dagrizz

Nice to see the 31's at KX. I remember going there on day trips from home and seeing the 31's on regular commuter traffic going in and coming out of the hole. I haven't got any photos of them, and you don't see too many others either - they were not sexy like the deltics so people didn't take many pics of them. You did well so thanks.

Graham 

In my files, I have a photo of another post which I'd labelled as 'south of Onley Lane'  and assume it's on the stretch of line (now private land) between Onley Lane and the M45, which I used to walk when the wargamers used it for their games and kept the trackbed clear of undergrowth. They don't use it anymore and last time I tried to walk it was not fun, impassable without a lot of bushwacking.

I don't know what sort of post this is.

Graham

It is still there and hasn't deteriorated too much since Mac Hawkins took his photo in the late 80's. The trackbed is a lot more overgrown though. There's also various railway detritus lying around, fishplate, screws, telegraph pole insulators, clinker etc. 

It is where I said in a previous post, about 200 yards or so north of the Willoughby-Barby road.

Graham

1 hour ago, The Evil Bus Driver said:

I drive buses past the Staveley Way section and have walked part of it. Have to go and look at those bridges, they sound excellent. Someone told me there's a signal on the section south towards Onley so I might have to go and see if I can find that too.

I haven't walked the section south of Onley for a number of years but the signal post is south of the prison, and not too far from the Willoughby-Barby road. Mac Hawkins has a picture of it in his book 'The Great Central Then and Now' and the map in his book suggests a grid reference of SP 522685.

Weather permitting, I think we might go for a walk at the weekend to see if it's still there. 

In terms of walking the Rugby-Leicester MR route, I did all the bits that were passable/legal about 10 years ago and have photos but I don't know what its like now. The first obstacle north of Rugby is the M6 

Graham   

The trackbed had been allowed to become overgrown in the last ten years but was recently cleared - are they going to use it to bring HS2 spoil in? 

Picture taken today

The old quarry is a pretty big hole in the ground. 

The railway is beyond the fence on the RHS.

Graham

Takings of less than £10 a week? Really? Sounds like the owner just wanted to 'develop' the site.

I saw this at Yelvertoft allotments (Northants). Very tatty but the painted number was still there.

The chap from the parish council responsible for the allotments would like to dispose of the van, if anyone wants it.

Needs a bit of work though.

Graham

7 hours ago, 5050 said:

What was equally impressive was the pub we went to in the city centre (past the 'Dom' - amazing building) where they served 'Schweine Haxe(?)', large portions of pork legs with seemingly endless 'biers'.  At the end of the evening the waitress knew exactly what we had each had despite her not writing anything down!

Yes, but were you in a fit state to be able to disagree with her?   

Terrific programme tonight, really enjoyed it. Now trying to work out how to fit Huddersfield, Koln and Morecambe into future holiday plans, once we're allowed out again.

Graham

6 minutes ago, Derekstuart said:

 

 

 It doesn't go through Brownsover, but to the West of the Avon Valley Industrial Estate

 

 

Yes but we were commenting on the problems of using the ex-GC route. 

Seen today.

And before anyone asks, no it wasn't a set-up.

Graham

Today's walk was a path I'd not done before, over the hill above Kilsby tunnel....

And down to the DIRFT headshunt.

The loco is Hunslet 'Lily Izabella'

Graham

1 minute ago, balders said:

I'd imagine they've discounted the GC at the Rugby end as the connections there would be billions worth of monies.

Yes, and relaying a railway through the Brownsover housing estate would give extra emphasis to 'Not in my back yard' 

18 minutes ago, balders said:

I'm staggered at the lack of financial grasp some of these people have given the infrastructure costs at the Rugby end alone!

 

Thanks for this, Guy, do you have a link to the original report?

Graham 

Thanks for the honest and straight-forward update Ben.

Graham 

Great programme tonight. We're off to Bennerley viaduct as soon as restrictions are eased. It's only an hour away from us so will make a good day out with a walk included. 

Graham 

There is a stub of the old Rugby to Leamington line still in place as far as the Cement works at New Bilton; until recently it was very overgrown by trees and other greenery but someone has cleared it - took these pics today on our lockdown walk. I don't know if there was a reason for clearing it or if it was just housekeeping.

In the second photo you can see where the spur to the cement works left the main line on the RHS.

Graham

40 minutes ago, John M Upton said:

On a similar theme, was there a film once which featured a railway tunnel built beneath the Atlantic Ocean from the UK to the US which failed because the trench in the middle of the Atlantic basically wrecked it?

I don't remember a film, but there was a book by Harry Harrison, called 'A transatlantic tunnel hurrah!'. It was somewhat tongue-in-cheek and visualised a world where mineral oil did not exist. 

Graham

I visited in Sep 79 and took this one photo inside the museum.

Graham

On 03/02/2021 at 23:11, melmerby said:

The was a railway bridge over another loch (Creagan) further along the branch, again it is now a road bridge but it has a new deck on top of the bases of the original bridge piers.

Blimey, I remember crossing that bridge in 1988 with my pushbike. It was just a disused railway bridge at the time and using it avoided several miles of road around the loch. I see that it was converted to a road bridge in 2001.

Graham  

Another foreground-in-focus shot - Worcester April 1980.

Graham

Tim,

Can I add my approval of the format in this series - much better than the jerky first series.

Looking forward to the rest of the episodes.

Graham 

John,

I presume this is not what you want, but here it is anyway. Taken Jul 78.

Graham

10 hours ago, Dagworth said:

Just out of curiousity, where?

 

Andi

It's the private access road around Draycote water reservoir, near Rugby. Anglers and blue badge holders can get permits to drive on it, but it is also used by Severn Trent to get to their water works, hence the HGV's.

The road around the reservoir is 5 miles long and the tarmac all the way round makes it very popular with walkers, runners and cyclists who want a good surface underfoot. We tend to use it in the winter, particularly when the countryside footpaths are wet and muddy, as they are at the moment.

Graham