A Railway
Miscellany. This is one of those pages which comes together
from time to time with a rather unpredictable content. The furthest
flung photographs here come from the state of Victoria in Australia,
a country which usually is not represented in these pages at all.
The club is very grateful to Ali Ridgway and her husband Phil for
these contributions. |
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Above:
This is the disused station and running line at the small
town of Rushworth in Victoria, Australia. The branch line here was
just under 24½ miles long and was closed, like many others
in Australia, in the late 1980s. Look at the date and then compare
the weather with what the UK has to put up with at this time of
year! November 2015. (Ali Ridgway) |
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Left:
The view from Rushworth station looking over the
town's level crossing reveals the railway facilities to
be in very good condition considering that they have been
disused for a quarter of a century. At 24½ miles,
the branch was short by Australian standards; it came off
the Goulbourn Valley line at Murchison East.. When open,
it was used predominantly for grain traffic. November 2015
. (Ali Ridgway) |
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Left:
The view in the other direction doesn't look quite
so good, with a distinct wobble in the left hand rail and
a gap opposite. All three of these views were taken near
Rushworth Bakery. The railway does not appear to be marked
on Google Maps in 'Map View', but if you switch to 'Satellite
View' you can see the old line clearly running east-west
through the town, just south of where the bakery is indicated.
The link here
will take you straight to Rushworth on Google Maps. November
2015. (Ali Ridgway) |

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Above:
Walkers on New York's former High Line, an American elevated
railway. This old line is now a high level park which connects Gansevoort
Street to 34th Street. The High Line was built by the New York Central
Railroad between 1929 and 1934, but the decline of manufacturing in
Manhattan led to a corresponding decline in traffic which had reached
its nadir by the end of the 1960s. By 1999, the route was owned by
CSX Transportation, which commissioned the study which led to its
re-birth as a recreational trail and linear park. Summer 2016. (Lionel
Pilbeam) |
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Above:
This striking view of the High Line, with a yard full of
carriages below, features an overgrown set of tracks in the foreground.
Following years of local activism and collaboration, CSX Transportation
donated the High Line to the City of New York in 2005, since when
it has been open to the public. Summer 2016. (Lionel Pilbeam) |
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Above:
Returning to home shores, the station at Whitwell in Norfolk
is now the base of the Whitwell & Reepham Railway, a working operation
that runs steam and diesel services over its ¼ mile line. It
has also built up a collection of interesting rolling stock, which
includes this SECR mess van no. 11902. July 2015. (Rob Davidson) |
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Above:
This private owner's vehicle is Esso Fuel Oil Tank no. 43929,
built in 1958. Other examples include an SR full brake van and various
BR 12 ton box vans. July 2015. (Rob Davidson) |
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Above:
Apart from its unusual rolling stock, the W&RR also
has a collection of small diesel locomotives, including this Ruston
& Hornsby 0-4-0 no. 466629, which is operational; sister locomotive
518494, 'Swanworth', is under restoration. The development of this
railway centre has created a real point of interest on Marriott's
Way, the long distance railway path from Aylsham to Norwich via
Themelthorpe which passes the station. July 2015. (Rob Davidson)
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