|
|
NEWS
2016
|
Above:
This
huge girder bridge – the 'Black Path bridge' – carries
the Viaduct Cycleway, part of NCN53, over the West Coast Main Line
just west of Rugby station. It leads on to a new cycle trail opened
in July 2013 with connections to Newbold on Avon (via the Oxford Canal)
and the Swift Valley Industrial Estate, along the way passing over
the 11-arch Grade II listed Leicester Road Viaduct; hover over the
image for a trackbed view across this structure. The project was financed
by Sustrans, Rugby Borough Council, Warwickshire County Council and
St. Modwen Properties. 16th May 2015. (Jeff Vinter) |
The Churnet Valley
Way, Staffordshire. Part of this popular railway path between
Oakamoor and Alton (as in 'Alton Towers') will be closed for about
six months from September until Easter 2017 to allow for a new gas
main to be installed. A diversion for walkers has been arranged,
and 'The Ramblers Retreat' tearoom in Alton will remain open for
business. The old metal main is now life expired and must be replaced.
The Cycling and Walking
Investment Strategy: Triumph or Disaster? The CWIS became
law in March 2015 but, despite its grand name, funding for walking
and cycling schemes in England was reduced in 2016 to little more
than £1 per head, a reduction of about 85%. The
corresponding figure in Scotland is £10 per head. Sustrans
reported the problem in the spring edition of 'The Hub', its quarterly
magazine for supporters: 'Rather than calling for additional funding,
MPs suggested a reallocation within the Department of Transport.
They proposed directing a small portion of the funding allocated
to the largest road building programme since the 1970s towards walking
and cycling. The Minister of State for Transport, Robert Goodwill
MP, responded but did not announce any new funding. Rather, he stated
that trust needed to be placed at a local level – in local
enterprise partnerships, local authorities and combined authorities
– to understand the importance of cycling. Once again MPs
and campaigners have been disappointed by the lack of government
action to create a real cycle revolution as the Prime Minister promised
back in 2014'. If you think, as we do, that this is not good enough,
visit www.sustrans.org/campaigns
to support Sustrans' campaigns, otherwise the CWIS will remain a
grandly titled scheme that lacks the means to make any difference.
(Webmaster) Footnote: As we approach the end of
the year, nothing appears to have changed. (December 2016)
|
December
2016. Chichester to nr. Cocking, West Sussex. In 2015,
the South Downs National Park Authority opened an extension to 'Centurion
Way', based on the former Chichester-Midhurst railway line, from
its long established end point at Lavant north to West Dean. This
was Phase 1 of a much larger development plan, but what is surprising
is the speed at which SDNPA is moving the project forward. On 27th
July this year, details of Phase
2 were published, which will take the trail further north along
the trackbed to join the South Downs Way long distance path just
south of Cocking, where it crosses the former railway and parallel
A286 road. The work was scheduled to start in November 2016 with
completion expected in November 2018. Tunnel explorers will be delighted
to hear that the extension will pass through West Dean Tunnel, although
not Singleton or Cocking Tunnels which are SAC- and SSSI-designated.
Phase 2 will add a further 3¼ miles to Centurion Way and,
when the link with the South Downs Way is established, should increase
its use hugely by providing a feeder route to and from Chichester.
Similarly, those living in the Chichester area will be able to reach
both Winchester and Eastbourne (and all points between) via an almost
entirely traffic-free route. Phase 3 of the development will cover
the section from the South Downs Way to Midhurst. (Jeff Vinter)
December 2016. Mangotsfield
to Yate, Gloucestershire. The rail trail that heads north from Mangotsfield
on the ever popular Bristol and Bath Railway Path has come to a
stop for several years near Pucklechurch, but plans to complete
the route through to Yate are to go on display to the public in
the New Year. Aaron Sims of the Gloucestershire
Gazette reports: 'The proposals from South Gloucestershire Council
aim to provide a continuous off carriageway route for commuting,
leisure and recreation, linking Yate with the Ring Road cycle path
and the Bristol and Bath Railway Path. The consultation will focus
on the Nibley Lane crossing and Shire Way sections of the path.
Subject to funding, the work on the Nibley Lane crossing and railway
viaduct on Westerleigh Road near Shire Way is expected to start
in summer next year, with the work on Shire Way, between Westerleigh
Road and Rodford Way, expected to start in the autumn.' (Tim Chant)
December
2016. Usk to Little Mill Junction (nr. Pontypool), Monmouthshire.
Further to our report in June 2015,
we have just learned that – on 3rd February this year –
Monmouthshire County Council's cabinet approved the funding application
for this new rail trail and awarded the project £28,100. The
local newspaper reported: 'The funding will go towards establishing
the section of the cycleway between the sawmill site at Little Mill
and Rumble Street in Monkswood village. [The] works will be carried
out by community group Usk Trail Access Group (UTAG) and its members.'
The money has been provided by the company re-developing the old
sawmill site, presumably as a Section 106 grant (by them) to mitigate
the effects of the new homes etc. which they will be constructing.
(Tim Chant)
December 2016. Cirencester,
Gloucestershire. The old Cirencester Town railway station, which
is Grade II listed and owned by Cotswold District Council, may become
a transport hub again, but for local buses. A group called 'Cirencester
Action on Buses' (CAB) has pointed out, quite rightly, that the
current facilities on South Way near the Forum Car Park are poor
and do not even provide a basic shelter for waiting passengers to
shelter from the rain. A CAB respresentative, speaking after the
organisation's plans had been submitted, explained: 'We believe
that this is the only solution which fully meets the needs and comfort
of the travelling public.' CAB has the support of Cirencester MP,
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, who described himself as 'appalled' by the
current facilities. Unfortunately, Cirencester is not the only town
where bus users are provided with second rate facilities. (Tim Chant)
December
2016. Tetbury to Kemble, Gloucestershire. The length of
the short railway path from Tetbury station site was doubled in
late November, thanks to local farmer Mr. M. Tucker agreeing to
divert a footpath across his fields on to the section of old railway
which he owns. The path starts from the town station (grid reference
ST 893932), as it has done for the last 16 years, but now it continues
to Newnton Hill (the name of a road) at ST 909947 just before its
junction with the A433, the Tetbury-Cirencester road. The extension
increases the rail trail to 1½ miles, and it is open already.
(Keith Holliday)
November 2016. Nr.
Letham Bridge to Kilknockiebank, Tayside (Perth & Kinross).
The locations in the title to this piece will be unfamiliar to railway
people, so it will help to explain that this is part of the former
NBR's 'Farg Line' from Bridge of Earn (south of Perth) to Cowdenbeath
via Glen Farg, where the summit and a station were located. Despite
the line being double track, well engineered and the shortest route
from Perth to Edinburgh, it was closed in 1970 to permit parts of
the M90 to be built over it; Glen Farg station was one of the casualties
and lies buried beneath the tarmac. Our correspondent takes up the
story: 'A recent RR Scotland walk uncovered a hidden gem in south
eastern Perth & Kinross. It isn't often in this safety-obsessed
age that you can walk through significant tunnels (except on extensively
restored cycleways) but a section of the former Bridge of Earn to
Cowdenbeath line has not one but two walkable tunnels and two fine
viaducts, all on a 4 kilometre (2½ miles) stretch of trackbed
sandwiched between two sections lost to motorway construction. It
appears to be in regular use as a vehicle track; the tunnels are
dry and the surface gives easy walking. Access points are at grid
references NO 148126 and NO 153149, though it is possible to proceed
further at either end without a proper track, as far as the points
where the trackbed has been obliterated by the M90. The main hazard
may well be meeting vehicles in the tunnels; on our walk we had
just left the northern access and were enjoying lunch nearby when
a convoy comprising a tractor and trailer followed by no fewer than
six 4x4s turned off the minor road and headed along the trackbed
we had just left! Also, I'm not sure how the Scottish Access Code
relates to tunnels, though there is no evidence that walkers are
unwelcome here.' (Keith Potter)
November 2016. Swanage,
Dorset. One of the locations to take a beating during Storm Angus,
which ravaged the west country overnight on Saturday 19th and Sunday
20th November, was the promenade at Swanage. This includes the rails
of the Swanage Pier Tramway, retained as a feature, but parts of
the promenade have been washed away leaving the old rails exposed
and at risk of further damage by the sea. (Jeff Vinter)
November 2016. Shildon
Station to West Auckland and Etherley, County Durham. Much remains
of the Stockton & Darlington Railway’s branch from Shildon
to Etherley, where Witton Park Colliery near modern Phoenix Row
(NZ 167292) generated plenty of freight traffic. The line has been
on English Heritage's 'At Risk' register for some time, but Durham
Council and the Brusselton Incline Group are now working to get
the route and its artefacts into good condition for the 200th anniversary
of the S&D's opening in 2025. Recent work has focussed on an
underbridge, which has been stripped of vegetation and repaired
so that it now looks almost new. A recent report on the project
stated, 'The rescue of this section of the innovative Stockton &
Darlington Railway remains a long-term project but good progress
has been made this year. Much remains to be done as vandalism and
neglect continue to take their toll on this important piece of our
industrial heritage.' Most of the route has been absorbed into the
local right of way network and is open to walkers. (Tim Chant)
November 2016. Plymouth,
Devon. Further to our reports in June and
August, we can now report that Plymouth
City Council has already started work on extending the new cycle
trail that comes off the recently refurbished Laira Bridge. Councillor
Patrick Nicholson (Deputy Leader) remarked: 'The Laira Rail Bridge
link has been really popular and we're pleased to be extending the
route further – providing a safer, off-road option for walkers
and cyclists, as well as people who use wheelchairs or mobility
scooters.' The work is expected to be complete by Easter 2017. (Tim
Chant)
November 2016. Llanelli,
Dyfed (Carmarthenshire). It is not part of any railway path, but
readers may be pleased to learn that the old GWR goods shed at Llanelli
is set for a new lease of life. The Llanelli Railway Goods Shed
Trust has submitted an application to Carmarthenshire Council's
planning department for repairs and restoration that will see the
building – along with the associated offices and former railway
sidings – developed as a new community centre for the town.
(Tim Chant)
November
2016. Lochearnhead to St. Fillans and Comrie, Central (Perth
& Kinross). A recent report in the Perthshire Advertiser (click
here) made
it sound as if a 12½ mile trail from Lochearnhead to near
Comrie is almost complete, but our local correspondent (click here)
explains that this is not the case. The article is correct that
a trail is being developed – in three phases – between
Lochearnhead and Comrie with the support of St. Fillans Community
Trust, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority and
Sustrans Scotland; phases 1 and 2 are complete, while Phase 3 (Glentarken
Woods to St. Fillans) is due for completion 'later this year'. At
the Comrie end, possible re-use of the railway is severely hampered
by two missing bridges over the River Earn, while at the Lochearnhead
end a property built on the trackbed blocks access to the viaduct
over Glen Ogle which otherwise would provide a valuable link to
NCN7, which runs up the glen just west of the village. We think
the reality is that a route will be developed between Lochearnhead
and Comrie (NCN775), but that only 'convenient' sections of the
old railway will be re-used. One notable achievement so far is the
replacement of the missing bridge at Glen Tarken over the Glentarken
Burn, which will be found at NN 670248. (Keith Potter, Tim Chant
and Jeff Vinter)
November 2016. Queensbury
to Holmfield, West Yorkshire. Further to our story
in August, Highways England have announced that they are 'open
to the idea of transferring Queensbury Tunnel to another public
body to maintain it and give them the £3 million cost of closing
it'. Therefore, if (say) the tunnel could be repaired and opened
for £2.8 million, we could have an open tunnel and £200,000
in the bank for maintenance. As our correspondent says, 'Good deal
or what?' (Keith Holliday)
November 2016. Preston
to Bamber Bridge, Lancashire. Further to our April
2015 report on the impasse over extending the cycle trail from
Bamber Bridge and Lower Penwortham into Preston station, things
are now moving. The old bailey bridge which leads into the station
(built by the Royal Engineers in the 1950s and the cause of the
trouble) is to be replaced. The report here
provides an artist's impression of the new bridge, and a very fine
piece of engineering it is set to be. When installed, it will enable
a cycle path into Avenham and Miller Park to be unlocked for the
first time, while simultaneously improving access to Preston station
– which should please the local train operators. (Les Simpson)
|
|
Above:
Phoenix
United engine house and associated mine buildings, seen from the trackbed
of the Liskeard & Caradon Railway's branch line from Minions to
Cheesewring Quarry. Minions was formerly known as 'Cheesewring Railway',
which was an unusual name for a village, even by Cornish standards.
26th October 2016. (Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
The
L&CR's two branches to Cheesewring Quarry can be seen clearly
in this photograph, where they appear as two curved cuttings with
shadows falling over their empty trackbeds. The hill in the background
is Caradon Hill, which contributed part of the railway's name. For
further details, see the story below. 26th October 2016. (Jeff Vinter) |
November
2016. Caradon Hill, Cornwall. The Liskeard & Caradon
Railway built a large network of lines in the south east corner
of Bodmin Moor, with a connecting line coming up from Moorswater
to Darite. The latter is largely lost bar an attractive mile long
section through High Wood between grid references SX 242659 and
SX 232648. However, on the open moor, the L&CR is a railway
rambler's paradise, as the map here
illustrates. The network is centred on the moorland village of Minions,
where the South Phoenix Engine House has been adapted to house a
heritage centre. Copper and granite are what brought the railway
up here, the copper having been discovered in large quantities in
1838. The entire network extends to ca. 12 miles, most of which
is on open access land. This means that, when one encounters an
enclosed and privately owned part of the old railway, it is usually
easy to circumnavigate it. On a clear day, the views extend to Dartmoor,
the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel beyond Looe, but intending
explorers should wear stout boots with good ankle support because
the many surviving stone sleeper blocks make for uneven walking,
especially on Gonamena Incline. (Jeff Vinter with map supplied by
Brian Oldham)
Note: When
time permits, the Webmaster will re-label the map
to make the small print easier to read. It comes from page 112
of Michael Messenger's book, Caradon & Looe – The
Canal, Railways and Mines, published by The Twelvehead Press
in 2001 (ISBN 978-0906294468). Our thanks to Bob Spalding for
identifying the source.
|
|
Above:
This
subdued-looking photograph, which appears to illustrate nothing more
than various types and conditions of mud, actually shows the start
of the Steam Trailway at Dunster Beach, looking east towards Blue
Anchor. The white fabric is a one-way membrane which allows water
to drain down (but not back up), and is widely used in the construction
of trails which will not be tarmacced, e.g. because their location
requires a less urban-looking surface. For further details, see the
story below. 29th October 2016. (Jeff Vinter) |
November
2016. Dunster to Blue Anchor, Somerset. Somerset County
Council and the soon-to-be-history West Somerset Council (which
recently voted itself out of existence) have long harboured an ambition
to build a trailway from Minehead to Williton, broadly following
the course of the preserved West Somerset Railway. The section from
Dunster Beach to Blue Anchor is now under construction, although
at the Dunster end it is about a quarter of a mile north of the
railway. From Dunster heading west, country lanes will be used to
connect with a pre-existing cycle trail that runs alongside the
A39 and Minehead's Seaward Way to reach the town's beach and station.
Although not a railway path in the conventional sense, this new
trailway will provide a level walking and cycling route between
Minehead, Dunster and Blue Anchor, and improve the range of walks
and rides accessible from the local steam trains. Given the lie
of the land around Blue Anchor, every way out is uphill, so it should
not take long for the trailway to prove popular. (Jeff Vinter)
November
2016. Stubbins Junction, nr. Ramsbottom, to Accrington,
Lancashire. This route, which we reported in March
2014, includes the beautifully repaired Lumb Viaduct (grid reference
SD 790198), which had its missing parapets rebuilt with new stone
from the very same quarry that the original railway builders used
in the 19th century. The club's Chairman asked recently whether
this viaduct was now open and, if not, why not. The answer is that
Lumb Viaduct definitely is open to walkers and cyclists, but unfortunately
there is a fence at the north end of the deck because Lancashire
County Council has not yet built the intended railway path beyond.
No doubt this is due to government cutbacks, which also feature
in the story below. (Jeff Vinter)
November 2016.
Rugby to Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Further to our report
in July, Railway Paths Limited has spent £70,000 on repairs
to the structures along this line, covering tree removal, repairs
and re-pointing of brickwork, and repairs to culverts, metalwork
and fencing. An additional £30,000 package has now been approved
for the next phase of this work, which is being undertaken to keep
the old railway structures in good repair, and safe. Despite all
this, there is still no trail along the line due to government cutbacks.
(Paul Thomas and Jeff Vinter) |
|
|
Above:
Two overbridges on the soon-to-be-converted disused railway
line from Bilston Glen Colliery to Millerhill in Midlothian (see
story below). The bridge in the upper photograph (at grid reference
NT 295679) was built by the railway company and, despite being rather
chunky, exudes some quality in the stonework, if nothing else. The
bridge in the lower photograph (at NT 298681) was not built by the
railway and can make no aesthetic claims whatsoever! Gilmerton Station
Road runs above the cutting on the left hand side and, as can be
seen in the first picture, its proximity has created a problem with
fly-tipping. (The litter comprised hundreds of dumped charity packages
which, presumably, someone had been paid to deliver to people's
homes.) The contractors building the new cycle trail will remove
all this mess, but whether this problem will abate remains to be
seen. 20th October 2016. (Jeff Vinter) |
November
2016. Gilmerton
to Shawfair, Midlothian. The NBR's Glencorse branch, known locally
as the Bilston Glen Colliery Railway, currently accommodates a 3
mile cycle trail from Roslin to Loanhead and Gilmerton (Lasswade
Road). Now Sustrans Scotland is extending this 1¾ miles to
the north east along the trackbed to grid reference NT 314691 in
the new town of Shawfair. There isn't much to Shawfair at the moment
except a new station on the re-opened Borders Railway, a new hospital
and various new roads, but eventually some 9,000 homes will be built
together with associated services and business facilities. The intention
is to get the cycling infrastructure in place now so that future
residents have a good choice of transport modes. Our October
2014 report on the previous phase of this project suggested
that the route might go through to Millerhill, but this will not
now happen. In passing, during a visit to the offices of Sustrans
Scotland in October, its Director reported that, with match-funding,
the organisation had access to £51 million of funding for
walking and cycling routes, which equated to ca. £10 per head
of population. This puts into perspective the current 'cash starvation'
which afflicts such projects in England and Wales. (Jeff Vinter)
October 2016.
Cheddar to Yatton, Somerset. The Railway Inn at Sandford is the
only tied house owned by well known Somerset cider maker Thatchers;
it can now be reached via a new traffic-free path from the popular
Strawberry Line cycle trail, which runs from Cheddar to Yatton.
The link runs through Thatchers' Myrtle Farm site and passes under
a striking new glass bridge. With The Railway Inn being almost exactly
half way between Cheddar and Yatton, it is now an even more perfect
place to stop off for a pint! (Tim Chant)
October
2016. Sutton Scotney to Winchester Junction and Alresford,
Hampshire. The group behind The Watercress Way, which seeks to create
a railway path either side of Winchester Junction using parts of
the old Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway and the Mid Hants
Railway, is now a charity and can thus claim gift aid on donations
(see the website here).
At the moment, the group is tracing who owns each section of land
along these old lines so that they can contact them and explain
the role of the charity and its aims. The next big event will be
a Celebration Day on Sunday 30th April 2017, which is also International
Dawn Chorus Day. Events will start with a Dawn Chorus Walk at 4:30
a.m. followed by a range of other activities which will continue
until 4:30 p.m. The latest newsletter explains: 'We hope to use
as many forms of transport as possible to circumnavigate The Watercress
Way by an open designated route (which will be on or near the original
lines as necessary). This will include cycles, running, buggies,
wheelchairs, horses and walking of course!' (The Watercress Way)
October 2016. Totton
to Fawley, Hampshire. Further to our report in September,
we have just learned that the Hythe Ferry is in difficulty. The
ferry runs from Hythe Pier to the Royal Pier at Southampton, and
is the quickest and most convenient way of getting from the Waterside
area to the city. However, both Hythe Pier and the ferry require
investment at a time when the operating company simply does not
have the resources; regular ferry users are in no doubt about the
scale of the problem due to the regular breakdowns. There have been
reports locally that the service may have to close, which could
have an impact on the future of the Totton-Fawley railway line.
With no ferry, a restored rail link from Hythe to Totton would be
the next best public transport option. (Gill Johnston)
October 2016. Chorlton-cum-Hardy
to Gorton, Greater Manchester. This six mile section of the Fallowfield
Loop Line, built in the 1990s, included many barriers to prevent
motorcyclists accessing the trail, as required by government guidelines
at the time. Now, in response, to public demand, Sustrans and the
Friends of the Fallowfield Loop have removed the barriers so that
cyclists do not have to stop frequently to negotiate what essentially
were obstructions to them as well as motorcyclists. The move was
intended to improve the lot for cyclists, tandem users, family riders
and those who use wheelchairs or mobility scooters. Of the 300 people
surveyed subsequently, a local newspaper reported that 279 were
in favour of the changes, 41 opposed it, and 19 were undecided.
We presume that readers have already noticed the wonky arithmetic.
Notwithstanding that, it does seem that the change has been well
received overall. (Tim Chant)
September 2016. Radstock
to Frome, Somerset. Voluntary organisation 'Frome's Missing Links'
continues to work on extending Colliers Way (NCN24) from Great Elm
to Frome town centre. The latest news is that, at Great Elm, volunteers
have cleared land owned by Railway Paths Ltd (RPL) of head-high
brambles and are now up to Buckland bridge (grid reference ST 752498)
where the railway crosses the lane from Great Elm to Buckland Dinham.
Beyond that, the trail will use Network Rail land, which required
a licence that took two years to negotiate. Also, NR's stringent
health and safety requirements may add very significantly to the
construction cost, which was estimated originally at £200,000.
Earlier in the project, Sustrans had set the Frome community a target
of raising £20,000, which it exceeded, but the government's
relentless austerity agenda means that the funds from which Sustrans
would have paid the match-funding are no more. Click here
for the source of this story on FML's website, but note that the
disused railway land is owned not by Sustrans but its sister charity,
RPL. (Frome's Missing Links)
September 2016. Tetbury,
Gloucestershire. Plans to convert the old goods shed at Tetbury
into a community arts centre are progressing well, with a new roof,
wooden flooring, underfloor heating, kitchen and toilets now installed.
The project has just received funding worth £26,750 and has
obtained sponsorship for 73 of 184 modern state-of-the-art retractable
seats. Meanwhile, Tetbury Town Council (TTC) has applied to Tesco's
'Bags of Help' fund for a grant in the range £8,000 to £12,000
to rejuvenate and improve the old railway line picnic area, which
it says is 'dull and unused due to the aged picnic furniture and
poor signage'. The fund is financed by sales of 5p carrier bags
in the chain's stores, and the picnic area has been shortlisted
as one of three in the region which will go to a public vote. TTC
is quite clear which scheme it wants to win, and is encouraging
local shoppers to visit Tesco stores and vote to secure the grant.
(Tim Chant)
September 2016. Radstock,
Somerset. After a wait of 20 years, approval has been granted to
re-develop the site of the ex-GWR Radstock West station between
Frome Road and Fortescue Road in the centre of Radstock. The scheme
will see 49 flats and 5 shops built on the site, together with 39
dedicated car parking spaces, but, predictably, there is debate
as to whether this number of parking spaces will be sufficient.
It has long been hoped that this scheme would allow Colliers Way
(built alongside the overgrown Frome-Radstock railway line) to be
extended right into the town centre rather than being diverted into
the backstreets, as now, but there is no mention of this on the
'Somerset Live' website which published this story. (Tim Chant)
September 2016. Bute
Road Station, Cardiff. Having made it on to the Victorian Society's
list of 10 most endangered buildings, it looks as if Cardiff's Bute
Road station (Grade II listed and with a rare overall roof) has
been thrown a lifeline. The Army Medical Services Museum has revealed
plans to move from its current base at Keogh Barracks to Bute Road,
where the station building would become the frontage with a substantial
extension constructed to the rear. An artist's impression shows
the railway's overall roof being removed in favour of a glass-roofed
area linking the original railway building with the new extension.
Since last autumn, the Museum's board has been working with Cardiff
Council to expedite the move and purchase adjacent Welsh Government
land in Cardiff Bay on which to build thenew facility. (Tim Chant)
September
2016. Blaenau Ffestiniog to Trawsfynydd, Gwynedd. Volunteers
started clearance work on a 275 metre trial section of the above
line on Saturday 24th September under the auspices of the Trawsfynydd
& Blaenau Ffestiniog Railway Community Interest Company. According
to the BBC (see
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-37435111), the
clearance work is expected to take between 6 and 8 months. That
it is happening at all owes much to Colchester resident Colin Dale,
who described the project as 'part passion and part business'. He
explained: 'I just thought it was a rescue that should happen. It
was just sitting there, rotting away. There's been so much interest.
People really, really want to see it open. The line has arguably
got the best scenery in the world.' For further details, see the
website here.
(Chris Parker)
September 2016. Havant
to Hayling Island, Hampshire. The ferry which links the west end
of Hayling Island with Eastney on the eastern edge of Portsmouth
resumed on 5th August under new owners, having closed down in 2015.
The Hayling Ferry Trust raised £20,000 (including a donation
of £5,000 from media tycoon Sir Richard Branson) to bring
the service back, which for island residents eliminates a 16 mile
round trip to Portsmouth via Havant, and accomplishes in 3-4 minutes
what can take ten times that when road traffic is heavy. Most significantly
for club members, the ferry's restoration means that walkers and
cyclists can now get from Havant to Portsmouth via the Hayling Billy
trail, which is part of NCN2 – a move which should bring back
the through traffic which has been missing during the last year.
The new service runs from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, but with
earlier services on Mondays to Fridays. At £5.50, the adult
return is more expensive than before, but the new operators intend
to make the service self-financing. (Keith Holliday and Jeff Vinter)
September 2016. Bennerley
Viaduct, Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire. Bennerley Railway Bridge, which
leads from the Erewash Canal on to Bennerley Viaduct, is to be closed
temporarily – although, in this case, 'temporarily' does not
mean 'briefly'. The old bridge is life expired and is being closed
for safety reasons prior to the installation of a new one. However,
given that the bridge provided access to the viaduct, its closure
has implications if you are planning a visit. (Kieran
Lee)
Update: We
have just learned of some stunning photographs of Bennerley Viaduct,
which can be accessed via the link here.
Have a look – you won't be disappointed! (Webmaster)
September
2016. Totton to Fawley, Hampshire. Over the weekend of
10th-11th September, it was announced on local television that Network
Rail intends to close the Fawley branch between Marchwood Military
Port and Fawley, a distance of 6½ miles; the decision follows
Fawley Refinery's decision to bring in crude oil not by rail, but
by ship. Network Rail will have to go through a formal closure process,
but there is no evidence yet that this has been started. It is not
known what NR intends to do with the physical structure of the line
after closure, so Hampshire County Council is not in a position
where it can even think about planning for possible reuse, such
as a trail. It is only two years ago that an investigation was carried
out to determine whether the branch might be re-opened to passengers
as far as intermediate Hythe, but NR did not support the project
and HCC found the business case to be unviable due to a 'low level
of demand'. This investigation followed a suggestion in 2009 by
the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) that the branch
should be re-opened to ease congestion on the A326 and other roads
between Southampton and the Waterside area. (Roger Healey and Jeff
Vinter) |
|
Above:
The rails in the centre of this picture used to continue
towards the photographer and under the road viaduct on which he
was standing to reach the LSWR's Plymouth Friary station. The large
grassy area to the right of the permanent way may be one of the
plots which Network Rail is planning to sell for re-development.
NR reckons that 12,000 new homes can be accommodated on 200 'surplus
-to-requirement' sites which it holds in its portfolio, and has
confirmed that its list includes property in Devon. For further
details, see the story below. 1st June 2016. (Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
For comparison, this is Plymouth Friary station, looking
east, as seen from the air in 1937; the Tothill Road Viaduct stands
out very clearly. The three sets of rails in the photograph above
would have continued under the first and second arches on the left.
The source of this image, which is part of the unique Aerofilms
collection of aerial photographs, will be found at the link here.
(© Historic England) |
September
2016. Nationwide.
Network Rail has recently announced that it intends to sell off
parcels of former railway land for re-development, but will not
say which sites are involved – presumably to reduce adverse
publicity. We suspect that one such site is in Plymouth, just east
of the road viaduct which carried Tothill Road over the 'throat'
of Plymouth Friary station. There is still a large parcel of land
there which once accommodated sidings, but is now securely fenced
off from the adjacent run-round loop which remain in situ for
occasional trains on the Cattewater branch. (Tim Chant)
August 2016. Cheddar
to Yatton, Somerset. Between now and June 2017, parts of the popular
Strawberry Line between Cheddar and Winscombe will be closed so
that Bristol Water can lay a new water main beneath sections of
the former trackbed. The scheme, known as 'Southern Resilience',
will connect Cheddar pumping station with Bristol’s Barrow
Gurney Tanks pumping station so that, in a drought or other emergency,
water can be released to run down by gravity from Bristol to Cheddar.
Curiously, Cheddar will not be able to help out Bristol should the
problem be there. The water company will provide diversions while
the work is in progress, but anyone wanting to walk or cycle the
entire route would be well advised to wait until the 2017 school
summer holidays are under way. (Strawberry Line Society) |
|
Above:
The Duke of Beaufort Bridge was situated about 400 yards
east of Monmouth Troy station and carried the GWR's branch line from
Monmouth to Ross-on-Wye over the River Wye. It now forms part of NCN423
(see story below) and, hopefully, has received a bit of TLC since
this photograph was taken. 12th March 2011. (Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
It is not often that one can photograph one railway viaduct
from another, but the opportunity still exists at Monmouth where,
from the Duke of Beaufort Bridge on the line to Ross, one can photograph
the arches of the neighbouring viaduct which once carried the branch
line from Monmouth to Redbrook, Tintern and Chepstow. In 2011, these
arches were reputed to be in poor condition with their continued existence
under threat. 12th March 2011. (Jeff Vinter) |
August
2016. Monmouth Troy to May Hill, Gwent (Monmouthshire). A
new section of railway path has appeared on the OS Explorer map for
Monmouth. It runs from grid reference SO 508119 on Beech Road (near
the site of the former Monmouth Troy station) to SO 513127 on the
A466 (near the site of May Hill station). Although the distance is
only ¾ mile, it includes the impressive Duke of Beaufort Bridge
over the River Wye, and adds another railway path to an area which
is already well endowed with such facilities. The new route is part
of NCN423 and is signed through to Hadnock Halt, where the trackbed
is regained for the scenic Wye Valley section through to Symonds Yat.
Hadnock to Symonds Yat is known as the Peregrine Way, and in May this
year Railway Ramblers donated to Sustrans of £2,500 from its
Footpath Fund to help re-surface it. (Keith Holliday and Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
Pedestrians
no more. This viaduct near Lydbrook (but actually closer to Welsh
Bicknor) has for many years been used as a footbridge over the River
Wye, but, earlier this year, Gloucestershire County Council closed
it. For further details, see the story below. The decking for walkers
was on the side of the bridge nearest the camera. 12th March 2011.
(Jeff Vinter) |
August
2016. Ross-on-Wye to Monmouth, Gloucestershire. Lydbrook
Viaduct (at grid reference SO 587177) on the former GWR line from
Ross-on-Wye to Monmouth has served for many years as an important
crossing of the River Wye on the popular Wye Valley Walk. Unfortunately,
earlier this year, engineers working for Gloucestershire County
Council condemned it as unsafe, since when it has been closed. Initially,
GCC erected plywood barricades to keep walkers off but they broke
them down, so now large steel barricades are being erected. It is
little wonder that people damaged the original barriers because
closure of the bridge necessitates a 5 mile diversion. GCC has stated
that the bridge will cost £700,000 to make safe. The problem
is that parts of the timber decking have rotted away and fallen
into the river, while a report on the GloucesterLive website makes
a curious remark about underlying wrought iron sections having been
'lost'. (Were they there in the first place?) GCC urges walkers
to keep off because they are literally risking their lives by walking
over. Any repair scheme will be problematical because the bridge
links Gloucestershire with Herefordshire, so two local authorities
are involved. There have been predictable complaints about the adverse
effect of the closure on the local tourist trade at the height of
the holiday season. (Graeme Bickerdike and Jeff Vinter)
August
2016. Queensbury to Holmfield, West Yorkshire. According
to Yorkshire's Telegraph & Argus newspaper, plans to re-use
Queensbury Tunnel as part of a cycle trail are in serious trouble
because Highways England (HE) claims the project could cost up to
£35 million. Instead, HE has told the group leading the project
that it will 'close the tunnel up' at a cost of ca. £3 million
unless another public body comes forward. (It does not cost £3
million to close any disused railway tunnel, so we believe that
HE's intention is to infill it.) An HE spokesman said: 'A recent
survey revealed the condition of the tunnel continues to deteriorate
and our investigations found it would cost an estimated £35
million to make it safe for future use. We intend to begin work
on closing the tunnel in the summer of 2017 if a transfer cannot
be agreed by that time.' Perhaps there are shades of Ribblehead
Viaduct here. In the 1980s, British Rail claimed that this structure
would cost £6 million to repair, but in 1992 repairs were
completed for half that sum. Official bodies have been known to
trot out exaggerated repair costs as a means of strengthening their
arguments. (Graeme Bickerdike and Jeff Vinter)
August 2016. Durham
to Pelaw (near Newcastle) via Leamside, County Durham/Tyne &
Wear. The North East's long-closed Leamside line could be due for
a revival. According to The Sunderland Echo, there are ambitious
plans for an extension of the Newcastle Metro. Passenger transport
executive Nexus declared that it could deliver significantly lower
railway construction costs by bringing the region’s disused
railways – including the mothballed Leamside line –
back into use. This route was part of the East Coast Main Line until
1872, but its passenger service was withdrawn in May 1964, by which
time it can only be described as 'skeletal'. The gradual closure
of the Durham coalfield in the 1970s and 1980s led to a gradual
reduction of freight traffic, with the line being mothballed in
1991. (Graeme Bickerdike and Keith Holliday)
August 2016. Bennerley
Viaduct, Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire. The Sustrans team working on
the restoration of the impressive Bennerley Viaduct over the Erewash
Valley has just published its summer newsletter, which can be read
by clicking the link here.
The file is 2Mb in size so – depending on the speed of your
Internet connection – might take a few moments to load, but
it contains lots of encouraging news. (Kieran Lee)
August 2016. Treherbert
to Port Talbot, Mid Glamorgan/West Glamorgan. Rhondda Cynon Taf
Council has just granted a licence to the Rhondda Tunnel Society,
which hopes to re-open the 3,443 yard long Rhondda Tunnel to walkers
and cyclists. Work will start with an assessment of exactly how
many cubic metres of spoil need to be removed at the Blaencwm end
to reveal the buried western portal. In these cash-strapped times,
the society has conducted a consultation and found that tunnel users
would be prepared to pay a toll of £1 for adults and 50p for
children in order to help finance the tunnel's long term maintenance.
If and when opened, the tunnel would provide an invaluable link
from Treherbert in the Rhondda Valley to the extensive network of
railway paths in the neighbouring Afan Valley. (Graeme Bickerdike)
August 2016. Kidwelly
to Pembrey and Burry Port, Dyfed (Carmarthenshire). The former Burry
Port & Gwendraeth Valley Railway's line between Kidwelly Junction
and Burry Port has had an extra mile of trackbed opened as a multi
use trail at a cost of £300,000, according to local paper
The South Wales Evening Post. At the moment, the latest online maps
from both the Ordnance Survey and Sustrans show the line as part
of NCN4 between SN 418029 and SN 443006, a distance of just under
2½ miles, but it is not clear if this is before or after
the extra mile was added. It is also worth mentioning that, at Kidwelly,
the Gwendraeth Valley Railway's freight-only line from Kidwelly
to Mynyddygarreg is a bridleway along most of its length, from SN
408062 (Banc Pen-Dre in Kidwelly) to SN 424077 (Meinciau Road in
Llangadog), a distance of just under 1½ miles. (Keith Holliday
and Jeff Vinter)
August
2016. Plymouth, Devon. Further to our report in June,
we have now learned that Plymouth City Council granted planning
approval on 2nd August for an extension of the railway path over
the recently restored Laira Bridge. The trail will now continue
along the former railway line between Sugar Mill Retail Park and
Rock Gardens, to the north of Billacombe Road (the A379); along
the way, a new bridge will be installed to carry the trail over
the entrance to the car park of 'The Range'. In railway terms, the
extension will run from the eastern end of Laira Bridge to the site
of the former Plymstock station, or, in Ordnance Survey terms, from
SX 503542 to SX 507540, a distance of a quarter of a mile. Plymstock
station was where separate branches diverged to Yealmpton (GWR)
and Turnchapel (LSWR). The planning consent requires development
to start within 3 years. The voluminous planning documents can be
accessed here;
they include an encouraging aspiration to extend the trail eventually
to Sherford and the South Hams. When it reaches Rock Gardens, it
will be just over a mile away from a section of NCN2 to the east
of Elburton built on the trackbed of the former Yealmpton line;
it would be good if, in time, the two sections could be connected.
(Mike Knight, Jeff Vinter and Tim Chant) |
|
Above:
The northern half of the huge footbridge at Ystrad Rhondda in Mid
Glamorgan, which is due for a complete re-build; Ystrad station is
out of shot on the left. Curiously, online sources do not reveal the
bridge's length, height, number of piers etc., which is de rigeur
for railway viaducts, both used and disused. For further details,
see the story below. (Street view from Google Earth, accessed on 1st
August 2016) |
July
2016. Ystrad Rhondda,
Mid Glamorgan. It serves a station on the still operational Treherbert
branch rather than being on a disused railway, but the Brook Street
footbridge that links Gelli and Ystrad on opposite sides of the Afon
Rhondda – and crosses that river – is a substantial piece
of work. Reported by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council as supporting over
600 pedestrian journeys per day, the bridge is to be replaced at a
cost of over £1 million. Contractors are currently being commissioned
to submit designs and plans for the re-building work. It's great that
the footbridge will be retained, but we doubt that its Victorian looks
will survive the makeover. (Tim Chant) |
|
Above:
The
view along Martholme Viaduct, photographed during a visit by the board
and engineers of Railway Paths Ltd. Despite the structure last being
used by a train decades ago, it remains in very good condition. 24th
June 2014. (Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
The
view from the west parapet of Martholme Viaduct, which walkers should
be able to enjoy within the next couple of years; the river beneath
is the Calder. For further details, see the story below. 24th June
2014. (Jeff Vinter) |
July
2016. Martholme Viaduct, near Great Harwood, Lancashire.
There has been some doubt in recent years regarding public access
to this viaduct, but at the moment it is definitely closed. However,
Railway Paths Ltd is discussing with the local authorities (Hyndburn
and Ribble Valley Borough Councils) a proposal to open it, although
access will be from the south end only; a secure fence will be installed
at the north end because the landowner beyond is unwilling to grant
access. The proposal is at a very early stage, but implementation
in 2017-18 may be achievable. (Paul Thomas)
July 2016. Cutsyke
to Methley Junction, Castleford, West Yorkshire. This 1¾
mile route to the south west of Castleford is being developed as
the Castleford Greenway, and the eastern half from Cutsyke is already
open; access is off the B6421 at grid reference SE 420247. Wakefield
Council has earmarked £1 million to replace the missing bridge
which crossed the Normanton-York railway line at SE 410252, while,
further west, the Railway Heritage Trust has provided a grant of
£125,000 to Railway Paths Ltd to help finance restoration
of the viaduct over the River Calder at SE 404255. When complete,
this line will form a valuable traffic-free route from the edge
of Castleford's urban area into the Calder Valley. (Jeff Vinter)
July 2016. Torksey,
Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire. Following the opening of this very
large viaduct in April, the Midlands and East team from Sustrans
is now working with the local authorities, landowners and local
communities to upgrade the network of walking and cycling routes
on either side of the viaduct. Plans include a new bridge on the
Torksey (east) side, which will cross the busy A156 and provide
easily graded access for cyclists. Unfortunately, there is some
concern as to how quickly this can be realised given the current
constrained funding environment. (Huw Davies)
July
2016. Rugby to Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Following
a visit in February this year by the board and staff of Railway
Paths Ltd, the charity has now carried out repairs and de-vegetation
work to no fewer than 28 structures along the line. Due to government
cutbacks and a plenitude of quiet lanes in the area, public funding
for this rural route is non-existent, so the charity is hoping to
mobilise local community support to develop it for amenity use.
Recent expenditure on the structures will keep them in good order,
but RPL feels that its money should be delivering more than mere
preservation. (Paul Thomas and Jeff Vinter)
July 2016. Douglas,
Isle of Man. Further to our report in January,
which covered the possible demise of the popular Douglas Horse Tramway,
we are pleased to report that it has been given a two year extension.
The Tynwald (the Isle of Man's Parliament) has recently voted to
support operation of the tramway until at least the end of the 2018
season. This approval includes an amendment to lay a new single
line track from Derby Castle to the Sea Terminal as part of a 'Douglas
Promenade Highway Scheme', which the Friends of Douglas Bay Horse
Tramway have campaigned for in recent months. (Rob Davidson) |
|
Above:
Railway?
What railway? At first glance, this photograph appears to portray
nothing more than the luxuriant growth of summer, but this is actually
the site of Sutton Scotney on the former cross-country line from Southampton
Terminus to Didcot via Winchester Chesil and Newbury. It looks as
if a bit of platform survives in the left foreground. July 2016. (Brian
Loughlin) |
|
Above:
Two months after Brian Loughlin visited Sutton Scotney, another
member visited the old station site and discovered that Metis Homes
have put in a Planning Application for 28 homes there. This is the
view from the overbridge just south of the station, showing in the
background a number of the new homes built recently on the former
Taylor's Coaches depot, which our correspondent believes was based
on the former extensive goods yard. 18th September 2016. (Graham Lambert) |
July
2016. Sutton Scotney, Hampshire. The site of Sutton Scotney
station on the former Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway
has been sold to a property developer. It is remarkable that it
survived unused for so long, but now we must wonder how many new
homes the developer will manage to shoe-horn into the plot! (Brian
Loughlin)
Update: The
answer to the question about the number of new homes is '28' –
see the caption to the second of the two photographs above. (Webmaster)
July
2016. Porth Penrhyn, Bangor, to Bethesda and Llyn Ogwen,
Gwynedd. Further to our report in March
2013, Gwynedd County Council has now secured funds to restore
and open up the 275 metre Tregarth Tunnel, which will enable the
popular Lôn Las Ogwen cycle route (from Porth Penrhyn to Tregarth)
to be extended along the old railway to Bethesda, thus eliminating
the current diversion. Work will include stabilising a rock face
on the side of a ravine, illuminating the tunnel, and installing
steps to safeguard users of the viaduct over the Ogwen River. GCC
set aside £200,000 for the project in 2015-16, but has now
secured a further £230,000 from the Welsh Government. Council
managers estimate that maintaining the route will cost £17,000
a year, which will be spent on cutting back vegetation, repairing
damage caused by bad weather, collecting litter and dealing with
the effects of vandalism. (Graeme Bickerdike and Keith Holliday)
July 2016. Stalbridge
to Poole, Dorset. It has been a while since the North Dorset Trailway
published a newsletter, but click here
for the edition published this month. The story is predominantly
about patient negotiations behind the scenes, with work focussed
on the sections from Stalbridge to Sturminster Newton and Spetisbury
to Sturminster Marshall. Such work is inevitably slow – it
involves patient negotiations with many landowners and other agencies
– but the Trailway project has a good record, and we look
forward hopefully. (Jeff Vinter)
June
2016. Plymouth, Devon. Further to our report earlier this
month (click here), the Plymouth Herald has
just reported that more of the former railway line east of the recently
opened Laira Bridge over the River Plym will be converted into a
railway path. As part of Plymouth City Council's east-west cycling
route, the trail (a dead end in May) will now be extended further
along the old railway to Saltram Meadow, where a new housing estate
is to be built on the site of a former Blue Circle quarry. The extension
comes about as a result of Plymouth recently winning £3.42
million from a regional group channelling government money into
local transport schemes, which has been augmented by £1.49
million from local developers, presumably as Section 106 grants
to ameliorate the effects of development. The Herald summarised
the project thus: 'The new route will extend the cycle path from
the recently renovated Laira Bridge and The Ride, taking commuters
parallel with Billacombe Road on the old track'. (Tim Chant)
June 2016. Caerphilly,
Gwent. A novel way to inspect railway infrastructure was revealed
on 15th June when Gwent Police attempted to stop a car driven by
a 27 year old male. The driver attempted to give officers the slip
by driving off at speed - he was recorded at speeds of up to 78
mph - but events took an unexpected turn when he entered The Crescent,
Caerphilly, and continued along a footpath which burrows beneath
the still operation Rhymney-Cardiff railway to reach Churchill Park.
He sped into the pedestrian underpass, actually a low-roofed tunnel,
where his car soon became wedged tight … thus providing the
first example known to us of a self-arresting fugitive. The local
press did not report how his vehicle was recovered; if the fire
brigade was involved, it might have suffered somewhat. (Tim Chant) |
|
Above:
When walkers and cyclists heading east across the newly restored
Laira Railway Bridge reach The Ride (the road leading to Saltram House
and the Plym Valley Railway Path beyond), they can now continue in
safety across this busy road. The new bridge re-connects two separate
parts of the former embankment that once carried the railway into
Plymstock station, where separate branches diverged to Yealmpton and
Turnchapel respectively. 1st June 2016. (Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
Currently, the empty trackbed towards Plymstock station is
fenced off, but that may change. A large quarry, out of sight in this
photograph but on the left (i.e. north) of the old line, is being
re-developed for housing, and Plymouth City Council is interested
in using more of the trackbed as a multi-use trail to provide traffic-free
access. A Section 106 arrangement could be imposed on the developers
in order to finance this important work. These days, the existence
of such a trail – which would lead into the city centre and
have connections to other trails – will do no harm at all to
property prices. From this point westwards, the infrastructure
is in place already; all that is required is a short onwards link.
1st June 2016. (Jeff Vinter) |
June
2016. Plymouth, Devon. We have reported elsewhere Plymouth
City Council's excellent work in restoring the long disused Laira
Railway Bridge, which spans the River Plym to the south west of
Laira Motive Power Depot. We have also reported PCC's plans to reinstate
the missing rail-over-road to the east of it, but had no idea that
the authority would move so quickly. A visit on 1st June found that
the new bridge was in place already, as shown in the above pictures,
and being used – despite the visit being made at 3:00 p.m.
on a Wednesday, hardly a time when lots of leisure users are about.
(Jeff Vinter)
June 2016.
Rugby, Warwickshire. It's not part of a railway walk, but
few with any interest in the UK's railways will fail to be moved
by news that the preserved Great Central Railway is to reinstate
the long-removed bridge over the Midland main line at Loughborough,
thus joining together the two separate sections over which it operates,
i.e. Leicester to Loughborough, and Loughborough to Ruddington,
near Nottingham. For further details, see the BBC report here.
(Jeff Vinter from the RR
Facebook page)
May 2016.
Dockyard Junction (nr. Gillingham) to Chatham Dockyard, Kent. The
disused, half mile long branch line into Chatham Historic Dockyard
has not seen a train for many years, and it won't be seeing one
any time soon thanks to the construction and opening of a new Asda
supermarket, whose access road cuts through the line's embankment.
However, Medway Council is interested in the greenway potential
of the route, not only because that would prevent it from becoming
a derelict eyesore, but also because it would give access to two
local schools and a university. Our correspondent has suggested
that the council contacts Sustrans to see what help might be available
through its 'Safe Routes to Schools' project. (Keith Holliday)
May 2016.
Bennerley Viaduct, Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire. Work to
restore Bennerley Viaduct in the Erewash Valley has commenced, thanks
to funding from the Railway Heritage Trust. Preparatory works, including
the removal of the unserviceable maintenance gantry, will commence
over the summer. There is also an exhibition about the viaduct in
the Lally Gallery of the Erewash Museum until 30 August. Admission
is free, and the opening hours are as follows:
- Schooldays:
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- School Holidays:
Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The museum is
situated in the High Street, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 5JA. Further
details and some useful links will be found here.
(Cassie Humphries-Massey and Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
The former railway tunnel beneath Lincoln's busy Canwick
Road intersection, looking less like a railway structure than ever.
The former line approached from the left of the picture where the
grass is patchy. For further details, see story below. 21st May 2016.
(Tim Chant) |
May
2016. Lincoln, Lincolnshire. Further to our report in November
2014, the former railway 'tunnel' at grid reference SK 980701
beneath Lincoln's busy Canwick Road has now been re-opened as an
underpass for walkers and cyclists, although no casual visitor would
realise that it was ever a railway, as the photograph above illustrates.
Having said that, it is at least serving a useful purpose again;
in its previous life, it was part of the GNR line from Lincoln Central
to Grantham via Honington. The structure was almost certainly just
a bridge in railway days, but Lincolnshire CC referred to it as
a tunnel in its re-development plans, and that describes accurately
what the interior now looks like. To the west, there is deep mud
on the trackbed which explains why it is not a railway path. To
the east, there is an unofficial-looking path across a field, which
our correspondent did not have time to explore. (Tim Chant)
May 2016. Rippingale,
Lincolnshire. Rippingale station, on the Great Northern Railway's
former line from Sleaford to Stamford, is up for sale with estate
agent Hurfords at an asking price of £600,000. The property
includes a length of track and a 1924 steam locomotive 'Elizabeth',
currently on site, which can be included in the sale. The property
details, illustrated by 12 photographs, will be found here.
(Tim Grose)
May 2016. Treherbert
to Port Talbot, Mid Glamorgan/West Glamorgan. There's an interesting
video at the link here
which uses CGI techniques to illustrate what the Rhondda Tunnel
would look like if opened up for walkers and cyclists as a through
route from Treherbert to the Afan Valley. The video was produced
by Ben Salter, a supporter of the Rhondda Tunnel project, who studied
documentary film making at Newport Film School. (Tim Chant)
May 2016. Keswick
to Threlkeld, Cumbria. Further to our report
in December 2015, we have learned from the Lake District National
Park that the damage to this popular and heavily engineered railway
path is worse than previously reported, for LDNP is reporting damage
to not one but two bridges, and the washing away of 200 metres of
path near Wescoe. Half the route remains closed, but the re-opened
half attracted good numbers over Easter, while diversions are now
in place to permit users (many of whom are following the coast-to-coast
C2C route) to get from Keswick to Threlkeld, and vice versa.
LDNP aims to reinstate the route fully, but there are many
difficulties including the high cost, and the need to stabilise
the banks of the River Greta before heavy machinery can be brought
in to carry out major engineering repairs. Further details are available
on the LDNP website here.
(Richard Bain)
Update: We
learned on 16th May that a new fund value £3.5 million has
been set up (presumably by central government) to help repair
and improve public rights of way in Cumbria damaged by Storm Desmond
last December; named the 'Cumbria
Countryside Access Fund', landowners or public bodies can
apply for grants starting at £100,000. We
understand also that engineers from Sustrans have some good ideas
as to how major engineering repairs can be achieved effectively
but economically, (Keith Holliday and Jeff Vinter)
April
2016. Holt, Norfolk. The proposed Norfolk Orbital Railway,
which aims to create (or rather reinstate) a circular route around
Norfolk with Wymondham, Fakenham, Sheringham, North Walsham and
Norwich as its main points, has moved a step closer to its objectives.
The Melton Constable Trust, one of several organisations behind
the scheme, has just purchased a piece of land at High Kelling,
near Holt, which will provide a new route for the railway given
that the modern Holt bypass has taken over part of the original
trackbed. The Eastern Daily News remarked: 'Securing the land means
that nothing can physically block the building of the railway.'
(Tim Chant)
April 2016. Plymouth,
Devon. The Plymouth Herald of 28th April reported that Laira Railway
Bridge, re-opened to walkers and cyclists in May 2015 after 28 years
of dereliction and 'blighting Plymouth's natural marine environment',
has been shortlisted for this year's Civil Engineering Awards. It
is up against some tough competition in the area, including the
£10 million refurbishment of Brunel's iconic Royal Albert
Bridge at Saltash, which had its steelwork strengthened to ensure
another 50 years' service. Even the new paint on that is impressive,
being expected to last for a full 25 years. (Tim Chant)
April
2016. Down Street and Clapham South, London. Members with
an interest in the lost stations of the London underground system
will be pleased to hear that two of them are not to remain quite
so little known. Down Street station on the Piccadilly Line was
used in World War 2 war as a secret bunker by Winston Churchill
and his staff, but is now due to be added as a destination on the
'Hidden London' tours run by the London Transport Museum. The deep-level
wartime shelter at Clapham South on the Northern Line will also
be opened on the same basis. Built as part of a projected deep-level
second route for the Northern Line which would have omitted some
intermediate station, it is 180 steps below ground and was used
during the Blitz as an air raid shelter. In was also used in 1948
as accommodation for Caribbean immigrants, and again in 1951 as
accommodation for visitors to the Festival of Britain. (Tim Chant) |
|
Above:
The so-called 'Catholic Bridge' in Witham (see story below)
was once used by the Great Eastern Railway's branch from Witham to
Maldon. Most of this old line now accommodates the Blackwater Trail,
but this is where it stops at the Witham end. The club's 'construction
specialist' on the day of the visit advised that this combination
of timber mats and sleepers at the base supporting the orange beams
and jacks and scaffold bracing are common in the 'temporary works'
field, i.e. typical for shoring up or providing temporary support
during construction. The new installations on the far left and right
are seen alongside the pre-existing supports in the form of steel
columns and concrete bases, which must no longer be sufficient to
support the deck structure. Just north of the bridge, a wall stands
across the line, although there is a way around it into the industrial
estate beyond. It seems a lost opportunity that the trail does not
make a proper connection with this traffic-generating location. What's
wrong with giving people the opportunity to cycle to and from their
place of work, or pop out for a walk or ride at lunchtime? 7th May
2016. (Neil Hebborn) |
April
2016. Witham to Maldon, Essex. Further to our report
in January, the club has now written to Essex County Council
about its proposal to infill the 'Catholic Bridge' in Witham, thus
blocking the old trackbed which passes underneath and is used as
a traffic-free route across the town. The council's reply advises
that the Catholic Bridge is made of cast iron, which its Highways
Department has identified as being in deteriorating condition. The
abandoned railway line underneath is an unofficial path and not
a public right of way. An 'Option Study' is currently being undertaken
to determine what work is required to bring the bridge back to a
safe and suitable condition before its future can be decided. The
club's letter has been forwarded to ECC's Structures Team so that
the club's views can be considered during the review. (Nick Hartshorne)
Note: If
the trackbed beneath the Catholic Bridge is a permissive trail
with access granted by (say) Essex CC, then its survival as a
bridge depends wholly on the findings of the ECC's Option Study
and financial reserves: permissive access protects an owner's
right to close a route and prevents application of the 20 year
rule, whereby members of the public can apply to have it added
to the Ordnance Survey's definitive map (of rights of way) provided
they can prove 20 years of unimpeded use. On the other hand, if
the trackbed is an unofficial route which members of the public
have been using on an unimpeded basis for 20 years or more, then
the rule offers an opportunity to register it as a right of way.
On the same general subject,
2020 will be the last year in which members of the public can
apply to have long-established footpaths and bridleways added
to the definitive map. The process of mapping rights of way in
this way started in 1947 but was not carried out consistently.
It is alleged (in the Daily Telegraph of 26th April) that some
landowners at the time discouraged the surveyors because they
didn't want footpaths over their land documented officially, resulting
in some curious cases where a footpath stops in the middle of
a field, or does not reach the road it is heading for. (Many members
will have seen this sort of thing on OS Landranger and Explorer
maps.) Come 2020, no one will be able to get a pre-1947 footpath
or bridleway added to the definitive map as a right of way; only
new routes with 20 years' demonstrable unimpeded use will then
be eligible. (Webmaster)
April 2016. Torksey,
Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire. As advised in March, Torksey Viaduct
received its official opening as a pedestrian route across the River
Trent on Friday 22nd April; a short film about the event can be
viewed at youtu.be/UgFDns0mRic
thanks to the indefatigable Graeme Bickerdike, the man behind Forgotten
Relics of an Enterprising Age. Now that pedestrians can use
the viaduct, the next step is to open it for cyclists and horse
riders, although raising the funds for that will be difficult. (Huw
Davies)
April 2016. Portishead,
Somerset. This is definitely not a route that can be walked or cycled,
but those who have been wondering if the proposed re-opening of
the Portishead branch would ever happen will be pleased to hear
that North Somerset Council has endorsed a decision to spend £880,000
to purchase two parcels of land to build new stations in Portishead
and Pill. Although NSC and Network Rail already owned most of the
land required for the project, two additional plots had to be purchased
from a developer and a private individual. Re-opening of the line
was planned initially for 2019, but it looks as if this will slip
back to 2020. (Tim Chant)
April 2016. Australia.
The club has just recruited a new member from Australia, who is
the Queensland Representative for Rail Trails Australia (RTA). We
have received an electronic copy of RTA's latest magazine, with
permission to forward it to any interested members. If you would
like a copy, please get in touch via our Contact
page. (Mark Linnett)
April 2016. Bideford,
Devon. On Wednesday 23rd March, a new visitor centre was opened
at the former Bideford railway station on the modern Tarka Trail.
According to the North Devon Journal, the Tarka Trail attracts 6,000
to 8,000 users per year who generate ca. £4 million a year
for the local economy. The objective of the new facility is to persuade
some of those who currently walk or cycle past the town to stop
and explore it. Like the adjoining Railway Café, the visitor
centre is housed in a restored Mark I railway carriage, turned out
in BR's Southern Region green. (Tim Chant)
Note: The
Journal's usage figures are very low and may be incorrect; 8,000
users per year works out at only 22 users per day. That seems
extraordinarily low for a 180 mile long, figure-of-eight route
that is largely traffic-free. (Webmaster)
April 2016. Feniton
to Sidmouth. In the first three months of this year, the Otter Trail
Group (which is working on plans to create a multi use trail from
Feniton to Sidmouth) has spent over £1,000 of the money it
has raised on a detailed technical survey of one of the Trail's
sections to 'provide a better estimate of construction costs'. The
email we received does not identify the location of this section,
but remarks that 'Additional funds will enable us to take this work
forward'. (James Kirby)
April 2016. Northampton
to Market Harborough, Northamptonshire/Leicestershire. We have just
received, belatedly, news that the Northampton & Lamport Railway
wishes to extend its current operation based at Pitsford & Brampton
station to Spratton. In October last year, Northamptonshire County
Council agreed to hold a public consultation on offering a 50-year
lease to the railway, which would use one half of the former double-track
formation which now accommodates the Brampton Valley Way. The council
confirmed that walkers and cyclists would still be able to use the
route, but with a safety fence separating it from the railway line.
Councillor Bill Parker elaborated: ‘Before any final decision
is made, we want to make sure that the views of visitors to the
park [i.e. the railway path] are taken into account and will be
holding a public consultation to give people the opportunity to
provide their feedback on the proposal.’ (Tim Chant)
April 2016. Alresford
to Winchester Junction and Sutton Scotney, Hampshire. The group
formed to develop a railway path along the west end of the former
Mid Hants line from Alresford to Winchester Junction, and thence
via the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton Railway to Sutton Scotney,
has just launched its website: www.thewatercressway.org.uk.
(Jeff Vinter)
April 2016. Bath,
Somerset. Most readers will be familiar with the famous short film,
'London to Brighton in Four Minutes'. This Youtube video –
youtu.be/NI5dl9To4nQ
– adds a new 'short' to the genre, which might be called 'Viaduct
to Chasm in 80 Seconds'. It uses time lapse photography to show
the removal of the central span of the Somerset & Dorset Railway's
three-arched viaduct over the London-Bristol main line just west
of Oldfield Park station, in Bath's suburbs. A new but higher central
span will be installed in due course so that the viaduct can once
again form part of Bath's Two Tunnels Trail – and accommodate
the new catenary equipment on the railway below. (Matt Skidmore)
March
2016. Holmsley, Hampshire. In 2012, Hampshire County Council
assumed responsibility for the railway overbridge at Holmsley in
the New Forest, which carried the A35 over the former LSWR line
from Southampton to Dorchester via Ringwood and Wimborne Minster.
HCC now says that the bridge is in a deteriorating condition (it
certainly looks like a bucketful of rust), and they have come up
with four options to deal with it: (1) do nothing, which on closer
investigation amounts to propping up the bridge and closing the
road beneath it; (2) turn the bridge into an embankment and close
the road beneath it; (3) renew the bridge where it stands; and (4)
replace the bridge with a new one 3 metres to the side. Option (4)
appears to be the least troublesome for road traffic, but the council
claims that all options will be expensive. The bridge's previous
owner (the Highways Agency?) seems to have been remiss about maintenance.
The upshot is that another piece of Hampshire's railway history
may soon disappear. (Tim Chant)
March 2016. Torksey,
Lincolnshire/Nottinghamshire. The official opening of Torksey Viaduct
as a pedestrian route across the River Trent will take place at
2:00 p.m. on Friday 22nd April. If the weather is good, there will
be a marquee and stalls on the viaduct. Further details and some
photographs of the finished work will be found here
in a recently published leaflet from Sustrans and Railway Paths.
The opening is perfectly timed for the club's pre-AGM visit four
weeks later on Saturday 21st May. (Bill Tomson)
March 2016. Barnstaple
to Blackmoor Gate, Devon. 'Perchance it is not dead, but sleepeth'.
Exmoor Associates is the name of the company which is working in
association with the modern Lynton & Barnstaple Railway to bring
back this famous narrow gauge line to the rolling countryside of
north Devon; it has already purchased and cleared a significant
proportion of the L&BR's permanent way as parts of the old trackbed
have come on to the market. EA has now released a delightful film
which provides an aerial view of the trackbed and surrounding countryside
between Barnstaple and Blackmoor Gate, which can be viewed at http://bcove.me/tuykdsv4.
The programme is a commentary-free film and runs for under just
12 minutes; it is time well spent. Don't forget to set your monitor
to 'full screen' mode. (Dave Hurley)
March 2016. Bristol
Temple Meads. Network Rail are planning to sell the historic station
at Bristol Temple Meads, allegedly to help reduce its debts. Local
campaigners opposed to the move say that Temple Meads is an asset
for the whole of the Bristol community and should not be sold off
for profit. According to 5th March edition of The Western Daily
Press, it is ‘understood’ that National Rail has brought
in Citigroup to identify up to 18 major stations which might be
sold; Citigroup Inc., or ‘Citi’, is an American multi-national
investment banking company based in Manhattan, New York. (Tim Chant)
March 2016. Derbyshire.
The 'Pedal Peak II' project, which has been reported before in these
pages, is making good progress; broadly, it aims to extend various
existing railway paths in the county so that they connect with each
other to form an off-road circuit of ca. 60 miles, although there
is more to it than that. The newsletter accessible here
gives a summary of the current position in the Peak. According to
our correspondent, '[Derbyshire County] Council must have nearly
finished running up beside Peak Rail from Matlock to Rowsley and
they are at least looking at completing through Haddon Tunnel to
Bakewell. The Monsal Trail link to Buxton seems to be agreed as
necessary but no work [has] started yet … On the other side
of Buxton they have done the Harpur Hill link which includes 1.6
kms (1 mile) on the line of the former High Peak Railway. Hopefully
the Health and Safety Executive who own the remaining 2.9kms (1¾
miles) through to Ladmanlow will agree to the extension in due course.'
The Harpur Hill and Ladmanlow sections, when open throughout, will
form a continuation of the High Peak Trail. (John Grimshaw)
March 2016. Bodmin
to Wadebridge, Cornwall. Readers may be aware that the Bodmin &
Wenford Railway, which operates the preserved line between Bodmin
Parkway, Bodmin Road and Boscarne Junction, aspires to return passenger
services to Wadebridge. Shortly before Christmas, the Bodmin &
Wadebridge Railway Company received the first draft of an Outline
Business Case for this extension. The OBC identified two options,
one being for a heritage railway, as at present, and the other for
a heritage and community railway, with respective benefit
to cost ratios of 1.9 (medium value for money) and 2.8 (high value
for money). The OBC reported that both options are viable, and recommended
that they be taken forward to the feasibility study stage, when
engineering designs will be drawn up and timetabling studies carried
out. Previous reports on rail reinstatement to Wadebridge recognised
the value of retaining the existing Camel Trail, which attracts
very high levels of use, even if it has to be diverted in places.
(Jeff Vinter)
March 2016. Braintree
to Rayne, Essex. Local residents and users of the eastern end of
the Flitch Way are alarmed at plans to build housing alongside the
former railway line between Braintree and Rayne. If built, the new
Brook Green development will see 1,600 new homes constructed both
north and south of the old railway, occupying a 140 acre site overall.
Protesters claim that Brook Green will make one town out of the
two communities, and have dubbed it ‘Raynetree’. Stan
Davies, Chairman of Friends of the Flitch Way and Associated Woodlands,
commented: ‘We fully accept that housing has to go somewhere
but there’s [sic] lots of sites available. It doesn’t
have to be on lovely countryside’. The planning submission,
proposed by Acorn Property Group and validated recently by Braintree
District Council, acknowledges that biodiversity and geological
conservation will be ‘affected’ (presumably adversely
affected) if the development goes ahead. (Tim Chant)
March 2016. Dungarvan
to Waterford, County Waterford. The old railway line from Dungarvan
to Waterford, once part of a longer route from Mallow to Waterford,
has been given to Waterford County Council under licence to be developed
as a multi-use trail called the Deise Greenway. Already, 14 miles
are open (2½ at the Dungarvan end and 11½ at the Waterford
end), and these two sections are due to be connected during the
course of this year to create a new route of ca. 27 miles. For further
details, see the greenway's website at www.deisegreenway.com.
(Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
The Derbyshire County Council sign for the extension of the
Monsal Trail south towards Matlock makes a very bold heading for the
story below. February 2016. (Mike Hodgson) |
|
Above:
Part of the new trail under construction in the Darley Dale-Rowsley
area. We do not know whether this is the finished surface or if a
top layer is yet to be added. February 2016. (Mike Hodgson) |
March
2016. Bakewell to Matlock, Derbyshire. A southward extension
to the Monsal Trail, which links Blackwell Mill (south of Buxton)
with Bakewell, is now being constructed. It has taken a long time
for this project to come to fruition, but it is being worked on
by Derbyshire County Council with help from John Grimshaw Associates,
who specialise in delivering routes which previously have proved
intractable. We have written to JGA for further details, but in
the meantime our correspondent reports that he has seen the new
path under construction from Church Lane Crossing, just north of
Darley Dale, to Rowsley, just short of the original station. (Mike
Hodgson)
February 2016. Brynmenyn
to Pontycymmer, Mid Glamorgan. Enthuasiasts plan to get the old
Garw Valley line running again between Bryngarw Park on the edge
of Brynmenyn and Pontycymmer, stating that at 4½ miles it
will be the longest heritage line in South Wales. A cycle trail
runs alongside the trackbed from Bryngarw Park to Blaengarw, former
terminus of the line; the grid references are SS 907857 to SS 900934,
a distance of just over 5½ miles. The cycle trail is NCN884
and is the new route promised some years ago from Brynmenyn to Blaengarw.
The preservationists are based at Pontycymmer Locomotive Works,
where they have already made a start on building a passenger platform.
They intend to lease increasing lengths of the line from Network
Rail as they proceed southwards, and hope to have reached Bryngarw
Park by 2018. (Tim Chant and Jeff Vinter)
Update: On
29th March, the preservationists were reported in the local press
as wishing to retain the cycle route alongside their line as an
'added attraction'; they emphasised that they have no intention
of closing it. (Tim Chant)
|
|
Above:
The
magnificent Monkwearmouth station in Sunderland has been used as a
museum since 1974, but its future now looks uncertain due to government
spending cuts and declining visitor numbers. For further details,
see story below. 12th December 2010. (Andrew Curtis, used under the
terms of this Creative
Commons Licence) |
February
2016. Monkwearmouth, Tyne and Wear. 42 years after Monkwearmouth
Station Museum first opened, Sunderland City Council is considering
closing it temporarily due to declining visitor numbers and government
spending cuts – £207 million since 2010 in Sunderland
City Council's case. Councillor John Kelly explained that 'we need
to look at how we can continue to preserve and maintain the Grade
II listed building [actually Grade II*] at the same time as protecting
the museum’s collection and historical past. At the forefront
of our thinking will be looking at new and innovative ways to protect
the future of Monkwearmouth Station Museum in the longer term. This
isn’t a decision to be taken lightly but it is one of the
really difficult choices we are having to look at because of government
cuts to our budget.' The photograph above illustrates that Monkwearmouth
is no ordinary station; it is one of the jewels of north eastern
railway architecture and deserves a secure future. (Tim Chant)
February 2016. Rushden
to Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire County Council
has now completed phases 1 to 3 of the East Northamptonshire Way,
which has seen the Midland Railway's short branch from Wellingborough
to Higham Ferrers converted into a multi-use trail between SP 946673
and SP 962682, a distance of ca. 1¼ miles. The preserved
Rushden station at SP 957672 is a notable feature: it is now the
home of the outstanding Rushden Historical Transport Society (see
rhts.co.uk) which,
since 1978, has organised a massive three-day transport festival
every spring. (Jeff Vinter)
February 2016. Chesterfield,
Derbyshire. Our correspondent reports: ‘The Brampton branch
is to be re-opened (possibly in May) as a cycle/walking route to
give access to Chesterfield’s Midland station. The section
involved includes three bridges: one over the Chesterfield by-pass
(A61), one over the old Derby Road alignment, and the third over
the realigned Derby Road. West of that point the trackbed is already
walkable to Park Road and thence alongside the Queen’s Park
to Boythorpe Road. There’s also a footpath/cycleway branching
off the Brampton branch alignment and following the course of the
Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway’s line to
Horns Bridge.’ When complete, this will create a trail of
ca. ¾ mile from Boythorpe Road, at SK 377710, to Chesterfield
station, at SK 388714. (Tony from Bygone Lines)
February 2016. Glenbeigh
to Caherciveen, County Kerry. In February 2015, a scheme to convert
part of the abandoned Great Southern & Western Railway's branch
from Farranfore to Valentia Island into a greenway finally got the
go-ahead when Kerry County Council voted to proceed with compulsory
purchase orders to acquire the trackbed. The Dublin government has
committed €3.4m to the project, which it is claimed has the
potential to be one of the world's 'most iconic' walking and cycling
routes, being on the scenic Ring of Kerry. We apologise that this
news is a year late – it came to light during research for
the 2017 edition of Vinter's Railway Gazetteer. Better
late than never! (Jeff Vinter)
January
2016. Douglas, Isle of Man. Earlier this month, it was
announced that the Douglas Horse Tramway will not run in 2016, or
ever again. The timing of the announcement was particularly unfortunate
given that it was made just a few months short of the Tramway’s
140th anniversary. Douglas Borough Council said that the decision
had been made ‘with regret’, but the losses were too
heavy for the service to continue. Its announcement may be an attempt
to encourage the Manx Government to take over the tramway or seek
voluntary involvement, and a Manx Radio report on 26th January suggested
that it might succeed. There has been a reaction from tram enthusiasts
from around the world, who wish to see the council reverse its decision,
and readers can sign an online petition created by the Friends of
Douglas Bay Horse Tramway by using the link here.
(Chris Parker)
January 2016. Hadlow
Road, Cheshire. The Grade II listed Hadlow Road station is situated
on the Wirral Way, which uses the former branch line from Hooton
to West Kirby. It is approaching its 150th anniversary and, with
the distinctive rock cutting at Neston, is one of the two very striking
railway features on this trail. The building has been kept in good
order for many years, presumably starting with Cheshire County Council
which purchased it along with the trackbed in 1968; the most recent
refurbishment was completed in 2011. The building, complete with
the track at the platform, re-creates the ambience of a 1950s country
station, which makes it a place where many trail users break their
journeys. Cheshire West and Chester Council own the station and,
until recently, used it as offices; but now they are deciding what
to do with it, one possible option being sale for commercial use.
This has concerned the Friends
of Hadlow Road Station, who have offered to take a long lease,
or to purchase the building as a community asset at a token value
of £1. The public toilets, signal box, platform, railway path
and car park at the station remain in the ownership of the council's
'Place Operations' team and are therefore unaffected. (Tim Chant)
January 2016. Whitby
to Scarborough, North Yorkshire. On 21st January, the 'Scarboroughuk'
website reported that 'Sustrans has been awarded funding from the
Coastal Revival Fund to consult on and complete a detailed plan
for the restoration of the Cinder Track that runs along the North
Yorkshire coast between Scarborough and Whitby'. The Cinder Track,
part of NCN1, is so-called because of the material used in its trackbed.
Mike Babbitt, Sustrans Regional Infrastructure Manager, described
this as a very exciting project which would allow the charity to
'carefully consider and plan major improvements for what should
really be some of the best coastal cycling and walking in Britain'.
Anyone who has walked or cycled this trail could not argue with
those sentiments. (Tim Grose)
January 2016. Polegate
to Heathfield, East Sussex. A new Waitrose store has appeared opposite
the car park in Heathfield at the north end of this trail. Apart
from the obvious convenience before or after a walk, run or cycle
ride, this makes the site feel safer than when a garage was opposite.
Some path improvements have taken place, but the overall effect
is a bit of a patchwork. Most of the newer surface is near Horam
where the station has enjoyed a makeover, with the vegetation cut
back, the platforms cleared and an enamel sign and seating installed;
there are a couple of recent pictures in Photo
Gallery 113. The East
Sussex County Council website states that Heathfield Tunnel
is now open only during the summer, although it doesn't mention
when the authority considers summer to begin and end. (Tim Grose)
January 2016. Bristol
(Parson Street Junction) to Portishead. The branch line to Portishead
is one of the few closed railways which stands a good chance of
complete revival. It lost its passenger and freight services in
1964 and 1981 respectively, but in 2002 the section from Parson
Street Junction to Pill was re-opened with spurs beyond to the coal
and car terminals at Royal Portbury Dock. Re-opening of the final
length from Pill to Portishead as part of the 'MetroWest' project
had been planned for 2019, but could now slip back to 2020 due to
various technical, construction and access issues, including the
need for Network Rail to re-signal the Bristol area to accommodate
the extra trains. (Could NR not have predicted that?) A report by
Sir Peter Hendy, scrutinizing Network Rail's future projects across
the UK, has also been blamed. (Tim Chant)
January 2016. Oswestry
to Weston and Llynclys,Shropshire. The Cambrian Heritage Railway,
which has separate bases in Oswestry and Llynclys, is extending
south from Oswestry station to Weston Wharf, near Stonehouse Brewery
and Weston Pools, and hopes to have services running by the start
of the 2018 season. A report in the Shropshire Star stated that
'part of the track will run alongside the new greenway that Shropshire
Council is planning to build as a new footpath and cycle way'. If
anyone can provide further details of the latter, please get
in touch; the results of Internet searches have not been very
fruitful. (Tim Chant)
Update: We
have now found from Shropshire Council's website that the 'new
greenway' was given planning permission on 9th October 2015. Its
location south of Oswestry station can be viewed here,
while there is a detailed plan of the trail here;
on this second map, note the purple line at the bottom which is
labelled 'Phase 2', i.e. a southward extension, although this
does not yet have planning permission. (Tim Chant and Jeff Vinter)
January 2016. Tadcaster,
North Yorkshire. Access to the disused railway viaduct over the
River Wharfe at Tadcaster in North Yorkshire has for some time been
blocked by landowner Sam Smiths Brewery; since the flood-induced
collapse of the nearby A569 road bridge in the Christmas 2015 floods,
the town has been cut in two, but the BBC news website has reported:
'Councillor McKay said great steps had now been taken to improve
access to an old viaduct which provided a way across the River Wharfe
for pedestrians, albeit with a long diversion away from the town
centre. He said lighting was being provided so the viaduct could
be used after dark as well.' (Jane Ellis from the RR Message Board)
Update: A
correspondent has since visited Tadcaster and reports that use
of the viaduct had not been obstructed by the brewery. 'An impressive
11 arch structure, it has for many years carried a public right
of way, with links to riverbank public footpaths on both banks
of the River Wharfe as well as a trackbed route into the west
part of the town. On the east bank, however, steps down to the
waterside path were the only pedestrian option. What has been
provided additionally, only on a temporary permissive basis on
Samuel Smith's land, is a higher level path to give a fairly direct
access to the Wighill road and eastern residential part of the
town. On a recent visit, this was found to be fenced and with
a gravel surface, but no lighting was apparent.' Near the site
of the A569 road bridge, which has a 'provenance back to medieval
times', a temporary bridge is now in place and serves as the main
pedestrian link between the two halves of the town centre. (Mr
NJ Hill)
|
|
Left:
It is not often that one sees an old viaduct sliced
through like a cake, yet that is what has happened to the Somerset
& Dorset Railway's three-arched viaduct alongside Bellotts
Road in western Bath. Having cleared the surrounding vegetation
last year, Network Rail has now infilled the first and third
arches with concrete, and removed the middle arch because it
did not provide enough headroom for the new overhead electric
wires which will arrive here as part of the project to electrify
the Great Western main line. But when? According to the 11th
November 2015 edition of 'Rail' magazine, 'Electrification …
could be two years late, cost three times as much as original
estimates, and entail suburban electric multiple units standing
idle for a year'. All this has given Network Rail's Chief Executive,
Mark Carne, some uncomfortable moments before Parliament's Public
Accounts Committee. January 2016. (Jem Spurrier) |
|
January
2016. Bath to Radstock,
Somerset. On the west side of Bath, the central arch of the Somerset
& Dorset Railway's viaduct over the Great Western main line
to Bristol has been removed pending installation of a new (and presumably
pre-cast concrete) span; the two ledges on which this will stand
can be seen clearly in the photograph above. Network Rail has installed
a fully-signed diversion to the Two Tunnels Trail while these works
are in progress, and has promised to return the trail to its rightful
course over the viaduct in due course. (Brian Loughlin)
January 2016. Radstock
to Frome, Somerset. Bath & North East Somerset Council is about
to start work on removing young trees (mainly alder, sycamore and
willow) between Radstock and Kilmersdon because they have reduced
the bio-diversity along this old line, which now accommodates Colliers
Way and NCN24 – as well as the in situ but derelict
track which the North Somerset Railway aspires to use. The council
aims to restore a habitat which will support a greater variety of
wildlife. According to The Western Daily Press, 'Slow-worms and
common lizards, colonies of rare flowering plants, mining bees,
butterflies and damselflies will be among the wildlife to benefit'.
(Tim Chant)
January
2016. Witham
to Maldon, Essex. Essex County Council has proposed to 'upgrade'
Catholic Bridge in Colchester Road, Witham, by infilling it with
concrete and blocking permanently the Blackwater Trail which passes
underneath on its way from Witham to Maldon. The proposal has met
a well-deserved backlash from local residents, including Paul Ryland
who is the Chairman of Witham Town Council's Planning Committee.
He remarked, 'I don't think it sounds like a very good idea at all,
it's probably just been thought up by some clerk in an office who
is trying to save a few quid. If these are the proposals on the
cards, I think it is very stupid. It's all very short-sighted.'
Given that Sustrans has just finished spending £50 million
to put back missing bridges all around the UK, this club echoes
Mr Ryland's sentiments, especially considering that the Blackwater
Trail is one of the few traffic-free routes that links one end of
Witham with the other. The whole point and value of bridges is that
they offer 'grade separation' so that flows of walkers and cyclists
can be separated from flows of cars and lorries. If the bridge is
blocked and trail users forced to cross the B1389 on the level,
it will take only one serious accident to make the infilling of
this bridge look considerably worse than stupid. (Tim Chant and
Jeff Vinter)
January 2016.
Botolphs (nr. Bramber) to Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex. It
is good to start the New Year with a report that this section of
the Downs Link is closed until the start of February for
resurfacing work, although readers should expect an overrun
due to this winter's exceedingly wet weather. Bramber to Shoreham
is a very popular section of the trail, and the old surface had
taken a hammering. Further good news comes from West Sussex County
Council's website which states that, 'All of the Downs Link is surfaced'.
This used not to be the case and our correspondent can remember
some very muddy adventures on the trail in years gone by! (Jeff
Vinter)
January 2016.
Cranleigh to Guildford, Surrey. The idea of converting the this
part of the former Horsham to Guildford line into a guided busway
has been ruled out as 'too expensive', but Cranleigh's draft neighbourhood
plan still includes a proposal that it be used as a 'transport link'
to Guildford at peak times when the neighbouring A281 is 'too busy'.
This means reinstating the railway, although whether this proves
to be more manageable financially than the guided busway remains
to be seen. (Jeff Vinter) |
|
Above:
Donyatt
Halt in better times (see story below). The site is owned by Somerset
County Council but the restoration was carried out by the local community
between 2005 and 2009. Unfortunately, the halt has been the target
of several attacks, which have angered local residents; some are now
suggesting that a more substantial structure be installed. 10th July
2015. (Jenny Vinter) |
January 2016.
Donyatt, Somerset.
On the afternoon of Wednesday 25th November, the restored halt at
Donyatt on the former GWR branch line from Taunton to Chard Junction
burned to the ground. The police suspect arson and are investigating.
Click here
for a report on the 'westcountry' website. (Graeme Bickerdike) |
|