Abandoned rails in the road.....(or elsewhere...)

[Michael Crofts]

My favourites in these finds are the truly abandoned and forgotten bits of track which nobody cares about and are not "preserved" in any way - they have no plaques or information boards. This one is sort of in-between. It's on the Monmouth Troy to Chepstow line, the Wye Valley route, now the Greenway path. It's the wreckage left over from the scrapping of the track at Tintern Quarry. I think they left this bit (and a short length of track where the screens were) as a reminder. More photos and a location map in my Flickr album, click on the image.

 

Edited March 29, 2023 by Michael Crofts

[Engineer]

I extended a recent trip for a long walk around the Lancing area, starting from Shoreham-by-Sea.  Below is the view across the River Adur towards Old Shoreham, with the refurbished Toll Bridge in the foreground.  To make it slightly relevant here, first the sleeper reinforcements for the bridge approach, in the shadows, are retained by bullhead rail.  The main interest is the fiercely bent rusty steel section adjacent to the nearest footing of the bridge. 

The local history Facebook page says "some railway lines were bent like a hairpin, these were pushed into a hole in the roadway to stop enemy transport from using the bridge". 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2390891311181737&set=gm.3289166927767979

The single remaining relic appears to be a flat-bottom section.

Edited April 9, 2023 by Engineer
Use of English

[Engineer]

Not long ago I had spare time in Sheffield to explore, and found my way to a suburb named Firth Park.  This is of particular interest because a traffic 'circus' at the heart of the shopping centre houses an important tramway survival.  The tram lines were already in place through the road junction when the 'circus' added, probably post-war.  Though the Sheffield tramways closed in 1960 the double track has been retained and developed as a feature of the area.

 

 

 

http://tramways.blogspot.com/2011/04/sheffield-tram-route-from-meadowhead-to.html

https://mapio.net/pic/p-60420223/

https://picclick.co.uk/Sheffield-Corporation-Tram-Photo-1950-Roberts-Car-275597903882.html

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Firth_Park_Roundabout_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1176521.jpg

 

There were other examples in this country of tram lines through traffic islands or roundabouts, including a couple in Leeds.

 

[adanapress]

On Salt Cay in the Turks & Caicos Islands  the white house jetty still has sort of 2 foot gauge remains  both sides, just a few feet. Also in Little Caicos off the jetty there are remains of wagons

a few feet under the surface.  At least two pairs of wheels have  sockets for con rods, what that means I dont know. The Caicos tramway was laid by a Mr Murphy for the transport of Sisal once grown as a cash crop there.  Donkey traction at one stage.

[melmerby]

47 minutes ago, Engineer said:

There were other examples in this country of tram lines through traffic islands or roundabouts, including a couple in Leeds

Quite common where trams needed to negotiate an island

Even today there are examples.

e.g. West Midlands Metro Wolverhampton:

 

 

Lancaster Street on the old BCT network also ran through an island.

 

 

 

[bradfordbuffer]

8 hours ago, Engineer said:

I extended a recent trip for a long walk around the Lancing area, starting from Shoreham-by-Sea.  Below is the view across the River Adur towards Old Shoreham, with the refurbished Toll Bridge in the foreground.  To make it slightly relevant here, first the sleeper reinforcements for the bridge approach, in the shadows, are retained by bullhead rail.  The main interest is the fiercely bent rusty steel section adjacent to the nearest footing of the bridge. 

The local history Facebook page says "some railway lines were bent like a hairpin, these were pushed into a hole in the roadway to stop enemy transport from using the bridge". 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=2390891311181737&set=gm.3289166927767979

The single remaining relic appears to be a flat-bottom section.

big pair of pliers to bend that length 0f code100?????

[Engineer]

A recent visit to the Leeds area enabled me to pass by the Middleton Railway.  This railway has already been featured here:  

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/163553-abandoned-rails-in-the-roador-elsewhere/?do=findComment&comment=4387268

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/163553-abandoned-rails-in-the-roador-elsewhere/?do=findComment&comment=4528053

 

A single line connection remains across Moor Road:

Following the lineside footpath, in the vicinity of the former 'Dartmouth' branch, there is a truncated rail connection from the Middleton's line that served a former terminus and yard, in the foreground of the image:

The branch track leading to the footpat crossing has been physically severed and the line ends at a fence and earth barrier.

 

 

[Engineer]

I look for opportunities for boots-on-the-ground visits to former tramway territory, so while in the Leeds area it was efficient to walk the Middleton Light Railway, as far as practicable.

 

The tramway originated as a construction line for the Middleton Estate in the early 1920s and became a Leeds tram service in 1925, closing in 1959.  The double-track route ran parallel to the Middleton Railway at the city end then diverted towards and through Middleton Woods, with a rising gradient all the way to the Estate and the Ring Road level.  Large sections of the route have been swept away by coal extraction, development of city sports facilities and creation of an urban bike park.  From where the formation of the tramway through the Woods begins, it is signposted and very clear.  

 

I didn't expect any surviving features at all but there were a few sleepers buried deep in the path.  From their position in the formation is is clear that these were from the inbound [towards City] line.  The outbound line tends to be covered with undergrowth so any more survivals from the other track may not be visible.  

 

 

While I photographed a sleeper, a passing dog walker took an interest.  He'd walked the path for many years, thought it had been a steam railway and hadn't realised about the electric tramway.  He then said that there was something metal in the path that he'd always wondered about so we continued on.  The buried object was circular, about six inches diameter, irregularly cut and deformed at ground level.  This section of tramway had overhead support poles in the space between the two tracks.  From the sleeper clues, this object is in the correct position to be the remains of an overhead support pole that had resisted extraction.  

 

Photographs while in operation:

http://www.circlecity.co.uk/oldpics/tram2.php

https://southleedslife.com/tracing-the-tramway-through-miggy-woods/

http://ntm.adlibhosting.com/wwwopacx/wwwopac.ashx?command=getcontent&server=images&value=p_00026_2013-7696.jpg&imageformat=jpg

 

[Ben B]

1 hour ago, Engineer said:

A recent visit to the Leeds area enabled me to pass by the Middleton Railway.  This railway has already been featured here:  

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/163553-abandoned-rails-in-the-roador-elsewhere/?do=findComment&comment=4387268

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/163553-abandoned-rails-in-the-roador-elsewhere/?do=findComment&comment=4528053

 

A single line connection remains across Moor Road:

Following the lineside footpath, in the vicinity of the former 'Dartmouth' branch, there is a truncated rail connection from the Middleton's line that served a former terminus and yard, in the foreground of the image:

The branch track leading to the footpat crossing has been physically severed and the line ends at a fence and earth barrier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

As far as I know, the Moor Road connection at Middleton still sees use on Gala days (I assume it will this year at June, the Gala last September got cancelled due to the death of Her Maj).  I think it's limited use might have something to do with the level crossing needing to be hand-signalled?  Hopefully the branch will get used anyway, I want to get some pics there in the woods on that section :)

 

 

This shot was back in 2021 admittedly.  I think the Dartmouth branch still gets used as a stub occasionally for photo charters, but it is in bad nick.

 

[Halvarras]

3 hours ago, Ben B said:

 

As far as I know, the Moor Road connection at Middleton still sees use on Gala days (I assume it will this year at June, the Gala last September got cancelled due to the death of Her Maj).  I think it's limited use might have something to do with the level crossing needing to be hand-signalled?  Hopefully the branch will get used anyway, I want to get some pics there in the woods on that section :)

 

 

This shot was back in 2021 admittedly.  I think the Dartmouth branch still gets used as a stub occasionally for photo charters, but it is in bad nick.

 

 

Lovely photo.........and a serious pair of buffers 😮!!

[bradfordbuffer]

15 minutes ago, Halvarras said:

 

Lovely photo.........and a serious pair of buffers 😮!!

They make them big up north!

[jbqfc]

a weigh bridge seen in Portsmouth Dockyard 

 

John

[33C]

2 hours ago, jbqfc said:

a weigh bridge seen in Portsmouth Dockyard 

 

John

I bet the Pooley machine is nearby and still in working order. Good spot!

[montyburns56]

North Sea Camp Loco Shed by Gordon Edgar

 

 

[Michael Crofts]

An update to my post about the level crossing on the Stonehouse branch in Plymouth (https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/163553-abandoned-rails-in-the-roador-elsewhere/?do=findComment&comment=5022827.

 

I went back today and photographed it myself in the rain. Definitely standard gauge, as you would expect.

[montyburns56]

I believe that this is the location of the fabled Peter Rampton Collection X at Loxhill

 

All pictures by robpalmer2

 

 

 

 

 

[25kV]

My first memory of rails in the road was near the Asda in Preston (Dundonald St, when it was in an old mill), where there were narrow gauge tracks set into a nearby street.  Can't find much on old OS maps to explain them, but there you go. 

 

The one I wish I had a photo of was the track still in the road just outside the fence of Heapey MoD - long after the track had been lifted in the depot itself, and even longer after the Chorley-Cherry Tree line had closed.

Instead here are two shots from somewhat different locations:

 

 

Somewhat less obvious than they used to be, having been cemented over (and with a hotel built across part of the trackbed), these are the last remains of the Aberdeen tram network, as seen in 2016, on a dedicated right of way near the beach.  Prior to the hotel being built, the tracks ran down to a junction where street running would have commenced, and where a tram shed still stands (now the Satrosphere science centre).

 

 

 

Flying Scotsman once stood just there by that white building, with a couple of Pullmans and some Mk1s.  Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco.  This was once part of the San Francisco Belt Railroad linking the various docks before passing through a tunnel (behind camera) to a terminus at Presidio.  This view was taken in 2011.

 

 

 

[37114]

I live near Corsham and there are lots of remnants of the old Bath Stone mines as well as a couple of active ones. There was a network of tramways to take the stone to Corsham Station for onward transport. The mines were used by the MOD during the war for arms storage etc. These rails still exist near the village of  Gastard where one of the old mines is now used as a bonded Wine store. The rail system is still in use under ground!

Rails embed in the path

 

An Old mine entrance at the back of the compound, this is on private property so as close as I could get but there is another entrance beyond the trees which is used to feed wine from lorries into the mine

 

[Guest]

When I lived in Auckland, the main road along the front by the port had a couple of abandoned tracks crossing it. I think they may have gone now as they’ve implemented a regeneration scheme there. There are also a few bridges in New Zealand where train and road share the same deck.

The most impressive location is Gisborne airport where an active railway  track actually crosses the runway. https://simpleflying.com/gisborne-airport-new-zealand/ - if you read the weblink, it appears that the trains actually have to get Air Traffic Control’s permission to cross the runway. 

[25kV]

28 minutes ago, Gatesheadgeek said:

When I lived in Auckland, the main road along the front by the port had a couple of abandoned tracks crossing it. I think they may have gone now as they’ve implemented a regeneration scheme there. There are also a few bridges in New Zealand where train and road share the same deck.

The most impressive location is Gisborne airport where an active railway  track actually crosses the runway. https://simpleflying.com/gisborne-airport-new-zealand/ - if you read the weblink, it appears that the trains actually have to get Air Traffic Control’s permission to cross the runway. 

 

20 years ago there were also tracks set into one of the piers in Auckland, including a double crossover, partly built over by new structures.  Looking at Google Earth, an adjacent pier still seems to have a similar layout still in place.

[Guest]

Yes I think that pier was where the tracks were across Quay Street. The port is still rail served but there’s a rail underpass beneath the road. I miss the place. 

[Michael Hodgson]

This used to be a caben's sheter at Hitchin station.  It was restored by a local conservation group and sits in the town's Market Square.

The market isn't held in the square any more, it now occupies permanent stands a short distance away.

 

[Moxy]

1 hour ago, 25kV said:

My first memory of rails in the road was near the Asda in Preston (Dundonald St, when it was in an old mill), where there were narrow gauge tracks set into a nearby street.  Can't find much on old OS maps to explain them, but there you go. 

 

 

 

I remember those rails, they used to cross Fishwick View at an angle, then disappeared under somebody's front garden.  I had a mate who used to live in Walton View near there & you crossed the track to get to his house.

[Re6/6]

13 hours ago, montyburns56 said:

I believe that this is the location of the fabled Peter Rampton Collection X at Loxhill

 

All pictures by robpalmer2

 

 

 

 

 

 

An interesting 'article'  on this.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Phyllis_Rampton_Narrow_Gauge_Railway_Trust

[Johann Marsbar]

Pushing the thread title to its limits - 60cm gauge tracks on which mobile searchights were mounted at one of the WW2 German gun battery complexes on Alderney......