Lines That Have Closed Since 1970

[ushawk]

The line to Coulsdon North closed in 1983 due to resignalling at Sloats Nest.

 

[steamybrian]

The line to Coulsdon North closed in 1983 due to resignalling at Sloats Nest.

It wasn't on a branch line.
The Brighton line was undergoing resignalling including Stoats Nest Jn.
The station consisted of 4 platforms
-two terminal platforms with tracks continuing through station into sidings.
-two platforms (rarely used) served the Quarry Line.

 

[Metobusfan]

Agreed.

(My error I used closure date of Kings Cross Thameslink)



Closure date of Kings Cross (Hotel Curves) and Kings Cross York Road platform was 1976 for regular passenger service.

We all make mistakes

 

[RichmondCommu]

It wasn't on a branch line.
The Brighton line was undergoing resignalling including Stoats Nest Jn.
The station consisted of 4 platforms
-two terminal platforms with tracks continuing through station into sidings.
-two platforms (rarely used) served the Quarry Line.

Apologies for the stupid question but what is or was the Quarry Line?

 

[CockneySparrow]

That's a real shame because of course we also had Luton which at the time I think was still loading cars / vans and the freight terminal at Wellingborough. You would have thought that all that would have paid for itself but of course Wellingborough would have involved an expensive trip working.

Incidentally does Luton still operate as an aggregate terminal or is just for railway ballast. Whenever I pass by its too hard to tell.

There are a few workings to Luton from Mountsorrel each week of ballast

 

[RichmondCommu]

There are a few workings to Luton from Mountsorrel each week of ballast

Many thanks for this. Ballast and construction aggregate looking very similar to the uneducated eye!

 

[adrock1976]

Apologies for the stupid question but what is or was the Quarry Line?

With my knowledge of railway history south of the mighty Thames not being very broad, I've heard of the "Quarry Line" being referred to the pair of tracks that bypasses Redhill in Surrey.

I believe (if I've got this the right way round) that the pair of tracks that run through Redhill station were built by the London, Brighton, & South Coast Railway, with the Quarry Lines being built by the Southeastern Railway.

Perhaps somebody who is local to Surrey can confirm if this is the case or not?

In peace

Adam

PS RichmondCommu: I'm assuming you are (or originally from) the Richmond in historic Middlesex?

 

[yorksrob]

With my knowledge of railway history south of the mighty Thames not being very broad, I've heard of the "Quarry Line" being referred to the pair of tracks that bypasses Redhill in Surrey.

I believe (if I've got this the right way round) that the pair of tracks that run through Redhill station were built by the London, Brighton, & South Coast Railway, with the Quarry Lines being built by the Southeastern Railway.

Perhaps somebody who is local to Surrey can confirm if this is the case or not?

In peace

Adam

PS RichmondCommu: I'm assuming you are (or originally from) the Richmond in historic Middlesex?

Almost correct.

When the Brighton mainline was originally built, it was intended by parliament to be the mainline South to both Brighton and Dover (as far as Redhill where the original Dover main line diverged) To this end, The South Eastern Railway built and owned the original section of the Brighton main line between Coulsdon and Redhill right up until grouping. The quarry line was built by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway as an attempt to have its own main line all the way between London and Brighton.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Redhill station's platform canopies carried the standard South Eastern valence design until quite recently.

 

[ac6000cw]

Has the Foxton Barrington freight line been mentioned - not sure when it closed but now being relaid. Have two sleepers bridging the ditch at the bottom of the garden from the old track.

I'd thought about that one, but it's never been part of the national network (it has always been a private line - owned and operated by the quarry/cement companies - with exchange sidings at the Foxton end).

 

[David Sinnett]

Not seen it listed but if Woodhead closed after 1970 I'd have thought the Godley to approx Woodley line should be listed.

 

[Bedpan]

Dunstable I am led to believe had several customers along the line mainly speedlink, when speedlink ceased so did the line, with Luton under wires and this branch line not it was never going to open to passengers again

It wasn't so much lack of electrification as the lack of a junction from the Midland Main line onto the ex LNER Welwyn to Dunstable line. Bute Street station, which became a car park, was on the opposite side of Station Road to the Midland station. The connection between the two lines faced the opposite way so trains would have had to reverse out of Luton station, across the connection towards a head shunt, and then reverse again to continue through what was Bute street station, and on to Dunstable. It was this, and the lack of a viable solution, that prevented plans for the Luton terminators to continue to Dunstable North coming to fruition, but this did not stop "Dunstable North" being included on the destination blinds of at least some 319s in their early years.

 

[CyrusWuff]

A replacement lift was built in "Spur Road" on the east side of the station.

Not quite. If stock has to be taken elsewhere now, it has to be craned out one vehicle at a time. There's a (relatively) small crane at the top of the shaft to remove the "lid", and they bring a bigger crane in for the actual lifts.

 

[Bedpan]

I had assumed that the old lift over in the sidings beyond platform 21 was only able to lift one vehicle at a time - could it in fact lift two or more?

 

[Stonesourscotty]

Am i right in thinking there used to be a line that avoided Wallgate station Completely on the Kirkby line branching off somewhere near where Asda/Rathbones is at Newtown?

 

[CyrusWuff]

I had assumed that the old lift over in the sidings beyond platform 21 was only able to lift one vehicle at a time - could it in fact lift two or more?

The Armstrong Lift was also only capable of lifting one vehicle at a time, though the point is moot as 1992 Tube Stock is over a metre longer than the 1940 Stock it replaced, so had to be craned in anyway.

Here's a shot of the surface structure of said lift (now buried under Waterloo International):

And here's a shot of the small crane by Spur Road:

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Meadowbank Stadium Station has closed since the 70s, and some of the tracks through it, and the most direct route to it have been removed.

On the underground, there's Green Park to Charing Cross, but I think the tracks remain.

I thought the station opened in 1986 for spectators attending the 1986 Commonwealth games in Edinburgh.

The stadium became the home of Meadowbank Thistle FC but they struggled to compete with Hibs and Hearts and were "franchised" out to Livingston in 1995.

The station closed in 1998 while the stadium is now home to non-league sides Edinburgh City and Leith Athletic. Its future has been in doubt for some years.

 

[Bedpan]

Most interesting CyrusWuff - I would never have imagined that the end of the line was there! Having seen your pics, I had a ferret around on the internet and found two photos of carriages being lifted into the hole. There are two thumbnails about 20% of the way down the page at http://www.oxford-chiltern-bus-page.co.uk/060806.htm

 

[mike57]

When did the Merton Abbey branch close to freight, I know it served the Triang factory, I worked very close to the old track in the late 70's and although it was closed at this time and the track was lifted, we used it as a short cut to Merton Park station, I dont think it had been closed long. I think the Northern Line killed off the passenger service in the 1930's

 

[thenorthern]

I think there were some sidings at Long Meg mines on the Settle and Carlisle which closed in the 1970s.

Has anyone mentioned Wolverhampton Low Level which I think closed in 1972.

Another one is the line that went across the Scotswood Railway Bridge and into Newcastle which I think closed in 1982 to passengers and to Freight in 1990.

Finally there was the North Warwickshire coal mines line from Kingsbury to Atherstone, the Baxterley to Atherstone part closed ages ago, the last mine along the line at Baxterley I think closed in 1989 but I think the last goods trains ran along there in 1995, the line has partially been reopened as far as Dordon for the Birch Coppice Business Park although the section from Dordon to Baxterley has now been lifted.

 

[Ships]

Its officially OOU and has been for years so closed by any other words. Gets permanently disconnected as part of St Helens resignalling as the signalling and everything gets ripped out.

Which is a great shame as it would have been useful to run direct services from Manchester to St Helens.

 

[steamybrian]

When did the Merton Abbey branch close to freight, I know it served the Triang factory, I worked very close to the old track in the late 70's and although it was closed at this time and the track was lifted, we used it as a short cut to Merton Park station, I dont think it had been closed long. I think the Northern Line killed off the passenger service in the 1930's

The passenger service finished in 1929 and soon afterwards the junction at Tooting was severed
Freight continued between Merton Park to Tooting Goods until around 1968 when the line was cut back to Merton Abbey.
The line between Merton Park and Merton Abbey continued for freight only to the Triang Factory (Lines Brothers ?) until 1975.

 

[markindurham]

Am i right in thinking there used to be a line that avoided Wallgate station Completely on the Kirkby line branching off somewhere near where Asda/Rathbones is at Newtown?

Yes, there was an avoiding line; sadly its name escapes me for the moment . It was to the south of Wigan.

 

[jp4712]

I *think* it was called, rather prosaically, the Wigan Avoiding Line; not to be confused with the arguably better-known Whelley Line, which was the LNWR's line avoiding Wigan which stretched from Standish in the north to Bamfurlong in the south.

 

[Springs Branch]

I *think* it was called, rather prosaically, the Wigan Avoiding Line; not to be confused with the arguably better-known Whelley Line, which was the LNWR's line avoiding Wigan which stretched from Standish in the north to Bamfurlong in the south.

This ex-L&YR line seems to have had several names concurrently, "Westwood Park loop" or "Westwood Park line" also being used (Westwood Park was the location of the intermediate signal box & colliery sidings half-way along the line). I believe it was also known to local crews as the Big Dipper on account of gradients along there.

At the Liverpool end, it started at Pemberton Junction (just east of Pemberton station), not at Newtown and rejoined the Wigan Wallgate / Manchester Vic main line at Hindley No.3 junction, just about where the railway passes over the A577 road.

 

[ac6000cw]

I don't think the Nuneaton avoiding line has been mentioned (Midland Jct to Abbey St Jct), closed in 1992 then functionally reinstated on a different alignment in 2004 (via Nuneaton station platforms 6 & 7).

 

[backontrack]

The Sinfin branch is a notable one, closing in the 90s and being replaced by some sort of taxi thing for a while.
The Groombridge branch was a late casualty, closed in 1985. The Oldham Loop does count, as it lost some stations such as Werneth. Don't know if the East London Line counts, but Shoreditch station has been lost.
As for separate stations, Ditton (Junction), Greatham, Cargo Fleet, Grangetown (Middlesborough) and Errol have all closed since Beeching.

 

[Buttsy]

Did not the rump of the Newcastle Emlyn branch go in about 1973?

 

[backontrack]

You're spot on with the year, but only for freight. Passenger services had ceased in 1952.

The Bridport branch closed in 1975. Weymouth Quay station lasted ten more years, whereas Newhaven Marine, although legally open, closed in 2006 because of 'safety concerns'.

More sadly, Pendleton station closed temporarily in 1994 after an arson attack. It never reopened. Four years later, it was formally closed.

But on a slightly happier note, Llanfair, which had closed in February 1966, reopened in May 1970 after a fire on the Britannia Bridge. It closed again in January 1972, but reopened (again!) in May (again!) 1973. Today we know it as Llanfairpwyllgwyngyll...

...or rather, Llanfair PG :P

 

[MotorcycleAlan]

Don't think it has been mentioned but the Hamble branch, which still has rails but unconnected, ran from Hamble station to the oil terminal on the coast over what was once the airfield. Where it crosses the B3397 the level crossing signs are still in place and the whole branch is a pleasant walk from the station to the coast. In places there are three tracks due to the large number of oil trains stored on it.

 

[The Planner]

The Sinfin branch is a notable one, closing in the 90s and being replaced by some sort of taxi thing for a while.

Sinfin isn't closed, freight still uses it.