Buying a disused railway line

[EnriqueEspaña]

Hi All

I am wondering if the forum's hive mind can help me. I am starting to investigate the possibility of buying a disused railway line. I am looking for suggestions of routes that people may be aware of within the UK, Republic of Ireland and Spain.

I am not looking to run trains on this as I would expect this to be beyond my budget and competence but was thinking of creating a private linear garden, which I would open on certain days for public visits if there is interest.

Below are my criteria:

- Almost uninterrupted track bed minimum of a mile long (level crossings, small roads and farm tracks fine, no housing or commercial premises)

- Bonus points for any extant platforms, unoccupied station buildings, signal boxes that could be converted into a residence or hotel/Airbnb/cafe/restaurant.

- preferably in a fairly scenic location.

This is just an initial phase of research, would love to hear everyone's suggestions so I can compile a list of possible locations and start researching who owns the land.

Thanks in advance

 

[kieranc97]

Hi All

I am wondering if the forum's hive mind can help me. I am starting to investigate the possibility of buying a disused railway line. I am looking for suggestions of routes that people may be aware of within the UK, Republic of Ireland and Spain.

I am not looking to run trains on this as I would expect this to be beyond my budget and competence but was thinking of creating a private linear garden, which I would open on certain days for public visits if there is interest.

Below are my criteria:

- Almost uninterrupted track bed minimum of a mile long (level crossings, small roads and farm tracks fine, no housing or commercial premises)

- Bonus points for any extant platforms, unoccupied station buildings, signal boxes that could be converted into a residence or hotel/Airbnb/cafe/restaurant.

- preferably in a fairly scenic location.

This is just an initial phase of research, would love to hear everyone's suggestions so I can compile a list of possible locations and start researching who owns the land.

Thanks in advance

Elsecar heritage railway line on the outskirts of Barnsley. Used to run for a little over a mile, the main station is part of a heritage centre complex. Been shut since before COVID outbreak. Last time I visited the site the station site was still in tact and the track bed for the length of the line was still there also. Very pretty line that runs up the side of a small river until it's reaches the former hemingfield colliery site.

The council did have plans to reopen it but no news for a very long time so could be worth some enquires. There is some railway stock on the site at the moment, including a shunter and a few carriages/wagons.

 

[EnriqueEspaña]

Elsecar heritage railway line on the outskirts of Barnsley. Used to run for a little over a mile, the main station is part of a heritage centre complex. Been shut since before COVID outbreak. Last time I visited the site the station site was still in tact and the track bed for the length of the line was still there also. Very pretty line that runs up the side of a small river until it's reaches the former hemingfield colliery site.

The council did have plans to reopen it but no news for a very long time so could be worth some enquires. There is some railway stock on the site at the moment, including a shunter and a few carriages/wagons.

Thanks for your suggestion. Without divulging too much, this one is a dead end. As a Barnsley FC fan it would have been perfect. Up the Tykes!

Worth mentioning I am would be looking to buy and not lease.

 

[renegademaster]

I have fantasies of winning the Euro millions and buying the mothballed remanents of the Addiscombe-South Croydon line and turning it into a minimum gauge railway. I too am curious if that would be something NR would ever consider for the right price.

I can't see it ever getting used for anything now tramlink sits on most of the line. However property developers have probably thought the same thing and must have been slapped down , or given too high a price.

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

If you can bear with things not being standard gauge, Kerr’s miniature railway is still knocking about: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerr's_Miniature_Railway

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

Not many in the UK I'd have thought. Most of the Beeching closures were (unwisely) sold off piecemeal and those that weren't have mainly been re-used for highway or active travel schemes.

Your best bet might be a heritage line that bit off a bit more than it can chew. Quite a few have trackbed reserved for 'future extentions' that are very unlikely to happen. I don't want to name names here for obvious reasons but if you search out heritage outfits in financial difficulties, it might be worth inquiring whether the have any surpless trackbed to dispose of.

 

[Trainlog]

I have fantasies of winning the Euro millions and buying the mothballed remanents of the Addiscombe-South Croydon line and turning it into a minimum gauge railway. I too am curious if that would be something NR would ever consider for the right price.

I can't see it ever getting used for anything now tramlink sits on most of the line. However property developers have probably thought the same thing and must have been slapped down , or given too high a price.

Granted for a different part of London, but I wish that the Ruislip lido was built to a 15-inch and not a 12-inch gauge. It would certainly allow for a wider pool of guests, however, they seem to be doing very well without needing to do so.

Rant over, to answer the OP's question, it would certainly be tough to achieve, especially for a mile long. Most of these sites are either heritage railways, built over, or part of a cycle route/walking trail, with the stations already purchased. The best alternative I could think of is perhaps looking into an abandoned station with a decent clearance from the railway itself, or an old goods shed, as there are plenty of them around still, and there are successful conversions of these old buildings.

I'm not sure what its status of ownership is right now but I would suggest Lydd station on the Dungeness branch off the top of my head, providing you could come to some arrangement with Network Rail regarding clearances from the platform as there are still occasional freight trains, and the fact that the station still has to be restored aswell from a fire it had two years ago.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Probably not what you had in mind but what about the disused line between Kelvinbridge and Botanic Gardens in Glasgow? The platforms at Botanic Gardens are intact, the land is urban so not “scenic” but one of the most attractive Victorian parts of Glasgow, and the potential for some kind of development in this affluent, student-y, tourist-y area would be significant…of course there are probably thousands of reasons why this is not viable, and I have no idea who owns it.

 

[CMS1]

There's North Elmham to Country School, sure the Mid Norfolk Railway would run some trains for you in return!

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Railway Paths Ltd have some sections for sale. In particular the length near Redmile in Notts. https://www.railwaypaths.org.uk/current-land-opportunities/

 

[EnriqueEspaña]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, especially BodoThePeasant, I will be getting in touch with Railway Paths Limited to enquire about some of their listings.

I don't want to block heritage railways from expanding so am reluctant to look for land attached to one, as I would want to block future expansion and would want to convert the land predominantly for my own personal use.

 

[Topological]

Porth to Maerdy (SW008) would have an appropriate natural background.

It would take some top-level crayoning to ever imagine a rail use for that line.

 

[woodend01]

Plenty of recent(ish) disused and lifted lines around the Staveley and Bolsover area due to the mines closing. Specifically the lines around the ex Seymour Junction.