Which lines were permanently closed due to weather events?

[backontrack]

From another thread:

...and plenty of passenger lines were closed without...a major geological event!

This begs a good question: which lines were closed due to geological or meteological events?

The one that springs to mind for me is the Berwickshire Railway. Running from St Boswells to Reston on the ECML via Earlston, Greenlaw, Duns and Chirnside, it was forced into partial closure in 1948 when a rainstorm breached the line near Earlston, resulting in damage to embankments and bridge infrastructure. Duns, Edrom and Chirnside stations were retained with a branchline service running to and from Reston until 1951 (when the branch closed to passengers and goods alike), but the rest was shut down (although a goods service between St Boswells and Greenlaw did resume, persisting until 1965).

 

[yorksrob]

From another thread:


This begs a good question: which lines were closed due to geological or meteological events?

The one that springs to mind for me is the Berwickshire Railway. Running from St Boswells to Reston on the ECML via Earlston, Greenlaw, Duns and Chirnside, it was forced into partial closure in 1948 when a rainstorm breached the line near Earlston, resulting in damage to embankments and bridge infrastructure. Duns, Edrom and Chirnside stations were retained with a branchline service running to and from Reston until 1951 (when the branch closed to passengers and goods alike), but the rest was shut down (although a goods service between St Boswells and Greenlaw did resume, persisting until 1965).

The route over the Severn bridge closed when a boat ran into it.

 

[Gloster]

The Oban line east of Crianlarich closed early due to a landslide.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Section of the old Ruabon -> Barmouth line near Llandderfel station in Gwynedd, North Wales (near Bala) closed in December 1964 about five weeks before it had originally been scheduled due to flooding on the nearby River Dee. Didn't re-open.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Carmarthen - Lampeter - Aberystwyth , (passenger service) - washed out near Llanilar and not repaired. Remnants of freight serviced to 1973.

Bridge over Solway Firth from Annan ?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Bridge over Solway Firth from Annan ?

That was partly due to icebergs in the Solway, wasn't it?

 

[pdeaves]

The Midland route Yate-Bristol (I think) closed about a week early because of some weather.

 

[Gloster]

A quick skim through Passengers No More (second edition) reveals only Roxburgh-Jedburgh, which lost its passenger service at the same time as the Berwickshire Railway. It managed to retain its goods services for a few more years, so did not close completely as a result.

 

[Cowley]

The Teign Valley route from Exeter to Heathfield was washed out by flooding in 1961 although it had already lost its passenger service by then and was only clinging on for a few freight services.

 

[181]

A quick skim through Passengers No More (second edition) reveals only Roxburgh-Jedburgh, which lost its passenger service at the same time as the Berwickshire Railway. It managed to retain its goods services for a few more years, so did not close completely as a result.

I think the Alnwick-Coldstream line (already closed to passengers since the 1930s) was severed in the same set of floods, although freight remained on the two separate sections for some years afterwards.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Is discussion limited to UK lines?

I offer in Peru: the length of line beyond La Hidroelectrica to Quillabamba - closed in 1998 due to El Nino (this is the continuation of the line from Aguas Calientes (for Machu Picchu). EDIT: The line only opened in 1978.

In Chile I offer: 'Ferrocarril de Topicilla a El Toco' the railway from the coast (Topicilla) to Nitrate works (Maria Elena and others). The line was electrified and zig-zagged up from the coastal port. It was closed due to severe flood damage in 2015 and the operator had recently purchased new electric locomotives for the line. It can be viewed in Extreme Railways with Chris Tarrant (series 2, episode 2) - this was first broadcast in 2015 - so filmed not that long before closure. Other video clips are available on Youtube.

 

[ge-gn]

Heacham to Wells on Sea line closed in 1953, when the line between Holkham and Wells was washed out by a tidal surge.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Bridge over Solway Firth from Annan ?

That was partly due to icebergs in the Solway, wasn't it?

Understand now that the Solway viaduct was patched up / rebuilt after being badly damaged by icebergs in the early 1880's, the subsequent closure (and demolition) post World War One was more due to a drop off in freight trade and the viaduct's owners being disinclined (or unable) to spend the necessary money required for essential bridge maintenance to stop the structure from collapsing.

Last passenger and goods traffic was in c. 1921 and the bridge was subsequently demolished a decade or so later.

 

[Calthrop]

Heacham to Wells on Sea line closed in 1953, when the line between Holkham and Wells was washed out by a tidal surge.

My information is a little different -- am not asserting any certainty of my version being totally right: but, according to Daniels & Dench's Passengers No More, the line's passenger service was withdrawn w.e.f 2/6/1952; it remained in use throughout, for freight. The "tidal surge" as above -- large-scale and very severe flooding affecting both sides of the southern North Sea, taking place end-Jan. / beginning-Feb. 1953 -- caused great damage to the closer-to-the-coast stretch of the line, between Wells and Burnham Market -- that part of the line was consequently abandoned. Heacham -- Burnham Market continued in freight use until, I believe, the early 1960s. I saw the line in the late '50s, near its Heacham end: track was down, seemingly in good shape, and if I recall correctly, some goods wagons in sidings at intermediate stations.

 

[2HAP]

Uckfield - Lewes closed early due to flood damage to a viaduct.

 

[Gloster]

I think the Alnwick-Coldstream line (already closed to passengers since the 1930s) was severed in the same set of floods, although freight remained on the two separate sections for some years afterwards.

I think the washout was just north of Ilderton and the line was worked as two separate parts: Alnwick-Ilderton and Coldstream-Wooler, though the first didn’t last long. Trains had to be propelled to Ilderton from, I think, Wooperton as there was no loop at the former.

 

[Calthrop]

Another British "victim of the elements" was the 2ft. 3in. gauge Corris Railway. Passenger service withdrawn by the GWR in 1931; freight traffic continued until (shortly) after nationalisation at the beginning of 1948. Quoting the Wiki article on the Corris (which I feel perhaps "protests a little too much"): "BR was looking for an excuse to close the loss-making railway. In August 1948 that excuse came when the River Dyfi flooded. The waters began to undermine the Corris Railway embankment on the south side of the Dyfi bridge, and although the track was never breached, it was the excuse that BR needed to close the line. The last train ran on 20 August 1948 and the following day the railway was closed, without notice."

In reference to the above quotation -- re the "excuse" business on which Wiki seems here almost to fixate: possibly I'll seem here like a "Captain Obvious", labouring a point of which all posters are well cognizant, and take as "understood" concerning the closures told of in this thread, without needing to expound on it. However; a common factor would seem to be, concerning line closures as a result of geological or meteorological events -- such lines are highly likely to have become little-used / financially loss-making (in some cases posted on in this thread, with closure already decided and ratified for a not at all distant date): the damage from the elements furnishing a welcome justification for closure or truncation of the route concerned. When such damage occurs to a route which the railway administration concerned, is at the time determined to retain in service: money / facilities / resources are found in order to make all necessary repairs.

 

[hst43102]

Not a British line but I should think that the Florida East Coast Overseas Railroad fits this description perfectly!

Overseas Railroad - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Revaulx]

The Black Harry Tunnel line, though that wasn’t just a weather event.

 

[davetheguard]

The Teign Valley route from Exeter to Heathfield was washed out by flooding in 1961 although it had already lost its passenger service by then and was only clinging on for a few freight services.

That's interesting. Any idea which section that was Mr. Cowley?

 

[Gloster]

That's interesting. Any idea which section that was Mr. Cowley?

According to the excellent disused-stations site it was just south of Christow, resulting in the line being close north of Trusham. The line had already been completely closed between Christow and Exeter.

 

[swt_passenger]

I think the Alnwick-Coldstream line (already closed to passengers since the 1930s) was severed in the same set of floods, although freight remained on the two separate sections for some years afterwards.

The bad 1848 floods in Berwickshire and Glendale (the wider Wooler area) were all but repeated in late October 1949. Some local news reports suggest the impact of the 1849 floods was considered even worse. It was in this latter period that the decisive bridge failure near Ilderton occurred, with the Cornhill line then being split and operated as two separate branches..

(My father was fairly familiar with the line‘s run down, as his grandfather (a guard) had taken him on many trips up and down between Alnwick and Cornhill in the early 30s, after reduction to goods only. IIRC from his stories of the post war period the goods service was quite the bare minimum, and in its last few months only ran on an ‘as required’ basis. He reckoned that Wooperton station itself hung on for almost 2 years after all the other stations on the Alnwick side of the breach closed, maybe they consolidated all the remaining traffic at the one place. I was told cattle carriage continued almost to the end.)

 

[Gloster]

The bad 1848 floods in Berwickshire and Glendale (the wider Wooler area) were all but repeated in late October 1949. Some local news reports suggest the impact of the 1849 floods was considered even worse. It was in this latter period that the decisive bridge failure near Ilderton occurred, with the Cornhill line then being split and operated as two separate branches..

It was the Lil Burn immediately north of Ilderton that was washed out in November 1949. It look as though the washout was so close to the loop’s north end points that it was no longer possible to safely run round, which was why they had to propel from Wooperton to Ilderton.

 

[swt_passenger]

It was the Lil Burn immediately north of Ilderton that was washed out in November 1949. It look as though the washout was so close to the loop’s north end points that it was no longer possible to safely run round, which was why they had to propel from Wooperton to Ilderton.

That’s highly likely, I agree, especially if the embankment on the station side of the bridge failed badly, maybe because it was acting as a sort of dam?

If anyone’s looking at the site it’s shown as the “Lilburn Burn“ on modern OS maps of course.