Peterborough North

[65179]

On 04/03/2021 at 10:40, LNER4479 said:

 

 

Absolutely. If I may crave your indulgence for one quick postscript, here are some pictures I should really have posted yesterday. From 2009, thus prior to the more recent improvements which have opened up the remaining tunnels for walkers and cyclists. There's a great triangular(-ish!) walk that can be accomplished from the A6 road (there's a pub we started and finished at - can't remember its name) ...

 

Back to the A6 and said pub for a well-earned refreshment.

 

The Waterloo Inn Graham?

 

It's a real pleasure to be able to travel the full length of the Monsal Trail without the admittedly fun diversion along the stepping stones in Chee Dale.  The view from the trackbed between the two Chee Tor tunnels into Water--Jolly Dale, whilst not as open as it was when the line was built, is still glorious.

 

What a shame that despite the issues with the A6 and a railway as far as Rowsley that it isn't possible for "every fool in Buxton" to be "at Bakewell in half-an-hour, and every fool in Bakewell at Buxton" via this route as so annoyed John Ruskin.

 

Simon

[jollysmart]

The East lincs line for me such a shame that a line that would see traffic now has been lost and although parts are still undeveloped large important sections have disappeared, significantly under roads that are used for daily commuting from places that used to have stations.

[jazzer]

6 hours ago, great northern said:

And wot about the lovely and not all flat county of Lincolnshire?

 

YEEESSS ! 

[jazzer]

5 hours ago, thegreenhowards said:

I will vote for the direct line from Spalding through Boston to Grimsby/ Cleethorpes - was it called the East Lincs? A mainline that tends to get overlooked compared with other mainline closures.

 

My vote as well . Mainly because of the beautiful station at Louth but others on the now closed section of the line were far grander than the amount of traffic probably justified.

[mullie]

The Midland and Great Northern ran through Lincolnshire including places like North Drove with its unusual platform arrangement, Sutton Bridge and Bourne. I will go with that one.

 

Martyn

[Mallard60022]

OK I shall amend mine to the GC from Hucknall to Clifton through Victoria with all the Junctions and if that isn't allowed, the Midland to Melton.

Lincolnshire isn't in Nottinghamshire; have I missed something yet again, or is that a separate go?

If so I shall have to consider carefully.

Pah!

Edited March 5, 2021 by Mallard60022
Pah!

[great northern]

8 minutes ago, Mallard60022 said:

OK I shall amend mine to the GC from Hucknall to Clifton through Victoria with all the Junctions and if that isn't allowed, the Midland to Melton.

Lincolnshire isn't in Nottinghamshire; have I missed something yet again, or is that a separate go?

If so I shall have to consider carefully.

Pah!

I put the two together Phil, as there may be some poor benighted people who are not well acquainted with our part of the world.

[Welly]

East Lincs line including the Mablethorpe Loop - the roads in that area are still little better than metalled farm tracks!

[2750Papyrus]

Putting the two together has given me a distinct conflict of interest.  The GC main line, Erewash valley and Nottingham suburban all merit consideration.  i hope that there will be a further opportunity for the GC main line, so I will chooses the East Lincs line, a most strange selection for closure.

[Oldddudders]

38 minutes ago, great northern said:

 there may be some poor benighted people who are not well acquainted with our part of the world.

C'est moi! Although, oddly, my nearest small town/large village, Bonnetable, is twinned with Horncastle. 

[LNER4479]

Another vote for the (missing bits of) the East Lincs Mainline, a closure that denied another town (Louth) a rail connection.

 

Good luck to the lads and lassies at the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway in their ongoing bid to return at least some form of rails to the town one day.

[great northern]

62613 is seen again, having moved down to number 1 bay, and at the head of the 3.22pm to East.

 

 

[Market65]

So, after due reconsideration, with the GCR Extension ruled out, I’ll go with the East Lincs line too. 
 

Rob.

[Clive Mortimore]

Mablethorpe loop.

 

Grimbsy to Boston

 

GN and GE joint from Spalding to March.

 

The original GN main line from Lincoln to Peterborough via Boston and Spalding.

 

All serving towns that today do not have rail connections. Unlike the Great Central's johnny come lately line that served towns which already had a rail service.

[Woodcock29]

East Lincolnshire line for me as well. One of the lines I've been studying quite a bit in the last few years.

Andrew

[great northern]

Grand Parade now creeps past Silver King as it slows to a stop. I've juggled with the balance of this for ages, but it has defeated me. Can any of you clever chaps do anything with it? Not fake smoke and steam please, just trying to get highlights shadow etc a bit better.

[Mallard60022]

Old GN route.

P

[Ighten]

looks good to me if not excellent - only thing I can think is tune down the highlights as its washing it out a little (but that may be monitor setup)  - you may then end up with some over punchy red bufferbeam and the yellow anorak so I just toned those a little - 

 

 

 

[great northern]

11 votes for what we can generically call the E.Lincs, though bits of it are still open. It really did deprive the residents of a large swathe of Lincolnshire from any form of railway connection, and should have been retained on social grounds, if nothing else.

 

Now you will have to indulge me for a little while, as I get rid of a bee in my bonnet. Or alternatively just ignore what follows.

 

If you got on a train at Nottingham Victoria, which was, by the way, the station closest to the city centre, you could go south to Weekday Cross junction, and branch off the old GC there to Netherfield, where one route, still extant, went on to Grantham. There was, however, another route, turning North at first through Gedling, but then curving to the West to Daybrook, and thence on to Derby. Just after Daybrook, that route crossed and connected with the GC. Thus it was possible to return to Victoria from the North, and there existed a perfect inner city suburban circular route. Even by the 60s, development to the West of Nottingham was increasing rapidly, and now traffic into the City from the north and west is horrendous.

 

However, someone wanted to build a shopping centre , and Victoria was targetted. Some people made a lot of money out of that, and not just the developers. Even then, the railway could have been retained, Victoria being in a deep cutting. There are other developments where that has happened. But no, the developers wanted the lot, so that they could have a large car park for their shopping centre, so the lot went, and with it the opportunity for the sort of route that cities would now give an arm and a leg for. OK, it would no doubt have become a tramway, but it would be a huge boon for the inhabitants. And of course, the car park would have been unneccessary. Was there no forethought back then, or was it just that short term there was a lot of money to be made by facilitating it?

 

No doubt there are other similar stories, but I doubt if any are worse than this.

 

Today, let us consider the South Midlands, but not the GC main line again please.

[Flying Fox 34F]

The loss of the GNR line through Gedling and Daybrook could be attributed to the mining subsidence affecting Mapperley tunnel by Gedling Colliery.
As for Developers and money, this happened in many places and still does.  
Ultimately, the Beeching Report forced more people and vehicles onto the roads and Developers built car parks and shopping centres.   Thereby filling the coffers of HM Treasury with lots of lovely revenue, of which only a small part is used to pay for the upkeep of the roads.  Money makes the World go around, springs to mind!!!!

 

Paul

Edited March 6, 2021 by Flying Fox 34F
Additional comment

[Welly]

South Midlands - easily the Oxford - Cambridge line!

[St Enodoc]

4 minutes ago, Welly said:

South Midlands - easily the Oxford - Cambridge line!

I agree, that's my choice too.

[great northern]

51 minutes ago, Flying Fox 34F said:

The loss of the GNR line through Gedling and Daybrook could be attributed to the mining subsidence affecting Mapperley tunnel by Gedling Colliery.
As for Developers and money, this happened in many places and still does.  
Ultimately, the Beeching Report forced more people and vehicles onto the roads and Developers built car parks and shopping centres.   Thereby filling the coffers of HM Treasury with lots of lovely revenue, of which only a small part is used to pay for the upkeep of the roads.  Money makes the World go around, springs to mind!!!!

 

Paul

Mapperley tunnel was certainly a very convenient excuse Paul, I agree. The cost of remedying that 60 years ago would have been insignificant compared with what has been spent since, on the trams, for example. Still, railways back then were dirt and outmoded things weren't they, especially if you were a Transport Minister with large holdings in the road transport business, or a property developer?

[Metropolitan H]

Another vote for Oxford - Cambridge.

 

Hopefully I will able to go direct to Oxford by train again wihin the next five years. To Cambridge Sandy and Cambridge will takle a bit longer - but hopefully I will make that as well?

 

Regards

Chris H

Edited March 6, 2021 by Metropolitan H

[3rd Rail Exile]

Whilst some parts of the Oxford-Cambridge route are currently open (in various states of disrepair), its loss as a through route was certainly a mistake - definitely worthy of a vote!