Forgotten post-Beeching station closures

[gg1]

New Hadley in Telford. Closed in 1986 when Telford Central opened.

 

[34D]

To my mind, the very worst route closures took place in the 1968-70 period. These tend to be the ones that we want re-opened now !

For the 1980's Altofts between Normanton and Woodlesford closed at around this time (I can't see any trace of it from a passing train now).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
There used to be a few more in the Manchester area as well. Miles Platting and Pendleton spring to mind (from the photo's Pendleton had a lovely platform canopy as well !)

Rob, can you advise the precise location of Altofts station? No sign at all from rtrain or road that I can see.

Pretty much so, although according to Wikipedia, it finally closed in 1998, so it would have coexisted with Salford Crescent for a few years.

Come to think of it as well, the Clayton West branch.

In West Yorkshire, all I can think of post-Beeching in addition to the afore-mentioned is Leeds Whitehall.

 

[yorksrob]

Rob, can you advise the precise location of Altofts station? No sign at all from rtrain or road that I can see.

It was on the curve between Methley Junction and the Motorway somewhere, although where exactly it was I couldn't tell either ! (one of the road bridges might have a staff gate that could have been an entrance perhaps).

In West Yorkshire, all I can think of post-Beeching in addition to the afore-mentioned is Leeds Whitehall.

80's and 90's I can't think of anything either.

 

[kjhskj75]

Rob, can you advise the precise location of Altofts station? No sign at all from rtrain or road that I can see.

Just north of where the line crosses Pope St.

 

[David Goddard]

No sign of it on GoogleEarth, slightly suprising for a station that only closed 22 years ago.

Good reasons for closure - Normanton station is closer to Altofts in any case (plus "Station Road" in Altofts refers to the route to Normanton Station, plus of course the chord that it sat on was no longer used after trains were routed via Castleford.

 

[yorksrob]

No sign of it on GoogleEarth, slightly suprising for a station that only closed 22 years ago.

Good reasons for closure - Normanton station is closer to Altofts in any case (plus "Station Road" in Altofts refers to the route to Normanton Station, plus of course the chord that it sat on was no longer used after trains were routed via Castleford.

From the picture I've seen it did appear to be little more than a wooden halt (and a lot more solid looking stations have dissappeared without trace).

True about it being ridiculously close to Normanton. Altofts residents would be better served by providing a more direct approach road to Normanton station from the North (currently they have to take a detour through Normanton centre).

 

[34D]

Just north of where the line crosses Pope St.

Thanks to all. Was Pope Street the pedestrian access to it? It did guess it was perhaps near that road.

A west yorkshire station which may join this list is Micklefield, for which there is a resiting proposal (further west).

 

[kjhskj75]

I got the location from the maps at http://www.npemap.org.uk

It was originally called Altofts & Whitwell, and lay on the road connecting those villages.

 

[IanD]

Altofts and Whitwood. Was clearly visible from the M62 being on an embankment. Is that dogleg path from Pope Street the old access to the station?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=alt...ofts,+West+Yorkshire,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=19

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=alt...d=wXjBU6LaSX05BZDibWAltQ&cbp=12,15.14,,0,12.3

 

[AJP62]

Haltwhistle to Alston was well after Beeching and I think Penrith to Keswick was after his round too.

 

[Scouseinmanc]

I have a list of 196 stations that have closed since 1972. Below is one from each year (some years there weren't any, hence the gap!):

Alresford - Hants: 73.
Gloucester Eastgate - Gloucs: 75
Barry Pier - Vale of Glam: 76
Liverpool Exchange - Mside: 77
Manors North & East - Tyne & Wear: 78
Bridgeton Cen - Glasgow: 79
North Shields - Tyne & Wear: 80
New Holland Pier - Lincs: 81
Wrexham Exchange - Wrexham: 82
Clayton West - W Yorks: 83
Upton by Chester - Mside: 84
Lea Bridge - London: 85
Bathgate - W Lothian: 86
Royton Jcn - Gtr Mcr: 87
Balloch Cen: Dumbarton & Clydebank: 88
York (Layerthorpe) - N Yorks: 89
Holborn Viaduct - London: 90
Bury - Gtr Mcr: 91
Tilbury Riverside - Essex: 92
Brocklesby - Lincs: 93
Dover Marine / Western Docks - Kent: 94
Miles Platting - Gtr Mcr: 95
Watford Stadium - Herts: 96
Addiscombe - London: 97
Sinfin Cen - Derbs: 98
Dixter Halt - E Sussex: 2000
Folkestone Harbour - Kent: 01
Seaburn - Tyne & Wear: 02
Etruria - Staffs: 05
Allerton - Mside: 06
Waterloo Intl - London: 07
Abercynon Nth - Rhondda Cynon Taf: 08
Oldham Mumps - Gtr Mcr: 09

 

[PaulLothian]

I have a list of 196 stations that have closed since 1972. Below is one from each year (some years there weren't any, hence the gap!):

...Bathgate - W Lothian: 86 ...

Not quite right - the single track terminus Bathgate Station opened in 1986, only to close itself in 2010 when the new Bathgate Station replaced it in relation to Airdrie-Bathgate development.

An earlier Bathgate Station (almost on the alignment now used to leave Bathgate westwards) closed when services were withdrawn in January 1956. I believe that it opened in 1865, replacing the previous terminus of the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway, in a strange parallel with modern developments!

 

[Scouseinmanc]

Not quite right - the single track terminus Bathgate Station opened in 1986, only to close itself in 2010 when the new Bathgate Station replaced it in relation to Airdrie-Bathgate development.

An earlier Bathgate Station (almost on the alignment now used to leave Bathgate westwards) closed when services were withdrawn in January 1956. I believe that it opened in 1865, replacing the previous terminus of the Edinburgh and Bathgate Railway, in a strange parallel with modern developments!

Hi Paul

You are quite correct, hopefully my only error!!

I will amend my little list (as per below) & chuck in Boothferry Park Halt - East Yorks: 1986 instead!!

Alresford - Hants: 73.
Gloucester Eastgate - Gloucs: 75
Barry Pier - Vale of Glam: 76
Liverpool Exchange - Mside: 77
Manors North & East - Tyne & Wear: 78
Bridgeton Cen - Glasgow: 79
North Shields - Tyne & Wear: 80
New Holland Pier - Lincs: 81
Wrexham Exchange - Wrexham: 82
Clayton West - W Yorks: 83
Upton by Chester - Mside: 84
Lea Bridge - London: 85
Boothferry Park Halt - East Yorks: 86
Royton Jcn - Gtr Mcr: 87
Balloch Cen: Dumbarton & Clydebank: 88
York (Layerthorpe) - N Yorks: 89
Holborn Viaduct - London: 90
Bury - Gtr Mcr: 91
Tilbury Riverside - Essex: 92
Brocklesby - Lincs: 93
Dover Marine / Western Docks - Kent: 94
Miles Platting - Gtr Mcr: 95
Watford Stadium - Herts: 96
Addiscombe - London: 97
Sinfin Cen - Derbs: 98
Dixter Halt - E Sussex: 2000
Folkestone Harbour - Kent: 01
Seaburn - Tyne & Wear: 02
Etruria - Staffs: 05
Allerton - Mside: 06
Waterloo Intl - London: 07
Abercynon Nth - Rhondda Cynon Taf: 08
Oldham Mumps - Gtr Mcr: 09
Bathgate - W Lothian: 10

 

[DarloRich]

If i recall Cargo Fleet had a very wide island platform. You also had Grangetown the next but one station that closed about the same time. I would imagine they were both victims in the economic decline of the steel making & manufacturing area they served.

The thing about Cargo Fleet now is that it would serve the Riversdie Stadium and the area arorund the ground that is finally being regenerated. I think the council complained at the time of the closure and objected citing this regeneration. The platform survived until 2001/2002 iirc.

Greatham is a small village near hartlepool but it did have a massive salt extraction factory run by Cerebos. They made chutney for Sharwoods amoungst other stuff until it closed in 2002. There is a picture of the station here:

http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=7118
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Hi Paul

You are quite correct, hopefully my only error!!

I will amend my little list (as per below) & chuck in Boothferry Park Halt - East Yorks: 1986 instead!!

Manors North & East - Tyne & Wear: 78
North Shields - Tyne & Wear: 80
Seaburn - Tyne & Wear: 02

Seaburn, Manors & North Shields are now open as metro stations
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

However, West Bay station remains open as a cafe with track ending at the new park.
Track should really be relaid and FGW start services again, but that's just a dream that due to many reasons can never come true.

I tihnk your railway geography might have let you down there

 

[reb0118]

Balloch Cen: Dumbarton & Clydebank: 88

Balloch Central remains open - did you mean Balloch Pier?

EDIT: oops! Looks like Balloch Central did close in 1988 to be replaced with the nearby Balloch just south of the former LC. I'm sure that tickets were issued to/from Balloch Central for a long while after? Balloch Pier closed in 1986.

 

[W-on-Sea]

Ditton, in Widnes, closed in 1994.

I seem to recall reading that it was the very station in Widnes at which Paul Simon wrote "Homeward Bound"

 

[stut]

The short-lived Heathrow Junction - has that been mentioned?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
(Oh, and Workington North, come to think of it...)
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Oh yes, and I remember once catching the by then one-a-day service from Primrose Hill.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Ditton, in Widnes, closed in 1994.

I seem to recall reading that it was the very station in Widnes at which Paul Simon wrote "Homeward Bound"

That's interesting. They put the "Homeward bound" blue plaque up at Widnes station, but it kept getting nicked. Was the song really written at Ditton?

And a previous posting suggested Wrexham Exchange as a closure. It isn't closed. The single platform at Exchange is now considered part of Wrexham General which is adjacent.

There are now no Exchange stations left - Wrexham, Manchester, Bradford and Liverpool having all been closed or relocated or renamed.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

There's a lot of debate about the Paul Simon / Widnes thing. I had always believed it to be Widnes and once on TV they found the taxi driver who'd dropped him off. He confirmed it was at Widnes however said that they were somewhat late and he managed to get him to the station just before his train arrived, so he doesn't think it was written on the station.

I believe one of the Gallagher brothers wrote an Oasis song in the shelter at Farnworth station.

 

[tempests1]

We have Barbara Castle to thank for the closure of the Swanage Line, after the publication of Network for Development Plans in 1967, the line did well to hang on until January 1972.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I believe she also authorised the closure of Colne-Skipton in 1970. At the time she was MP for Blackburn, which is now one of the areas crying out for it to be reopened!