Are there any other abandoned railways like March to Spalding with loads of stuff left over?

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

Hello all, having passed part of the March to Spalding railway again I wondered if there was any other lost lines that are just as rich with left over signals, stations, telegraph poles (and so on) as this one is?

 

Best regards, Matthew

[60091]

from Pel

Hello all, having passed part of the March to Spalding railway again I wondered if there was any other lost lines that are just as rich with left over signals, stations, telegraph poles (and so on) as this one is?

 

Best regards, Matthew

Hi Matthew

The best I could come up with is the Leamside Line running from Pelaw Junction in Tyne and Wear to Ferryhill station on the ECML in Co Durham. The track is still there, completely buried in vegetation but sadly there's little or no infrastructure. The line has been mothballed since the completion of ECML electrification and plans to use it for a more direct Newcastle-Middlesborough passenger service came to nothing. There may be all kinds of stuff lying in the undergrowth and further south there are station buildings, station masters houses and, at Sherburn Hill, there may still be platforms. Sadly all signals and the boxes were demolished.

I think there's a video on youtube of a walk along the trackbed for a couple of miles south starting near Pelaw.

 

Regards

Alan

[MarkC]

Hi Matthew

The best I could come up with is the Leamside Line running from Pelaw Junction in Tyne and Wear to Ferryhill station on the ECML in Co Durham. The track is still there, completely buried in vegetation but sadly there's little or no infrastructure. The line has been mothballed since the completion of ECML electrification and plans to use it for a more direct Newcastle-Middlesborough passenger service came to nothing. There may be all kinds of stuff lying in the undergrowth and further south there are station buildings, station masters houses and, at Sherburn Hill, there may still be platforms. Sadly all signals and the boxes were demolished.

I think there's a video on youtube of a walk along the trackbed for a couple of miles south starting near Pelaw.

 

Regards

Alan

Not any more, Alan

 

The old Up line was the only one still in situ south of Whitwell for many years, but all remaining track was lifted in 2012. Some was intended for the Borders line, some was offered to local preservationists, but the rest was simply recovered for recycling. One of the reasons it was lifted was that a fair bit had already been stolen by 'metal fairies', but in truth, although the formation is officially protected, all the track would have to be lifted anyway for remedial work to be carried out on the formation, which has suffered badly in some areas from subsidence and the actions of burrowing animals. The section between the A1(M) bridge and Shincliffe is bad - an area where there was originally a trestle bridge, I believe, which was simply filled in to make an embankment - and in the area of Broomside Junction there is a lot of subsidence too. There's the odd signal post still extant, and a few telegraph poles, but that's about it these days. There's still a stub from Tursdale Junction to just by the old NCD workshops, but that's really where the recovery trains were being loaded at the south end, back in 2012. The points at Tursdale are clipped out of use now. You can see a small amount of track at the north end from Pelaw heading towards Follingsby, but that doesn't go far either. I was at Penshaw in late September; the old junction is a wasteland now. All along the route, trees and bushes are rapidly reclaiming the formation too, even though much of the ballast still remains.

[black and decker boy]

The Walsall to Lichfield line has some infrastructures in place though not in working condition.

 

On long closed lines, Station buildings and bridges often survive untouched / sold on. Telegraph poles sometimes too, especially if repurposed for BT lines etc. Signals and other line side equipment usually not as BR recovered it for use elsewhere.

 

Many closed lines have now been converted to cycle / footpaths, eg Monsal Trail through the Peak District which was once the Mainline to Manchester Central.

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the info, however, I don’t really think that there is another abandoned railway like March to Spalding, which is why in my own view it’s unique.

 

Best regards, Matthew

[60091]

Not any more, Alan

 

The old Up line was the only one still in situ south of Whitwell for many years, but all remaining track was lifted in 2012. Some was intended for the Borders line, some was offered to local preservationists, but the rest was simply recovered for recycling. One of the reasons it was lifted was that a fair bit had already been stolen by 'metal fairies', but in truth, although the formation is officially protected, all the track would have to be lifted anyway for remedial work to be carried out on the formation, which has suffered badly in some areas from subsidence and the actions of burrowing animals. The section between the A1(M) bridge and Shincliffe is bad - an area where there was originally a trestle bridge, I believe, which was simply filled in to make an embankment - and in the area of Broomside Junction there is a lot of subsidence too. There's the odd signal post still extant, and a few telegraph poles, but that's about it these days. There's still a stub from Tursdale Junction to just by the old NCD workshops, but that's really where the recovery trains were being loaded at the south end, back in 2012. The points at Tursdale are clipped out of use now. You can see a small amount of track at the north end from Pelaw heading towards Follingsby, but that doesn't go far either. I was at Penshaw in late September; the old junction is a wasteland now. All along the route, trees and bushes are rapidly reclaiming the formation too, even though much of the ballast still remains.

Hi Mark

Many thanks for the update. I lived in Sunderland for many years and photographed the line before and after it closed. Having seen the youtube video and passing the junction at Pelaw I'd assumed the track was still in place although I know it had been singled at the south end. I don't live locally now and hadn't realised the track had been lifted as long ago as 2012. 

 

Regards

Alan

[Fat Controller]

At least some of the track was removed by some very professional 'metal fairies' with high-vi overalls, and vehicles resembling those used by infrastructure companies. A local resident soon called the police; he'd become suspicious when they didn't stop for tea or meal-breaks.

[SM42]

Possibly the line between Round Oak and Pleck Jn (Walsall)

 

There is certainly some track left and not so long ago there were the remains of a level crossing at Wednesbury (now gone)  and at Eagle Crossing there was the burnt out remains if the box and the remains of the barriers and lights under the new(ish) road bridge. Whether they are still there I doubt. 

 

The Claydon L&NE Jn line to Bletchley also has a fair amount of stuff still about but is in the process of being revamped for East West.

 

To be fair I suspect these two could be called mothballed rather than abandoned

 

Finally, Google  shows there are still odd bits and pieces to be found on the line to Louth (from Grimsby?)

 

Andy

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

Possibly the line between Round Oak and Pleck Jn (Walsall)

 

There is certainly some track left and not so long ago there were the remains of a level crossing at Wednesbury (now gone)  and at Eagle Crossing there was the burnt out remains if the box and the remains of the barriers and lights under the new(ish) road bridge. Whether they are still there I doubt. 

 

The Claydon L&NE Jn line to Bletchley also has a fair amount of stuff still about but is in the process of being revamped for East West.

 

To be fair I suspect these two could be called mothballed rather than abandoned

 

Finally, Google  shows there are still odd bits and pieces to be found on the line to Louth (from Grimsby?)

 

Andy

Hi Andy,

 

Thanks for the info I will take a look. I don’t know if it’s just me but there’s something about closed lines that is really nice but sad as well.

 

Best regards, Matthew

[ba14eagle]

Ive done a couple of videos of some recently - well within the last 35 years - closed / abandoned / mothballed lines. Links below.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd4jlpcsHrI

[LMS_LNER_SR_GWR_fan2004]

Just had a look at those, some fantastic footage there!

 

Best regards, Matthew

[class29returns]

Greenock Princes pier to junction with Wemyss Bay line?

One roadbridge removed but track still in place and tunnels all in one piece.