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HISTORY AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Railway Ramblers was formed in 1978 when Nigel Willis, the club's founder member, placed a small ad in The Railway Magazine asking if there were other individuals in the UK who were interested in accompanying him on walks along abandoned railways. The response was far greater than Nigel had ever expected, as a result of which he decided to form a club - Railway Ramblers.

The club's main purpose is to bring together groups of like-minded people to explore old railways, but it has also done much to encourage the preservation of old railway lines as public footpaths and cycleways. As most railway enthusiasts know, Dr. Beeching and his successors axed about 8,000 miles of railways within the UK, but thanks to the efforts of local authorities and Sustrans (the charity behind the National Cycle Network), between 1,500 and 2,000 miles of this discarded network have been brought back into use as public walks and cycle trails. Happily, this mileage is increasing all the time.
 
 

Left: One of four towering viaducts on the Derwent Walk, which re-uses the old railway line between Consett and Swalwell, near Newcastle-on-Tyne. This line was saved for public use by Durham and Tyne & Wear county councils. You won't find features like this on an ordinary field path! (Julian Marko)
   

  
Trackbed Purchases. Railway Ramblers has played its part in increasing the number of 'rail trails' by raising money for the purchase of several disused railway lines, which it has 'gifted' to Sustrans or other charities to convert into railway paths. By January 2006, the club had purchased the following routes for use by the public:

  • Whitehaven to Rowrah (7 miles)
  • Cleator Moor to Egremont (2 miles)
  • Princes Risborough to Thame (7½ miles)
  • A link from the Cheddar Valley Railway Path to Yatton railway station (a short but valuable connection whose purchase was supported financially by many other voluntary groups)

Viaduct Restoration. The club also provided a grant of £2,000 to the North Pennines Heritage Trust towards the cost of repairing Alston Arches Viaduct – actually in Haltwhistle, Northumberland – which was made safe for public access during 2006. Since this project was funded by 'matched giving', our grant released an equal amount from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which brought the effective value of our gift up to £4,000. (Further details are available on the 'News 2005' page.)
  

   

Left: In glorious weather on 10 May 2006, Ralph Rawlinson represented Railway Ramblers at the unveiling of National Railway Heritage Award Plaques by Sir Chris Bonington, CBE, at Kirkby Stephen station and Merrygill Viaduct, whose restoration was supported by the club (see story below). Merrygill and Podgill Viaducts are on the former 'Stainmore line' from Kirkby Stephen to Barnard Castle. (Ralph Rawlinson)
   

  
Recent Grants. During 2005, we also gave Sustrans a grant of £2,000 to help fund clearance work between Midford and Wellow in Somerset, so that this part of the old Somerset & Dorset Railway could be opened up to walkers and mountain bikers. When this was done, subsequent improvements saw the installation of a smooth surface suitable for all users. Turning to the north of the country, we made a grant of £500 to the Northern Viaducts Trust to help with trackbed improvements on the old Stainmore cross-Pennine route, where the Trust is slowly acquiring and restoring old viaducts such as Merrygill, Podgill and Smardale Gill. Currently, only isolated sections of this route are open to the public, but it is vital that these important viaducts are not allowed to decay – without them, the continuity of such routes will be lost forever.

Back in the south of the country, the club fully supports The North Dorset Trailway, a project managed by Dorset County Council (in conjunction with North and East Dorset District Councils) which is slowly establishing a long distance multi-use path on the former Somerset & Dorset Railway from Templecombe to Poole. Significant sections are open already with completion planned, hopefully, for 2013. In June 2008, following earlier donations raised by the Southern Area, the club donated £2,500 to this project for essential land acquisition south of Stalbridge. The Trailway Supporters group, which coordinates financial support and labour from the local communities, intends to make this another 'matched giving' project, which will double the effective value of this gift.

Fortunately, the days are gone when old railways were simply sold off to the highest bidder and broken up piecemeal ... but there are still thousands of miles of old trackbed waiting for a new purpose in life.
   
   

Above: This reproduction bridge plate on Midford Viaduct, south of Bath on the former Somerset & Dorset Railway, commemorates the club's contribution to restoring this part of the old S&D line for public use. Midford Viaduct is now the start of a railway path to Wellow, but in time this short local route could become much, much longer. (Rupert Crosbee/Sustrans) Above: Another viaduct, another bridge plate – again commemorating the contribution of Railway Ramblers. This bridge plate adorns Alston Arches Viaduct in Haltwhistle, at the start of the highly scenic Alston branch. The whole of this branch is now a railway path, and the views from it are marvellous. Give yourself a treat and try it out! (Bob Prigg)
   

 
Current and Future Projects. In the future, the club may provide further assistance to the Alston Arches project, but it has also indicated its willingness to provide a contribution towards the cost of restoring Torksey Viaduct in Lincolnshire. This is a massive 22 span viaduct, once part of the Great Central Railway, which provides a valuable crossing of the River Trent. Sustrans Ltd is managing the project and hopes to undertake a full engineering survey, but there are huge hurdles to overcome - not least the costs, which are vast with a structure of this size, and may yet scupper the project.

Other possibilities include providing support for the extension of the Cheddar Valley Railway Path from Cheddar to Wells, or the creation of a trail along the course of the former West Somerset Mineral Railway. (For further details, see the 2004 and 2005 News pages.) However, as in the past, the club will strive to ensure that its support for railway path projects is spread widely around the country.