Ghosts in the Machine.

[sparks]

Bristol Temple Meads again - I happened to walk past this doorway on my lunchtime walk today

 

 

Edited July 20, 2017 by sparks

[31A]

On Platform 5 at York station the other day:

 

[Southernman46]

With all that's happening on the South West mainline at the moment ................ shades of pre-1923 at present day Wimbledon Park ..........

 

[sparks]

Yet more Bristol Temple Meads - although from a very different period this time

 

[96701]

Ghosts or derelict? I'm not sure whether or not this belongs here, but I was lucky enough to be given access to the breakwater at Fishguard (Goodwick really) and found the remains of the end stop with a bit of track still attached. A bit of grass and soil removed revealed probably the oldest chair that I've ever seen.

 

 

Edited to get the first snap the right way up.

Edited September 7, 2017 by 96701

[Bon Accord]

Seen at Euston just over a month ago from the lounge car of the down Highland Sleeper (near the end of the platform at the country end). Surprised to see it still there, although I suspect lack of access may be a reason!

 

[Southernman46]

Southern based men will recognised this - a holder for wooden "next train" destination & stopping point boards - still very much in evidence at Andover last week - must be 30+ years since they were last used ??????????

Edited November 11, 2017 by Southernman46

[great central]

Not a particularly good shot but going away from it at 70mph or so.....

 

 

[John M Upton]

Southern based men will recognised this - a holder for wooden "next train" destination & stopping point boards - still very much in evidence at Andover last week - must be 30+ years since they were last used ??????????

20171101_093145.jpg

You would be surprise when you look carefully how many stations still have these. The finger boards have sadly long since disappeared (there are a few in my garage) although I am willing to bet few were just chucked in a skip...

[Southof1E top tmd]

Good old BR Midland region maroon enamel signs survive in good numbers and condition from the late 60s when they were applied to ole gantries on the WCML lines out of Euston. They also show the mileage (from Euston) as well as gantry number as per this Leighton Buzzard station enamel

 

 

long may they survive into the future!

 

NR

[PhilJ W]

This would be long gone in the UK, or would it?

[Titan]

Well there is this in Edmund street Birmingham:

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.480598,-1.9033979,3a,75y,4.58h,84.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sivK2-klHCb0drYxkxYmw0A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

Wrong gauge for the new trams!

 

Then of course the abandoned Kingsway Tram tunnel, Holborn, London:

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5189724,-0.1210061,3a,15y,165h,81.57t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdiwT4NZOZvoO2HuUoDiWSw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

A lot of tramlines were just tarmaced over. There is still a lot of forgotten track in Derby just below the road surface, and I expect a lot of other places are similar.

 

Edited for typo!

Edited December 6, 2017 by Titan

[TheSignalEngineer]

Well there is this in Edward street Birmingham:

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.480598,-1.9033979,3a,75y,4.58h,84.44t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sivK2-klHCb0drYxkxYmw0A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

 

 

The Birmingham one is Edmund Street. The rails in the road were found under the tarmac there during pedestrianisation in 1975 and were relaid in more or less their original position.

[John M Upton]

When they were constructing the Croydon Tramlink a number of delays were encountered when the old tram tracks were discovered underneath the road surface.

[PatB]

I remember seeing tramlines exposed in roadworks in Barrack Road (I'm pretty sure) in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1985 or 86. I've no reason to suppose that others of The Toon's streets are not still hiding similar relics.

Edited December 7, 2017 by PatB

[Invicta]

Here's another piece of surviving tramway- there's a stretch of 3' 6" gauge track and pointwork on the approach road to the former Ashby-de-la-Zouch station, which is a remnant from the Burton and Ashby Light Railway, closed in 1927

 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.7433806,-1.4744568,3a,60y,229.53h,85.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1skUjGPshoFPf5wHyNsgVlCQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burton_and_Ashby_Light_Railway

[melmerby]

The Birmingham one is Edmund Street. The rails in the road were found under the tarmac there during pedestrianisation in 1975 and were relaid in more or less their original position.

There is a bit of original Birmingham track still in situ by the old Rednal Terminus:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/uw7DCaE6BW12

 

And what it was like with trams:

 

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/292307156508_/a0160-Birmingham-Tram-no-560-at-Rednal.jpg

http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=5055.0;attach=10708

 

Keith

 

Edit: the building is now a Chinese restaurant

2nd Edit: The Aston Manor tram depot still has the rails and inspection pits in the floor.

Edited December 8, 2017 by melmerby

[TheSignalEngineer]

There is a bit of original Birmingham track still in situ by the old Rednal Terminus:

 

https://goo.gl/maps/uw7DCaE6BW12

 

And what it was like with trams:

 

https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/292307156508_/a0160-Birmingham-Tram-no-560-at-Rednal.jpg

http://www.birminghamforum.co.uk/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=5055.0;attach=10708

 

Keith

 

Edit: the building is now a Chinese restaurant

2nd Edit: The Aston Manor tram depot still has the rails and inspection pits in the floor.

Does having caught a tram there officially make me old?

[melmerby]

Does having caught a tram there officially make me old?

No older than me!

 

Keith

[melmerby]

Does having caught a tram there officially make me old?

I can remember trundling down Bristol Road on the reserved track towards the Rednal terminus for a day in the Lickeys (I was quite young! )

That's what most people went to Rednal for.

 

It must have been near to the end of the trams which on the Bristol Road routes finished on Sat 5th July 1952.

 

Keith

[stewartingram]

I can remember - on more than one occasion - travelling through the Kingsway tram subway, and also along the Embankment, in London. I also have quite vivid memories of the tickets issued from card racks on the conductor's guard's belt. But I was only 3 when the trams were abandoned......

 

Stewart

Edited December 10, 2017 by stewartingram

[Barry O]

Whenever they do road works on Otley Road in Leeds , the Council Highways department are bemused by the tram tracks still in situ. They spent a lot of money not getting new trams in Leeds..if we skim the tarmac off and add some power cables plus a real Leeds tram it would be up and running in no time flat!

 

Baz

 

PS the last time they dug up the road near North Lane the  LCC Highways Engineer believed that the rails were a "road strengthening"  device(!)

[jim.snowdon]

When they were constructing the Croydon Tramlink a number of delays were encountered when the old tram tracks were discovered underneath the road surface.

Some of those were of an even earlier era - I still have several sections of what were the original horse tram rails that had been reused as sleepers/rail anchors when the tramway in George Street was relaid for electric operation, long before Tramlink had ever been thought about.

 

Jim

[jamie92208]

Some years ago one of my sons was driving a JCB and came home cursing that they had hit a tram rail in Meanwood Road while making a pedestrian refuge. I cheered him up no end by telling him that he would have another three to dig up in due course.   I had to give him a lift home and was paid with a yard of tram rail.   It had been taken out of use in 1955 and it was evident why.  It was worn out and the check rail was at least an inch above the running rail head.  Apparently one of the main reasons for choosing which route to close next was the state of the rails.  Unfortunately some metal fairies spirited the rail away along with the Midland Railway boundary marker that a farmer friend had found in his field.

 

I did offer the assist my sons employers as to when they would be likely to hit tram rail when bidding for contracts.

 

As an aside the route that were abandoned in the 30's were usually lifted as part of job creation schemes but the later ones were usually just tarmacked over.

 

Jamie

[25901]

Whenever they do road works on Otley Road in Leeds , the Council Highways department are bemused by the tram tracks still in situ. They spent a lot of money not getting new trams in Leeds..if we skim the tarmac off and add some power cables plus a real Leeds tram it would be up and running in no time flat!

 

When they put the Metrolink through to Rochdale they had to remove a lot of the 100 yr old track as they went.