nf3996 Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 I'm trying to put together a list of 'failed' railway preservation projects in the UK and I was hoping RM Web members might be able to suggest a few. The criteria I am using are that a project must have been on an original railway site (ie. no green-field sites), it must have had rolling stock on that site, and it must have been open on at least one occasion to visits by society members or the public. As examples of what I am looking for, in the 1960s there was the Westerham Valley Railway Association's project to revive the Westerham branch in Kent, and the scheme at Droxford station on the Meon Valley line in Hampshire. I'd be pleased to hear of other candidiates (and thoughts on why they failed too). Many thanks, Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim V Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Radstock by the Somerset and Dorset Circle circa 1970 - 1973. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xm607 Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Hi, There's Newport to Cowes on the Isle of Wight and Ilfracombe to Barnstaple in Devon both down to a lack money in the end if I remember correctly. Steve. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 The Chacewater - Newquay branch in the early 1960's, failed through lack of money! XF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Dienstleiter Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Depends a bit on what you mean by successful - I can think of one or two that have kept going but not really made any progress for some time. Not wishing to be mean but you have to ask how successful the East Kent is able to be, they have reopened the full extent of the line available to them but it just stops in a field with no prospect of going anywhere else, how will they attract visitors in the future? Steam might help them, although personally I quite like old dmu travel, but what are their prospects for the future, really? They will have to find themselves a 'big project' sometime to get things really fired up - like an extension to somewhere ... anywhere ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 838rapid Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 South Yorkshire Railway - Meadowhall,Sheffield. Was mainly a yard full of various locomotives but always held a few treasures,D9500,D3000 and D213 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 What about David Shepherd's early efforts prior to settling down at Cranmore? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 838rapid Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Wasnt Longmoor heading towrds preserved status at one time. Also Dowty /Ashchurch Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Dinting, home to several big locomotives but no prospect of ever getting a proper running line. Edit:stupid spellchecker! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 doesn't fit with the OP's criteria (but neither do some of the others) but the Waverley route was a candidate at the time of closure. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Radstock by the Somerset and Dorset Circle circa 1970 - 1973. ...and, arguably, the New Somerset Railway which aims to restore all of the 71 miles from Bath Green Park to Bournemouth West, give or take a lot of compulsory purchase orders plus some major housing demolition at Broadstone... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted April 6, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 6, 2013 Some say the Radstock to Frome line might yet be revived, but it looks rather moribund to be honest. One other was an abortive attempt to preserve all or part of the Clevedon branch in the 1960s. Two 8750 panniers were earmarked and one even repainted in green and displayed at a Bath Road open day, but the scheme came to nothing and the panniers scrapped in the end. What about the scheme at Bulmers, Hereford? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 we went to Dinting one day for day out and it had gone, wasnt a nice experience. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Wasn't one of the Ironstone branches near Grantham briefly operated as a preserved railway in the early 1970s (possibly the one from High Dyke)? All of the schemes mentioned seem to have failed in their early stages (except for Dinting which simply moved to a different site). So you could argue that they just weren't viable in the long term - probably due to them not not having ownership of the site or a long term lease. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrushVeteran Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 There was a plan, about 20 years ago, to reopen part of the Cheltenham-Banbury line between Kingham and Chipping Norton. I remember going on a fundraising trip with the founder of the group but I think they had a lot of objections from landowners. I don't think there was much more than a plan started though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
asmay2002 Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Lochty Private Rilway? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Steamtown Carnforth was open to the public at one time but is now a heritage depot albeit with the occasional open day (does that count?). Stretching a point a little, there was a steam loco, a Mk1 coach and a brake van on a couple of panels of track at Delph in the early 70s and I think an intention on the part of someone to reopen the branch (not sure what they would have done at the other end!). I don't know if it was open in the accepted sense but I definitely had a ride on it at the age of about 7 and either me or my brother (probably) appears back to camera in one of Coachmann's books! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold DaveF Posted April 6, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 6, 2013 Wasn't one of the Ironstone branches near Grantham briefly operated as a preserved railway in the early 1970s (possibly the one from High Dyke)? The original plan was the High Dyke branch, associated ironstone lines past Sewstern to the ex BR Bourne to Saxby line and then along another ironstone line to Market Overton. When it was found out how much it would cost to keep the main line connection at High Dyke that section was abandoned and consideration was given to relaying the line to Saxby. The economic and political situation was such that the whole thing became uneconomic. I recall it was not a simple decision at the time. I remember a lot more but it is not relevant to this forum. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 The old steam shed at Ashford in Kent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
25901 Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 South Yorkshire Railway - Meadowhall,Sheffield. Was mainly a yard full of various locomotives but always held a few treasures,D9500,D3000 and D213 Also 06003, 07001, 20096 and 26038 but this failed due to the local council not wanting to know about tourism and wanting the money from the Meadowhall Shopping Centre Two projects near me that failed were Dinting and the railway at Padiham power station Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopardml2341 Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 The original plan for the East Lancs at Helmshore. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 6, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 6, 2013 The grand flop of a scheme for the Waverley route complete with a fleet of ex DB locos (Class 43 I think?) which wouldn't even have fitted the loading gauge. Must rate as the most glorious failure of the lot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Gerbil-Fritters Posted April 6, 2013 Share Posted April 6, 2013 Any more info on that Waverley scheme, Mike? I'm sure I heard something similar but using ex-China Rail QJs. That would have given the inspectorate kittens, as they were far from well engineered... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Welly Posted April 6, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 6, 2013 Riccarton Junction? There was a length of track and a Shark brakevan there. I photographed that track in 2005 and I hear that it's gone now and the site handed back to the Forestry Commission. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Claude_Dreyfus Posted April 6, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted April 6, 2013 Steamport Southport At least sone of their stuff went to the Ribble Valley Railway. Does Peakrail's Buxton extension (or lack of) count as a failure? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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