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

[Porcy Mane]

1 hour ago, cctransuk said:

I suspect that the 'trainset' circles of factory tracks in this area are associated with the manufacture of gasholders - which were / are usually circular!

 

 Suspicions correct. Also used as stocking grounds for material and usually worked with a steam crane. Somewhere I have a list of these circles of tracks.

 

Two that spring to mind were, Westwood and Wrights at Round Oak:

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EAW038844

 

and Whessoe Engineering at Darlington had one:

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW062183

[33C]

Great idea for a model in a very small space with a powered crane or crane tank!

[Axlebox]

11 hours ago, Ian Smeeton said:

 

A bit up and left of the crossing on the map is the Dartmouth Works (Engineering) with what looks like a company trainset rather than an internal railway.

 

Can anyone shed any light?

 

Regards

 

Ian

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW050759

 

(snip taken for research purposes only)

 

[Nick Holliday]

Going off-topic, I'm afraid, but when looking at the BFA photo of Dartmouth Works, I couldn't help noticing that the nearby rows of houses all had roof windows, and it turns out they all had accommodation tucked away in the roof void. Perhaps that's how the houses in Coronation Street seem capable of expanding to suit the increasing number of occupants!

[Axlebox]

26 minutes ago, Nick Holliday said:

Going off-topic, I'm afraid, but when looking at the BFA photo of Dartmouth Works, I couldn't help noticing that the nearby rows of houses all had roof windows, and it turns out they all had accommodation tucked away in the roof void. Perhaps that's how the houses in Coronation Street seem capable of expanding to suit the increasing number of occupants!

Back to back houses always suffered from ventilation problems as you don't get a through draft of air...having an opening roof light helps with the ventilation...in the full Britain from above picture, notice how many of the roof lights are open.

Edited August 2, 2021 by Axlebox

[Engineer]

Many thanks for introducing the 1936 aerial perspectives here.  My attention is drawn unavoidably to the Leeds Corporation tramway, with a lot of inspiration for modelling.  Its electric 'Middleton Light Railway', which continued from Hunslet alongside the 'Middleton Railway' via Parkside and colliery area, climbed through Middleton Woods to new housing developments, eventually joining a later link from the other side of Hunslet and Belle Isle to form a return loop.

 

Making use of an aerial image adjacent to the previous posting with another 'for learning' scrap view :

https://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/en/image/EPW050760

The left to right image axis is roughly North-East to South-West.

 

 

In particular look at the centre left area of the image and to the left of the new  'Middleton Bogie' class tram that's headed Outbound from City towards the Middleton terminus.  Just to the left of the tram, there are two sets of gates and gateposts where the Middleton Railway crosses the road.

 

Next, here's a view on the ground, apologies for another linked image, from 1956 showing another Outbound 'Middleton Bogie' headed to Middleton Estate and within a year or two of the [premature] end of its service.  The electric light railway service continued but closed on 28th March, 1959.  Note again the gates:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/8683736042/in/photostream/

 

Now, here's a [relatively] modern view from Geograph, looking roughly WestNorth-West:

https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1018373

© Copyright philld and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Accepted it's not abandoned rails but it's at a road-rail intersection and to the left of the image is a gatepost [I reckon it's the 'highest' visible one in the aerial image].  Looks like it's providing an important extra service, steadying a photographer.

Edited August 4, 2021 by Engineer
Use of English and added detail

[big jim]

One from my trip to chester, the old tram tracks heading towards what was the old depot opposite the station which later on became the bus depot, we used to use the canteen when I worked in Chester railway station, wish I’d have got some pics of the inside of the place now liking back, proper old school place, cigarette tar stained walls, card schools going on, no Investment since the 1960s!

 

it’s long gone now, replaced by flats with the rails remaining as a feature 

[warpy]

I think the location has been mentioned before but couldn’t resist this photo from Bude tonight whilst on holiday - the section of narrow gauge rails still showing in the path down from the canal to Summerleaze beach. I believe used to transport sand from the beach up to the spur from the line to Bude station. High tide tonight 

[Ian Smeeton]

A trip to the Fens yesterday, with a short visit to the short 'Bramley Line' base near Wisbech.

 

The entire branch from March to Wisbech was mothballed after the end of the remaining freight traffic, and apart from bits removed by the metal fairies, is still intact

 

Road Crossings abound, which is one of the hurdles stopping reopening.

 

 

Just look at the size of that Gatepost!!! The Gate is still in there, too.

 

 

 

Looking towards March, this is the Waldersea Depot of the Bramley Line Trust

 

Regards

 

Ian

[big jim]

Something a bit different, the holiday park we have the caravan at has a 7 1/4 railway that hasn’t run for a good 3 years now and the track is slowly disappearing into the grass, hopefully they will do something with it rather than rip it up, I keep meaning to ask the owners what the plans are for it 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The loco is quite a substantial petrol powered 0-4-0 shunter, locked away in a container at the moment (I hope) 

[96701]

The very end of the line at Fishguard Harbour North Breakwater taken on an iphone in September 2017.

 

 

Had to dig the dirt off a chair.

 

[Northmoor]

Thanks, I'd always wondered what was left of the lines along the breakwater at Fishguard.  You can see what salt water spray can do, even to railway rail!

[bradfordbuffer]

53 minutes ago, big jim said:

Something a bit different, the holiday park we have the caravan at has a 7 1/4 railway that hasn’t run for a good 3 years now and the track is slowly disappearing into the grass, hopefully they will do something with it rather than rip it up, I keep meaning to ask the owners what the plans are for it 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The loco is quite a substantial petrol powered 0-4-0 shunter, locked away in a container at the moment (I hope) 

Sell it to Jim!

[big jim]

I’d love to see it back up and running, I don’t think it would take too much work to do but I notice a couple of the curves have gone out of gauge due to broken sleepers 

[009 micro modeller]

1 hour ago, big jim said:

Something a bit different, the holiday park we have the caravan at has a 7 1/4 railway that hasn’t run for a good 3 years now and the track is slowly disappearing into the grass, hopefully they will do something with it rather than rip it up, I keep meaning to ask the owners what the plans are for it 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The loco is quite a substantial petrol powered 0-4-0 shunter, locked away in a container at the moment (I hope) 

 

Whereabouts is that? It looks vaguely familiar. Have you ever been to Oakhill in Somerset? I have some photos of the abandoned miniature line there somewhere.

[bradfordbuffer]

48 minutes ago, big jim said:

I’d love to see it back up and running, I don’t think it would take too much work to do but I notice a couple of the curves have gone out of gauge due to broken sleepers 

Nothing like a bit of track spread for a unexpected earth fault!....droped two front wheels of a 31 in tubrook sidings........spilt my tea! But plus side got a early finish...and as lived near Wavertree Junction....walked home, got tea and biscuits replenished with traction inspector next day...!

[big jim]

56 minutes ago, 009 micro modeller said:

 

Whereabouts is that? It looks vaguely familiar. Have you ever been to Oakhill in Somerset? I have some photos of the abandoned miniature line there somewhere.

solway holiday village in silloth 

[montyburns56]

Leith Dock by Dave Attrill

 

 

[big jim]

On 12/08/2021 at 23:34, big jim said:

solway holiday village in silloth 

Spoke to the maintenance man earlier and apparently the miniature railway at the camp is originally from lowther wildlife park, there is plans to do a bit of work on it as it was condemned a few years back due to the track condition, he did have the loco running last week to keep it freed up

 

ive said I’ll help out if I can, might even ask if GBRf would sponsor it! 

[Clayton17]

Came across this in the forecourt of an abandoned car dealers forecourt in portobello on the outskirts of Edinburgh.  This would have been part of the track work from the old bottle works which closed in 1967.  Unfortunately it is likely to disappears soon as the adjacent ground is now being turned over to housing 

[ianmacc]

On 12/08/2021 at 23:34, big jim said:

solway holiday village in silloth 

In the 1980s there was a 7 1/4 gauge railway in Silloth itself too. I have a picture of me at about 10

years old lay down on it and it looked out of use by then too. I couldn’t tell you where it was but I bet it was ripped up decades ago!

Edited August 18, 2021 by ianmacc
Clarified

[bradfordbuffer]

10 hours ago, Clayton17 said:

Came across this in the forecourt of an abandoned car dealers forecourt in portobello on the outskirts of Edinburgh.  This would have been part of the track work from the old bottle works which closed in 1967.  Unfortunately it is likely to disappears soon as the adjacent ground is now being turned over to housing 

What amazes me is the industrial heritage under our feet In plain sight! But also the scrap value and environmental wast ....I'm torn in to two camps...in the last few years of working with xc a new multi story carpark was planted on up sidings / monorail sidings at Wakefield Westgate prob 4 to 5 Roads and associated point work...the plain line was removed for ground work for carpark (crazy design cross between lego grey and yellow bricks and electric convector heaters mesh!!) but P and C left in place for nature to reclaim ....slowly weeds grow then the odd silver birch untill 10 to 15 ft of under growth!  With all that natural resources hidden! 4 or 5 points that could of been used on a preserved line or scrap value....not the only example but one I saw the wast in plain sight on a daily basis, there must be miles and miles of track sidings that will never see a wheel again!

Yep some like Albert dock/ bristol docks deserve to be preserved for historical reasons......but let's reclaim scrap! Or re use.

[Ray M]

Yep.

Their must be miles of old rail in Healey Mills alone.

[ianmacc]

21 hours ago, ianmacc said:

In the 1980s there was a 7 1/4 gauge railway in Silloth itself too. I have a picture of me at about 10

years old lay down on it and it looked out of use by then too. I couldn’t tell you where it was but I bet it was ripped up decades ago!

Appreciate I’m replying to myself but I googled it and a few entries down after the references to the holiday park line there are discussions about this line and even a map of it. It was lifted in 1995.

[ianmacc]

3 hours ago, Ray M said:

Yep.

Their must be miles of old rail in Healey Mills alone.

From an environmental perspective we should be aiming to recover it all. 
 

From a commercial perspective I suspect that much of the tracks around the country would now cost more to access and remove than could be realised in their reuse or recycling value.