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

[Grovenor]

I remember exploring Whaley Bridge a few years ago when the whole incline up from the canal basin was intact and you could walk all the way up between the houses. I've always regretted not having my camera with me that day. Now its quite difficult to find the route on Google maps.

[Invicta]

There's still a remnant of the 3'6" gauge Burton & Ashby Light Railway tram track in the car park of the former Ashby-de-la-Zouch railway station- the tramway closed in 1927

 

https://goo.gl/maps/EthvxY7B7x7LSFh99

 

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by Invicta

[MPR]

Snailbeach District Railways

 

[MPR]

Snailbeach shed - the rails are just visible in the turf

Edited April 1, 2021 by MPR

[Nick C]

3 hours ago, signalnorth said:

No photos right this mo but on a similar theme, I’m always amazed how you can follow an old dismantled French line  and then find in the middle of nowhere an isolated stretch say  a thousand yards or so that was never lifted and is in splendid isolation . Very odd . I’m not talking about velo rail here either , these are stretches that were simply not lifted . I’ve always found it very curious . Following routes in google Earth I would reckon I’ve come across this at least twenty to thirty times.

There's a lot of those in Poland too - it seems that when railways were closed there, they weren't lifted, but just abandoned or mothballed - which of course makes it much easier to reopen them later if traffic returns as all the land needed is still in railway ownership.

 

There's a whole load of videos on youtube of a guy who built his own rail car and goes off exploring many of them...

[Steamport Southport]

Mainline railway going into where Riverside Station was in Liverpool.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_Riverside_railway_station#:~:text=Liverpool Riverside was a railway station owned by,at Liverpool 's Pier Head ocean liner terminal.

 

It was still signalled until the 1970s.

 

 

 

 

 

Pity they knocked the station down. There was plans to turn it into a transport museum as an extension to the now gone Large Exhibit Store that was next door.

 

 

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/l/liverpool_riverside/index.shtml

 

 

There is also some track by the Royal Albert Dock including a bufferstop.

 

And this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason

[melmerby]

23 minutes ago, Nick C said:

There's a lot of those in Poland too - it seems that when railways were closed there, they weren't lifted, but just abandoned or mothballed - which of course makes it much easier to reopen them later if traffic returns as all the land needed is still in railway ownership.

 

There's a whole load of videos on youtube of a guy who built his own rail car and goes off exploring many of them...

There's a lot in the US that were just abandoned and people now explore them on home made rail riders.

In one video I was watching the small party of explorers approached a level crossing that hadn't seen a train for a very long time and the barriers still operated.

[pete_mcfarlane]

There's an entire tram depot in Nottingham. 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9523718,-1.1384886,3a,75y,61.74h,75.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sCiQui5x1v2Y2DCAwUbKsnQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

ISTR the had to dig up a lot of the (old) buried track around the Market Square when laying the new tram system. 

 

[signalnorth]

2 hours ago, Nick C said:

There's a lot of those in Poland too - it seems that when railways were closed there, they weren't lifted, but just abandoned or mothballed - which of course makes it much easier to reopen them later if traffic returns as all the land needed is still in railway ownership.

 

There's a whole load of videos on youtube of a guy who built his own rail car and goes off exploring many of them...

Do you have a link to that please?

[Steven B]

Plenty of track approaching the old Hunslet factory in Leeds (Jack Lane/Pottery Road):

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7835289,-1.5373236,115m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

 

 

Steven B.

Edited April 1, 2021 by Steven B

[Nick C]

10 minutes ago, signalnorth said:

Do you have a link to that please?

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxSmJcnKn44iW_P2t55utUw/videos

 

All in Polish unfortunately, but you can see what's going on without having to understand what they're saying!

[Nearholmer]

To go with Bernard's one at Leighton Buzzard, there is an almost compete triangular formation of 2ft gauge on the canal wharf at Cosgrove, north of Wolverton, where boats were loaded with gravel from a huge set of pits that have been a holiday park for all the time I can remember - goodness knows when the track was last used!

[Reorte]

2 hours ago, Grovenor said:

I remember exploring Whaley Bridge a few years ago when the whole incline up from the canal basin was intact and you could walk all the way up between the houses. I've always regretted not having my camera with me that day. Now its quite difficult to find the route on Google maps.

The incline's still there, hasn't changed in the last few years, it's just the trees growing over it that make it hard to follow, but it's maintained and easily accessible. The bridge over the Goyt had quite a bit of work done over it a couple of years ago, deck lifted, paint stripped and re-applied; I managed to sneak a couple of photos of it with the decking removed and before it was completely shrouded in plastic for the paint removal.

 

edit: here it is 

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by Reorte

[Bernard Lamb]

Cheating I know, as the rails are not visible in the photograph.

A narrow gauge line runs from the area by the greenery on the right and goes through the dark blue gate.

It was used for taking coal from barges to the boiler house of the site.

The location is 3 Mills, Bromley by Bow. 

As it is now a very secure film studio decent shots are difficult, but some tack can be seen by squinting through the gap in the gates.

If you watch Masterchef you might recognize the location.

All the accessible buildings are worth a look and a walk along the tow path and/or over to West Ham has much of interest.

With luck the main mill will be open again soon for visiting.

 

[Neil]

Here's my favourite, part of the Mataro - Argentona tramway still in the road some fifty five years after closure.

 

 

It looks to have been an utterly charming system; here's a good starting point for a search if you'd like to see more of it.

[KeithAnthony]

Weymouth Quay tramway that is currently being ripped up.

[KeithAnthony]

Another

[Hunslet]

Cliffe Hill mineral railway Leicestershire.

Not much showing but looks like the road  it had just been surfaced when I took the photo.

 

 

Ashover Quarry Derbyshire, Point on bridge in about 1995.

 

[melmerby]

7 hours ago, pete_mcfarlane said:

There's an entire tram depot in Nottingham. 

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.9523718,-1.1384886,3a,75y,61.74h,75.86t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sCiQui5x1v2Y2DCAwUbKsnQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

ISTR the had to dig up a lot of the (old) buried track around the Market Square when laying the new tram system. 

 

As is the old Aston Manor Tramways depot. It is a listed building and the tram tracks are still in place but covered

I understand the same at Moseley Tram depot as well

[simontaylor484]

8 hours ago, Steven B said:

Plenty of track approaching the old Hunslet factory in Leeds (Jack Lane/Pottery Road):

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7835289,-1.5373236,115m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

 

 

Steven B.

The junction used to be gated where it left the main line i used to pass it when I went to Leeds on the train.

 

There are also lines that dun down Beza street part of the Middleton railway..

There were also disused lines in part of the yard of the Bison Concrete factory that were part of extensive colliery lines in the area the post code was LS10 R U 

[simontaylor484]

10 hours ago, MPR said:

Snailbeach shed - the rails are just visible in the turf

I had some photos of the same site from my A level Geology fieldwork in the mid 90s thank you for bringing back memories

[Kris]

Portreath Harbour branch. 

 

Out of use by 1930, officially closed 1936. Track lifted 1945. Some track still present on the harbour walls 2021.

 

[Rivercider]

Back in 2019 we enjoyed a couple of visits to Hayle, where there is a lot of industrial archaeology to see. There is some track around the harbour, some might be original, the 'turntable' has clearly been relaid at some point.

 

Former weighbridge(?) at Hayle. 2/7/2019

 

 

Wagon turntable at Hayle. 2/7/2019

 

cheers

 

 

Edited April 2, 2021 by Rivercider
spelling

[eastglosmog]

The last remains of the GWR Gloucester docks branch crossing Over Causeway, both out of use for many years:

 

 

And the last in situ rail remains of the German Occupation line in St Aubins tunnel, Jersey.  This tunnel was built in 1897 by the Jersey Railway to straighten their Corbiere extension line, it was disused in 1936 when the railway closed.  It was widened out internally to use as an ammunition store by the German Occupation forces.  It is now used as a bike hire shop:

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by eastglosmog
Restore photos

[ardbealach]

Google Street View of the 3'6" gauge track of the Chester Corporation Tramways which led into their depot.   The line closed back in 1930.  The location of the track is just over the road from Chester Railway Station.  [Alisdair]