Abandoned lines least likely to be reinstated.

[Grecian 1998]

The Chesterfield to Lincoln (or at least Langwith Junction) line is probably the winner - I can't imagine anyone has spent even a minute campaigning to reopen it. It includes the 2.4km Bolsover Tunnel closed in December 1951 due to its poor condition. BR started infilling it in 1966 and ended up abandoning that due to the working conditions. The cuttings on either side have been infilled. Even the most optimistic enthusiast probably has to accept that one isn't coming back.

Abbotsbury to Upwey has to be a strong contender. I can't see a case being made for the inhabitants of two small Dorset villages deserting a regular bus service into Weymouth town for a trundling branch line dumping them in a small suburb to the north. The Portland branch would also have a hopeless case given how little of the island it could practically serve compared to a bus.

Pretty much any line closed in the 1950s would fall into this category - if its business case was that poor it closed long before rail enthusiasts had ever heard of Richard Beeching, it won't be returning unless major gold deposits are found about 300m away.

A bit like the S&D really. A pity nobody built a decent route north from the Bournemouth - Southampton region, except, I suppose, the line to Salisbury-Westbury-Bristol.

The southern bit of the S&D from Blandford into Bournemouth might just about have had some value as a local route into the SED conurbation, but as a through route it had no chance of surviving and no chance of returning. Any desire for a Bournemouth / Poole - Bath / Bristol service could be far more effectively met by a west to north curve at Redbridge.

 

[Kingston Dan]

Given the cost of real estate Shoreditch High Street to Broad Street is surely one.

 

[geoffk]

A bit like the S&D really. A pity nobody built a decent route north from the Bournemouth - Southampton region, except, I suppose, the line to Salisbury-Westbury-Bristol.

I suspect , even the entrepreneurial Victorians , would have balked at any more expenditure on the S&D.

Hugely loved by some , a good local employer , but essentially a "local" service for whatever one cares to make of it , - a glorious , photographed heyday thanks to Ivo Peters - but a few busy weeks in the Summer months was not a real winner.

Try doing a simple business case for it in the 21st century........

At the risk of digressing, I read years ago in a magazine about a proposed junction at Newton St. Loe, with the Midland line from Mangotsfield diverted to join the GW line there. This would have allowed trains to and from the north to use an enlarged Bath Spa station, then continue via Bathampton and on to the Camerton branch, somehow joining the S&D where the two lines crossed at Midford. There would have been some big engineering challenges and I can't remember now in which magazine I saw it - the Railway Magazine I think. A benefit would have been avoiding the steep climb out of Bath GP with those nasty single-line tunnels.

 

[Calthrop]

At the risk of digressing, I read years ago in a magazine about a proposed junction at Newton St. Loe, with the Midland line from Mangotsfield diverted to join the GW line there. This would have allowed trains to and from the north to use an enlarged Bath Spa station, then continue via Bathampton and on to the Camerton branch, somehow joining the S&D where the two lines crossed at Midford. There would have been some big engineering challenges and I can't remember now in which magazine I saw it - the Railway Magazine I think. A benefit would have been avoiding the steep climb out of Bath GP with those nasty single-line tunnels.

This idea has been mentioned on these Forums quite recently: for instance, in a thread on "Infrastructure and Stations", titled "Long tunnels with no ventilation shafts / vice versa" -- OP 18 / 4 / 2021; and, I'm sure, not in that thread alone. I cannot help feeling that the Bath -- Midford section of the S & D as built; must have truly been an operating nightmare, for the complicated scheme as above to be seen as possibly justified.

 

[geoffk]

This idea has been mentioned on these Forums quite recently: for instance, in a thread on "Infrastructure and Stations", titled "Long tunnels with no ventilation shafts / vice versa" -- OP 18 / 4 / 2021; and, I'm sure, not in that thread alone. I cannot help feeling that the Bath -- Midford section of the S & D as built; must have truly been an operating nightmare, for the complicated scheme as above to be seen as possibly justified.

Thanks for that. I'll read this with interest!

 

[Kieran1990]

Guildford to Horsham

 

[Spamcan81]

The Campletown and Macrihanish Rly.

 

[Eyersey468]

Hull to Hornsea and Hull to Withernsea, too much of the routes has been built on and in the case of the Hornsea line it didn't serve anywhere of any size between Hull and Hornsea

 

[Spamcan81]

Stamford to Essendine and the even less successful Sibson extension to Wansford.

 

[AzureOtsu]

Shoreham to Christ's hospital.
Bristol St Phillips to mangotsfield/yate/bath green park

 

[OVS Flatbottom]

Wick & Lybster Light Railway?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

How about Abermule to Kerry ? (needs Abermule re-opened though)

 

[D6130]

Sowerby Bridge to Rishworth and Greetland to Stainland.....plus, of course, the Pickle Bridge branch from Anchor Pit Junction (near Brighouse) to Whyke. You would have to rebuild half a viaduct to reopen that!

 

[MarkyT]

Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway.

 

[Grecian 1998]

This idea has been mentioned on these Forums quite recently: for instance, in a thread on "Infrastructure and Stations", titled "Long tunnels with no ventilation shafts / vice versa" -- OP 18 / 4 / 2021; and, I'm sure, not in that thread alone. I cannot help feeling that the Bath -- Midford section of the S & D as built; must have truly been an operating nightmare, for the complicated scheme as above to be seen as possibly justified.

Many of the books on the line refer to steam crews on southbound services tying hankies over their mouths and lying down as the train entered Devonshire Tunnel. In the other direction there was a fatal crash at Bath goods yard as the footplate crew were overcome by fumes in Combe Down Tunnel, causing the train to run out of control once over the summit and heading down the 1 in 50 gradient into Bath.

Just walking the Two Tunnels Greenway now gives a sense of how restrictive the bore of Devonshire Tunnel is. Combine that with the immediate 1 in 50 climb out of Bath and you can see how difficult it would have been for steam crews. The bore of Combe Down Tunnel is somewhat bigger, but the 1 in 100 gradient combined with the lack of ventilation for a mile underground caused its own problems.

It's probably in keeping with the poor strategic decision making at the time the line was built (no connections to the GWR wherever possible, a very cumbersome layout at Templecombe and a decision to connect two seaside resorts with no harbours which almost bankrupted the company at the start) that there was never any attempt to dieselise the line at any stage to reduce operating costs. Granted some early 1950s diesels were highly experimental, but I can't see that there would have been much to lose by testing some on the route.

It's great that the Two Tunnels Greenway is there but that's certainly one line I couldn't see ever reopening under any circumstances.

 

[InkyScrolls]

The Nidd Valley Light Railway.

 

[Lloyds siding]

Liverpool Overhead Railway

Liverpool Central to Southport Lord Street (and its Barton branch) (Cheshire Lines)

The Mold and Denbigh Junction railway

 

[Julia]

Not only most unlikely to be reinstated, but most unlikely to see anything remotely like it ever again... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton_and_Rottingdean_Seashore_Electric_Railway

 

[androdas]

The North British from Morpeth up to Riccarton, especially the Rothbury Branch, that is unless sheep start commuting! Was a basket case and while Rothbury was a decent-ish settlement all the other stations served a couple of farms.

 

[Calthrop]

Stamford to Essendine and the even less successful Sibson extension to Wansford.

My bolding: in quite recent discussion on the Railtours & Preservation sub-forum here, it has been stated -- apparently seriously -- that some folk connected with the Nene Valley heritage line, have in fact had thoughts during the NVR's existence as a preserved line, of reopening / extending along part of the above branch -- thus, starting northward from the line's junction east of Wansford station, with the NVR route. This Stamford -- Wansford branch was abandoned by the LNER in 1929 (but I believe track remained in situ for many years for wagon storage purposes). Supposing that the relevant parts of the route have for these many decades remained in place -- not obliterated for farmland and / or built over -- well, one figures that stranger things have (maybe) happened ...

 

[TheBigD]

My bolding: in quite recent discussion on the Railtours & Preservation sub-forum here, it has been stated -- apparently seriously -- that some folk connected with the Nene Valley heritage line, have in fact had thoughts during the NVR's existence as a preserved line, of reopening / extending along part of the above branch -- thus, starting northward from the line's junction east of Wansford station, with the NVR route. This Stamford -- Wansford branch was abandoned by the LNER in 1929 (but I believe track remained in situ for many years for wagon storage purposes). Supposing that the relevant parts of the route have for these many decades remained in place -- not obliterated for farmland and / or built over -- well, one figures that stranger things have (maybe) happened ...

The route closed following the general strike of the 1920s. The track wasn't lifted until the start of the war in 1939.

Most of the track bed is there and easily walkable (though not a public right of way for about half of it).
The Wansford Road station area will get obliterated soon for the A47 dualling though I think the station gets saved (I'll have to check). There was some talk of a small part of the trackbed around there being used for a cycleway though I think that got dropped.
Some of the trackbed between Barnack and Uffington has been returned to farmland.
The section from Uffington to Hudds Mill is now part of the Torpell Way though a small section is diverted slightly as a small part of the original formation fell in to the River Welland.
The former Stamford East Station is now an old folks home.

If anyone is in the area, it is around a 4 mile round trip walk to do the railway part of the Torpell Way and the former Stamford canal. Park at Morrisons supermarket and walk from there!

You tube video of the route...

 

[fandroid]

Basingstoke to Alton - a crazy project that never made sense, but the rails came in useful in WW1!

 

[GCRS]

I'm sure someone'll be along soon to suggest draining the reservoir to allow the line to be reinstated

Which reminds me: Bala - Blaenau Ffestiniog.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Which reminds me: Bala - Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Flooding on a section of the line, presumably?

 

[Calthrop]

Bideford, Westward Ho! and Appledore Railway.

Basingstoke to Alton - a crazy project that never made sense, but the rails came in useful in WW1 !

My bolding -- the same applied to the BWH!&A. On Basingstoke -- Alton, the line was, at least, reinstated post-war (context of a leisurely interval after the conflict -- and reinstatement turned out to be for only ten-years-odd). I do regret the loss of the Devon line -- Westward Ho! impressed me, on my only visit there, as a (pleasingly) weird-feeling place, which absolutely ought to be served by a daft light railway.

 

[Greybeard33]

It keeps getting proposed but the Aberystwyth - Carmarthen line is highly unlikely ever to be rebuilt, and I have now seen a proposal to reopen the Cambrian from Moat Lane Junction, south of Newtown, Powys, to South Wales, which is even more preposterous.

But, but ... it's a nationhood thing.

Some people have a nosebleed at the thought of a journey from North Wales to South Wales requiring setting wheel in England.

Even though, for the majority of people, going via Shrewsbury will always be quicker than via Strata Florida or Moat Lane Junction.

But the Cambrian Main Line did go through England, at Oswestry.

 

[Calthrop]

The route closed following the general strike of the 1920s. The track wasn't lifted until the start of the war in 1939.

Most of the track bed is there and easily walkable (though not a public right of way for about half of it).
The Wansford Road station area will get obliterated soon for the A47 dualling though I think the station gets saved (I'll have to check). There was some talk of a small part of the trackbed around there being used for a cycleway though I think that got dropped.
Some of the trackbed between Barnack and Uffington has been returned to farmland.
The section from Uffington to Hudds Mill is now part of the Torpell Way though a small section is diverted slightly as a small part of the original formation fell in to the River Welland.
The former Stamford East Station is now an old folks home.

If anyone is in the area, it is around a 4 mile round trip walk to do the railway part of the Torpell Way and the former Stamford canal. Park at Morrisons supermarket and walk from there!

You tube video of the route...

Fascinating video -- thank you. This line would seem to have -- in more than one way -- survived in the general consciousness, better than many which likewise perished not far off a century ago. ([Total] closure date -- per Daniels and Dench's Passengers No More -- 1 / 7 / 1929 -- this given, likely indeed, some impetus from 1926's General Strike doings.) Re tracklifting -- an Ordnance Survey one-inch map which we had at home, date shortly post-World War II, showed the line in situ, but marked "disused", from Stamford down to a little way north of Wansford Road: which has prompted my "kept for wagon storage" theory -- just surmise; and it would be an undeserved compliment to the OS, to suggest that they've always had their finger closely and accurately on the pulse re rail lines' status: see for instance, the -- much discussed on these Forums -- similarly late 1940s OS / Talyllyn Railway presumed status / nationalisation-or-not, saga.

A47 / Wansford Road Station building -- please see on these Forums, sub-forum Railtours and Preservation, thread "Wansford Road station to be moved to NVR" (OP 24 / 8 / 2022) -- station building planned to be removed bodily to NVR / Railworld site at Peterborough?

From the video: possibility perhaps seen -- in view of the surprisingly great amount of the line's trackbed on its southern reaches, physically still in its place and not wiped out -- and pace Wansford Road / A47 doings as above -- of relaying of track northward from the junction to, say, Ufford Bridge (as per, as above, "things seemingly mooted") and NVR reopening accordingly? Not my personal preference re heritage lines and what they find worthwhile doing; but hey, I'm just an uninvolved bystander.

 

[greyman42]

Dumfries to Stranraer.

 

[Greybeard33]

It keeps getting proposed but the Aberystwyth - Carmarthen line is highly unlikely ever to be rebuilt, and I have now seen a proposal to reopen the Cambrian from Moat Lane Junction, south of Newtown, Powys, to South Wales, which is even more preposterous.

But, but ... it's a nationhood thing.

Some people have a nosebleed at the thought of a journey from North Wales to South Wales requiring setting wheel in England.

Even though, for the majority of people, going via Shrewsbury will always be quicker than via Strata Florida or Moat Lane Junction.

But the Cambrian Main Line did go through England, at Oswestry.

 

[D6130]

Carlisle to Hawick....and possibly Hawick to Tweedbank, but I hope not.