/dakLk9kgDjuJdeKL6

[Axlebox]

West Cornforth County Durham from Jamie M's flickr site.

 

This is the view looking east along the course of the Great North of England Clarence and Hartlepool Junction Railway that once linked Ferryhill with Hartlepool. West Cornforth station is directly behind the photographer. The through route was closed in the 1960s, but a couple of 3 miles was retained to serve Raisby quarry at Coxhoe and Kella pit (East Hetton colliery) at Kelloe.

 

The crossing in better days from 6089 Gardener's flickr site.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@54.7034212,-1.5265263,3a,75y,317h,79.71t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slxXoBzicU5Q_cy8Y9Z007g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 

Edited April 8, 2021 by Axlebox

[Re6/6]

On 05/04/2021 at 09:29, Brian Harrap said:

I wonder if that connected to this?

 

Where is this Brian?

 

Are you going to build it? 

[billy_anorak59]

Dockside remains at the filled-in Bromborough Dock, Wirral - including a crossing and location of a wagon turntable. Line (Lever Brothers internal) closed to this location late-60s/early-70s.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bromborough,+Birkenhead,+Wirral/@53.3556335,-2.9772804,94m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x487ad8cf8fd355eb:0x9bb55bbd9f9556cc!8m2!3d53.3321915!4d-2.9772937

[fulton]

Unfortunately no photos but I recall in the 1970's when building houses in Lower Halstow, Kent, we cut through the 2' gauge line still crossing The Street (common local name for the main road) under 9" of tarmac, which connected the clay pit with the brickworks, we also found buried a number of rusted out skip wagons and the point lever which I kept. Similarly we found the narrow gauge line still crossing Grange Road, Gillingham, Kent, under 1' of concrete and tarmac which connected the chalk pit with the cement works. Both probably still there. 

[Brian Harrap]

54 minutes ago, Re6/6 said:

 

Where is this Brian?

 

Are you going to build it? 

Somewhere in the US I think John, and no I'm not.

Baron

[5050]

On 31/03/2021 at 21:09, simontaylor484 said:

There are some on Newmarket lane just outside Wakefield. They cross the road from the old Newmarket pit site. Sorry I don't have a photo 

There's also some in Stanley  (or there was!), remains of the NG line from colliery to canal at Stanley Ferry.

[Metropolitan H]

There were various remains around Bottomboat and Bottomboat Ferry - Stanley - including traces of the "Lake Lock Railroad" which was narrow gauge and predates the Surrey Iron Railway and another slightly 3Ft 4inch gauge line which ran from a pit working (Victoria Haigh Moor Pit - ??) by the junction of Aberford Rd and Bottomboat Lane down to Bottomboat Ferry.

 

An article "The First Public Railway - ?" in Narrow Gauge World Issue No. 126 - includes a photograph taken in the 1990s of the narrow gauge rails crossing Bottomboat Lane 100+ yards to the west of Bottomboat Farm.

 

My Father was born further up Bottomboat Lane in 1915 - his Father was one of the three signalmen who worked Stanley Station signal box at the time. I was born close to the line of the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Iron Railway - Purley, Surrey - in 1950. So we have always had a family interest in these early railways.

 

Regards

Chris H

[Hunslet]

 

Incline winding house as far as I can remember  Dinorwic quarries, Llanberis

 

 

 

Tracks leading to Incline head. Same location as above.

 

Can I sneak this one in ? Not railway but abandoned transport track.

 

 

Derby Trolley bus turning circle on Chellaston road. Now a car park !

[Ramblin Rich]

Definitely abandoned, but not in a roadway. A link to a post I did last year on the Okehampton Military Target Tramway

 

[ejstubbs]

On 06/04/2021 at 00:32, pH said:

Duchal Moor narrow gauge railway above Kilmacolm, built in the 1920s to transport grouse-shooting parties out onto the moor.

 

There are remnants of a similar railway running up Glen Lochsie from Dalmuzie Castle near Spittal of Glenshee.  You can see the route on Google Maps satellite view.  It was several years ago that I was up that way, though, and I can't remember whether there were any rails still in situ (which, if not, would rule it out of this topic - oops).

 

This Railscot page has a photo of one of the buffer stops on the zig-zag which seems to show short lengths of rail in situ.  However, in this photo of the same site on Geograph, although the buffer stop is still clearly visible, the rails aren't - though whether that's because they have become more overgrown, or been removed, is basically impossible to tell.

 

More about the Dalmuzie railway here: https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/nostalgia/2508847/one-of-the-strangest-little-railways-in-scotland-100-years-since-dalmunzie-line-opened-near-glenshee/

[Ramblin Rich]

This is Teigngrace on the Newton Abbot - Heathfield branch. There hasn't been any traffic along here since Colas stopped running timber trains in 2015.

https://goo.gl/maps/7LEqGjPby4G2DewQ6

The cyclist seems friendly enough!

[Tim V]

Near Heathfield on the line to Exeter - https://tinyurl.com/28b5a9c8

 

Same place in 1975.

[pH]

6 hours ago, ejstubbs said:

There are remnants of a similar railway running up Glen Lochsie from Dalmuzie Castle near Spittal of Glenshee.  You can see the route on Google Maps satellite view.  It was several years ago that I was up that way, though, and I can't remember whether there were any rails still in situ (which, if not, would rule it out of this topic - oops).

 

The ‘locomotives’ on the two railways came from the same manufacturer:

https://www.secretscotland.org.uk/index.php/Secrets/DuchalMoorGrouseRailway

and I seem to remember they had more in common, but can’t find a reference.

 

There is an article on both the Duchal Moor and Dalmunzie lines in ‘Narrow Gauge & Industrial Railway Modelling Review’ Issue 109.