[Trivia] Unused railway infrastructure?

[61653 HTAFC]

A fair bit of work was done on the extension of the Chessington branch to Leatherhead before WW2 got in the way. There's the continuation of the embankment for a while and of course the second platform at Chessington South!

 

[Sox]

Interesting - didn't know that line was proposed.

Where is that location and is there a link to details about the line?

thanks

I have read more detail elsewhere but there is some information on Wikipedia:

In 1846, the Fleetwood, Preston and West Riding Junction Railway (FP&WRR) Company was set up. It had an ambitious plan to link Fleetwood on the Lancashire coast to Leeds and Bradford in Yorkshire. It would link the existing Preston and Wyre Joint Railway to the Longridge line in Preston, and build a new line from Grimsargh via Ribchester, Hurst Green and Clitheroe to Skipton, where it would join the proposed Leeds and Bradford Extension Railway.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_and_Longridge_Railway

 

[cornishjohn]

I don't know that 13 years is a 'very short life'

Seems to be about 10% of the age of most stations around. Even most of the Beeching closures had been around longer than that.

At college I was told the loosely "expected" life of a capital project was 30 years.

 

[steamybrian]

There are a number of railways around the country which construction work was started but never completed and subsequently abandoned. Some of already been mentioned but here are a few more-
Newport Pagnall- Olney
Mid Suffolk Light Railway...Kenton- Westerfield (track completed to Debenham)
East Kent Railway..Sandwich Road- Richborough Port. Station at Richborough Port but Railway Inspector refused to permit opening.
Mistley, Thorpe and Walton Railway in Essex. There are surviving earthworks near Mistley.
Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway. First 6 miles from Cromarty constructed and track laid but subsequently abandoned in the early 1900s.

 

[najaB]

At college I was told the loosely "expected" life of a capital project was 30 years.

True, but its not like the terminal was demolished - it's being redeveloped and its second life will likely be longer than its first.

 

[yorksrob]

Apart from Fawkham Junction to Southfleet Junction of course, which has been something of a white elephant. Having said that, it was built largely on the trackbed of the Gravesend West branch, so its construction cost was presumably fairly marginal.

Arguably the Gravesend West branch itself was a bit of a white elephant for the LC&DR !

 

[Taunton]

True, but its not like the terminal was demolished - it's being redeveloped and its second life will likely be longer than its first.

It does seem likely - in a couple of years it's second life (laying derelict) will start being longer than it's first, active period.

There have been constant mentions of a third life, bringing it back into use, almost every year since closure, but still I've never seen a train in there.

Given that it actually replaced a couple of the Windsor Line platforms in the old station, it will be nothing more than a reversion to the status quo.

 

[najaB]

There have been constant mentions of a third life, bringing it back into use, almost every year since closure, but still I've never seen a train in there.

More platforms and longer trains for Waterloo station

Five former Eurostar platforms at London Waterloo station will be brought back into service.

The £800m redevelopment of Britain's busiest station will also extend platforms 1-4 to accommodate longer trains to Reading.

It comes after South West Trains announced the launch of a new fleet of trains with free wifi, wider doors and air conditioning.
Waterloo's peak time capacity will rise by 30%, say Network Rail.

 

[Hophead]

It does seem likely - in a couple of years it's second life (laying derelict) will start being longer than it's first, active period.

There have been constant mentions of a third life, bringing it back into use, almost every year since closure, but still I've never seen a train in there.

Given that it actually replaced a couple of the Windsor Line platforms in the old station, it will be nothing more than a reversion to the status quo.

Hasn't platform 20 (the opposite side of the platform 19 island, and the first inside the International Terminal) seen use by SWT? Is it in use still, or was that just a temporary thing?

 

[Old Yard Dog]

An east-facing bay platform was built at Ellesmere Port on the north side of the station for Helsby services - but no track was ever laid.

Trains for Helsby and Liverpool now depart from platforms on opposite sides of the track and use trailing crossovers to switch tracks (which might seem slightly confusing to travelling normals).

 

[PeterC]

Has anybody mentioned the two east facing bay platforms at Stratford (built as 4 and 7)? Platform 4 later became the DLR terminus pre Crossrail but 7 was never used.

I believe that another was the connection from the WCML to Hemel Hempstead gas works built to replace the branch from the MML and opened just as they converted to natural gas.

 

[Ediswan]

There is an unused fourth platform face at Hertford North. Still visible through the fence from platform 1 amongst the shrubbery.

 

[GlosRail]

The old footbridge at Swindon station which was installed about 1990 and knocked down a year or two ago. I don't ever remember it being open.

Also I was reading about a railway bridge built over the M50 (in 1960) to carry the Tewkesbury to Malvern railway which then closed a year after the motorway was opened in 1961. The bridge was finally removed about 4 years ago having spent over 50 years out of use.

 

[30907]

Is there a viaduct somewhere in the Dewsbury area that was constructed by the Midland Railway?

This was pointing in the direction of Bradford, but as the Midland Railway ran out of money (not for the first time), they then decided to abandon that proposed route and instead make Leeds City the hub for the West Riding of Yorkshire.

A cut-off line was proposed from Royston towards Bradford around 1900, but only got as far as Dewsbury, plus a connection down to the LYR. And people have been talking about a line across Bradford almost ever since - even on this forum!

 

[30907]

I have read more detail elsewhere but there is some information on Wikipedia:



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preston_and_Longridge_Railway

It nevertheless puzzles me why they started earthworks in so inaccessible a location. Hurst Green (I had business there this afternoon) is hardly a metropolis....Fascinating!

 

[tellytype]

From memory, however I believe it's the case that at least some of the workings at Shakespeare Cliff, in particular the access adit and sloping road tunnel, were incorporated into the eventual Channel Tunnel.

Access Adits (& shafts too) are now part of the NVS / SVS - NVS being on the NE side of the A20 (odd concrete structure surrounded by wire & cameras, presumably because it leads directly into the Service Tunnel) SVS being at the foot of the cliff & road tunnel - now a nature reserve, Samphire Hoe.

Adit A1 (1975) carries four chiller loops. One heads inland in Running Tunnel South and loops back from Castle Hill Portal. The second heads out to sea in Running Tunnel South to the tunnel mid-point. The third heads inland in Running Tunnel North and loops back from Castle Hill Portal. The fourth heads out to sea in Running Tunnel North to the tunnel mid-point

Adit A2 Way 15(1988) runs more north-easterly direction passing over the 1881 Channel Tunnel, then crossing 8 metres below Adit A1, and then also diagonally under the Shakespeare Cliff mainline tunnels. It now forms part of the Supplementry Ventilation System.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

The Clayton West branch had earthworks and bridges (not sure about the one tunnel on the line) enough to accommodate double track, presumably with the possibility of extension to Barnsley in mind. However only a single track was laid along with sidings for the local collieries.

 

[DerekC]

I believe that another was the connection from the WCML to Hemel Hempstead gas works built to replace the branch from the MML and opened just as they converted to natural gas.

This is supported by the evidence from old OS maps - the connection appears between 1947 and 1966 (marked disused) and from memory the conversion to natural gas in the area was in about 1963. Interestingly tracks on the same alignment existed earlier - shown in about 1875, but these seem to have had some sort of wagon turntable connection to the LNWR yard. By 1895 the end of the MR branch had been cut back to the gas works.

In a different area - a north to east chord between the DN&SR and LSWR at Whitchurch (Hants) - a bridge under the old A34 was built and still exists (although filled in) and a short length of cutting in the field to the east. The line of the chord is shown nicely in fencing on the contemporary map.

 

[Sox]

It nevertheless puzzles me why they started earthworks in so inaccessible a location. Hurst Green (I had business there this afternoon) is hardly a metropolis....Fascinating!

Only a personal theory but it could be that the landowner, with a vested interest in the the railway, just "took it upon himself" to make a start. Maybe he was looking to create jobs for his workers in straitened times or even a rich man's folly.

Not my neck of the woods anymore but, as there seems to be a footpath running by, it would be nice to see some photographs taken from ground level.

 

[DerekC]

Anyone know why the Waterloo and City line southbound running tunnel extends north for 100 yards or so at Bank? It was adopted for the low level cross-passage to DLR/Northern Line in the 1990s, but the change in section half way along is very clear. Some idea of linking northwards, maybe, but with what?

 

[30907]

Only a personal theory but it could be that the landowner, with a vested interest in the the railway, just "took it upon himself" to make a start. Maybe he was looking to create jobs for his workers in straitened times or even a rich man's folly.

Not my neck of the woods anymore but, as there seems to be a footpath running by, it would be nice to see some photographs taken from ground level.

Sounds plausible. Maybe when the weather improves I'll wangle a walk round there.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

There is the remains of a viaduct at Chamber Street just outside Fenchurch Street on the north side of the main line.


https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5111306,-0.0718913,239m/data=!3m1!1e3

Streetview:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.5...4!1sKlqH1uKP57afSm9PRy862g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

 

[yorksrob]

The earthworks for the West - South curve at Yeovil Junction ?

 

[jamesst]

That siding at the south end of Liverpool Central that I think was originally meant to head in to a tunnel.

Well used by empty stock moves. There is however a siding at the Liverpool end of Bidston which is never used and indeed not even signed by traincrew

 

[Waldgrun]

Another bit of railway that took a lot of effort to built but was never used, nor indeed was it completed. Can be found on the North West Side of Hayling Island. Just to the south of the former bridge, it was planned to built the line on an embankment to the south of the Island at Sinah Common where a new harbour would have been built, the embankment would have reclaimed a large amount of land. However the power of nature was too much and due to storm damage the embankment was not completed, and the line to Hayling was then constructed on dry land to the east of the proposed route. Some parts of the embankment where used to form Oyster beds and can be seen on O.S. Maps

 

[John Luxton]

Quite extensive remains just south of Beddgelert Station on the Welsh Highland Railway comprising partly built embankment, road over bridge and incomplete accommodation bridge in the middle of a field to which the embankment never reached. These were for the aborted Porthmadog Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway which was proposed to link the North Wales Narrow Gauge Rly to Porthmadog. The complete system was to be electric powered by the Cwm Dyli hydro electric station which was complete and remains in use. A recent book The Ghosts of Aberglaslyn I see a detailed illustrated history and recommended for those who want to find out more.

 

[edwin_m]

The Clayton West branch had earthworks and bridges (not sure about the one tunnel on the line) enough to accommodate double track, presumably with the possibility of extension to Barnsley in mind. However only a single track was laid along with sidings for the local collieries.

There were quite a few lines where that happened, though usually just the structures because the earthworks could always be widened later. One really odd example was a double track overbridge at Measurements Halt on the Delph branch, which according to a nearby information board was (possibly the only) part of a project to convert it into a Trans-Pennine main line.

 

[RichJF]

There are a number of railways around the country which construction work was started but never completed and subsequently abandoned. Some of already been mentioned but here are a few more-
Newport Pagnall- Olney
Mid Suffolk Light Railway...Kenton- Westerfield (track completed to Debenham)
East Kent Railway..Sandwich Road- Richborough Port. Station at Richborough Port but Railway Inspector refused to permit opening.
Mistley, Thorpe and Walton Railway in Essex. There are surviving earthworks near Mistley.
Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway. First 6 miles from Cromarty constructed and track laid but subsequently abandoned in the early 1900s.

Ouse Valley Railway in Sussex you can add to your list! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouse_Valley_Railway
http://www.horstedkeynes.com/ousevalley.html

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Jubilee line Charing Cross and the running tunnel to the east where work to extend along the strand towarda Aldwych was planned but never happened

Piccadilly line one of the running tunnels and associated platform aldwych-holborn was put out of use and lifted not long after opening

Todays northern line no longer serves king william street

 

[och aye]

Meadowbank Stadium station