'Failed' preservation projects

[ForestPines]

The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway?  Opened in the 1960s using track, locos and stock from the 2ft gauge Nocton Estate Railway, and ran for about three quarters of a mile or so alongside a road to a holiday camp just outside Cleethorpes.  It was still going, just about, in the mid-80s, but closed not long after. I did read a report that it would be reconstructed on a site near Skegness...but I'm not sure if anything ever happened there.

 

Elsewhere in Lincolnshire, I vaguely remember that one of the signalboxes between Louth and Firsby was turned into a private railway museum - that's since closed, too.

 

Would the Scottish Railway Preservation Society's original Falkirk site, before they moved to Bo'ness, count?

[peanuts]

 

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?). 

 o

Stretchinga 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! 

 ah the "Delph Donkey" was this the day they were running a vintage bus from Uppermill midrange to Delph station (hence larrys presance) the tank engine (piethorn) ran back and forth with a brake van for about 200 yds . Would of made a nice little line for a tank engine and auto coach saddly the station is now hemmed in by " exective " rabbit hutches .

[Butler Henderson]

Noticed no one has mentioned Ashburton which briefly was used by the Dart Valley. There was later a scheme to build a new line around the A38 but nothing seemed to come of that.

[Edwin_m]

   ah the "Delph Donkey" was this the day they were running a vintage bus from Uppermill midrange to Delph station (hence larrys presance) the tank engine (piethorn) ran back and forth with a brake van for about 200 yds . Would of made a nice little line for a tank engine and auto coach saddly the station is now hemmed in by " exective " rabbit hutches .

I don't recall any any bus (that's not to say there wasn't one) but I do recall riding up and down in the van although that could have been a separate occasion.  We lived within earshot and just ran down the hill when we heard the whistle! 

[Sir Hadyn]

Eric Tonks wrote a book "Statistical Survey of Railway Preservation 1951-1984" or similar, and part of it was a year by year breakdown of openings, relocations and closures. Fascinating.

[Ohmisterporter]

There were plans to create a 15" gauge railway from Steamtown to Morecambe. Continuing the 15" line inside Steamtown from Crag Bank by running close to the WCML and the foreshore at Hest Bank, under the coastal road via the bridge near Morecambe golf course and along to Bare. IIRC the Morecambe terminus was in or near Happy Mount Park. It was never a realistic option, with opposition from all quarters.

 

Edit : Not a preserved railway rebuild as such, just added to complete the Steamtown story.

[HullCityB17]

The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway?  Opened in the 1960s using track, locos and stock from the 2ft gauge Nocton Estate Railway, and ran for about three quarters of a mile or so alongside a road to a holiday camp just outside Cleethorpes.  It was still going, just about, in the mid-80s, but closed not long after. I did read a report that it would be reconstructed on a site near Skegness...but I'm not sure if anything ever happened there.

It is now located at Skegness Water Leisure Park, 2.5 miles north of Skegness, so it is definitely NOT a failed project, just relocated.

 

For more information please look at the following site for the LCR, also included a link with recent pictures from recent Galas.

http://www.lincolnshire-coast-light-railway.co.uk/

http://www.davesrailpics.co.uk/

 

I have no connection with this Railway, although it has featured recently on the local TV News so I know it is still functioning and also featured last year as part of the Olympic Torch Relay.

[OOgaugeJaf]

I would add the Weardale Railway to the list. That railway has gone through a number of ups and downs. They have ended their heritage service for this year. Luckily the coal traffic will save the railway for the time being. The current volunteers all feel it will end up as a footpath once the coal traffic ends and the yanks take off

[AngryMeerkat]

It's sad to see so many places I visited as a child with my dad have gone - Dinting, Carnforth, Steamtown Southport. I have great memories of all these places.

 

My dad had many many pictures of all these places, and of railways in general in the 80s and early 90s, unfortunately they were stored in an old piece of furniture which was stolen from the house not long after his death. How I wish I could catch those responsible!!

 

Mark

[RJS1977]

Again Steamport isn't really a "failure", just a reloaction to Preston.

 

I wouldn't count Cadeby as a failure either as I don't think Teddy Boston ever really intended it to continue indefinitely after his death, unlike a conventionl heritage railway (e.g. Talyllyn) where the intention is to preserve the line for future generations.  Cadeby was set up to keep "Pixie" out of the scrapman's clutches, to be a rather magnificient trainset for Teddy and his friends and to raise money for church fetes and in all three regards it can only be thought of as successful, even though the line's no longer with us.

[gismorail]

• I seem to remember that there was a collection of loco;s and stock at the old Shrewsbury Abbey station where the Shropshire & Montgomery railway once terminated. I do remember that it was all sold / auctioned as a collection in the end prior to the site being sold off for an Asda supermarket. I think it was know as the shropshire collection but could well be misinformed. There is part of the old station still perserved to this day all be very delapidated but not sure what the future holds at present. Hopefully this will jog  someone's memory who can relate more information on this collection.

[RJS1977]

It was known as the "Shropshire collection" and as far as I can tell was a sort of standard gauge version of "Collection X". Locos included "Glenfield" the crane tank formerly at Carnforth, and one of the ex-Kearsley power station BoBo electrics that then went in to store at Yeovil Junction (though not as part of Yeovil Railway Centre - this collection was in the sidings on the north side of the station - anyone know any more about that?) before being moved on to the "Coventry Electric Railway Museum". 

[TheQ]

The Edinburgh trams? says he leaving rapidly,

There were a couple of guards wagons in siding at Hoveton (its not Wroxham) station until recently I don't know if they were left overs from a attempted preserved railway.

the Q

[jonhall]

The Great Western Group at Southall are probably well on the way to getting onto this list, more worrying I have a shareholding in them, I haven't been a member for ages (since I realised they were living in la la land) but they still have to send me bumpf, the latest being a request for substantial donations because they have already spent the money they were hoping to receive for selling the 28xx at Moor Street, but due to the access difficulties, they haven't actually closed the sale yet.

 

Jon

[sixteen 12by 10s]

 Bodfari Railway Centre

['CHARD]

I know it's subtlely different from out-and-out preservation, but Operation Collingwood's scheme to rebuild half a dozen demic Class 50s reliant on the good will of industry participants was likewise doomed to failure.

[298]

It was known as the "Shropshire collection" and as far as I can tell was a sort of standard gauge version of "Collection X". Locos included "Glenfield" the crane tank formerly at Carnforth, and one of the ex-Kearsley power station BoBo electrics that then went in to store at Yeovil Junction (though not as part of Yeovil Railway Centre - this collection was in the sidings on the north side of the station - anyone know any more about that?) before being moved on to the "Coventry Electric Railway Museum". 

 

The Electric Railway Museum is another site that has radically changed direction- originally intended as a small railway centre/overspill site, it later became an unlikely home to EMU's.

 

I've had a quick look through the thread and can't see Peak Rail at Buxton, the Dowty Railway Centre, and the Butlins sites that housed ex-BR steam locos in the 1960's.

[locoholic]

The early incarnation of the Mid Norfolk Railway actually got as far as giving train rides at County School station, with a small saddle tank and a diesel shunter. That failed due to some questionable shenanigans which luckily didn't scupper the rescue of the Wymondham to North Elmham section by a different group, who will hopefully extend the line to County School eventually.

[jamie92208]

There was another scheme near Easingwold that had some coaches and a 47 that were psrked next to the A1 for many years. They were I blieve cut up when the land was required for the upgrade to A1(M) status. It was alongside one of the two branch lines that had been bridged when the A1 was dualled in the late 50's, eaither the easingwold branch or the one that eventually went to krikbymoorside.

 

Jamie

[298]

There was another scheme near Easingwold that had some coaches and a 47 that were psrked next to the A1 for many years. They were I blieve cut up when the land was required for the upgrade to A1(M) status. It was alongside one of the two branch lines that had been bridged when the A1 was dualled in the late 50's, eaither the easingwold branch or the one that eventually went to krikbymoorside.Jamie

I thought the original intention for that "fleet" was to return it to the mainline, the site was only intended for storage. Even the 47 was an afterthought, the owner having put in a silly low bid that happened to be higher than the rest.

['CHARD]

There's a growing collection in the bushes of Wishaw, at Andrew Goodman's haulage yard.  47484 and at least a pair of Class 08s, a lattice footbridge span, Class 58 cab and more is all squirrelled away there.

[tomparryharry]

I know it's subtlely different from out-and-out preservation, but Operation Collingwood's scheme to rebuild half a dozen demic Class 50s reliant on the good will of industry participants was likewise doomed to failure.

Pleased to see these locos are looking good at Peak Rail. The rumpus caused by them being at Blaenavon nearly closed the railway at one point. Sad times, now gladly behind us.

 

Ian

[figworthy]

There was another scheme near Easingwold that had some coaches and a 47 that were psrked next to the A1 for many years. They were I blieve cut up when the land was required for the upgrade to A1(M) status. It was alongside one of the two branch lines that had been bridged when the A1 was dualled in the late 50's, eaither the easingwold branch or the one that eventually went to krikbymoorside.

 

Jamie

 

It can't have been either of those, they would have headed east off the east coast main line, and that is to the east of the A1.  If I recall correctly, it would have been the Leeds Northern (Ripon - Northallerton section), failing that the original final leg of the Leeds-Thirsk (Melmerby Junc - Thirsk).

 

 

Adrian

[James Harrison]

It doesn't entirely fit into the category of failed preservation project, but there was also the Walsall Miniature Railway that operated from the 1970s through to just a few years ago on summer Saturdays.  7 1/4'' gauge, if I recall correctly, and it ran in almost a dead straight line for about 3/4 of a mile down the back of Walsall Arboretum.  Closed down after some fool decided it would be fun to lean off the carriages as it ran along the line.... and then had an argument with a tree.  There are a few bits and pieces of the infrastructure left at the termini but no word of what happened to the locos and stock.  i do hope they weren't scrapped. 

[phil-b259]

It can't have been either of those, they would have headed east off the east coast main line, and that is to the east of the A1.  If I recall correctly, it would have been the Leeds Northern (Ripon - Northallerton section), failing that the original final leg of the Leeds-Thirsk (Melmerby Junc - Thirsk).

 

 

Adrian

The location you are after is Sinderby. The station house and the infilled A1 bridge remained intact until the recent upgrading of the A1 in the area over the past few years and nothing now remains.

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/s/sinderby/index.shtml