RMweb Premium t-b-g Posted January 27, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 27, 2017 Giving Cowbit a quick look at on Google streetview it all looks to be intact and in good nick. What a lovely place. Full of old style railway character. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christopher125 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 The 'elephant in the room' in any discussion of using the 'Joint Line' as an ECML relief route (whether via Murrow or Peakirk) must be the absence of the Lincoln avoiding line? IIRC the extra traffic expected through Lincoln is justifying the two new footbridges, with one open and the other due to be started soon I think? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium 31A Posted January 28, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2017 IIRC the extra traffic expected through Lincoln is justifying the two new footbridges, with one open and the other due to be started soon I think? I believe so (although there were footbridges until a few years ago), but that won't help the road vehicle traffic! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 I believe so (although there were footbridges until a few years ago), but that won't help the road vehicle traffic! High St crossing is already closed to road traffic. There is a new relief road and I believe the intention is to close the East Holmes one as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) Last from Cowbit, again 26th February 1987, isolated signals with spectacles removed and one missing a section of ladder. I guess being concrete they didn't have much scrap value... Cowbit 260287.jpg Cowbit a 260287.jpg Cowbit b 260287.jpg Dave They didn't looks so good when i visited.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/7335295096/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/7851275094/ Quite some changes between the two diagrams. One thing of note is that this little backwater had approach locking on the barriers from the outset, unlike Moreton on Lugg Edited January 28, 2017 by LNERGE 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 a friend of mine now lives in Cowbit station house The lovely signal box is still looking good - in fact there's scaffolding around it at present so it looks like it's getting TLC. I'd love my own signal box - it would make one heck of a model railway room!. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 I'd love my own signal box - it would make one heck of a model railway room!. Try dropping a few things through the lever quadrants. A lesson in how to spend a day grovelling around under the lever frame looking for tiny bits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzie Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Lincoln has through lines so probably the loss of the avoiding line is no big deal. Using the through lines probably avoids the problem with having to negotiate four flat junctions if taking the avoiding line on its original route. Fast passenger services to Lincoln appear to go via Newark so will not conflict too much with the main freight flows. Sleaford still has its avoiding line, looks like single but I guess it could be doubled easily. I can't see much in the way of restoring Spalding to March apart from the level crossings in Spalding, and a little kink around Whitemoor prison. Might require a few bridges and a bit of road realignment - but that is very little compared to putting in big works on the ECML. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cravensdmufan Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) They didn't looks so good when i visited.. 15949468808_0ccd617422_o.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/7335295096/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pwayowen/7851275094/ Quite some changes between the two diagrams. One thing of note is that this little backwater had approach locking on the barriers from the outset, unlike Moreton on Lugg Thanks for posting links to the diagrams. Very interesting. A signal post is still standing and visible from the A16 about half a mile from Cowbit on the Spalding side, and a little futher on in the same direction the skeleton of a platelayers hut. Edited January 28, 2017 by cravensdmufan 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted January 28, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2017 Lincoln has through lines so probably the loss of the avoiding line is no big deal. Using the through lines probably avoids the problem with having to negotiate four flat junctions if taking the avoiding line on its original route. Fast passenger services to Lincoln appear to go via Newark so will not conflict too much with the main freight flows. Sleaford still has its avoiding line, looks like single but I guess it could be doubled easily. I can't see much in the way of restoring Spalding to March apart from the level crossings in Spalding, and a little kink around Whitemoor prison. Might require a few bridges and a bit of road realignment - but that is very little compared to putting in big works on the ECML. Erm... .... so you are saying that buying back miles of long disused trackbed, building lots of bridges, creating some lengthy new alignments to get round obstacles is all going to come out as cheaper / quicker than building a dive under at Werington? I'm sorry, but If money is avalible there are far better places to spend it than putting back March - Spalding. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyewipe Jct Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 High St crossing is already closed to road traffic. There is a new relief road and I believe the intention is to close the East Holmes one as well. Brayford Wharf East has already been made one-way, from St. Mark's Street to the crossing, so the volume of traffic trying to get across the railway is very much reduced in that location. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyewipe Jct Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Lincoln has through lines so probably the loss of the avoiding line is no big deal. Using the through lines probably avoids the problem with having to negotiate four flat junctions if taking the avoiding line on its original route. Fast passenger services to Lincoln appear to go via Newark so will not conflict too much with the main freight flows. The problem in Lincoln (since GNR days in the mid-late 19th century) has always been the interface between rail and road/pedestrians, not the capacity of the track layout to handle extra volume. The High Street crossing problem has been partially solved by removing road traffic altogether and installing a new footbridge, although this doesn't seem to be universally popular and has already had minor structural deficiencies to sort out. The crossing at Brayford Wharf East has been made one-way and there's a long-running scheme to install a further footbridge, but this has once again been rejected because it didn't make provision for disabled users. The proximity of the Witham at this point, doesn't make planning or construction straightforward either. A final crossing that doesn't get mentioned very often is the one at Great Northern Terrace - this serves a large number of businesses, including the main bus depot for the area, and since the increase in freight on the Joint Line, it's having to close far more frequently (and for longer than before). I can see this becoming a major bone of contention between the railway and the businesses affected before much longer... The avoiding line 'avoided' all of these issues, and I would say the loss of it IS actually quite a big deal still 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Lincoln has through lines so probably the loss of the avoiding line is no big deal. Using the through lines probably avoids the problem with having to negotiate four flat junctions if taking the avoiding line on its original route. Fast passenger services to Lincoln appear to go via Newark so will not conflict too much with the main freight flows. Sleaford still has its avoiding line, looks like single but I guess it could be doubled easily. I can't see much in the way of restoring Spalding to March apart from the level crossings in Spalding, and a little kink around Whitemoor prison. Might require a few bridges and a bit of road realignment - but that is very little compared to putting in big works on the ECML. Sleaford avoiding line is now fully back to double track, indeed there are occasions when a freight overtakes the passenger service while that goes into the station. Joint line freights run straight through Lincoln at a fair speed now. The Werrington diveunder would also help wth Liverpool-Norwich services assuming they still exist not having to cross the station throat at Peterborough Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_mcfarlane Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Out of interest, are there any plans to reinstate a decent passenger service between Spalding and Sleaford? At the moment it's only open for one shift Monday-Saturday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Out of interest, are there any plans to reinstate a decent passenger service between Spalding and Sleaford? At the moment it's only open for one shift Monday-Saturday. See if there's anything in the new franchise specification, both reachable by other routes until well into the evening. No idea if there's enough traffic to warrant it though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted January 28, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2017 Sleaford avoiding line is now fully back to double track, indeed there are occasions when a freight overtakes the passenger service while that goes into the station. Joint line freights run straight through Lincoln at a fair speed now. The Werrington diveunder would also help wth Liverpool-Norwich services assuming they still exist not having to cross the station throat at Peterborough Liverpool to Norwich services come in from Stamford and run on their own tracks to the west of the ECML (the former Midland lines), have their own platforms at Peterborough and finally dive underneath the ECML to Ely. In other words they already have nothing to do with the ECML. The Werington dive under comes about because currently freight from Ely running on said tracks to the west, need to cross the ECML on the flat to access the 'joint' line to Spalding. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
great central Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Liverpool to Norwich services come in from Stamford and run on their own tracks to the west of the ECML (the former Midland lines), have their own platforms at Peterborough and finally dive underneath the ECML to Ely. In other words they already have nothing to do with the ECML. The Werington dive under comes about because currently freight from Ely running on said tracks to the west, need to cross the ECML on the flat to access the 'joint' line to Spalding. Only the first two in the morning from Nottingham to Norwich come that way, the rest of the day they run via Grantham and the ECML, I'm on one now just passed through Manea Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted January 28, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2017 Only the first two in the morning from Nottingham to Norwich come that way, the rest of the day they run via Grantham and the ECML, I'm on one now just passed through Manea Interesting - I admit I am not particularly familiar with current service patterns in the area. However depending on the design chosen at Werrington, as well as grade separating up ECML to up Spalding moves from the down ECML traffic, it would potentially be possible to facilitate up ECML to the Midland lines moves too thus preventing such moves needing to cross the down ECML on the flat (which is what the Nottingham services you mention must do at pressent). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Davexoc Posted January 28, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2017 Heading towards March now, at Postland on 25th February 1987. Dave 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) In the last shot there is a tubular post semaphore that was given a significant tug by one of the machines used to strip the ballast.It would wobble but it wouldn't budge. It's there today at the same jaunty angle. Edited January 28, 2017 by LNERGE 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium corneliuslundie Posted January 28, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted January 28, 2017 As most of the discussion seems just to have used the photos as a peg on to which to hang a long argument about whether the route should have been closed and could ever be reopened, can I just say a big thank you to Dave for posting these great photos. Jonathan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Davexoc Posted January 30, 2017 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted January 30, 2017 Focussing on Postland signal box tonight. Whether because it's more remote it has suffered more, but Cowbit SB was in better condition. Maybe Cowbit was locked, because in the collection there are quite a few photos inside various boxes, including working ones he must have blagged his way into, but none inside Cowbit. Dave 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold russ p Posted January 30, 2017 RMweb Gold Share Posted January 30, 2017 Interesting layout,no facing points at all. Did the siding get used much or was it out of use by the end? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LNERGE Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Interesting layout,no facing points at all. Did the siding get used much or was it out of use by the end? I've only ever seen pictures of cripples and a tamper in there. the controls for Dowsdale bank AHB were littered about everywhere including the south end of the siding and through the crossover road. The treadles can be seen here.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/clive_richardson/9060939004/ And the mortal remains of Dowsdale Bank AHB.. https://www.flickr.com/photos/32297024@N08/7365256588/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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