[John55]

Originally Posted by andchafri

Also serving a hospital was the line to Hellingly hospital in Sussex. It was the first and only line in Sussex to have overhead electrification

Although not entirely conventional in any respect The Brighton & Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway was in Sussex (at least at low tide!) and used trolley poles to pick up current from the overhead wires.

[Gareth]

Not UK, or even in the present, but when Romania was under Nicolae Ceausescu's oppressive regime, his stupendously huge palace had a pretty sizable railway station underneath it so that he didn't need to mix with the 'plebs'.

Unofrtunately, I can't find any photos of this. I assume it was quickly ripped out when Ceausescu was toppled and was probably never photographed during his regime.

[WatcherZero]

Originally Posted by Gareth

Not UK, or even in the present, but when Romania was under Nicolae Ceausescu's oppressive regime, his stupendously huge palace had a pretty sizable railway station underneath it so that he didn't need to mix with the 'plebs'.

Unofrtunately, I can't find any photos of this. I assume it was quickly ripped out when Ceausescu was toppled and was probably never photographed during his regime.

I believe he had a private Motorway tunnel under the city too.

[142094]

Originally Posted by ainsworth74

Saltburn had an extension from the station to The Zetland Hotel (now flats) which I think was for first class passengers only but I'm not sure on that last point.

Was going to mention that - would have been quite fantastic to step straight from the train into the hotel.

[Jan]

Originally Posted by Gareth

Not UK, or even in the present, but when Romania was under Nicolae Ceausescu's oppressive regime, his stupendously huge palace had a pretty sizable railway station underneath it so that he didn't need to mix with the 'plebs'.

Hmm, to me, this rather sounds like a slightly distorted version of another, more popular urban myth, which says that he had built a private underground line linking his palace and Otopeni airport.
There actually is, as far as I know, a tunnel linking his former palace and a nearby underground station, and there might be other tunnels between government buildings in the city centre, but in my opinion, anything else is probably just an urban myth.

[LE Greys]

Originally Posted by Jan

Hmm, to me, this rather sounds like a slightly distorted version of another, more popular urban myth, which says that he had built a private underground line linking his palace and Otopeni airport.
There actually is, as far as I know, a tunnel linking his former palace and a nearby underground station, and there might be other tunnels between government buildings in the city centre, but in my opinion, anything else is probably just an urban myth.

There were certainly the tunnels that the Top Gear mob went zooming around in, although I haven't the foggiest what purpose they served. Part of it might be conflating with the tunnels under the Kremlin that connect to the Moscow Metro, which is sufficiently deep that it can serve as a nuclear shelter if need-be. The original plan if the West attacked was to evacuate the Politburo by train to a large bunker in the Urals, although they realised later how vulnerable the railway was and switched to helicopters, but still had the Metro to get to the airport if they had to.
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Originally Posted by DaveNewcastle

There's a story, which is similar to an hotel with a private Railway line, attached to the cliff-top location in Yorkshire called Ravenscar.
Someone else will have more detail, but I'm sure the landowner was simultaneously constructing the railway between Whitby and Scarborough and an hotel at the remote village known as Ravenscar, as well as being responsible for starting to build a community at the village which included inventing the name for the place.

While wishing the hotel to be served by the railway line, he didn't want it to be visible by guests, so arranged for it to run through a tunnel.

The schemes were not a success. There's just a handful of residents at Ravenscar today.

Pity, Scarborough-Whitby seems like a useful link in the summer months.

[pitdiver]

Originally Posted by andchafri

Also serving a hospital was the line to Hellingly hospital in Sussex. It was the first and only line in Sussex to have overhead electrification

I know Hellingly Hospital. If I recall it was a psychiatric hospital similar to the one where I lived.

Played in a band once at Hellingly Hospital once.

[ainsworth74]

Originally Posted by LE Greys

Pity, Scarborough-Whitby seems like a useful link in the summer months.

Once upon a time it would have been possible to travel from Hull to Middlesbrough via the coast. Whilst I have no idea of the service pattern along the various lines (I assume changes would have been needed at Scarborough and Whitby) it would have been useful for me travelling home from Uni to be able travel on those lines. All gone now of course Scarborough - Whitby to the Beeching Axe and Saltburn - Whitby before that due to the low ridership (excepting summer months) and high infrastructure maintenance costs.

[IanXC]

Originally Posted by Jan

Hmm, to me, this rather sounds like a slightly distorted version of another, more popular urban myth, which says that he had built a private underground line linking his palace and Otopeni airport.
There actually is, as far as I know, a tunnel linking his former palace and a nearby underground station, and there might be other tunnels between government buildings in the city centre, but in my opinion, anything else is probably just an urban myth.

Its not that unusual for these kinds of facilities to be located under the government quarter of any capital city. I once heard its possible to get from the Palace of Westminster to Admiralty Arch without going above ground, or into any public area.

Isn't there also a London Underground stop that was maintained during the Cold War as a route to evacuating Policitians, Senior Civil Servants and Royals from London, should "the balloon go up, and the lights go out"?

[142094]

One of the reasons I believe the line through Ravenscar was closed was due to a very steep gradient on one section.

[matchmaker]

The former Woodilee Hospital near Glasgow had a rail link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodilee_Hospital

[Shimbleshanks]

I believe there are a few hotels in the Alps that have their own private funicular railways.

[route:oxford]

I'm not keen on the Daily Mail, but today they've published a beautiful overhead pic of Gleneagles from 1932 which clearly shows the Railway line.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/...76_964x796.jpg

[Paul Sidorczuk]

On the Preston and Longridge railway, there was a branch line which branched off at Grimsargh, that served Whittingham Hospital, which was the largest mental (sic) hospital in Britain.

The two-mile long branch line was built in 1887 and fully operational from 1889 to its closure date of 30th June 1957. It was built to carry coal and other goods to the hospital and also provided transport and visitors and free transport for the staff in converted brake vans. The trains (as many as 12 per day) were timed to connect with the trains at Grimsargh.

The locomotives used on this branch line were industrial types, but there was one exception, which was purchased from British Railways in February 1948 and was an ex-London, Brighton and South Coast Railway locomotive, number 357 "Riddlesdown"

[lookingforit35]

Brookwood Cemetry near Woking had it's own branch, used by the London Necropolis Railway. Granted its not exactly a hotel, but once you'd "checked in" I guess you'd never want to leave!

http://www.tbcs.org.uk/railway.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_...ailway_station